New to Scroll Saw

[LouF]

Hi my name is Lou I live in southern California, I am very interested in the craft.
I would like to ask what is a good starter saw to buy. I have been looking at some of the ones at my local Sears and would like any thoughts on the craftsman line of saws.Any help for a newbie is welcomed.

Lou

[Steviegwood]

Hi Lou, welcome to our family. I would suggest a saw that accepts plain end blades and variable speed to start. A quick connect blade clamping system is also a good feature. As for your lower end saws you may find that they have a little more vibration. If you could tell us the dollar amount that you are willing to start with I am sure that others will jump in here with some good advice. Again Welcome, Steve

[Mackem]

welcome to the club lou

[MikeDingas]

Here's the Craftsman saw I use. I consider it a good entry level saw. Look at my gallery to see what I've been able to cut. It does have vibration but not too bad at mid-speed.

[LouF]

Hi Mike thats some nice work very nice. I was looking at that saw the other day they have that one and the Craftsman 18 in. Scroll Saw, so they would be good entry level saws? Thanks for the reply Mike.

Lou

[PuzzledMoose]

Hi Lou I know nothing about Craftsman saws but welcome to the the board anyhow..

[LouF]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome feels like home. I will look on the internet and see what other saws are out there. can anyone point out some good books with patterns to get started with?


Lou

[Bill Wilson]

I had a Craftsman saw for many years before I bought my DeWalt. It was OK for what it was at the time and what I was using it for. The biggest complaint I had with mine was that it required 2 tools to loosen the blade clamps and remove the blade, so doing fretwork was extemely tedious and frustrating. Also the tensioning knob was in the rear of the top arm, making it awkward to reach back there everytime to tension the blade. It had some vibration and blade wobble that hindered my progress, but frankly I didn't really notice all that much when I was just getting started.

I don't know anything about their current saws, but I believe they have made some improvements on them since I had mine. Dremel and Delta also make entry level saws that would be worth looking into.

As for patterns, there are several books by Patrick Spielman that are great for beginners.

Good luck and have fun making sawdust.

[Steviegwood]

Hi Lou, John Nelson has some good books and you might google msn for free scroll saw patterns also. Steve

[Dragon]

Welcome to the board. Look around for some free patterns to start with. Something simple that attracts you when you see it. Go to Google and ask for "free scroll saw patterns" . There are lots of them to start with.
Diane

[MikeDingas]

Just to clarify something about the Craftsman saw...

The saw I use does not require any tools to secure the blades. Yes, as I said, vibration is there. Yes, the tension knob is at the rear. I'm not sure about blade wobble. If its there, I don't see it. By all means, go to Sears and look one over. I'm sure the other saws mentioned are good, too. I guess it depends upon how much you are willing to spend to try this craft. If your budget can handle the higher priced saw it would be a better choice.

Just don't get discouraged if your first attempts are less than what you had hoped for. The nice thing about scrolling is that most mistakes will not be noticed unless you point them out! Hand-made is the key word, IMHO.

Books: Amazon has Spielman books and is where I try to find them as you can often get them used for a steal.

[lucky788scroller]

Books, patterns,everything you need is available on this page right here! youve come to the right place. Many links on the left side of this page. and, the best forum there is! Welcome. Dale