Porter cable scroll saw

[huckaberry3]

I am looking at buying a Porter-Cable scroll saw. It is the one that has the table that tilts both ways and looks the same as craftsman brand. Does anyone have any feedback on them good or bad? It is in my price range and looks good to me but any opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Kepy]

You might to also check Craigs list for your area as the RBI used to be made at Harrisonville, MO and you can sometimes find a deal on one of them. I've never used a Porter Cable so don't know but have heard some good reports.

[TheWoodArtist]

I use the Porter Cable (PC) Saw that you are talking about and it's great. I've had it for over 4 months now and have had no problems. The only downfalls I've found with it is the blower, which I fixed with a fish tank pump, and the light that came with it, which I got a higher watt bulb and it fixed that problem. I like that it came with a stand. It runs pretty smooth with little to no vibration on high speed I like that it tilts both ways. I would suggest that you may want to get you a 10mm allen wrench for the upper clamp as I found that it works great to clamp the blade and it saved my thumb from the blisters I got from turning it so much. That's just my opinion I've talked to a few that use this saw also and have not had that problem of course I have dry skin anyways. Hope this helps, I would say get it as for it's a great saw for the price and you won't be able to find a new one with stand for that price. I got mine from Lowe's.

[scorp589]

I purchased a Porter Cable a couple of months ago. The first thing I did was
build a stand. I don't remember who's plan it was to give him credit but it is
easy to build, heavy which cuts saw vibration to a minimum, and gives a good
seating height.
Overall the saw is very good for a scroll beginner such as myself. Two items
I have a problem with are the blade tension is on the back of the machine
making it hard to tighten, and to get at the bottom blade holder I took off
the side cover with my big fingers.
It takes a little practice to get pin less blades to hold in the saw. Some day
I am sure I will up grade, but it is what I need now. Our local Lowes moved
to a new building and with their sales I got it for $74. Couldn't beat the price.

Norm

[ASDLF22]

There is an article in Issue 40, Fall 2010 that compares scroll saws. The PC was rated best deal in the entry level saw. With that in mind, you may be considering to upgrade in short order? Here is an article that may help you choose? I couldn't find the article on the site from Issue 40 though. http://www.scrollsawer.com/reviews/choosing-a-scroll-saw.html

I would check the websites for used saws - you may get a good deal on a better saw, I picked up a Hegner 18 last fall for a killer deal when my 788 was in the repair shop. The new replacement 788 they gave me is still in the box!

[huckaberry3]

Thank you for the info. I am going to hopefully get it tomorrow.