Farewell, Ferm...

[Brucio]

After years of cutting stuff on a Ferm, and only a few weeks of absorbing the reading on this forum, I've splashed out and bought a Sip scrollsaw.
Mainly because I was sick of the blade-changing chore on the Ferm. It's so long, it puts you off doing anything with inside cuts.
But the Sip is so different...click, click, plonk, click, click. Done. (and probably faster than it took me to type that line...)
The "plonk" is the wood with the hole going onto the blade.
And it's so QUIET! At the lower speeds, anyway. Even at top speed, it's still quieter than the Ferm.
So I'm giving my old scrollsaw to a friend who has a workshop full of power tools, but no scrollsaw....(heh,heh,heh)
Lookout-you intricate, complicated, highly detailed fretwork-here I come!
Bruce

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Bruce.....

So glad you're happy with your new SIP saw :wink:

I'm not sure if any other members here have a SIP but it's good to know at least one member has.
If you get time, please get back with a more in-depth assessment of the saw as it will help others who are in the market for buying a sub £100 saw.
For example, what are the bottom blade holders like ?

 

[Brucio]

Re: SIP scrollsaw.
The bottom blade holder is the same as the top (but upside-down): both holders will accept pin blades without using the clamps. Although you have to clamp the bottom of the blade to stop it dropping when you unhook the top. To get at the clamping screw, you have to put the t-wrench into what looks like a vent slot underneath-not too much trouble.
I must admit, I have trouble clamping very thin blades (0.8 mm x 3.4 mm x 20 tpi)- the kind I use in the hand fretsaw.
These are the same blades I used in the Ferm (with my little clamp gadget) without trouble.
And I'm still not sure how much tension to give it before dropping the tension lever.
I suppose that will come in time...
And the slots in the red plastic plate are far too big, so I've made another plate with just one thin slot in it.
This means you can't tilt the table, but I've never needed to, anyway.
Maybe it's me getting better at cutting, or maybe it's the saw, but I don't seem to have as much trouble keeping the blade straight (cutting straight lines) as I used to with the Ferm saw.
Up to now, still glad I got it.
Bruce