Hi all, I have recently started doing a bit if carving, it often requires that I cut out the shape first. My band saw is a bit clumsy for some of the intricate shapes and it cant do internal cuts. Iwont need to cut any more than an inch. At the moment I am not particularly interested in general scrolling ( but you never know!). So, what scroll saw would you recomend? I dont want to sped a fortune but nor do I want a really inferior one, I suppose I could go to around the £150 mark if need be. Any advice will be much appreciared.
Advice wanted on which saw to buy please
- Thread starter Scoffy
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scrimper
Established Member
Had you asked for advice on a saw for doing scroll sawing I would 100% recommend you spend more and get a decent quality machine, however as you suggest you only want it to cut out shapes for carving rather than using a band saw then I would suggest one of the cheapo saws would do the job for you. Normally for people who want a saw to do intricate fretwork I would suggest avoiding the cheaper saws but for simple shapes it would do the job.
It's difficult to recommend a saw in the cheaper ranges as there are so many to choose from and to be honest if you study them you will notice that the majority look similar to each other, the reason for this is that they are basically the same saw but with different names on them, so buying one with a quality name on it does not mean that it is a better saw than a cheaper model with a less well known name attached.
Many of the saws with quality well known names may look a little more fancy with different protecting covers etc and a few embellishments over the dirt cheap models but underneath they are the same basic chassis and design. I have seen saws for as little as £39 with the less posh badges on them but the same basic saw with a posh name can cost well over £100.
If you only want the saw for cutting basic shapes I would suggest buying a cheap model, that way if you do decide later that you want to do more intricate work you have not wasted too much, however if you are thinking you might wish to do serious fretwork including internal cutting then forget the cheaper saws and buy a quality machine at the outset. A decent second-hand quality make would be far superior to a brand new machine in the cheaper ranges.
The Axminster AWFS16 http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ho ... saw-501247 is a a cheap type machine and if you look around you will find lots of saws like this with all different names on them (as I mention above) This saw (or a similar different branded machine) would be fine for simple cutting of shapes etc.
Axminster AWFS18 http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-tr ... saw-501201 Different ball game, this is a quality machine and an almost carbon copy of the excellent (high priced)Hegner saws , this type is ideal for serious fretwork and has had good reviews here.
Note I am not suggesting the above two saws are the best for you just giving examples. Many people on the forum give good reports of quality saws such as the Delta ranges (not easy to get), the Axminster Excalibur lookalikes and others inc myself favour the Hegner ranges.
Hope some of my stuff above is of some help to you, if you have any questions please ask, there are lots of decent people in this forum happy to give advice and all are very knowledgeable.
It's difficult to recommend a saw in the cheaper ranges as there are so many to choose from and to be honest if you study them you will notice that the majority look similar to each other, the reason for this is that they are basically the same saw but with different names on them, so buying one with a quality name on it does not mean that it is a better saw than a cheaper model with a less well known name attached.
Many of the saws with quality well known names may look a little more fancy with different protecting covers etc and a few embellishments over the dirt cheap models but underneath they are the same basic chassis and design. I have seen saws for as little as £39 with the less posh badges on them but the same basic saw with a posh name can cost well over £100.
If you only want the saw for cutting basic shapes I would suggest buying a cheap model, that way if you do decide later that you want to do more intricate work you have not wasted too much, however if you are thinking you might wish to do serious fretwork including internal cutting then forget the cheaper saws and buy a quality machine at the outset. A decent second-hand quality make would be far superior to a brand new machine in the cheaper ranges.
The Axminster AWFS16 http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ho ... saw-501247 is a a cheap type machine and if you look around you will find lots of saws like this with all different names on them (as I mention above) This saw (or a similar different branded machine) would be fine for simple cutting of shapes etc.
Axminster AWFS18 http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-tr ... saw-501201 Different ball game, this is a quality machine and an almost carbon copy of the excellent (high priced)Hegner saws , this type is ideal for serious fretwork and has had good reviews here.
Note I am not suggesting the above two saws are the best for you just giving examples. Many people on the forum give good reports of quality saws such as the Delta ranges (not easy to get), the Axminster Excalibur lookalikes and others inc myself favour the Hegner ranges.
Hope some of my stuff above is of some help to you, if you have any questions please ask, there are lots of decent people in this forum happy to give advice and all are very knowledgeable.
finneyb
Established Member
Get a hand fret/coping saw if you are not doing much cutting cost about £5-10 . Using hand tools is still allowed 
Brian
Brian
scrimper
Established Member
finneyb":1qkji9a1 said:Get a hand fret/coping saw if you are not doing much cutting cost about £5-10 . Using hand tools is still allowed
Brian
For many years I did all of my fretcutting with a Hobbies hand-frame but since I bought my first motorised fretsaw 30 odd years ago I have hardly used it.
A handsaw will do the work but it's no where near so much fun as using the motorised version.
Thank you for all the advice, it is most helpful. I now have use of a little Dremel Moto fret saw, I am going to use that for a while to see how I get on. Then if I find I like scroll sawing I will splash out and by a 'good' one. I have used a hand fret saw to cut out some of the pieces, but it is a slow process for me.
But now I have a bit more idea of the best options, so thanks again for your advice.
Best Wishes
Harry
But now I have a bit more idea of the best options, so thanks again for your advice.
Best Wishes
Harry
