Help! Which scroll saw to buy!

[JimiJimi]

Hi all

I am hoping someone can help me. I am poised to buy a scroll saw but I just can't decide which one to get. I want to spend about £100-£150 but each time I see one I like, I read reviews of it and am put off. I know I want variable speed, a foot for holding the wood down, the ability to take pinned and pinless blades, and possibly a safety guard. Does anyone have the Erbauer ERB110SSW? I looked at the Axminster AWSS-18, but read a couple of not so good reviews about vibration and poor quality of cut. The Axminster AWVFS looks ok, except that it only seems to have a cutting depth of 28mm, whereas most other machines have around 50mm. The Sealey SM43 looks a possible contender, as does the Scheppach Deco Flex. Too much information!

Thanks,

Jimi

 

[Chippygeoff]

To be honest with you there is not a lot to be had in your price range that could be called decent. Your best bet would be to look for a second hand AWFS 18. With most people variable speed and quick change blade clamps are highly desirable. You DO NOT need a hold down, none of us use them, the workpiece is quite manageable without one, you just need gentle pressure to hold it down and guide the workpiece. You don't need a safety guard either, none of us use them, the scroll saw is the safest wood working tool there is. A foot pedal is highly desirable, I could not work without one now. You don't want pinned blades either, they are a pain in the rear. with inside work you need the smallest entry hole to thread the blade though and pinned blades just wont do it, besides, with pinned blades you are very limited to what you can get. With pinless blades the world is your oyster and you can make anything. I would not consider the 2 saws you mentioned, just my opinion. I would save up some more and get a better machine, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for and many have given it up after buying a cheap saw as they don't perform very well and don't last long.

 

[Wilder]

Hi JimiJimi,

Sorry to be the voice of doom and gloom, but I was in your position about a year ago, and everyone told me not to get a cheap saw. However, I only had around £100-£150 to spend, and I wanted to get going on my new hobby, so I bought the AWVFS. DO NOT DO IT! It takes me longer to change the blades than it does to saw anything. I have tried all the tips and adaptations I could find on here, plus a few of my own, and blade changes are a nightmare. This machine was never really designed to take pinless blades and, in my opinion, it still doesn't.

I am now taking the advice I should have taken in the first place, and looking for a Hegner - either second hand or by saving up for it. I really wish I hadn't wasted good money last year that I could have put towards something decent.

Believe me, I know how hard it is when funds are limited, but you will only get frustrated with a cheap saw.

Of course, there may be someone on here who knows of a low price-range saw that is absolutely brilliant, in which case we will both be winners

 

[Intarsia]

Hello.... A cheap scrollsaw can be good if you really go for the right brand and model.... If have tried out several cheap scrollsaws over time which were Ryobi, Axminster and my current one Record power..... I suggest you skip everything with tightening nuts via an allen key and more than saws with more than one function, ie flexible arm for shaping.
Also with tension at the back of the saw i would suggest a knob to tighten the blade and not a lever as i just found it annoying and stressful.
As the Ryobi and my current Record Power have kinda wingnut bladeclamps and they last really well as i still am using my Ryobi ones and the newer ones i just keep for future use..... but offcourse when i have the money i will order an Excalibur 16 or 21"....but till than see below the link is where i got it from... a perfect hobby saw.
http://www.diytools.co.uk/record-po...=&source=pla&gclid=CNHHj5Dt57QCFSbMtAodbUsA9A

 

[Waka]

I also went through the dilemma of what to choose back at the beginning of December. I'd spent weeks reading up on various saws, and in the end asked the advice of the forum.
Everyone was pointing me towards the Hegner which was above the budget I really wanted to spend. In the end I bit the bullet and went for the entry level Hegner and I couldn't be more pleased, its everything I wanted and more.
My advice would be to save a little longer and go for the Hegner, they also come up on e-bay so you might not end up spending the full new price.

As they often say about tools, "the cheapest is often the most expensive"

 

[Wilder]

I went for a Record saw before I bought the Axminster, but had to send it back as it didn't work.

 

[JimiJimi]

Thanks for the advice everyone. It looks like I will have to delay starting up my new hobby while I save up some more money for a Hegner. Meanwhile, I'll keep an eye on ebay...

Jimi.

 

[JWLeaper]

My Record lasted 30 minutes before the speed controller didn't. Thank you Axminster for providing a saw with a speed controller that does.

 

[loftyhermes]

Look for a Delta with the quickset blade clamps.

 

[cragster]

hi all
first of all nice site here, the saw that you want Erbauer ERB110SSW is similar to the Scroll saw BT-SS 405 E what I have, its a low end saw, but it does a fantastic job, the only thing is the slow blade change, its true that the adapter for thr pinless blades are a nightmare and really dangerous if you dont have the safety thingy on, as per its one of the first things to go, but with a little mod its safer, the alken key which holds the blade clamp to the machine, umscrew this, I used what I had at hand.. a lollypop stick you need to cut it to the same lenth as the silver clamp, put this on the screw first and screw it back together, repeat for the bottom one, this stop the hook over pinless adapter flying off at your head when the blade snaps, as it hits the stick and is deflected back down, its a lot safer, but apart fron this its an ok saw, ive done many projects, including some portrait work, but if you can afford alittle more go for the axminster for aroud 300 quid,

 

[Bryan Bennett]

Hi Cragster Welcome to a great site,I only found the site last month and I really enjoy being a small part of a large membership.You will find plenty of advice just ask,and you will receive a very warm welcome here.

Bryan

 

[heatherw]

There are 4 Hegners for sale on Ebay this week, pickup only from York which shouldn't be too far from you. the best one is http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hegner-Sa...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item35c4353b2c and as there are a couple more on sale at the same time the price shouldn't go too high. I don't think any of the York ones are variable speed though, but i can't see properly. Ex school machines tend to have been well maintained too.


just put Hegner in the Ebay search

 

[JimiJimi]

Hi Heather

Thanks for the suggestion. I have actually managed to pick up a Rexon DTS16A, with variable speed, for only £40. Although not the machine I ideally want, I am really pleased with it. Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions - I would still like a Hegner but it will have to wait until I win the lottery!

Jimi.

 

[Gary Morris]

Jimi, post some pictures of your work when you can please, I love seeing other peoples work.

Gary

 

[JimiJimi]

Hi Gary

Here are some of my attempts so far.

Here's another:

This was my first attempt at internal cuts. It went a bit wobbly but I think I got away with it.

On this one, I think I tried to run before I can walk!

 

[cragster]

hi all just thought I would share the smal modification I made to lower end scrollsaws, if you have this type of braket and the pinless adapter, and your taking off the safety guard. it makes it a lot safer

 

[boysie39]

Jimi, if you think you are running before walking with that kind of work ,there is no hope for poor auld me .

I think you are right on the money with thoes pieces , well done.

 

[Gary Morris]

Jimi, lovely pieces, nice crisp lines and quite small figures, really nice.

Gary

 

[Apache_sim]

Some great advice... I am thinking about a scroll saw as a future purchase.
Thanks

 

[Gabe95]

I have been trying to find out what kind of scrollsaw to buy and have been looking at websites for about 3 years now. I keep getting put off by the advice which is generally "Don't mess about with the cheaper saws, go straight to the high end ones or you will be disappointed."
I am so angry with myself for listening to this rubbish. I learned early in life that there are a breed of men who sit around stroking their beards and measuring each others worth by the equipment that they can afford. This is why I avoid clubs like the photographic club or the golf club like the plague. They are full of people who blame the tools. By actually giving these opinions any merit I have been kept away from what I now discover is a really enjoyable hobby.
Realising that I was never going to be able to afford a Hegner or any of the other expensive saws, I cast around and decided on a Scheppach SD1600F. Contrary to the opinions of the beard-strokers it neither jumps around the bench like a demented rodeo bull, nor cuts jigsaw patterns all on it's own because it cannot hold a straight line. Blade changing is accomplished in a few seconds with practice.
If you fancy taking this up as a hobby, and can afford the top end machines great. Go for it. If you just want to stick your toe in the water and try it out, you would be mad to spend that sort of money. There is a good reason that they are available second hand on Ebay. I can recommend the Scheppach (It comes with a flexi drive attachment and Dremel like tools, great for the smaller workshop). But just have a look and see what there is. If you get really good and think that you can make items to sell, then it will be time to trade up to a more expensive model. Until then, get a decent priced saw and buy some decent blades. They make the difference. I would suggest some skip tooth blades and some reverse tooth blades to start. Have fun with your new saw. I hope you didn't waste as much time as I did thanks to the silly advice in here!