just got my first scrollsaw

[Tim_UK]

It's a used Ryobi model but after some tinkering replacing the screws in the blade clamps it seems ok. At first it vibrated a lot particuarly at certain speeds but now it's firmly fixed to my bench this seems to have been cured.




Is there any maintenance - oiling etc - that the saw would benefit from ?

The air blower on mine had perished but I set up an old aquarium air pump and this worked very well.

 

[Gill]

I'm pleased you got the vibration sorted out, Tim. It's counter-intuitive, but adding mass to the saw rather than sticking an "anti-vibration" mat underneath it works wonders.

I've no personal experience of Ryobi saws but I know of a rather talented scroller in Canada who cut his scrolling teeth on one. It didn't do him any harm - he ended up producing articles for international magazines and books. He visits this forum sometimes and perhaps he might be able to offer some advice.

By the way... nice duck .

Gill

 

[Canadian Scroller]

Hi Tim, I have used a Ryobi saw for many years.
I have had two of them, the first wasnt much fun. They have improved so much over the past few years.
Gill has told you correctly that mass reduces vibration, anti vibration mats only isolate the vibration
It will help to oil the machine after every 20 hours or so. Use a light machine oil, perhaps from a sewing machine.

I would recommend that you clean the dust out of the lower blade clamps where it accumulates. The sawdust can make the blade clamps slip.
I have also taken a diamond emery fingernail file and roughed up the clamps a little. Originally there was a slight burr in the casting of my saw. It is fine now.

I also used the file under the table where a casting burr would scratch my hand as I changed the blade.

Make sure you use a good quality blade, after all that is what is doing the cutting, not the saw,
People will often spend large sums of money on a table saw blade and then complain about the few pennies they have to spend on scrolling blades.

The speed control will offer you some selectivity when cutting different materials of different densities. I tend to vary the speed of my saw more than the type of blade.

I also connected a BBQ LED light to my saw. I clamped it into the hole where the hold down foot was. I tend to turf those as soon as I get a saw.

I think you will have a lot of success with this unit as long as you let the saw do the work and don't force the wood.

Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to contact me
[email protected]

Carl

 

[Brucio]

Hello Tim,
your saw looks identical to my SIP scrollsaw.
I bought mine almost two years ago, and apart from replacing the screw in the top blade clamp, it's been an excellent buy.
It's a bit fiddly trying to clamp very thin pinless blades, but otherwise you should get a lot of pleasure from it.
Bruce