Woodworkers and hobbyists use scroll saws to cut intricate designs in wood, plastic or metal. These saws can also be used to create interesting wood joints, such as dovetail joints. Scroll saws are average in size compared with band saws. They don't have a fence, and they are relatively quiet. Once you discover a scroll saw's versatility, it may become one of the most important cutting tools you own.
Description
Scroll saws work with a reciprocating motion. This means the arm that holds the sawblade moves up and down with minimal vibration. This motion helps keep the blade straight while cutting.
Scroll saws are designed to cut curves as small as the point of a pen. With a little patience, you can cut intricate, fully enclosed designs. Scroll saws will cut wood up to 2 inches thick.
Scroll saw blades are usually no more than 5 inches long. The saw can hold several types of blades, including skip tooth, double skip tooth, spiral, crown, two-way and reverse tooth. Scroll saws can also use metal-cutting and diamond blades.
Use
Using a scroll saw involves transferring a pattern to the material you want to cut, drilling a hole in the material to pass the blade through, fastening the blade to the saw arm and hand moving the material into the blade to cut out the design.
Make sure the type of blade and the blade tension are appropriate for the project. If the tension is too tight or too loose, the blade will break. The blade tension is generally adjusted from the top arm. Follow the instructions for the particular brand of scroll saw you are using.
Scroll saws have a safety guard to protect your fingers from the blade. Some people remove the guard to get a closer view of the design as they are cutting, but this is not recommended.
Purchase
Scroll saws range in price from $150 to $2,000, depending on their size and arm design, which includes C-arm, parallel arm and parallel link. The most common scroll saw brands are Delta, Craftsman, Tyobi, DeWalt, Excalibur, Eclipse, RBI and Hegner.
When shopping for a scroll saw, the size of the saw's "throat" is key. This is the distance from the blade to the back of the neck. The larger the throat, the larger the project you can work on. Scroll saw throats range from 12 inches to 30 inches.
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