In article .com, "bf" wrote:
I was considering buying a scrollsaw, primarily so my 10 year old son
and I could do some woodworking together. He's at the stage in life
where he's "bored" all the time.

I've never used a scrollsaw in my life, so I was wondering if they'd be
considered "safe enough" for a fairly mature 10 year old. He wouldn't
do anything stupid or reckless. I'd always supervise him using it.. If
by accident he did rub a finger against the blade, is it as devastating
as a bandsaw? (I'd guess not).

Nowhere near as dangerous as a bandsaw. Blades are much finer, so they don't
remove nearly as much material at once -- typical bandsaw blade is 3 to 6
teeth per inch (tpi), whereas 20 tpi might be a bit on the coarse side for a
scroll saw. Sticking your fingers into a moving scroll saw blade means you
need a band-aid. Sticking your fingers into a moving bandsaw blade probably
means a trip to the E.R.

I'd like to have him start by making puzzles out of 1/2 plywood for his
siblings. I don't know if you can get less aggressive cutting blades to
make it safer or what.

Less aggressive doesn't necessarily mean safer. Match the blade to the
material, and don't worry about it.

Again, I'm totally ignorant of scrollsaws, thus I am seeking your input.

Any power tool has the potential to be dangerous, particularly saws, but that
potential is lower with a scroll saw than almost any other powered woodworking
tool I can think of.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.