Bob,
I agree with everything Kate said and I will
add this. I started out on a Harbor Freight $40
pin head saw and it got me hooked. I only moved up
to a $100 Delta single speed saw to get away from
the pinned heads. If you just want a hobby with
little expense and a good time then scroll sawing
is the way to go. If you want extra income you
would do better to get a part time job at
McDonalds. BTW just to explain a bit the pin head
blades take a larger starter hole and are a bit
harder to find that's why I got away from them.
Puff

"Kate" wrote in
message
.. .
Hey Bob!
Welcome to the wonderful world of wood chips ...
one newbie to another.

I have a suggestion for you. I was looking for a
scroll saw too but was not
interested in either of the brands you are
considering here.
I'm retired too so I tend to pinch a penny when
I can.

I bought a Delta, single speed at a local pawn
shop for $45.
Now, I WILL say that after I have used it awhile
I truly wish I had gotten a
variable speed BUT for now it works just great.
Delta/Porter Cable are affordable and as far as
I know reliable.

Another place to look is on EBay. You can find
good used ones and save
yourself some major bucks.

One of the reasons I went with the Delta is
because it uses blades that do
not have the pin in the ends to hold it in
place.
This way I can use even super fine Jewelers saw
blades in it if I want to. I
have used some of the twisted blades to play
with and they are pretty neat
when you are really wiggling around though the
guys in here that are truly
experienced don't seem to need that sort of
thing.

My research (and experience) has been that if
you look around, you can get a
great deal on a good used machine. That way you
can use the extra money to
buy some better wood.

One source for smaller pieces of wood might be a
cabinet shop. I spoke to
one locally and he told me that if I brought
down a big trash can and gave
him an idea of what sizes I wanted he'd toss
them in and I could have them
for free... free is ALWAYS good!

I just went to EBay and searched "scroll saw"
There are a bunch of them for
under $100, you really ought to have a look.

Good luck to you


Kate
______
/l ,[____],
l-L -OlllllllO-
()_)-()_)--)_)

The shortest distance between two points,
is a lot more fun in a Jeep!
Wash behind your ears before you reply :¬)

"Bob" wrote in message
...
Hello, I have been looking at this and a couple
other NG's on
woodworking, and am interested getting a scroll
saw to try my hand
at some of the projects I see you guys working
on.

I am less than a newbie, more of a newbie
want-a-be. I was in a
store a while back and saw some work for sale.
They were stars,
state shapes (Texas), and other nice pieces. I
asked about them and
the store owner's father-in-law makes them as a
hobby. From that, I
got to thinking that this might be something I
would like to do in
my retired years (am 73 years old so don't need
any real long term
projects (smile)).

I think I would enjoy turning as well, but
equipment for lathes and
tools is just too much for my budget, but I can
probably swing the
expense of scrolling work. I have been to
several internet sites I
have seen mentioned on here, and have found in
Goggle. But I still
have a few questions that I'd appreciate some
comments on.

Buying a scroll saw: At a big box store, they
have two. One is a
Dremmel, 18 inch throat, variable speed of 650 -
4500, price $199.
The other is a Ryobi, 16 inch throat, variable
speed of 500 - 4000,
price $99. They both seem to have the same
features. Is either one
of these, preferably the cheapest, okay? If
not, what features
should I be looking for in a saw, for example,
foot switch?

What kinds of wood would I have to buy. Can
standard lumber such as
1 X 6, 2 X 12, etc be used or should on consider
buying the exotic
woods, which seem to come at a pretty big
premium?

In addition to the wood, what are one's need in
various blades, and
is this a big expense?

Heck, I don't even know enough about this hobby
to ask intelligent
questions, so any suggestions / advice anyone
will be nice enough to
pass on, I will appreciate.
Thanks in advance,
Bob-tx