SWMBO is interested in buying me a machine for some reason. I can't figure
it out either, but she brought it up.

She has in mind to buy me a scroll saw, I think. That could have side
benefits if she herself will play with the thing. She could make lots of
little cut-and-paint stuff, and might have a blast. Might, if. She's not
much of a tool person, and even though she *could* use it, I wouldn't give
better than a 40% chance that she actually *would* use it. My kids might
play with it too though, so that's probably another plus in that column.

As far as my own someday list, I keep constantly wishing I had a bandsaw. I
don't have *room* for a big one, period, no way, no how, can't happen. I'm
already going to have to get *very* inventive to figure out how to shoe
horn my JET mini lathe into my shop. So I was looking at the 9" Delta at
Lowe's. Not much capacity, but maybe enough capacity for most of the
things I have in mind right now that I would do with it. The real question
I have is whether I could get $100 worth of use out of it during the time
between now and whenever (1-5 years, depending) I build a larger shop.

Is a baby bandsaw better than nothing? How about resawing something like
box trays on a scroll saw?

Back to scroll saws for a moment, let's just look at Lowe's. They have a
cheap, medium and expensive model. The expensive one is a Dremel. Seems
like a nicely made unit, but since I'm the one providing most of the cash
SWMBO would use to buy such a thing, I can understand why she winced at the
$189 price tag. The $99 variable speed Delta would be less painful, but it
looked somewhat crappy. I'm wondering how crappy it is in actual use.

Finally, let's throw routers into the fray. My Crapsman router is all but
useless. I have to set the height in my table by propping it up with
various bits of scrap until I get somewhere in the neighborhood of where I
want to be. It won't even pretend to hold a depth setting anymore. Is
there a router worth looking at in the $100 price range? I'm still not a
router person, but I do like to put decorative edges on things
occasionally, and I do use my router once in a blue moon. Having something
more agreeable would not be unwelcome. $100 is too low, right? I figure a
good router would cost $250. Is that in the ballpark? I haven't been
looking at them.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

Silvan:

I got suckered into the $99 Delta Band saw. It is not worth $0.02 as a band
saw. I have read everything about it, adjusted 1,000 times; it will not cut
a straight line. If you go very slow, it will rough cut curves ok.

As a scroll saw, it works pretty well. Of course you cannot take the blade
off like a scroll saw. It also cannot cut extreme curves like a scroll saw
can.

Basically, it does a few things half @ss, but what do you expect for $99?

I am hoping for a Laguna HD16 from Santa. I think it will do a little
better than the $99 Delta.

dave

A handheld jigsaw might be what you can use. Bosch makes a good one.
You can get a decent router for under $200--lots of quality brands to
choose from.

On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 19:06:26 -0500, Silvan
wrote:

SWMBO is interested in buying me a machine for some reason. I can't figure
it out either, but she brought it up.

She has in mind to buy me a scroll saw, I think. That could have side
benefits if she herself will play with the thing. She could make lots of
little cut-and-paint stuff, and might have a blast. Might, if. She's not
much of a tool person, and even though she *could* use it, I wouldn't give
better than a 40% chance that she actually *would* use it. My kids might
play with it too though, so that's probably another plus in that column.

As far as my own someday list, I keep constantly wishing I had a bandsaw. I
don't have *room* for a big one, period, no way, no how, can't happen. I'm
already going to have to get *very* inventive to figure out how to shoe
horn my JET mini lathe into my shop. So I was looking at the 9" Delta at
Lowe's. Not much capacity, but maybe enough capacity for most of the
things I have in mind right now that I would do with it. The real question
I have is whether I could get $100 worth of use out of it during the time
between now and whenever (1-5 years, depending) I build a larger shop.

Is a baby bandsaw better than nothing? How about resawing something like
box trays on a scroll saw?

Back to scroll saws for a moment, let's just look at Lowe's. They have a
cheap, medium and expensive model. The expensive one is a Dremel. Seems
like a nicely made unit, but since I'm the one providing most of the cash
SWMBO would use to buy such a thing, I can understand why she winced at the
$189 price tag. The $99 variable speed Delta would be less painful, but it
looked somewhat crappy. I'm wondering how crappy it is in actual use.

Finally, let's throw routers into the fray. My Crapsman router is all but
useless. I have to set the height in my table by propping it up with
various bits of scrap until I get somewhere in the neighborhood of where I
want to be. It won't even pretend to hold a depth setting anymore. Is
there a router worth looking at in the $100 price range? I'm still not a
router person, but I do like to put decorative edges on things
occasionally, and I do use my router once in a blue moon. Having something
more agreeable would not be unwelcome. $100 is too low, right? I figure a
good router would cost $250. Is that in the ballpark? I haven't been
looking at them.

I've got a Delta scrollsaw and love it. I also have a benchtop (9")
Craftsman band saw and love it too. Each has its own attributes so it
really depends upon what you want to do, then let that drive which saw
you get. My Delta is the 540, the model that basically preceeded the VS
one you're probably looking at for around $99. From what reviews I've
read on the Delta, most are quite pleased with it for hobby work.

The purists will have cramps in their lings over this I suppose but oh
well! I also have a Craftsman 3/4 router (older one) that works just
great, and recently got the Ryobi 2hp Plunge unit at HD for $99. Works
just great, and had a decent review in one of the WW rags not long ago.

Silvan wrote:

SWMBO is interested in buying me a machine for some reason. I can't figure
it out either, but she brought it up.

She has in mind to buy me a scroll saw, I think. That could have side
benefits if she herself will play with the thing. She could make lots of
little cut-and-paint stuff, and might have a blast. Might, if. She's not
much of a tool person, and even though she *could* use it, I wouldn't give
better than a 40% chance that she actually *would* use it. My kids might
play with it too though, so that's probably another plus in that column.

As far as my own someday list, I keep constantly wishing I had a bandsaw. I
don't have *room* for a big one, period, no way, no how, can't happen. I'm
already going to have to get *very* inventive to figure out how to shoe
horn my JET mini lathe into my shop. So I was looking at the 9" Delta at
Lowe's. Not much capacity, but maybe enough capacity for most of the
things I have in mind right now that I would do with it. The real question
I have is whether I could get $100 worth of use out of it during the time
between now and whenever (1-5 years, depending) I build a larger shop.

Is a baby bandsaw better than nothing? How about resawing something like
box trays on a scroll saw?

Back to scroll saws for a moment, let's just look at Lowe's. They have a
cheap, medium and expensive model. The expensive one is a Dremel. Seems
like a nicely made unit, but since I'm the one providing most of the cash
SWMBO would use to buy such a thing, I can understand why she winced at the
$189 price tag. The $99 variable speed Delta would be less painful, but it
looked somewhat crappy. I'm wondering how crappy it is in actual use.

Finally, let's throw routers into the fray. My Crapsman router is all but
useless. I have to set the height in my table by propping it up with
various bits of scrap until I get somewhere in the neighborhood of where I
want to be. It won't even pretend to hold a depth setting anymore. Is
there a router worth looking at in the $100 price range? I'm still not a
router person, but I do like to put decorative edges on things
occasionally, and I do use my router once in a blue moon. Having something
more agreeable would not be unwelcome. $100 is too low, right? I figure a
good router would cost $250. Is that in the ballpark? I haven't been
looking at them.

Scroll saw ability of drilling a hole in the workpiece and dropping the
blade through it without having to "compromise" the perimeter is great, plus
I think you or the SWMBO would be hard pressed to get hurt. It is
essentially a coping saw except the machine does the work. Blades are tiny
(maybe 1/8" wide at most) allowing you to cut like an exacto knife would cut
through paper. Bandsaw is a slightly different animal, (IMHO probably tough
to get hurt there also) but you have to cut through the piece to start
cutting. Never tried small width blades on mine and maybe control is the
same but scroller has a real edge in the set-up time. Seconds to start
cutting vs. minutes on the bandsaw by the time you check tracking, guide
alignment, etc.


"Grandpa" jsdebooATcomcast.net wrote in message
...
I've got a Delta scrollsaw and love it. I also have a benchtop (9")
Craftsman band saw and love it too. Each has its own attributes so it
really depends upon what you want to do, then let that drive which saw
you get. My Delta is the 540, the model that basically preceeded the VS
one you're probably looking at for around $99. From what reviews I've
read on the Delta, most are quite pleased with it for hobby work.

The purists will have cramps in their lings over this I suppose but oh
well! I also have a Craftsman 3/4 router (older one) that works just
great, and recently got the Ryobi 2hp Plunge unit at HD for $99. Works
just great, and had a decent review in one of the WW rags not long ago.

Silvan wrote:

SWMBO is interested in buying me a machine for some reason. I can't
figure
it out either, but she brought it up.

She has in mind to buy me a scroll saw, I think. That could have side
benefits if she herself will play with the thing. She could make lots
of
little cut-and-paint stuff, and might have a blast. Might, if. She's
not
much of a tool person, and even though she *could* use it, I wouldn't
give
better than a 40% chance that she actually *would* use it. My kids
might
play with it too though, so that's probably another plus in that column.

As far as my own someday list, I keep constantly wishing I had a
bandsaw. I
don't have *room* for a big one, period, no way, no how, can't happen.
I'm
already going to have to get *very* inventive to figure out how to shoe
horn my JET mini lathe into my shop. So I was looking at the 9" Delta
at
Lowe's. Not much capacity, but maybe enough capacity for most of the
things I have in mind right now that I would do with it. The real
question
I have is whether I could get $100 worth of use out of it during the
time
between now and whenever (1-5 years, depending) I build a larger shop.

Is a baby bandsaw better than nothing? How about resawing something
like
box trays on a scroll saw?

Back to scroll saws for a moment, let's just look at Lowe's. They have
a
cheap, medium and expensive model. The expensive one is a Dremel.
Seems
like a nicely made unit, but since I'm the one providing most of the
cash
SWMBO would use to buy such a thing, I can understand why she winced at
the
$189 price tag. The $99 variable speed Delta would be less painful, but
it
looked somewhat crappy. I'm wondering how crappy it is in actual use.

Finally, let's throw routers into the fray. My Crapsman router is all
but
useless. I have to set the height in my table by propping it up with
various bits of scrap until I get somewhere in the neighborhood of where
I
want to be. It won't even pretend to hold a depth setting anymore. Is
there a router worth looking at in the $100 price range? I'm still not
a
router person, but I do like to put decorative edges on things
occasionally, and I do use my router once in a blue moon. Having
something
more agreeable would not be unwelcome. $100 is too low, right? I
figure a
good router would cost $250. Is that in the ballpark? I haven't been
looking at them.

Silvan wrote:

Finally, let's throw routers into the fray. My Crapsman router is
all but useless. I have to set the height in my table by propping it
up with various bits of scrap until I get somewhere in the
neighborhood of where I want to be. It won't even pretend to hold a
depth setting anymore. Is there a router worth looking at in the
$100 price range? I'm still not a router person, but I do like to
put decorative edges on things occasionally, and I do use my router
once in a blue moon. Having something more agreeable would not be
unwelcome. $100 is too low, right? I figure a good router would
cost $250. Is that in the ballpark? I haven't been looking at them.

I adore my DW621. I got a 2nd 1/4" & 1/2" plunge router for hand use, so
the 621 is permanently mounted in my router table.

Some knowledgeable people say plunge routers don't belong in router tables,
but my 621 works very nicely for me. My RT is fairly tall and sitting on a
folding chair in front of it lets me do everything I need to do.

HF has reconditioned 621's for $150. IMO it's worth saving for vs. buying a
$100 POS.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=51756

-- Mark

Silvan wrote:

Back to scroll saws for a moment, let's just look at Lowe's.

My cheapie Delta is the only power tool habitually used by everyone in the
family. If others in your family have any interest in making sawdust, it
could be a good investment.

Unlike the bandsaw, I leave the scroll saw blade under tension. All SWMBO
has to do is turn it on and cut. If the blade breaks, that's my problem...
g

Also, it seems to me a scroll saw is relatively safe. Unlike the bandsaw, I
don't think too many people have left fingers laying on the table using a
scrollsaw.

-- Mark

Fri, Nov 21, 2003, 7:06pm (Silvan) says:
snip She has in mind to buy me a scroll saw, I think.snip

Up to you, but I wind up using my scrollsaw a lot more than my
bandsaw.

JOAT
Of course I don't think you're a complete idiot. Some parts are
missing.

Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 21 Nov 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofal...OMETUNESILIKE/

Silvan wrote:

So I was
looking at the 9" Delta at Lowe's. Not much capacity, but maybe
enough capacity for most of the things I have in mind right now that
I would do with it. The real question I have is whether I could get
$100 worth of use out of it during the time between now and whenever
(1-5 years, depending) I build a larger shop.

Is a baby bandsaw better than nothing? How about resawing something
like box trays on a scroll saw?

I tried hard to talk myself into getting a 9" bandsaw. I couldn't do it.
Then I was able to buy a good used 14" Jet bandsaw with riser already
installed, along with Carter guides. g The first non-screwing-around cut
I made with it was cutting about 1/4" from the 6" side of a 2x6", AKA
"resawing." It worked great. I don't think a cheapie $99 could have made
the cut I made as a newbie with the 14".

I have a $99 Delta scroll saw. I didn't used to think much of it, but I
broke a blade and put a new one on it. A new, sharp blade cuts pretty well.
The old, dull blade couldn't really cut a 2"xX, but a new blade doesn't do
that badly.

IMO you could be satisfied with a $99 scroll saw for the next 20 years. IMO
you could not be happy with a $99 bandsaw.

-- Mark

Clemson Dave wrote:

I got suckered into the $99 Delta Band saw. It is not worth $0.02 as a
band saw.

OK, that's pretty well unanimous then. Maybe a router, maybe a scroll saw,
but leave that bandsaw alone.

Is everyone in good agreement that the $99 Delta would probably keep me
happy for a long time?

I'll start thinking about routers then, and give SWMBO a choice. She'll
probably buy me the scroll saw, and I'll bet my son will love it. He likes
to cut things with my jigsaw, but has trouble controlling it.

Thanks everybody!

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

"Silvan" wrote in message
news
Is everyone in good agreement that the $99 Delta would probably keep me
happy for a long time?


An area Lowes store has the older version of the Delta Scroll saw (ss200) on
sale for $59. I bought one and am very happy with it so far, most of the
scroll sawing I have done before has been on my dads Hegners.

RogerN wrote:

An area Lowes store has the older version of the Delta Scroll saw (ss200)
on
sale for $59. I bought one and am very happy with it so far, most of the
scroll sawing I have done before has been on my dads Hegners.

This is the belt drive giving way to VS transition again, right? They did
have one for $59, but I pretty much skipped over it, having gotten bitten
so many times by buying the cheapest one on the shelf.

I'll go look again. If it's the same saw, I probably don't really care
about VS. None of my other stuff is VS either.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

In rec.woodworking
Silvan wrote:

This is the belt drive giving way to VS transition again, right? They did
have one for $59, but I pretty much skipped over it, having gotten bitten
so many times by buying the cheapest one on the shelf.

I'll go look again. If it's the same saw, I probably don't really care
about VS. None of my other stuff is VS either.

I have this one and it needs a light and a rigid but adjustable air puffer.
The one on there is useless, you can't ever get it aimed at the right
place.

"Silvan" wrote in message
...

This is the belt drive giving way to VS transition again, right? They did
have one for $59, but I pretty much skipped over it, having gotten bitten
so many times by buying the cheapest one on the shelf.

I'll go look again. If it's the same saw, I probably don't really care
about VS. None of my other stuff is VS either.


This scroll saw is being replaced by the VS one. I looked up pricing on
this model on froogle.com and plenty of places were selling it for $119. I
was thinking about buying one of those speed controls that they sell for
routers and see if it works for the scroll saw as well as other shop
equipment. It's a heavy little saw, lot's of iron, comes with a small blade
that I tried out on 1" pine without braking the blade.

I bought my scroll saw at a tool repair center. Seems they weren't able
ti fix it and sold the owner a new saw. It has a 1/8 hp direct drive
TEFC motor and it works great once you know something about motors.
When I got it home I plugged it in and turned it on. The motor started
to spin but stopped. I gave it a nudge and ir ran fine, but the next
time I turned it on, the problem started all over again' So, while it
was off, I slowly rotated the motor shaft and found that in one spot it
dragged. When I looked close, the fan was rubbing the motor case. I
pried it away and it has worked fine ever since.

Last year I bought my BS. ZIt is a Delta 10" saw which I really enjoy.
At first I had the usual problem with the blade wandering and thought
I'd have to come up with a better cool block when T ran across the
Carter guides. I was told these guides use a low tension blade like the
Olsen Pro. I bought a couple blades when I bought the guides and went
home to put them on. When I put the blade on, I just squeezed the
pulley down til the blade popped over it and spun it with my hand to
make sure it was on. Then I adjusted the guide accordingly and tried
it. It cuts as easy as a scroll saw, but the only thing you can't do is
cut the inside of a hole. I have used my BS to resaw the thickness of
3/4" PB to half that size. Perfect cuts. PS, My Delta BS comes with a
work light and a 7" cutting under the blade, unlike the 12" which has 6"
under the blade and the 14" which has 6" under the blade unless you get
the expensive riser block.



scroll saw vs. baby bandsaw?

Group: rec.woodworking Date: Fri, Nov 21, 2003, 7:06pm (MST+2) From:
(Silvan)

SWMBO is interested in buying me a machine for some reason. I can't
figure it out either, but she brought it up.

She has in mind to buy me a scroll saw, I think. That could have side
benefits if she herself will play with the thing. She could make lots of
little cut-and-paint stuff, and might have a blast. Might, if. She's not
much of a tool person, and even though she *could* use it, I wouldn't
give better than a 40% chance that she actually *would* use it. My kids
might play with it too though, so that's probably another plus in that
column.

As far as my own someday list, I keep constantly wishing I had a
bandsaw. I don't have *room* for a big one, period, no way, no how,
can't happen. I'm already going to have to get *very* inventive to
figure out how to shoe horn my JET mini lathe into my shop. So I was
looking at the 9" Delta at Lowe's. Not much capacity, but maybe enough
capacity for most of the things I have in mind right now that I would do
with it. The real question I have is whether I could get $100 worth of
use out of it during the time between now and whenever (1-5 years,
depending) I build a larger shop.
Is a baby bandsaw better than nothing? How about resawing something like
box trays on a scroll saw?

Back to scroll saws for a moment, let's just look at Lowe's. They have a
cheap, medium and expensive model. The expensive one is a Dremel. Seems
like a nicely made unit, but since I'm the one providing most of the
cash SWMBO would use to buy such a thing, I can understand why she
winced at the $189 price tag. The $99 variable speed Delta would be less
painful, but it looked somewhat crappy. I'm wondering how crappy it is
in actual use.
Finally, let's throw routers into the fray. My Crapsman router is all
but useless. I have to set the height in my table by propping it up with
various bits of scrap until I get somewhere in the neighborhood of where
I want to be. It won't even pretend to hold a depth setting anymore. Is
there a router worth looking at in the $100 price range? I'm still not a
router person, but I do like to put decorative edges on things
occasionally, and I do use my router once in a blue moon. Having
something more agreeable would not be unwelcome. $100 is too low, right?
I figure a good router would cost $250. Is that in the ballpark? I
haven't been looking at them.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- =A0 Silvan Linux
fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

--
Woody


Check out my Web Page at:

http://community-1.webtv.net/Woodwor...workerJoesInfo

Where you will find:

******** How My Shop Works ******** 5-21-03

* * * Build a $20 DC Separator Can Lid. 1-14-03
* * * DC Relay Box Building Plans. 1-14-03
* * * The Bad Air Your Breath Everyday.1-14-03
* * * What is a Real Woodworker? 2-8-03
* * * Murphy's Woodworking Definitions. 2-8-03
* * * Murphy's Woodworking Laws. 4-6-03
* * * What is the true meaning of life? 1-14-03
* * * Woodworker Shop Signs. 2-8-03

In rec.woodworking
"RogerN" wrote:

This scroll saw is being replaced by the VS one. I looked up pricing on
this model on froogle.com and plenty of places were selling it for $119. I
was thinking about buying one of those speed controls that they sell for
routers and see if it works for the scroll saw as well as other shop
equipment. It's a heavy little saw, lot's of iron, comes with a small blade
that I tried out on 1" pine without braking the blade.

I've cut 1" maple and walnut with no problems at all. It will definitely
cut.