I want to buy an inexpensive scroll saw. I seem to always have a lot of
smaller items that I would like to cut out of wood for my decorative
projects.
I am looking at some for $87 a GMC at Lowe's and a Ryobi at HD but
these are very nice but are the small table models. Is there some hand
held device that I could buy instead? I tried using a Dremel with a bit
that was supposed to cut wood but this didn't work well. Thanks Liz

Liz,

I bot a Ryobi for about $100 and was happy with it for a while. When I
get better, I found that it limited me. Lots of vibration, sloppy
settings, and the blade clamps didn't work well. If I was going to do
anything I wanted to be proud of, I'd have to replace it.

My son just bot a Craftsman for about $140 and he's pleased with it.
They were highly rated by one of the magazines last year.

Walt C

On 3 Jan 2005 10:03:14 -0800, wrote:

I want to buy an inexpensive scroll saw. I seem to always have a lot of
smaller items that I would like to cut out of wood for my decorative
projects.
I am looking at some for $87 a GMC at Lowe's and a Ryobi at HD but
these are very nice but are the small table models. Is there some hand
held device that I could buy instead? I tried using a Dremel with a bit
that was supposed to cut wood but this didn't work well. Thanks Liz

Boy, this really raises the question of what you're trying to do.
There are some decent, but not great, scroll saws in the under-100
category, but I'm having trouble imagining a class of work where you
could substitute a Dremel tool for a scroll saw.

A Dremel is good for carving or light milling of wood, such as routing
out the interior of a wooden knife sheath, but it's lousy for cutting
wood.

--RC


"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.

On 3 Jan 2005 10:03:14 -0800, wrote:

I want to buy an inexpensive scroll saw. I seem to always have a lot of
smaller items that I would like to cut out of wood for my decorative
projects.
I am looking at some for $87 a GMC at Lowe's and a Ryobi at HD but
these are very nice but are the small table models. Is there some hand
held device that I could buy instead? I tried using a Dremel with a bit
that was supposed to cut wood but this didn't work well. Thanks Liz

Hand operated scroll saws are actually called coping saws. No cord to
fight or batteries to recharge. X-Acto also makes a variety of razor
saws and even sell a miter box for them. Check A.C. Moore or
Michael's. The only handheld powered option I know about is called a
jigsaw. Black and Decker make several models.

Scroll saws are designed to set on a table and provide an oscillating
blade in a solid work surface. They make a clean cut that needs very
little finish work, and can cut very tight curves and corners.

I bought a Dremel 1680 retired from a display at Lowe's and am quite
happy with it so far, but I don't have room to set it up permanently.
It was US$129.

Bob McConnell
N2SPP