On this page I give some hints and tips on what to look for when buying your Scrollsaw.
On this page I give some hints and tips on what to look for when buying your Scrollsaw.
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Scrollsaw types and principles.
Basically the scrollsaw or fretsaw is a machine that converts a rotary motion (usually supplied by a motor) into an up and down reciprocating action, with the inserted blade cutting on the downward stroke, (which is why the work being cut jumps and clatters on the table if the blade is fitted upside down!)
Rigid arm saws.
These machines were mainly made for industrial use they are heavily built with fixed arms, the only motion is the blade being pulled down against a spring, rigid arm saws have so many disadvantages that is is questionable that it is worth buying this type of saw. They do however offer true vertical cutting action.
Constant tension saws.
Most modern scroll saws are of the constant tension type, unlike the rigid arm machines constant blade tension is maintained at all times during use. Constant tension saws generally fall into two categories, these being C arm and parallel arm frame saws.
C arm fixed frame saws
The C arm saw uses a solid fixed frame which is moved up and down, the disadvantage of this is that the blade does not remain in a true vertical plane when sawing. On straight cuts this is not an issue but on sharp or curved cutting it may result in unsharp or irregular cut edges this is especially so with thicker materials.
Parallel arm saws.
The parallel arm scroll saw is generally considered to be the best type of saw to use as it offers an almost perfect vertical stroke giving the cleanest and smoothest cut. Most modern scroll saws are of the parallel arm type. The principles of the parallel arm saw are not new; in fact the same principles were used in the early treadle type machines made well over 100 years ago.
Many manufacturers adopt this mechanism for their machines including market leader Hegner
Double Parallel link saws
These are the newest types of saw, the mechanism is more complex than the original parallel arm saw type, this type of saw offers possibly the smoothest and most vibration free action of all types of scroll-saws. Modern saws such as those made by Dewalt and Excalibur use this type of mechanism for their machines.
Buying a scroll saw
Until the arrival of the Hegner motorised saw in 1975 there was little interest in fretworking, the hobby having all but died out in the 1930's with perhaps a small resurgence after WWII until the early 1950’s. It is fair to say that the arrival of the Hegner machine in 1975 was largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in the hobby of fretwork.
Since then lots of manufacturers have entered the scrollsaw business with a plethora of different machines becoming available. Many lesser known companies offer cheaply made and often poorly designed saws many of which are made to a very similar design and only differ in the brand logo they carry with just a few cosmetic changes. Sadly even some well known respectable tool brands have offered these cheap machines with their own logo on to convince buyers they are getting a better quality machine when the opposite is true
As a beginner the temptation is to purchase a cheap saw with the view that should they not ‘get on’ with the hobby they will not have wasted too much money.
This is not necessarily the best approach as many of the cheap machines are roughly made and suffer with excessive vibration and are often noisy, also they do not carry features that make doing the work easier, features such as easy and quick blade changing and quick tension release.
Buying a cheap machine can result in two outcomes, the first being that you wish you had bought a better machine in the first place rather than wasting money on your cheaper model and secondly even worse you may find the cheap machine so awkward to use that it puts you off the scrollsawing hobby for good whereas had you bought a quality model in the first place it will most certainly be quiet running, efficient and such a delight to use that you will love using the machine and stick with the hobby.
Also in the very unlikely event that having bought your saw you do not wish to continue with the hobby you will have very little trouble selling a quality used machine whereas you will struggle to sell one of the cheap machines as there are so many available and they cost little in the first place.
Even taking into account what I state above it is fair to say that some fretworkers do superb work on very cheap machines but for many of us using a quality machine is much more rewarding.
If you are considering buying a Fretsaw/Scroll-saw perhaps you would like to watch my two part Youtube videos on the subject.
In the videos I discuss the various types of machine and give my reasons why you should buy a quality machine rather than a cheaply made, poor quality model
Note. I offer a lot more advice on buying a Scroll-Saw in the page entitled Economy Scroll-Saws.
If you don't have a machine?
Most people doing fretwork will use a motorised machine, however if you don’t own or wish to purchase a machine but want to try the hobby it is perfectly possible to do the work with a cheap hand frame. A home made cutting table clamped to a bench or even a kitchen table or even use an old fashioned treadle fret machine, old treadle machines are often for sale for very little money on ebay.
This is one of the joys of fretwork, you don’t need lots of tooling and equipment, doing fretwork creates very little mess - just a little sawdust.
Until the fairly recent introduction of motorised fretwork machines most workers used either a hand-frame and table or a treadle machine.
Next Page. Fretsaw Blades
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