scroll/fret saw

[sidecar_jon]

I know nothing about them. But i do use wood in my "work" and it would be useful to be able to cut intricate shapes etc. Not in thick wood, under and inch thick. On investigation i see they range from £39 to hundreds, Ok so maybe power of the motor is a factor but what else is?..what should i be looking for? I don't envisage using it a lot but when i need it a powered say is a lot easier than hours with a fretsaw!

Also i wonder if i can cut brass plate (thin) with one too?

 

[oilman]

Hegner is the only one I have seen with the correct blade action, that cuts on the downward stroke. All the others wear away on the up stroke. You need to look closely to see it doing this, but Hegner is the only good one i know of.

It's not difficult to build one. It's only a couple pf wooden arms and some pivots.

 

[sidecar_jon]

Down stroke as that forces the work onto the plate rather than into the air?..i hadn't considered that.

 

[scrollsaw frank]

Hi jon,
with scrollsaws, like most things " u get what u pays for"
all scrollsaws must cut on the down stroke , Hegner being one of the best, also Diamond , but both are expensive !!! saws come as single speed, "2 speed ,or variable speed, most now are variable ,
you can buy a new saw for about £35.00. but be prepaird to chase it around your workshop L.O.L , as they do tend to vibrate a lot!!.also check that it can take "pinless" blades, if you are going to do any amount of inside cutting,
I use a 2 speed Delta , a mid range saw now about10 yrs old. , readily avalable on ebay,
i payd £45.00 on ebay, for a variable speed Delta back in the summer wich is almost as new and "a dam good saw, and will cut brass & ally with the rite blade and some lube!
al depends on the ££££'s you want to spend. but i would give ebay a look first.
- good luck in your serch-------- Frank --------
p.s "sidecar -jon " ? do you ride a sidecar?? i had a Honda750 for 7 or 8 years , great fun,

 

[sidecar_jon]

cheers... twas a BMWR80 1977 and watsonian palma with extra bracing..sigh, now gone for a tiny "microcar" to transport the wife and child..sigh...i still love anything sidecary.

Thanks for the tips, cost is probably one of the biggest factors. I make a few automatons and "stuff" made the mistake of buying a small band saw, which is useless to me, it wambles about and cant cut straight!. what i really needed was a "fretsaw" to cut gear teeth and things, which at the moment i haven't the patience to do. If it can make a few things then it will pay for the next one!

 

[oilman]

The particular dimension that affects how the saw cuts correctly is to have the top arm a tad longer than the bottom arm, assuming the pivots are vertically above each other.

If you can make the first one earn enough, have you thought about a DIY CNC machine? There are very low cost ones about, and they will happily cut gear after gear.

 

[scrollsaw frank]

still have a bmw r80 1978, had it 27yrs now use it fo going to work on most days,
----------Frank--------

 

[sidecar_jon]

DIY CNC!..... i will look into that but its probably too expensive. cheers...



hay frank.. wire wheels, single disk (oddly arranged disk with under tank cylinder), breather that clacks loader than the valves! I remember it all so well. i Mis my calls to MotoBins, and the solidity of it.

 

[scrollsaw frank]

jon
look on ebay ,delta saw item no 150067222511,


my r80 has twin discs, same m /cylinder under the tank ,
but brakes still pretty usless in the wet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
--Frank-------------

 

[sidecar_jon]

yep...your disks cracked yet?.... great idea of BMW's to drill them like that...

cheers for the pointers on fret saws...

 

[sidecar_jon]

Just to say...i tried a cheepo one a Clarks (i was lent it) and it seemed defective, in the blade tension department, when i tensioned the blade, i could still push down on it taking all the "ping" out of it as the arm seemed to bend! I was lucky enough to find a "shop soiled" (the bed was a little rusty)Nutool one reduced from £200 to £75. Its got none of that cowling over the arm so i suppose one might just accidentally nibble your hand off but its works like a dream and its very quiet. (and with a 22" throat too, which i don't ready need)

 

[scrollsaw frank]

H i Jon,
glad to hear you got sorted with a saw ,( 22 " throat could be more usefull than you might think,) hope you got the table cleaned up ok , just a word of caution! ,Don't use silicon on it, use a good wax polish , the shiner the better,you will be able to spin your wood around a lot easier! .although if it's alli , solvol autosol will do the trick.
the BM discks never have cracked on my bike , but i know they are prone to it . i still use it for work but i have a k1200 lt to ride for fun!!
hope you have fun with the scrollsaw .
wishing you and every one ellse A HAPPY NEW YEAR
best wishes ---Frank----