# Craftsman 11' magnetic scroll saw



## NormG

What a great saw and it is still working


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## jap

that's pretty cool


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## lab7654

Very cool, and a good tool to teach safety and technique on.


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## Planeman40

I have one of these Craftsman scroll saws and everything you say I will back up! I bought the saw new in the early to mid 1950s to build model airplanes with and later on I used it to make all of the wing ribs on a full size homebuilt biplane. It still works just fine, but now I have a fancy motor-powered scroll saw so it just sits under a bench. I may give it to my grandson when he gets to be about eight. As you said, its perfect for a kid to get started on. Its a shame someone doesn't make these again as they are so simple and work so well.

Planeman


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## JJohnston

How do these work? Is there a mechanism to turn the magnet on and off really fast, or is there a manual switch, or..?


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## oldretiredjim

I'll remember this one. Thanks.


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## ralbuck

Well here is the explanation as I know it!

Alternating current (common household 119 Volt) The term is for the direction changes - 60 cycle is common. It drops-reverses direction of current flow 60 times per second..

When the current drops/changes/GOES OFF- 60 times a second the magnet quits pulling! The spring steel in the upper arm and blade hook pull the blade up! When the current starts/changes direction-the magnet pulls the bottom spring steel plate down-BLADE along with it!


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## Dusty56

and we talk about modern marvels ! LOL …I never heard of this until now …thanks for sharing with us : )


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## DJPeck

Did a lot of scrolling on one of those back in the day. I remember it as noisy. Wonder where it went?


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## ralbuck

Added a "DOLLAR TREE" booklitght that just clamps on today!
Needed that 55+ years ago!

Flexible tube to the head and a very small led light--worth the "high price".


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## Ted78

Ha, saw one of these on craigslist a while back and for the life of me could''t figure out how it worked with that u shaped arm thing, Thanks for enlightening me.


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## crank49

I think your explanation of the 60 Hz AC is correct except for one little detail you omitted. There is a diode in the circuit to convert the AC to DC. Electro magnets don't work very well on AC power. Since the Diode only allows the current to flow in one direction, you wind up with pulsating DC which pulls the saw blade down 30 times a second.

This type of magnetic drive is used in industry all the time. Usually for vibration generation. Tatoo needles are driven by this process, as are hand held electric engravers.


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## JJohnston

Based on my experience with engravers, the saw must have a real short stroke and not much power.


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## crank49

Well it's relative. Look at the size of the little magnet in a hand held engraver and then look at the big coil on the saw. Many times larger. I was just pointing out it's the same principle. No rotating motor. Just an electro magnet pulling a tool and a spring pushing back.

And yes it would be a short stroke. I think someone earlier said it was only 1/8". I'm not sure as I haven't used one myself. That was what made it safe for kids to learn on.


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## runswithscissors

Dremel used to make a handheld version which they called the "motosaw." Shaped like an old time coping saw. It was the first power tool I ever owned, and I used it on all sorts of projects. They are very safe, though if a tool won't let you hurt yourself, I wonder how effective they are at teaching safety habits. They do teach patience, because, oh my, how slowly they cut. If you try to adjust more stroke into them to speed things up, they get out of phase and let you know it with very loud unpleasant noises. I'm assuming they don't make this anymore; at least I didn't see it on their website.


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## crank49

Chris Schwarz did a product review of the Moto Saw last April. Think it was around the 1st.


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## CyberDyneSystems

Wow, 11' ! that's a big scroll saw!

(sorry, I had to do it, someone caught me with the same typo a few weeks ago when I referred to a 24' diameter grinding wheel!  )

thanks for the great review of a forgotten classic.


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## clark101

#ralbuck
Thank you for your review. Craftsman is always a big brand with high quality.


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## Rockytime

WOW! Brings back memories. I got one of these for Christmas. The throat was much shorter. As a kid I spent much time with it. My mom gave it to me because she kind of liked to play with it too. I think my mom had it until her passing. I think it was sold at the estate auction.


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## LBM

My saw was given to me by a gentleman that was in stage design. He used it for model making. It even came with extra blades. Well, today I tried to turn it on for the first time. Was confused that I couldn't find a switch. It made a loud motor sound but blade didn't move. Was really confused when I opened it up. Is there a repair that can be made to the magnet? You mentioned replacing with an electric motor. What size? This will be excellent for jewelry making when I get it working. Thanks


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