# serious reassesment



## cutworm

Thanks for the update.


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## a1Jim

To bad it didn't work out. Replacing it with a craftman, hmmm I hope that's better ???


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## greasemonkeyredneck

I'm not familiar with this exact saw, but it appears to be the same saw this is made and painted in a variety of colors and sold under carious names. Mine was a Ryobi, and looked identical the the one in the photo except the color.
It is hard to get an entry level saw that will do more than the occasional work. For a serious scroller, it is hard to find a decent saw for a reasonable price. I hope the Craftsman works out for you. As a fellow scroller, I hate to see someone spend much money on a saw that doesn't work for them. Myself, I tried two different present made Craftsman scroll saws and was sorely dissatisfied with both of them.
If you can find one, I recommend a Delta. I use the Delta SS250. If you get this saw, when you buy it, there will be a plastic nut on the right side of the Quickclamp blade clamp. Remove it and throw it away, and replace it with a metal wing nut. Other than that, I have had no other issues with either of mine (I have two).

I hope you do find a saw soon that will work out for you. I'd love to see you happily create some awesome scroll work.
Incidentally, the Ryobi I had that looks like your photo here, didn't fare well either. I babied it for about a year before it just would not do any more. When I tore it apart to see if it was worth repairing, parts fell out in pieces, unable to ever go back together correctly again.


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## americancanuck

I have had to change my plan on the purchase of the Craftsman saw because there are simply none available until mid April here in Canada where I live. I am at odds about what saw to purchase. I would love to have an Excalibur or a Dewalt but just don't know if it fits into my budget. I also don't want to spend half the price of a good saw like this then find out that it needs to be replaced in a year or two. In the interim I am curently without a saw and it is driving me crazy. I live in a very rural area and have no acess to things like craigs list.


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## greasemonkeyredneck

This is the saw that I use on Ebay. I've seen it under several different model numbers. I've talked to people who bought them cheap on ebay. I'm not suggesting buying the one I have linked to. I'm just showing you the saw. That one looks to be in pretty rough condition.

Most scrollers would love a Dewalt or Excaliber. A lot of us though are in the same boat and simply cannot afford one.


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## Pdub

My first scrollsaw was a 16" craftsman. It worked good for about 11 months, then the arm broke. I took it in for repairs and they could not get the right part. The replacement arm was longer than the original and the blade clamp would not fit. The technician said he could grind it to make it fit. I said no, I would just return it and upgrade to the next larger saw because it was still under wearranty. He said he would try and get the right part. He called several days later and said they found the correct part. When I got home I took the clamp off and discovered that he had ground it to fit. I returned it for a refund instead of upgrade. I was unsatisfied with the service more than the saw. I upgraded to a *Delta 20"* and loved it. It wasn't perfect but I used it for about 10 years before buying my RBI 26". Hope you find a good saw!


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## dbhost

Funny thing is, that saw looks EXACTLY like my old Dremel scroll saw. And the Dremel I have might be seriously ugly, but it sure works well. Not wear, just cosmetic stuff, fading, chipped paint and the like. I mean this thing is a work horse!


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## Tennessee

I used to own a Skil, but gave it away in 2002 and bought the Dewalt. I still own and use this saw with almost zero wear after ten years. Even the blow pump still works nicely. Only change? I have to tension the blade to "4" on the dial, whereas when I bought it ten years ago 3 or 3.5 would do. The dial goes up to about 6 or 7, I believe. Cuts true, keeps the blades nice and tight.
I have absolutely no regrets with the big yellow…


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## MarkTheFiddler

Thanks much for the report. A scroll saw is in my future. I'll aim somewhere else. No complaints from the Dewalt guys. Hmmmm.


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## greasemonkeyredneck

Mark, I have studied and studied scroll saw review after scroll saw review. Dewalt seems to be the cheapest saw you can buy with the least complaints. Last I checked though, it was still hovering around five hundred bucks. If you can afford it though, that's the saw I'd get.
I don't own one mind you, just going on other's words.

There was a concern a while back when the Dewalt suppliers went with a different manufactorer. Now, if you look at used Dewalt saws, there is a type I, and type II. They look almost identical, but are made in different plants. There was a concern that the Type IIs were not going to hold up to the standards of the Type I. From what I've read though, that hasn't seemed to be a problem thus far.


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## RonInOhio

Woodworkers Journal recently did a comparison of 7 budget scroll saws. The Porter-Cable came out on top. It retails for around 189.00

Other saws in the comparison.
Ryobi
Craftsman
Proxxon
Rikon
Shop Fox
Skil


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## greasemonkeyredneck

Most of those magazines, with the exception of Scrollsaw woodworking and crafts, and creative woodworking and crafts, I don't know what they are basing their tests on. I've seen several on scroll saws in several different magazines that always seem to place saws on top that offer little for the serious scroller.

I'm not talking about about the PC saw by the way. I'm just making a general statement based on what I've seen. I've never actually seen the PC scroll saw.


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## MarkTheFiddler

Thank you William!


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## Grandpa

watch Craig's list. I bought a RBI Hawk last weekend for $250.


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## Lenny

I'm with *Grandpa*. If you are diligent, you can get a quality saw at a good price via Craigslist. I bought a used DeWalt (with stand) for $250. It had a substantial amount of rust on the table but with elbow grease, I cleaned it up. I actually negotiated the $250 price, down from the posted $300 citing the rust issue. I got a $500+ saw for half the cost. Granted it is used, but it is a quality saw. If the seller was honest with me, it is 3 years old and was used by his wife around Christmas time each year for crafts.


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## americancanuck

I would loove to be able to shop on Craigslist but it is simply not available in the very rural area of Canada that I live in.


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## terrilynne

I recently found an RBI Hawk on craigslist. It is wonderful! So easy to do blade changes and it keeps the blade tight. So much better than my Hitachi I used to fight with that thing on a daily basis. Get the best saw you can afford and check the want ads for a quality used saw.


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## Tennessee

Well, americancanuck, without Craigslist, looks like you'll be saving up for a Dewalt or a Hawk! In any case, best of luck with your efforts, and it's too bad you got taken in by the King. That's a bummer.


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