# My DW788 Scrollsaw Review and purchase experience.



## longgone

I purchased the same Dewalt scrollsaw last year and agree that it is an exceptionally smooth and easy to use scroll saw. great value for the money.

However, I ended up being one of those people that thought i would use it alot and it ended up just the opposite. I have probably put 10-15 minutes of use on it and now it just gathers dust. For anyone who uses a scroll saw frequently it seem sto be the best in its price range.
Yerars ago I had a Craftsman scroll saw and and it vibrated so much that it would vibrate off the table if you did not secure it down.


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## craftsman on the lake

I too have this saw. I purchased it from a guy in NH on craigslist for $75 (yes I feel like I stole it). It looked like new and runs like new. He said there was just a few hours use on it. Like Greg, I don't use it much but it's one of those tools that when you do need it there's not much alternative besides a hand scroll saw, unless you have a lot of scrolling to do in a project then it's just a godsend.

I too had an old craftsman I called thumper. This saw is smooooooth in comparison.


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## LepelstatCrafts

I worked with 5 of these saws at a summer camp. Yes they are great saws even with kid abuse on them. The only long term maintenance that we really had to do is on the centering set screws at the top and bottom of the blade. These four set screws will vibrate into different positions even thought they have locktite on them. Every hundred hours or so, take a look to make sure that they didn't move. Other than that, these saws are fantastic and if you need a scroll saw, worth the money even at the full retail price.


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## Walt447

Looks like a nice saw. I too have been toying with the scroll saw more this summer. Doing smaller projects and having more fun. Good luck with the saw.
My Grand daughter drew me a fantastic dragon that I plan to cut out on the scroll saw and make into a wood burning project for her and I.


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## Pie

$75 , yup you did steal it. If I ever run across a deal like that, I will buy it evne if I already own one lol. Thanks for the tip Mike i will keep an eye out on the centering screws.


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## DavidBethune

I also own this saw and it's great. One word of advice though..ALWAYS back-off the top blade holder knob when you are not using it. If you do not do this it will eventually break the blade holder because of the constant pressure (tension) on it. They are only made out of aluminum cast. I learned this the hard way….


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## Pie

Thanks for the tip Dave, I was out in my shop making sawdust (actually a pair of sawhorses I saw here ). I loosened the blade holder on my scroll saw.


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## motthunter

I own this also, and it works exactly as promised. great saw.


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## BilltheDiver

I have a suggestion for you. Don't bother ordering the foot that holds down the material. It is basically useless and most scrollers remove it themselves anyway. Just get used to holding the material down with your hands and you won't have that in your way and needing adjustment every time you switch to a different thickness material.


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## jerrells

I have had the same saw, purchased off Craigslist, for about a year. I LOVE IT. Easy to change blades and easy to use. I owned a Porter Cable which was a fine starter saw but this is so much better. AS a suggestion look at Steve Good's patterns. He has a little thumb screw add-on which I find very useful. ENJOY


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## Belg1960

What makes it a version 2? What are the differences?


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## ldl

I too have this saw and had the same impression of it being exceptionally smooth. Ditto's on forgetting the foot as it is almost useless. I ditched it almost immediately.

Check my projects and you will see three useful projects for this saw.


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## toddbeaulieu

I'm considering purchasing this saw used on CL. A couple of the responses here scare me because I think it would be the same for me. I have an older scroll saw that I've used ONCE. I feel like this is a nice saw in awesome shape and if I ever did use it, it would be awesome, but … I'm having reservations about spending the money.


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## Ged39

The DW788 is my favourite scroll saw as others have mentioned it is very quiet with virtually no vibration, which makes it a joy to use.

There is a scroll saw comparison table here members might find useful:

Scroll saw comparison table


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## Ged39

The DW788 is my favourite scroll saw as others have mentioned it is very quiet with virtually no vibration, which makes it a joy to use.

There is a scroll saw comparison table here that members might find useful


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## boomerk

I am really looking at buying the DW788 over the Seyco ST21. I am not a professional but love to work with my scroll saw. My wife and I live in our 5th wheel traveling around building churches with a volunteer group. What I want to have is a good saw that I can pack around with me to use after work and on weekends. This means being stuffed in to the toolbox in my truck or into the underbelly on my trailer. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this process of packing it around. I realize it is a heavy saw but I want one that will take the moving from place to place. Also, as a matter of curiosity, is it a top feed or bottom feeder?


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## sonshine

I had a DeWalt scroll saw, type 1, for over 15 years. It ran great and the service was great. It finally gave up the ghost and so I ordered another one. This, of course, was a type 2. BAD CHOICE! I had it about 1 week when the speed started slowing down after about 5 minutes of use and the tension lever had to be moved all the way over to get enough tension to operate it. I returned it and ordered another new one. This one finally arrived. The two knobs that hold the blades don't work correctly and they break the blades. Since I've used a DeWalt scroll saw for many years I am familiar with how to use it. I'm afraid that since Black and Decker took over the quality has gone way down. I understand they are now having them manufactured in China instead of Taiwan (don't know if this is accurate or not, tho). The company said I could send it to a repair facility 300 miles away or send it back to them to fix. But I paid for a new saw, not a repaired one and I've wasted better than a month fooling with it, so I guess I will try a different brand - maybe Delta or King Industrial.


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