"Ken Mattsson" wrote ...
...
What should I look for in a scroll saw, what´s important and what´s not so
important? What makes a quality scroll saw? I´d rather dig a little deeper
in my pockets for a machine that will last and do accurate and neat cuts,
than buy something that looks fancy but doesn´t put up with time and is
impractical to use...


Hi Ken,

Start with arm design. Two choices: "C" arm and parallel arm
movement. The cheaper saws have the blade held in the opening in a
rigid "C" shaped arm. The "C" is pivoted at the back, which results
in the blade then swinging in an arc. Cuts fast, but not accurately &
it will undercut the edges on thicker stuff. A bit more difficult to
make good curves. A parallel arm design has pivots at both ends of
both the upper & lower arms. Think of a parrallelogram, hold one side
still & raise & lower the other (blade) end. If designed with a short
arm movement, you get a nearly vertical motion out of the blade. A
much better cut, especially on anything of thickness, but a little
slower. A short stroke parallel arm saw will show a lot less
vibration too.

Second, I'd want variable speed, for the same reasons you want it on a
drill press or anything else. Different materials & blades require
different speeds.

The third thing I'd look for is a big heavy table, not the cheaper
stamped steel. And I mean HEAVY. Something solid to work from. A
table that you can clamp a fixture too & not be afraid of bending it.
Make sure that it tilts both left and right for bevel cuts.

Then, I'd look at all the little stuff: Chip/dust blower, location of
the tension lever, how easy is it to get blades in & out, etc. And
unless you've got young eyes & bright multi-directional shop lighting,
I'd want either a good built-in light or a place to mount a good
add-on lamp. Lots of tools seem to be showing up with built in lamps
that are about as effective as a nightlight.

Finally, last, after everything else, I'd look at price. There's no
point in letting budget dictate buying a machine that won't work the
way you need it to. If it's too expensive, then save & wait.

If you can justify the cost, I'd certainly take a close look at the
one that DeWalt makes. Model # DW788, about $450. I bought my first
DeWalt tool several years ago & was so impressed that the 4 power
tools I've needed since have all been DeWalt too.

Daniel