Scroll Saw For Body Cutting

[brian d]

For those who use a scroll saw for cutting bodies....would this one do the job?

ebay scroll saw

Thanks,

Brian.

[jammy]

God that must take AGES. I didn't know anyone did it...

[thegarehanman]

I have a craftsman scroll saw that costs somewhere upwards of 5-6 hundred new, and I wouldn't even consider cutting a body out on it. It's not that it can't be done; it's just that there are tons of easier ways to do it.

peace,

russ

[erikbojerik]

Drak does it with a Delta I think...it can be done, just get yourself a cup of coffee and settle in for a long session. Hey, at least it doesn't take up the space of a bandsaw.

But I don't think any Ryobi scroll saw will do it, you need a better one.

[mammoth guitars]

Spend a bit more and get a table top bandsaw - it will work much better.

[GregP]

I've done both. Scroll saw isn't as slow as you would think. I mean, it's a high-speed blade moving up and down. That'll get through some wood. Pick the right blade so that it's not prone to wandering and snapping, and you're golden.

Sure, a bandsaw is preferable, but a scroll saw works, too.

Greg

[Racer X]

I work with a bandsaw every day, at work, and I often wonder how easy can it possibly be, considering that the blade is much deeper than a scroll saw. I mean, I understand the fragile nature of the scroll saw blades, however, my experience with them has been limited. I DO however know what it's like trying to cut curves on a bandsaw, and THOSE blades aren't entirely flexible. I guess if you have a scrollsaw that's powerful enough, then you might be alright.

Edited April 2, 2006 by Racer X

[MidnightLamp]

I cut out a Vigier Marilyn body out of 2" thick cherry with no major problems on my scroll saw. Took me about 50 mins to do the whole thing. The only thing was, I went through about 3 blades (mine were rather thin, low tpi blades).

The closest equivilent I could find (I have an old craftsman scroll saw) to what I have is this:

http://www.deltamachinery.com/index.asp?e=136&p=929

The only real consideration you have to take when using a scroll saw is the size of the body and the way you cut it if you have a smaller saw, as the arm of the saw limits the way you can cut.

[Drak]

11 years later and over 60 bodies (probably more) cut with nothing but a scroll saw, I rest my case.

PS, that saw is a piece of crap, stay away from it and buy a DELTA (trumpets blare)

...works for me anyway...

[fryovanni]

I have two scroll saws and a bandsaw. I did use my Delta for a body and it works. Just take your time and don't force the cut. Bandsaw is a much better tool for doing this, but both will get-r-done. If I were you I would look at local Craigs list to see if I could get a better model, quite possibly a better price. Old Delta scroll saws do kick butt.

Peace,Rich

[brian d]

11 years later and over 60 bodies (probably more) cut with nothing but a scroll saw, I rest my case.

PS, that saw is a piece of crap, stay away from it and buy a DELTA (trumpets blare)

...works for me anyway...

Drak,

I'd like to draw on your experience...

What blades do you recommend for cutting bodies on the scroll saw? What's important to look for in a blade (width, TPI, material it's made of?).

Do you need to adjust the tension of the blade differntly for cutting thick wood? More/less tension? Any changes in tension recommended for harder wood compared to softer wood? (e.g. maple cf mahogany)

Any other tips for getting the most out of the scroll saw?

Thanks,

Brian.

[Drak]

Why yes, I do have a thought or two on that subject.

1. Get a Delta, I know they work, they're tough, they're built to do the job. I've had others that were like baby toys in comparison and would not do the job at all.

2. I do NOT use the real thick blades. The thick blades will warp and bend much like a jigsaw blade will, and sometimes severly distort the cut line, so go with the medium-to-slightly-thick blades, but not those -really- thick heavy duty ones.

One would think that they would be the perfect blades, but they are actually the worst in reality.

Just go slow and steady, there's really not much to it if you have a Delta and some medium thick blades, I've cut everything from Purpleheart to Cherry to Maple with it, no problems except you do go thru a few blades, but the blades are pennies each, and breaking blades on a scrollsaw is NORMAL, a fact lost on some people.

A little bit of patience doesn't hurt either. It takes me MAYBE 10 minutes to cut a body blank, which I consider fantastic since the payoff is I don't have to have some huge floor standing piece of equipment cluttering up my space. Some guys are all about the big machines, I am 'anti-big machines' oriented, all my power equipment is portable and easily stored away out of sight and I love it like that.

Also, I do use a clamp and clamp the back down to the workbench for stability.

[Hydrogeoman]

I have a DeWalt scroll saw that I have used to cut a bass body and it worked very well. I am not familiar with the Delta scroll saw but the DeWalt is very well made and you can change blades in a matter of seconds.

As stated before, take your time. The scroll saw is completely capable. I also use a band saw that is much faster but a pain to manuver on tighter turns. The scroll saw works great for this. I also like to use the scroll saw on pegheads, as it is much easier to get a shape near finished without a lot of sanding.

Just another thumbs up for a scroll saw as an alternative.

[Guitarfrenzy]

I have no doubt you can cut out a body with a Scroll Saw, especially Delta brand one. If your going to buy something to cut a body out and you can't spend much, then I'd recommend buying the little 9" Delta Bandsaw. You can get it for around 100 dollars, and it will cut a body out in no time. If you've got more money, buy a bigger bandsaw so you can resaw. Actually, It's great to have more than one bandsaw, so that one is just for cutting out bodies, and the other is setup for resaw. That way you don't have to change blades when you get ready to do either. Also, when I was in Lowes the other day, I noticed Delta has a 10" bandsaw now, it approximately 200 dollars, and might be worth checking out. Now if money is no object, then 14" and up.

[brian d]

Many thanks to Drak and everyone who gave advise.

Unfortunately, I can't find a Delta scroll saw here . I decided to try the Ryobi anyway, as I want a scroll saw for cavity covers etc. anyway. If it works for bodies, that'll be great...if not, I'll save up for a 14" bandsaw (it'll be nice to have the resaw capacity too), and just use jigsaw and router until then.

Thanks again for letting me learn from you.

Brian.