DeWalt Scroll Saw

So my scroll saw took a dive.  Looking online, it appears that the bearings are going bad.  I noticed that it was getting more difficult to cut and there seemed to be a lot of vibration in the blade.  Then I just started breaking blades. So I decided to buy a new scroll saw.  I have had the saw for about ten years.  It has done well with moderate use.  I looked at upgrading.  I have heard a lot about Hawk and Seyco brands.  They are about double the cost of the DeWalt and I am told they are “better”.  In the end, I decided to buy another DeWalt.

I have watched someone working on a hawk and thought the table was small.  I also watched them struggle with the blade change.  When looking at the Seyco saw, they all seemed to have an attached base.  Their latest model features a digital angle gauge that I really liked the concept.  Here are the some of the reasons I went back to DeWalt:

Portability – I have a garage shop and I move the tools out of the way to park a car.  The ability to move them is important to me.  I did not want to it tied to a stand.  However it is 67 lbs and is heavy to move around.  The lack of stand allows me to take it to shows and venues.

Blade changes – It is two thumb screws to change out the blade.  No allen wrenches or special tools that I need to take with me or remember where I put them.  The DeWalt also allows for bottom and top feed for inside cuts.

Price – This is a big factor.  The DeWalt has a large table and a 20” throat depth.  I have not heard that they are comparable to the top of the line saws. 

I looked into the digital angle gauge on the Seyco that I liked and found out that I can buy the gauge on amazon.  Although there was a pull for it, there are ways to work around and add features to the DeWalt.  This saw lasted me 10 years before the bearing went out.  The saw lasted a long time.  I have no complaints that it wore out.

I am also going to admit that there are some short comings to the DeWalt scroll saw.  The blower on it breaks really easily.  The set screws that hold the blade against the thumb screws need to be adjusted from time to time.  The tension dial will also come loose on occasion and need to be retightened.

Overall I was happy with my last saw and do plan on repairing it.  This way I have a backup and I can teach with the other one.