10 Best Scroll Saws of 2021 (Reviews) | Top picks | The Edge Cutter

Better the throat capacity, more wider the wood piece or material can be used for sawing. While some scroll saws have a shallow throat depth of only 12 inches, the commercial ones may go up to 30 inches deep. For an occasional woodcrafter, 16 to 18 inch throat depth is sufficient.

Check if the tension control system on your chosen scroll saw model is optimal or not. Too much tension on the blade can break, whereas too loose tension can cause the blade to create rough edges/cuts on the job. Going with the saw that has the tension control located in the front is preferable as it's less time taking. 

Choosing the one with tool-free blade changing feature is preferable.

Talking about blade types, there are two types of blades used in a scroll saw: plain-end blade and pin-end blade.

Plain-end blade requires using the tool accessories that come along with the product, for tightening or loosening the clamps. The blade is fit for cutting any material including plastic, wood, metal, etc.

Pin-end blade is clamped between hooks and is the simplest one out of the two blade types. However, the cross pin at the blade's end might stop you from cutting through a narrow slit in a job (if that's the requirement). 

For softwood projects, 400 SPM is sufficient. However, for hardwood/ commercial projects, 1800 SPM or more is perfect. So, always go for a product with a variable speed control system to experience both the facilities as per the requirement. 

Saw table that bevels up to 45° is preferable. Most tables bevel towards left, whereas some tilt on both left and right. Nowadays, a new type of scroll saw is available that allows a head tilt rather than tilting the entire saw table. 

Choosing the model with in-built LED lighting is preferably better in terms of working on dark/dull work spots. The light tube should be flexible to turn directly on to the work spot to make the most accurate cuts. 

The air pump/dust blower clears out the cutting debris during the operation by accumulating them inside the dust collector. This combination saves your time from wasting on cleaning work space separately.

There are several scroll saw manufacturing companies. And, all these manufacturing companies manufacture scroll saws with various features and specifications. According to our recommendation, the best type of scroll saw will be that comes with pinless blades. We are not recommending pin blades because the broader and thicker blades are not very suitable for inside cutting. Also, pin blades don’t fit across a small-drilled hole. So, try to choose a scroll saw with pinless blades. 

You can use both softwoods and hardwoods in a scroll saw.

For softwoods, you can’t use all softwoods. We recommend avoiding pine for any type of fine work. You can use plywoods and cedar for the scroll saw. We suggest Poplar will be the best softwood that you can use with a scroll saw. Poplar is ideal as it has more fine grain than pine. So, with a scroll saw you can cut at a consistent speed without changing the blades.

You also can cut plywood or solid wood as plywood has sufficient tensile strength and it is very stable as well. But if you are using inexpensive plywood like fir and luan you have to be careful enough. Also, keep in mind that the glue layers in plywood may dull the blade of your scroll saw.

Now, come to the hardwoods. Ash and Maple are the most suitable hardware for keeping the proper shape of a pattern. For beginners, both of these two hardwoods are not that suitable as they need some skills to work with these. Apart from these two hardwoods, red oak, cherry, and walnut are also very suitable. Overall, we recommend using oak for any scroll saw art.

Sometimes you may face a problem with the blade slipping from the blade clamp. You will face this problem mostly with the upper blade, and it happens due to two reasons. Firstly, when the inner portion gets very smooth, the blade can slip from the blade clamp. Secondly, it happens if you apply little oil on the surfaces.

Still, manufacturers apply a small amount of oil on new blades to keep them away from getting rusty. And, when the oil gets on the clamp. The clamp becomes slippery. To deal with this issue, you can take sandpaper and use it inside the clamp; the sandpaper will make the blade clamp a little rough. Or you can use alcohol to clean the oil from the blade clamp. 

To eliminate burning you can use 2 inches clear package tape. People usually face the burning issue with some particular woods with oil like Purple Heart. We recommend you first to put the pattern on your choice of wood and then apply tape over the pattern. Some people also put the tape on the wood first. So, it will be your choice of how you would like to do it. Mostly, people use the package tape. If you apply tape on the wood, the tape will lubricate the blade as it has a chemical like silicone. Also, keep in mind that if there will be no chemical on the top of the tape, you can’t ever un-roll the tape. 

As per our opinion, foot switches are beneficial for a scroll saw. The foot switch is useful in such condition when a blade breaks or any other emergency occurs. If these happen, you don’t have to search for the on and off switch if you will have a foot switch. Moreover, some switches are not dustproof; so these switches may quit after some time. But, if you have a foot switch, you won’t have to worry about all these issues. Many scroll saws come with foot switches. However, these scroll saws are a bit expensive. 

We consider scroll saws to be the safest woodworking tool. It is suitable for beginner woodworking students as well. As this tool cuts slowly, you don’t have to worry. Still, if you get stuck ever, you can shut the power off and restart the process. But the problem is all power tools can be dangerous. So there are some safety precautions that you need to follow.

You need to be careful while handling a scroll saw. To prevent any hazardous accident, you should be alert always while operating any machine. Always remember to put on safety goggles and safety masks before starting work with a scroll saw. Also, make sure that the workspace has adequate ventilation.

Make sure to keep your fingers at a safe distance from the cutting blade. Also, keep your hands away from the reciprocating arm of the scroll saw as it can be dangerous for your fingers; It can break your fingers. Presently, most of the scroll saws come with a spring in the arm. This spring prevents the broken top from coming out if a blade breaks. So before purchasing, make sure to choose a scroll saw that comes with this spring.

Also, there are some more precautions that you need to follow such as;

• Use a workpiece guard before starting any cutting
• Make sure to wear safety glasses
• Don’t leave the loose cord laying around
• Use a good quality mask that will prevent the sawdust
• Take short breaks during the work hours to avoid repetitive motion injury