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I'm considering buying a scroll saw to do intricate sound ports. I don't know much about the capabilities of this tool. Can it cut into curved surfaces like bent sides? What other uses in luthiery are there for scroll saws?

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Mine is primarily used for collecting dust but my wife uses it for making Christmas ornaments.
I would recommend that you try the machine out before you buy one. At least remove the blade and reattach it a few times to see if is easy to do as you will be doing this allot. Mine has a quick release that relives the tension and another to release the blade, but it is still a pain in the neck.
As far as cutting pre-bent sides, I would do it with a hand saw as the table on most scroll saws will get in the way. The wood has to be held firmly to the table or it will jump up and down with the blade. If only someone would make a 1”x1” table.

Remember that Patients is a virtue when using theses machines.

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Rich S

"The inconvenience of poor quality will linger long after the thrill of a bargain has been forgotten"

I bought a really nice one that moves in all kinds of directions when I started out. But...... I never used it for a thing so recently I gave it to my nephew Bubba the Miller Genuine Draft beer truck driver.......

Yep

I use mine to gauge how well my dust collection is working.
I run my finger over it every 6 months. Works great!

DavidO

I had a scroll saw in the shop for a couple of months that got neglected in favour of hand saws. Each to their own, but I found more control was to be had with a hand powered saw. Granted, the job could be done quicker with a machine, but I'm in in hurry at the moment.

I've got one used it once!
Good for intarsia, I guess!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

I use mine to cut out tops and backs. Other than that, it doesn't get much use.

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Jim Womack

"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. "
Will Rogers

We've got one in the shed.

It's about as useful as a back pocket in pair of underpants.

Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Well, I don't own one, but a friend of mine does. He makes these for me:



Courtesy of Rob Mock of Triple C Woodworking and Melodee Music.

The picks are made from scrap/offcuts from client guitars ... everybody gets a pick with their initials, made from a part of their guitar. It's a nice little touch that folks seem to appreciate.

Best,

Jim

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James Warwick
J. Warwick Guitars, LLC
http://www.jwarwickguitars.com

I use to use mine a lot in some of the jewelry boxes I use to make but it sets pretty idle any more.

Anyone use it to cut shell for inlay?

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

I actually use mine. I use it to cut out my oval sound holes. I do these free hand. I use an oval template to draw the oval and then use the scroll saw to cut it out. I then clean up the hole with my spindle sander. Other than that one job, however, it doesn't get used for lutherie. I tried to cut out pearl with it once. That didn't work. If I was a scroll saw wiz, I might be able to do it but cutting by hand was better.

If you want to do marquetry head plates, a scroll saw would be a good investment.

Another possible uses would be to cut out the crown of a classical head stock but I've never tried it. I might be useful for cutting the slots for slot head guitars though other techniques would probably work better.

tops.backs,braces, lot of stuff in guitar building and other projects. great tool if don't have room for bandsaw (of which I have room for and have a 14") but still use the scroll saw for things. At one place use to hang at and made 6 guitars a week, had no band saw and used a scroll. They decided to spend the money on a really nice table saw. To make thing worse had only a bench size jointer. what can I say, still made guitars and did good job at it.

I bought some extra long 3/0 blades to use in the scroll saw on some shell but found that the oscillation of the blades really did not do well for cutting shell. I tried at many different speeds. All I really did more efficiently with the scroll saw than with a jeweler saw was to break blades. With a jewelers saw you cut only on the down stroke, with the scroll saw the cut happens on the down stroke but it is difficult to time to back off the shell to avoid having high friction on the up strokes because the transition from down stroke to up stroke is so rapid and constant it is difficult to not cause cracking in any thing with intricate scrolling. At least that was my experience with it.

I tried to cut shell with mine too. Like Michael says, the rapid direction change of the blade is a real problem. It kept jerking the material from my fingers, and I finally managed to cut myself. A jeweler's saw is a better, safer, albeit slower choice.

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Jim Womack

"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. "
Will Rogers

If I'm doing a 1/4" or thinner laminated cap on the back of a solidbody electric, I'll make a short slot with a Dremel cut-off wheel, then insert the scroll saw blade and saw out a perfectly grain-matched cover for the control cavity. Then glue on the back cap sans cover.

I also use it to make router templates for magnetic pickups cavities, control cavities and other various shape-itude.

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....

The dewalt or the excalibar parallel arm type work well for cutting inlay. They have almost no knocking motion due to the design and with a a 1/16th /1/8th inch backing board using a spray on contact cement (removed easily with acetone) also using inlay type blades work very well. Have used a friends for other type of abalone inlays ( boxes and such) and now working on saving the $ for my own. Much easier than using the hand saw. YOU need to adjust to it though and TUNE the blade when it's right it works, otherwise they break!!
Just my .02cents and what works for me
Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Some dulcimer scrolls

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"Da goal is to sharpen ur wit as well as ye Sgian Dubh"
"Sippin Loch Dhu @Black lake" ,Kirby O...