Scooterpilot Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 Good Morning All, I'm retired and I enjoy flyiny 30% to 35% model airplanes. This is driving my interest in scrolling. When an accident happens I need to manufacture bulk heads and other parts of the plane which is made of light plywood. Complex little parts is what they are....... A scroll saw is the answer for my needs. Who knows I may become addicted to scrolling once I start. Time will tell! My other philosophy in life is cry only once. Meaning, when you buy something, buy the best your budget will allow. This is why I'm here. I have budget of $1300.00 and want to get as much information from forum members on which machines I should be looking at? Lastly, is this right thead for this type of post or should I be posting else where? Regards Chuck OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 My RBI HAWK 226 is the best machine as far as I'm concerned. It is my 3rd saw and I've had it over 10yrs and still love it. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Scroller Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 You are right on the addiction issue and my EXCALIBUR EX21 is the best for me. A big WELCOME from me. Roly OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcon Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) Mine is an Excalibur EX16 does the job great for me. Welcome! Edited March 14, 2018 by Falcon OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTCowpoke22 Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 Welcome from Montana. Now that's a loaded question. Depending on who you ask, the answer will be different every time. Seems like most will agree that both the Hegner and Excalibur saws are about as good as it gets, but there are others like Hawk, Seyco, Jet, and King that are also making high quality saws. I've got a Jet and love it. My advise is to see if you can find a Home Depot, Rockler, or Woodcraft location near you so you can go look at what they have and hopefully try one or more out and see what you like best. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 With a budget of $1,300 you have several options, as MTCowpoke 22 described above. Several of the saws in that price range are relatively new and there isn't a lot of feedback on them yet. If your intention is to only use this saw to repair/build model airplanes, then I suspect you would be happy with just about any of the saws in your budget range. If you believe that this might develop into more of a scrolling specific interest in fretwork, intarsia, etc, then the choice of saw may be more dependent on the type of scrolling you do. Some saws seem to be better suited for certain types of scrolling, so it's tough to make specific recommendations, beyond just relaying our own experience. I have an EX-21. I bought it before all the recent changes in the scroll saw market and before they moved manufacture to China. I do mostly fretwork, with the occasional stacked ring bowl or compound cut project thrown in. I don't do puzzles or intarsia and I don't do production type work. I really like my EX, but hesitate to recommend it, because of the new country of origin. Before that I had a DeWalt, which I liked a lot. For hobbiest use, it's a fine saw, very user friendly and far below your $1,300 budget limit @ around $500. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 Welcome to The Village! OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) Welcome to the Village !...With your budget you can get a great saw !..I have the Excalibur Ex21 and love it....The Seyco saw is an equal. Edited March 14, 2018 by Scrolling Steve OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 Welcome to the village. Might be worth looking through here at the write ups on saws: OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPscroller Posted March 15, 2018 Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 Welcome from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. I have two Excaliburs, 21 and 16 inch. Love the 21. As mentioned above, if you can, try a couple of different ones and see which one feels right for you. Jeff OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted March 15, 2018 Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 12 hours ago, Scooterpilot said: Good Morning All, I'm retired and I enjoy flyiny 30% to 35% model airplanes. This is driving my interest in scrolling. When an accident happens I need to manufacture bulk heads and other parts of the plane which is made of light plywood. Complex little parts is what they are....... A scroll saw is the answer for my needs. Who knows I may become addicted to scrolling once I start. Time will tell! My other philosophy in life is cry only once. Meaning, when you buy something, buy the best your budget will allow. This is why I'm here. I have budget of $1300.00 and want to get as much information from forum members on which machines I should be looking at? Lastly, is this right thead for this type of post or should I be posting else where? Regards Chuck Welcome ,All i can recommend is the dewalt788 From Grizzley .com free shipping OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meflick Posted March 15, 2018 Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 Welcome to the village. Good luck on your decision. Lots of good advice here on different options. Just have to decide what fits your needs and budget. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveww1 Posted March 15, 2018 Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 welcome to the village OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted March 15, 2018 Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 On 3/14/2018 at 9:47 AM, Scooterpilot said: Good Morning All, I'm retired and I enjoy flyiny 30% to 35% model airplanes. This is driving my interest in scrolling. When an accident happens I need to manufacture bulk heads and other parts of the plane which is made of light plywood. Complex little parts is what they are....... A scroll saw is the answer for my needs. Who knows I may become addicted to scrolling once I start. Time will tell! My other philosophy in life is cry only once. Meaning, when you buy something, buy the best your budget will allow. This is why I'm here. I have budget of $1300.00 and want to get as much information from forum members on which machines I should be looking at? Lastly, is this right thead for this type of post or should I be posting else where? Regards Chuck First off, welcome to the SSV. Nothing but fine folks here. As to your question, how big of a hurry are you in? That's a big budget you have there and just about any of the top end saws will fit. You must first decide how much saw you are going to need. I for one started with a used Dewalt that I bought off of Craigslist for $250. I'm still learning to use it. But a deal came along on a used Hegner with all the current upgrades on it. I bought it for $300. That's a $1500 saw, So, the world is open to what ever you want to buy. Most of the people here who have jumped to the more expensive saws are using the Excalibur 21 inch. They were discontinued for a while but have recently come back on the market. There is a ton of info here on the SSV about them. Anyway, until you figure out how serious you are going to be with the hobby, I'd go for a good used Dewalt. And there are many out there. Try to find a Type 1 if possible but if you find a nice Type 2 that runs well, jump on it. You can always sell it later on and buy UP. Ray GPscroller and Phantom Scroller 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaughn Posted March 21, 2018 Report Share Posted March 21, 2018 Welcome to the Village, Chuck. You will find it to be a wealth of information and opinion. I have run an RBI Hawk 226 and the Excalibur 21. I prefer the EX for top feeding and less vibration. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Johnson Posted March 27, 2018 Report Share Posted March 27, 2018 Welcome Chuck. If you're referring to which scroll saw is best I would suggest do a little research on some of the most popular brands and any trial operating the saw prior to purchasing is most beneficial. Price doesn't always indicate the best. Like a good hand tool. You just know when it feels right. Also, once you've chosen your brand check out the used market. You'll be surprised whats available at a reasonable price saving yourself many $$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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