Bauer 22 inch saw

[kywoodmaster]

Well I went out to the shop s couple of weeks ago and fired up the 25 year old Delta saw.

It went ooooooh and refused to move. So I figured that was a good reason to buy a new saw. I really think a good clean and lube will fix the Delta but always good to have a backup right.

Here are my thoughts on the Bauer saw.           1 it's heavy.                                                          2 it seems solid.                                                   3 straight out of the box I sat it on top of an old sewing machine cabinet. I adjusted the table about 0.5 degrees to get square.              The top arm was .002 inches closer to the table at the back than front. Figured that was close enough for government work.

With the saw just sitting on the cabinet not bolted ,clamped or attached in any way it seems very smooth. Don't think it would papp the nickel test but after attaching it to something solid I have no doubt that it will.

Decided to try it out. Cut a few of the Diana Thompson bird houses. After a lot of foul language and threat's of return I realized I had the blade upside down. 

I cut 2 poplar, 1 Cedar and 1 from the Spectra plywood stopper blanks. I am very satisfied with the performance of the saw 

Not sure how the longevity will be but I bought the 2 year warranty. The way that works use it 2 years take it back renew the warranty and you get a new machine every 2 years for less than $50.00.

Bird houses are straight off the saw. No sanding or anything.All were cut with a #7 skip tooth Denny special blade.

 

 

Edited April 16 by kywoodmaster
Add blade size

[jerry walters]

Done that, been there with the blades.

Jerry

[don in brooklin on]

Love the birdhouse. My favorite thing to do.  Well done 

I would love it if Bauer was available in Canada.  It looks like the price has gone up recently but still a great deal.

 

[daveww1]

very nice work

[Denny Knappen]

Thanks for the review.  I too, love to make the Miniature Birdhouse Ornaments.

[rjweb]

Glad you like the saw, that deal with warranty for two years sounds great, RJ

[Barry5180]

 I have the Bauer as well and really like it. Only time will tell how durable it is but I actually feel  that it is a better and more stable platform than my old Dewalt 788. My only wish is having a 3d printed conversion kit to install an arm release lever. That damn release pin is just a bit too far away from me and I have long arms.

 

[Scrappile]

22 minutes ago, Barry5180 said:

 I have the Bauer as well and really like it. Only time will tell how durable it is but I actually feel  that it is a better and more stable platform than my old Dewalt 788. My only wish is having a 3d printed conversion kit to install an arm release lever. That damn release pin is just a bit too far away from me and I have long arms.

 

Yep, the release lever had to be designed by an engineer that have never used a scroll saw.  They could have designed it so that when the arm goes up, it catches and stays up until you take the arm, raise it just a notch, release the catch, and you can lower the arm.  The method used on the Excalibor I had was worrisome to me.  A little ball bearing riding on a strip of metal.  If you adjusted it too tightly, you could wear a deep groove in the strip of metal, and it was not a replaceable part.  I was warned about that by Seyco when I purchased it from them.  Search on this forum.   There are other Bauer owners that have made devises to help with that release.

[kywoodmaster]

2 hours ago, Barry5180 said:

 I have the Bauer as well and really like it. Only time will tell how durable it is but I actually feel  that it is a better and more stable platform than my old Dewalt 788. My only wish is having a 3d printed conversion kit to install an arm release lever. That damn release pin is just a bit too far away from me and I have long arms.

 

If you look close you will see a dowel rod with an open hook in the end. This works well for me.

[timelett]

I like mine I just found a piece of wood to put under the arm just before it locks into place.I can't wait till I can get back into it. 

[Scrappile]

There are several "Arm Lifters for DeWalt and some Delta scroll saws.  They are a very simple device.  I would think, looking at them, one could easily make one that would work on the Bauer.  I would make one and dismantle the Bauer one.  I know there is a long thread on here about modifying scroll saws. But every scroll saw and most other tools I own, have been modified in some way to meet my desires.  One way does not fit all.

[GregBennett]

I bought the Bauer saw a week ago. I've been using a DeWalt for 10 years. I think the Bauer is a better saw. Time will tell how durable it is. There are only a handful of replacement parts available on the Harbor Freight site.  There are markedly less vibrations than the DeWalt. I measured the height of the upper arm while locked at the top, cut a block of wood slightly shorter for propping up the arm. Initially I was disappointed with the blade clamps, but I've fiddled with the arm height adjustment and now find it a breeze to get the tension just right. I mounted it on a bench I made for a saw I had years ago and angled it so that it was slanted like the DeWalt on it's stand. When I bought it during Harbor Freight's Memorial Weekend sale. The cashier had me subscribe to their Inside Tracks Club for $30 a year, but with the 20% discount of $56 the net before tax was $223.99. I've never used the high end saws, but I can't say enough about this one. 

[Wooden Lace]

All of my work is pretty delicate fretwork, with holes quite close together. Using the DeWalt, which doesn't stay up by itself is no problem.  I always top feed, and start with the blade in the upper clamp.  When I'm done with a cut, simply release the lower clamp, lift the arm with the left hand...just enough to clear the wood, then with the right hand, use the bottom of the blade to slide the piece to the next hole and drop it in.  I've had a Jim Dandy gizmo to hold up the arm, but with my method, it just isn't needed, so I gave it to another scroller.  

Now that I'm using the new King 16" saw, I simply loosened the upper arm so it doesn't stay up by itself, and continue using my method.  Everyone seems to like doing things in different ways, and it's interesting to see what other methods work.

Nancy