Advice on foot pedal

[PeteM]

Hello all,

I'm seeking any recommendations and advice on foot pedals (such as which pedals are the best, whereto buy,etc) and any other accessories that someone new to scrolling should investigate using.

My scroll saw is the king 22"

Thanks,

Pete

Edited September 10 by PeteM

[don in brooklin on]

I bought my foot pedal at Harbor Freight.  I have the Deadman version (Momentary).

I have the other version tap on and tap off on my sanders where I want to turn on a dust collector too.

 

[Mike Crosa]

I have the Wen dead mans switch press to run lift to stop.

[barb.j.enders]

I have one for my saw and one for my foredom style rotary tool.  Both are press to run/lift to stop.

[ChelCass]

I Have a deadmans foot pedal I bought from Amazon and love it.  It was quite inexpensive and works great. Just plug the saw into the switch and plug the switch into the wall outlet.  super simple.

 

[TAIrving]

This is the one I use, deadman style.

Foot Switch, Foot Operated Pedal Controller Power Switch Woodworking Machine Control, 5-ft Cable with Piggyback Plug, Deadman Style: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

 

[tomsteve]

this is another one of the ,"I don't think there's too much difference between brands: thing,IMO. 

I prefer a deadmans pedal and have had a HF one for many years.I can shut the scroll saw down real quick by just takin my foot off of it.

another accessory that is real handy is lighting. I got this light from idk where. i mounted it on the upper arm. gets light right where I need it.

 

I found a dog is a good accessory,too.

sausage reminds me to take a break and enjoy some time with her

[munzieb]

I have 2 HF non- momentary foot switches. I tend to move around alot when cutting and the momentary switch doesn't work for me. A couple of years ago I had a conversation with Paul and he mentioned that the travel on his switch was too long especially when he is sitting. I took my switch apart by removing the pivot pin and saw the travel issue. I glued a 1/4" piece of wood on the upper pedal portion aligned with the switch and now it requires only a minor tap to turn on and off. I also have one on my HF Hercules table saw. It took a while to get used to it after having a Craftsman 1.13 TS but I like it now except for the on-off switch. It is in a aukward position. I perfer to keep both hands on any wood I cut instead of reaching down to the switch that is out of sight. I had a kickback once and learned my lesson. I mounted the switch on a board that is attached to the mount/stand (on wheels) of the saw and I like that I can keep both hands on the wood.

[PeteM]

Great input and greatly appreciated.

Lucky for me, the most vital accessory suggested, a dog, is already covered by my black lab, Maggie.

I'll probably start with a simple pedal from HF (or similar) and see how it works and how I work with it. 

Lighting will be my next focus .

Thanks again everyone

[scrollerpete]

I have both type and I preferred press to on and press again for off, less tiring when you have a big cut

[Richard Hotchkiss]

I also have the Harbor Freight foot pedals. I prefer the press once to turn on and then again to turn the saw off. This way I can stretch and move my legs during long sessions on the saw and don't have to worry about the saw shutting off when I lift my foot off the pedal.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

As you see it comes down to a matter of choice. I too have a deadman footswitch. The only thing I will tell you is never use a VS type footswitch on those saws. You will burn the motor out. Have fun.