CharlieByGolly

Thanks very much everyone. I was looking at a new King saw but then at the advice of RockyTime I checked craigslist and found a RBI Hawk for 600, but it was sold. I resigned myself to buying a new King but the day I was going to ride into Woodcraft I checked craigslist again and found an Excalibur saw for 170 dollars. I was certain something was bad wrong with the saw but made an appointment to go check it out. He evern confirmed it was made in Taiwan and not a chinese clone. Everything works on the saw and from what little I have been able to make sawdust out of scrap it seems to be working great. I consider myself very lucky and this is a minimal investment that I am sure I can recover if I find out scrolling is not for me. This is a very friendly board and I am looking forward to learning a lot from the veterans and newbies here...Charlie

JTTHECLOCKMAN, thank you very much, informative and timely......Charlie

Thank you very much for all of the replies. I haven't really decided what I will be doing, probably will have to get my feet wet to determine what I like the best. The almost unanimous consensus seems to be a 21 inch saw to cover most all bases is the saw of choice. My next dilemma is what brand of saw to choose. I have been looking at a King brand name that is available at Woodcraft stores in a 16" and 30" model. They had no knowledge of a 21-inch model but I do think that this saw is available in Canada in 16, 21, and 30. The 16" is around 599 with free stand and the 30" is 899 with free stand and free foot pedal. I initially was thinking about a Dewalt 20 inch saw but the things I read about a #1 and #2 model made me a bit leery about that choice. If anyone has any experience with the King saws I would love to hear of their experiences. It is my understanding from researching online that the manufacturer/plant that produced the Excalibur saw in Taiwan is the same manufacturer of the King saw but that they have been bought by King Canada. Thanks again everyone

Hello everyone, I found this site through a search at google and am wondering if you guys could give me a bit of advice concerning the size of a scroll saw to buy? What percentage of your work requires a 20 inch or larger scroll saw compared to a 16 inch saw. I am semi-retired and have worked with wood most of my life, and am in the market for a new scroll saw as this is the one tool I have never owned. I am weighing the pros and cons of a 16 inch compared to a 20 or even a 30 inch saw. Thank you much.......Charlie