Garyrenee

Well guys and girls I took the saw apart ( not for the faint at heart ) kidding….it was fine. FOR ME taking it apart showed me how the wedge worked and I’m not convinced that increasing or decreasing the tension has anything at all to do with changing the distance between the blade holders. It’s back together and working fine with minimal blade showing above the holders. Made some Birds Eye maple trivets the other day and the blades never popped out so I’m done worrying about it. Thanks to all who jumped in on this and offered advice and hints. Very much appreciated Gary

As a Canuck we deal with the same people as you. Pretty sad. I bought the saw online thru Home Depot. They aren’t interested in any problems thru their online depot. Take it up with Dewalt… Gary

I’m imagining fixing it myself. As I mentioned before about trying talk to a human being at any level in today’s world I would sooner chew my own arm off. CALL A MEDIC I was on hold at dewalt for 2 1/2 hours thru a series of recordingsI have given up for this week. I will try again on Monday but I’m not very hopeful. As mentioned by others “ this is NOT a new problem “ Has been an issue as early as 2006. Makes me think seriously about a pegus saw. Be very difficult to justify the cost though being just a small hobby guy. Thanks again to all Gary

Nope. Checked that too and the arm moves freely. Ive done what John suggested regarding the tension arm. Two turns in was no where near the amount. I finally settled on 10 turns clockwise and I can now see about 1/16-1/8 of blade above the set screw on the top and bottom. Upon doing more research it turns out that all of the latest batch of 788 scrollsaws have an improperly machined wedge at the back and all the adjustments in the world aren’t going to fix the distance between the holders. Like mine which is 5 inches, they are supposed to be 4 1/2 max which gives you the wiggle room required. Now it all makes sense. The issue now is trying to get Dewalt to send the appropriate size wedge. Thanks to all for the input Gary

Thanks John I’ll give that a try. Gary

I apologize if I have offended anyone. Not my intent. Nobody here knows what my mechanical background is so when I keep getting asked the same question regarding tension I take it the wrong way.SORRY. I’m very comfortable taking this thing apart if need be but it has been mentioned by a couple of people that the tension rod is probably the problem and after looking at a parts diagram I tend to agree. It doesn’t appear to be that big of a deal to do. If anyone has any pointers or things to watch out for,I’m all ears. Regarding phone calls in today’s world. I would sooner chew my arm off than try to talk to a REAL person. Frustrating at best. Much sooner fix the problem myself thru the use of these forums that are full of people who want to help. Thanks again to all and again I meant no disrespect. Gary

Well I got my pegus blades and they are 5”. To clarify…..I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. I’ve been scrolling for a couple years so when I say the tension is off….its off. I’m going to try and attach pictures so it will give you folks an idea what I’m up against.

I’m not going to take the saw apart. The measurement from centre to centre of blade holder is 5 1/16”. The sample blades that came with the saw are exactly 5”. Both holders are in the proper positions. The tension lever is all the way forward. Everything is exactly as it should be. I will be receiving my new order of blades from bear woods tomorrow. I will post again when I have the blades and see if in fact they are longer than 5”. My hope is that they are longer. Even a quarter inch will set my mind at ease. Thanks again Gary

Ok I did all that was mentioned. Took table off again and discovered that the 5” blade fits but there is absolutely no blade whatsoever above the holding screw in either top or bottom holders. I use Pegas blades and on the old saw I always had at least a 1/2” of blade above the holding screw. I never measured the old blades and never specified any length when I ordered. This is very suspect to me in that there is such a difference. I will do what Kevin has suggested to see if I can get ANY wiggle room. Thanks for the input Gary

Just got my new dewalt 788 scroll saw. it came with 2 sample blades 5” long and they are not long enough. Am I doing something wrong or not seeing something obvious. I don’t have any old blades from my other saw. All lost in fire. I’ve never measured the length of the blades so I have no reference.

Western red is very toxic and should be used accordingly. High in resins which is why it is a good choice for exterior applications. This wood is no joke when talking toxicity. Be very respectful when using it

I come from an aviation mechanic background before I discovered the love for woodworking and all things associated with it. My experience sides with Ray. IMO his advice from years ago is sound and proven. Just sayin

I have three small shelves for the go to stuff. The middle is just small parts for the saw like the never used hold down. Scrap box on bottom of course. Pedal control fastened to a comfortable height. Saw tilted about 2 1/2 inches. I’m not a super scroller like you guys but I do enjoy it when have something to do with it. I’ll try to add pics. The last pic is an urn. I make quite a few of these

This is what I’ve done to one of my planers. Laminate makes a great base. If it ever gets gouged it can easily be replaced.

John has it right. I myself have made a few benches and tables over the years. It’s all in the preparation. Having enough clamps and cauls is paramount.