Ryobi SC165VS

oneleggimp · June 20, 2018

Ryobi SC165VS

Brand - Ryobi

Model - SC165VS

Manufacturer - Ryobi Tools

Price - $99

Light Standard - No

Foot Switch Standard - No

Dust Blower - Yes

Dust Collection - Yes

Blade Type Accepted (Pinnless/Pinned) - Both

Blade Changing (Toolless/Tools Required) - Toolless

Blade Feeding Method (Top Feed/Bottom Feed) - unknown

Blade Tensioning (Front or Back) - Back

Table Size - unknown

Throat Depth - 16"

Table Tilting (Left, Right, or Both) - Left 45 Degrees

Variable Speed - Yes

Motor Size - 120V AC, 1.2 Amps

Belt or Direct Drive - unknown

Country of Manufacture - unknown

Warranty - 3 Year

Do you own this saw?
If so, we need your help. The more information we can provide to help a fellow scroller on their purchasing decisions, the better. If you own this saw, please place your vote above to rank some of the key features. Also, leave a comment below and share your experiences with this saw. If you see any missing or misinformation in the features list above, please let us know in the comments below. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

Just got the saw so this is a first impressions report after only two weeks of using the "green machine". Three things 1. The lock knob for the drop foot rod and attached drop foot does not hold well unless it is REALLY "Reefed Up TIGHT". 2. The sawdust blower does blow after a fashion but is largely ineffective but this seems to be a common complaint with most lower priced scroll saws. 3. The lower blade clamp is hard for someone with large fingers to access under the saw table. The upper clamp works well. Lower clamp is a PITA to get at and insert the blade. Holds well ONCE you have the blade inserted but that's the difficulty. Frustrating. If I had a way to do it, I would change my vote on blade changing from 2 to 1 (very difficult). 4. Otherwise the saw works well and seems to be a good buy for the price.

amazingkevin · June 20, 2018

Good to know,thanks

oneleggimp · June 20, 2018

After a month getting to know the "green machine".(it's painted sort of a bright green), I like it.I Still have trouble getting to the lower blade chuck with my thick fingers but it holds the blade well. I've been using the t-handle hex wrench to get at it to loosen and tighten the lower blade chuck and that takes care of the problem. Doing fretwork isn't a problem - blade changing wise: Theupper blade chuck is pretty easy to work with so I just unhook the blade from the upper chuck,stickthe blade through the workpiece and re-chuck-up. I've gotten to the point I can do it rapidly. I finally just removed the hold down foot. I Really wasn't using it and I have better lines of sight without it I also re-oriented the blower tube and it keeps the cut line more visible.It's still notideal but it IS definitely better. I'm looking for an aquarium air pump which seems to be a pretty common fix to the blower situation. Woodcraft has a sale on an LCD work light in July (just got thesales flyer) and I think I'll order one to illuminate the workpiece well. The saw is reasonably quiet and there's not much vibration. Overall after some time with the saw, I am a happy camper. It's not a top of the line machine but it does very well for an entry-level machine. BTW I've been using Flying Dutchman TC (2-way cut) blades and am very pleased with their performance.

Gordster · June 20, 2018

I had a Ryobi saw similar to the picture here.Someone

broke in while I was away 3 years ago and stole it.I am

trying to remember things about it...

The lower blade holder...I think I tilted the table to

the left to give some room when changing blades.

Also the upper after some will not hold as good and

you have to give it a little extra twist.

But cutting and noise and vibration..I enjoyed the saw.

Don't forget I am relying on my memory lol

hotshot · June 20, 2018

Why on earth would I buy a cheap saw with all the other really good saws in my stable? I work in a craft store once a month, and when things are not busy, I thought it would be nice to have a portable saw that I could have onsite to scroll coins when the going gets slow, and, the Ryobi was $99, same as Harbor Freight. Plus, from what I could see in the pictures, there was one particular feature to this saw that made it stand out from all the other saws of this style. The standard clamps took pinless blades, which was my biggest requirement, and the fit and finish of the saw seemed decent. I have a few other "Green" Ryobi tools, and a few are really good. So why not.

So today, I'll give a candid review of the latest Ryobi Scrollsaw, the Model: SC165VS

Positives:

Vibration is about what I would expect for a very light saw.. If it runs on high, it will really need to be clamped down.

Clamps: It is pinless and it uses a Hegner type approach to squeezing the blade between two pieces of metal. This means the clamp knob never touches the blades, and thus no Hockey Sticks. However, unlike the Hegner, the first time I put a small blade in, the clamps didn't open back up all the way, and now I can't even get a #5 in the clamp. Will probably have to pry it back apart.

Power: Seems ok for thin wood, but I'll come back after I try something thick with it

FIt and Finish: Mostly Positive, except they didn't put the Spec label on straight, and some of it is peeling up before I even got it out of the box. Apart from that, no complaints.

Negative:

1. Neither clamps have positive stops to hold the blades in the center of the clamp, so that means you had better not have shaky hands or problems with spacial judgement.

2. Bottom clamp is not easily accessible from the bottom of the saw which makes blade changes, as noted below, extremely painful

3. Insert is not even close to flush with table, meaning, it will catch your wood. Superglue on the bottom could be used to bring it back flush.

4. Holes in insert are massive, meaning, without a zero clearance insert, it is next to impossible to cut small items.

4a. Since you have to remove insert to change blades, using a zero clearance insert becomes much more challenging

4b. The large holes in the insert will also catch the wood.

5. The dust blower is weak, and the nozzle is attached to the Hold Down arm. The actual hold down piece can be removed from the arm, but the dust blower is still in the way of the insert removal

6. No quick tensioner/de-tensioner. Tensioner is in rear of saw. In fretwork, this would get tiring in a hurry

7. No positive stop for table angles, so you will always have to find and adjust to lock in on zero.

8. After using thinner blades, clamp do not re-open enough for larger blades. There are no words to describe how I feel about that. Can you imagine having to use a screwdriver to pry back open the clamps after changing blade sizes?

9. Top Feed Only.

Blade Changes: By far, the most unforgivable thing about this saw is the process to change blades.

0. Reduce tension in back of saw to lower top clamp/arm

1. Move the post up that holds the dust blower nozzle

2. Remove the Insert from the table

3, Depending on your lighting, you may have to shine a flashlight down the hole to see the clamp

4. Placing the blade through the hole, try to balance the blade in the middle of the clamp (remember no positive stop)

5. There is an unreachable thumbscrew on the bottom clamp, but no worries, there is a 6 inch tool that can be guided through the bottom of the table to that thumbscrew. So steady that arm, insert the tool deep into the saw into the knob, and tighten.

6. Replace insert.

7. Now top feed workpiece over blade

8. Place blade in top clamp, and try to keep it center of clamp

9. Use thumbscrew to tighten top clamp

10. Use back knob to re-tension

11. Now, lower rod holding blower nozzle back into position over work piece

Easy Peasy? After that, you might be ready for a break.

When someone asks what typically differentiates the better saws from the cheaper saws. For me, the blade change mechanisms are the most notable, especially as relates to accessibility of that bottom clamp. I knew I wasn't paying for a Dewalt, but still, the problems with this saw are design, not quality or cost of materials. I was prepared to deal with some less than ideal aspects of this saw, but, I still needed it to be usable, and for the frequent blade changes that I do, this saw is not usable.

Bottom line, this was a very poorly designed saw and even at $99 I'm disappointed. If I cut puzzles, or solid animal shapes, or other stuff that didn't require constant blade changes, I might be able to tolerate this saw, but as it is, I think I'm going to have to return it, and you can bet I won't recommend it ever

meflick · July 5, 2018

Changed Manual(s) to http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/uploads/monthly_2018_07/Ryobi_SC165VS_860_trilingual_pdf.fc22533f0dc7f6436727afe8cc77c1f6

jzemek · August 20, 2018

I have this saw, and noticing how difficult it is to get my fingers at the bottom clamp, I took the plate that covers the side of the saw off, there's only two screws to take off and I haven't noticed any ill effects of taking that plate off. This has made it so much easier to change blades on the saw, don't even need to take the insert out or adjust the blower anymore.

Sign In

Ryobi SC165VS

Shop for Ryobi SC165VS

Reviews & Comments

Recommended Comments

oneleggimp 71

Link to comment

Share on other sites

amazingkevin 19,901

Link to comment

Share on other sites

oneleggimp 71

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Gordster 3,015

Link to comment

Share on other sites

hotshot 1,474

Link to comment

Share on other sites

meflick 5,600

Link to comment

Share on other sites

jzemek 0

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Join the conversation

Community

Patterns

Resources

Help