Best Scroll Saw Review for 2020? Buyer’s and Guide

Are you looking for a scroll saw? There are a bundle of different scroll saws out there on the market. However, do you know how to choose the best scroll saw? This review is written based on five popular products on amazon, hoping it can help you to make the best decision in purchasing a scroll saw.

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Band Saw Vs. Scroll Saw: What Should You Buy?

A band saw or a scroll saw is one of the most popular stationary power tools. They all help you to cut curves smoothly and accurately. Still, they have different features, pros, and cons. In case you are looking for such a tool to cut curves, which one should you buy? A band saw vs scroll saw. It is essential that you know about the main differences between these tools as well as your specific needs and preferences.

Check out our article below to see what separate a band saw from a scroll saw and their advantages and disadvantages.

The Main Difference Between A Scroll Saw And A Band Saw

The main similarity between two types of saws is that they can be used to cut curves. However, they are quite different, in their overall sizes, the sizes of the blades, the powers and the capacities.

• In general, a band saw is a bigger type of saw in comparison with a scroll saw.
• The blades of the band saw are longer than the blades of the scroll saw. The blades of the band saw are also thicker. Typically, they are 3/8 inches or more in width. On the other hand, the width of the scroll saws is about 0.25 inches. In addition, a typical scroll saw’s blade is about 5 to 6 inches in height while a typical band saw’s blade is  6 to 12 inches in height.
• These types of saws are also different in the movement of the saw blades. The blades of the scroll saw move up and down to cut while the blades of the band saw rotate around the rubber wheels to cut.
• In term of power, the scroll saw is not as powerful as the band saw. The band saw can make much more vigorous cuts. Hence, these cuts would be rougher than and not as smooth as the cuts made from the scroll saw.
• Prices can vary a great deal among different models of band saws and scroll saws. However, an average band saw along with its accessories is more expensive than an average scroll saw and its accessories.
• Since the power that a scroll saw consumes will be less than the level of a band saw, the scroll saw is more energy efficient.
• A scroll saw is also known as a specialty saw while a band saw is known as a versatile saw.

Scroll Saw

Pros

• A scroll saw can help you cut small curves- some can even help you cut the curves as small as the head of a pin. Not only that, a scroll saw can help to cut thin pieces of material, which are about 1.5 inches in thickness.
• Delicate patterns including turns or twists are easier to make on a piece of wood using a scroll saw.
• In addition, a scroll saw can produce smooth and thin edges without losing a lot of bits of materials. Think about making a set of puzzle, this ability of the scroll saw makes it easier for you to make a puzzle.
• It is the best when it comes to having tight cuts so that you don’t have to sand the edges of the cut pieces.
• Another advantage of a scroll saw that a band saw couldn’t do is that it can help you cut a shape right in the middle of a piece of plywood. A band saw will cut right through it. However, with a scroll saw, you can drill the holes first before threading the scroll saw along the shape you want to cut, making internal cuts possible. As a result, you can make an inner circle easily. There is no entry and exit cut- which a band saw couldn’t do.
• Last but not least, thanks to the foot pedal, you can operate the saw without using your hands. Your hands are free to handle the material safely and securely.

Cons

• Even the most powerful scroll saw has a narrow saw blade. As a result, it couldn’t make much neat straight long cuts like what a band saw can do.
• It can only cut a piece of material which is less than 0.75 inches in thickness.
• In addition, a typical scroll saw can cut much smaller and tighter circles than a band saw can.
• It cut can pieces of wood more slowly than the band saw can cut.

Band Saw

Unlike the scroll saw, the band saw is more suitable for cutting a thick piece of plywood or so.

There are several types of band saws and each of which is made to do different things. These types of band saws include benchtop band saws, stationary band saw, and resaw band saws.

Pros

• Benchtop band saw: This type of saw is the smallest and most portable type of band saw. You can consider buying this one if you want a band saw that you can easily bring it to your work site. If you don’t have much room in your working station, a benchtop band saw would be compact enough. It can help you cut big curves on many thick pieces of materials such as plywood or solid wood.
• Stationary band saw: If you need to cut thicker and harder pieces of wood than a piece of plywood (such as the oak, pecan, and hickory). In addition, if your woodworking project has a lot of rip cuts instead of the tight curve cuts, this kind of band saw will provide the best cuts.
• Resaw band saw: This is the biggest and most powerful type of band saws. It can make straight cuts as efficiently as curved cuts.

With a wide range of types of band saws and the sizes of the blades for you to choose from, this type of saw is universal and versatile. It helps you cut pieces of materials of different thickness.

Last but not least, you can modify the band saw to make it operate like a table saw by clamping a fence to the working station.

Cons

• Overall, all types of band saws couldn’t cut cleaner and smoother cuts. Hence, they are not suitable for any project that requires the precision in the small details.
• Since the blades of the band saw are fixed, it couldn’t cut on the inside of a piece of material.
• With a large radius, a band saw’s blade couldn’t turn as sharp as the scroll saw. Hence, the details made with the band saw are not as sharp.

How To Decide On Which Tool To Buy?

After you know about the differences between a band saw and scroll saw, you need to think about your preferences as well as the nature of your projects in order to choose the best stationary power tool.

Think about your project: Do you often work with big projects like curved furniture, cabinets, or molding? Or do you often work with small projects like making puzzles or doing a craft project that need precision for small details?

If you often work with big projects and thick pieces of material, a band saw is the better option for you. On the other hand, if you need a tool for cutting small and thin pieces of material, a scroll saw is a suitable choice. If most of your woodworking project are crafting, you should consider buying a scroll saw instead of a band saw.

Since both tools are quite opposite in capacities, many professional woodworkers use both tools for different projects. However, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on buying many tools that you are going to use just for a few times, think about what you need more.

For many DIY hobbyists, when they start working on their projects, they decide to buy a scroll saw first. First of all, a scroll saw can do an internal cut while the band saw couldn’t. Second of all, most of us tend to work with smaller projects first to gain more skills and experience before we move on. When they start gaining more skills, they move on to bigger projects. And they decide to purchase a band saw after all.

Conclusion

I hope that this small article helps to answer your question: “Should I buy a scroll saw or a band saw? Overall, they have different features and different capabilities. The scroll saw is better if you often work with small pieces of materials and the band saw is better if you work with much better pieces of equipment. If you work with both, you need to trade one off for the one that you will need more.

Best Hybrid Table Saw 2020 – Buyer’s and Guide

Are you a woodworker who valued professional and effective work done? Hybrid table saw will give you the desired result. With this tool, many wooding activities including sawing boards, laminates, metal profiles, wood panels, etc. can be performed accurately and easily without consuming your time. And that’s why we’re here for you.

In this guide, we have taken our precious time to craft for you, the best hybrid table saw currently in the market. Also, the criteria we based our selection on will be revealed to you. And you’ll be able to choose your choice of the device among the provided options when you want to buy your own.

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Band Saw Vs Scroll Saw: What Should You Buy?

Best Portable Tool Boxes In 2020 – Top Rated Rolling Tool Boxes

A portable tool box is a handy work station that every home repair DIY hobbyists, technicians and mechanics should have.

Having a tool box will help you to organize your tools and can easy grab it for a job on the go. As a must have item, portable tool box is popular with thousands of products and models on the market with different designs, types and characteristics.

 When choosing a portable tool box, it is important that you consider the quality of such a product as well as your specific needs. It will surely take time and effort in the search for the best portable tool box.

Scroll down for the best portable tool box review to make sure you get the most informed choice of what portable tool box to buy in 2019.

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How To Cut Plexiglass

How To Cut Balsa Wood In The Simplest Way

If you ask me what kind of wood that an amateur carpenter should work with, the answer would be the Balsa wood. While balsa is hardwood, it is well known for its softness. It is really easy to cut with the help of a basic knife or jigsaw. It is also very easy to sand and paint on the surface of the wood. You can apply other kinds of finishing products on it as well. Last but not least, balsa wood boards are available in all kinds of sickness, making it suitable for all kinds of woodworking project.

Working with balsa work is easy as long as you know the simple steps on how to cut balsa wood. Scroll down for the easiest way to handle your piece of balsa wood.

Tools that you would need for the project:

• An X-ACTO knife with a sharp blade. The best blade for cutting big pieces is the Number 11 blade. On the other hand, if you need a knife for carving balsa wood, go for an X-ACTO knife with Number 26 blade.
• C Clamps
• A piece of balsa wood
• A pencil (or a fine line pen), a ruler and a measuring tape.
• A medium rough sand paper (a 60 to 80 grit).

Step By Step On How To Cut Balsa Wood:

Step 1: Put the sheet of balsa wood on a flat surface. Draw your preferred pattern, line or curve onto the surface of the piece of wood using a sharp pencil.

Step 2: Then you need to place a straight ruler on top of the sheet along with the C-clamps on either side of the ruler. Tighten the clamps firmly.

Step 3: Take out the X-ACTO knife, skim along the drawn line on the first attempt. You don’t have to cut too deep in your first run. This is just the guide cut.

Step 4: Hold the blade vertical and slightly bending forward and keep cutting the wood. Finishing sliding at the end of your drawn line. You can also stop cutting when the first cut go parallel with the grain. If the cut go parallel with the grain, move the knife and changes the cut. So that it would go perpendicular to the grain instead.

Step 5: In this step, you need to repeat step 3 and step 4. This time, cut the knife a little bit deeper and add more pressure. Continue to cut until you can cut though the sheet of wood.

Step 6: Finally, use a sand paper to sand the cut surface of the piece of wood. For smaller pieces with small curve, you can use a nail file to sand instead.

​Extra Tips On Cutting Balsa Wood:

• Remember to always work with the wood grain. When you slide the knife along the line and meet the grain of the wood, title the blade of the knife and cut across the grain a little bit so that the cut goes perpendicular to the line of the grain.
• Some pieces of balsa wood might be quite thin. But you should never use scissors as they are never sharp enough. For the same reason, make sure the knife that you are going to use has sharp blade. Dull blade would not just make your woodworking process not effectively, it also leads to split and tear easily. One of the best type of blade I like to use to cut balsa wood is carbide tipped blade. Hardened or high speed steel blades wouldn’t be able to hold a sharp edge for a long time.
• You don’t have to precisely cut along the line you draw on the wood. You can cut about 1/16 over the line and use a sand paper to smoothen the outer edges.
• You might want to work with the complicated shapes before moving on cutting straights pieces.
• If you want to cut a large amount of balsa wood in a short time, you can use a saw instead of an X-ACTO knife. The best saw blade for this project is a hollow ground or a cabinet maker type. A rip blade is the less efficient one as its pointed teeth would result in chipping of the cuts. Also pay attention to the tooth count of the blade. If you handle a thick piece of balsa wood, go for a saw with lower tooth counts.

Conclude

​Here are all of the things that you need to know about how to cut balsa wood. Overall, you can use the X-ACTO knife to work with the project. Make sure you use a sharp blade and pay attention to the wood grain. With these tips and information in mind, I am sure that you would be able to come up with beautiful and nicely cut pieces of balsa wood in a short amount of time.