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What's a scroll saw? I know I can look it up, but it's more fun to engage in conversation with people that nerd over specific things.
Thanks for making that comment. I recently thought the exact same thing, started a post but then deleted it, because "the internet" and all.
But the feeling was just about the same: I wanted to start a conversation with people that care about similar things as I do. It's good to see that it happens.
Regarding scroll saws: I recently found a Proxxon DS230 on a thrift haul. Don't bother with that model, it sucks. Now I'm in that weird spot where a potential new activity / "fab method" might have been ruined by a shoddy tool.
It's funny. I have a Proxxon manual mini metal lathe and mill combo which I bought new. And it's absolutely fantastic (for its price). Proxxon occupies this weird niche in the market where they try to make a suite of entry level tools that professionals would use, but they're still hobby grade in many ways. Good tools to learn about tools.
Perhaps it is price though. I paid almost $3k for my lathe/mill combo from them, fully kitted out. The DS230 is like $300 when new, which is damned cheap for something not made in China. Could be that you got what you paid for :/
Size of a high coffee table. It's got a thin blade so can cut very sharp corners. He has it in his bedroom in the retirement apartments.
A scroll saw is a saw for cutting fine details. The motion it makes is almost like electric handsaw with a tiny strip of metal so it can get into really tight corners. The blade detaches fairly easily, and is so small that the big advantage is being able to cut inside a board, unlike a band saw. Jigsaws have a problem where the jigsaw blade is only secured on one side so it flaps around a lot, and a cut that looks perfect on one side is raggedy on the other; scrollsaws secure the bleade on both sides so there's less of that nonsense. The blade is thin, so it'll curve if you push it too hard and stretch over time, but even then, the worst of the curve is in the middle, not on the end.
I took a class with one, liked it enough to get a ryobi for christmas. Used that till it broke, and then saved up and got the big dewalt. I genuinely prefer using it to the bandsaw for any piece of wood under an inch. I've been surprised by how useful it is. Sadly, I think the best use case for the tool is dying out as more people can just get something like a glowforge or cnc. Yeah you may start at 5x the cost of a cheap scrollsaw, but for beginners the resulting work is also much more exact.
Imagine a jigsaw, except it's table mounted (so you move the wood, not the saw), and the blade is really, really narrow and held top and bottom. Good for very fine work - like a powered coping saw or fretsaw.
Impressive. In the age of CNC, it's awesome to intricate handmade pieces. Hope to have his dexterity when I'm that old
Well that’s insane. Nice job dad.
The Mayans warned us about him
I would set him up with my grandma, but she died at 103.
Lol. He just got a girlfriend. My mom died a year ago. His girlfriend is 82. Sixteen year difference. She can't drive so he drives her around. A guy at a senior's apartment with a car is like a teenager with a car. He's real popular.
Note to self - keep my car, and ability to drive as long as possible.
That wouldn’t stop me.
In my best John Cleese accent: "Bloody hell". At 98?
I can see the rough cuts when I zoom in, but the man's ninety-freakin-eight. I couldn't have done that at any point in my life. That's some serious patience.
I'm sure when he was younger it would've been flawless, but it's incredible as is.
He started woodworking as a hobby when he retired.
This is super cool
Wow! I absolutely love this! I bet you'll cherish that forever. :) Thank you for sharing it with us here!
this post was submitted on 16 May 2025
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Woodworking
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A handmade home for woodworkers and admirers of woodworkers. Our community icon is submitted by @[email protected] whose father was inspired to start woodworking by Norm and the New Yankee Workshop.
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