Scroll Saw

Overview

A scroll saw cuts tight curves and pierced interior shapes in thin material with a fine reciprocating blade. Held between two arms and tensioned, the blade moves straight up and down through a slot in the table while the operator steers the work by hand. Because the blade is thin and the throat is open, it can follow intricate fretwork, sharp inside corners and detailed inlay that a band saw or jigsaw cannot. Threading the blade through a drilled hole lets it cut closed shapes without a lead-in from the edge.

This is a 16-inch parallel-arm machine. The Scroll Saw sits on a Base & Stand that gives it mass to run smoothly. A quiet Induction Motor turns the Eccentric Drive, whose eccentric and connecting rod set the Parallel-Arm Linkage rocking. The blade is gripped by the Blade & Clamps, the work rides on the tilting Tilting Worktable, and a Dust Blower keeps the cut line clear so the operator can see the layout.

How it works

The Induction Motor is an induction motor chosen for low noise and vibration. Its Speed Control Board sets the stroke rate, slow for hardwood and metal, fast for soft material. The motor turns the Eccentric Drive: an offset crank pin and connecting rod convert rotation into a short reciprocating throw.

That throw feeds the Parallel-Arm Linkage. Upper and lower arms pivot on bearings at the rear of the saw; the connecting rod pulls the lower arm down and the linkage keeps the two arms moving in parallel, so the blade clamped between their front ends rises and falls almost vertically with little side wander. A tension lever flexes the upper arm to pull the blade taut, which is what keeps a fine blade tracking straight.

The Blade & Clamps carries the blade and a sprung hold-down foot that presses the work flat so it cannot lift on the upstroke. The operator feeds stock across the Tilting Worktable, turning it to follow the line; the table tilts on its trunnion for bevel cuts. The Dust Blower, a small blower and bendable nozzle, puffs sawdust off the kerf continuously. For an interior cut, the blade is released from its top clamp, threaded through a hole in the workpiece, re-clamped and re-tensioned, then run to cut the enclosed shape.