Scroll Saw Stand Question

Paul Douglass

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S E Washington State
I started on making a new cabinet do my scroll saw and was wondering. I have seen several on the internet where the person have the scroll saw tilted forward. I'm assuming this is because they sit while scrolling. What I'm thinking (because I have never sat while scrolling but I might someday) maybe I should make the top so I can slant it if I want to, like adjustable. Shouldn't be to had to figure out a way of doing it. Any comment? Think it is worth the effort?

Sorry, I seem to be full of questions lately.
 
When I needed to get a scroll saw to make a few accessories, it wasn't long before I also wanted to be able to sit comfortably while doing so. It may go totally against the grain of classic scroll sawyers, but here's what I designed and built:

There's plenty of room for a small office chair.
SSCart_a.jpg

The three small drawers hold blades and whatever else I might need to put in them.
SSCart_b.jpg

I also put a door in the back panel for access to one of the most important features...
SSCart_c.jpg

...ballast! Yep. Those are bricks in there! Never have had a problem with the cart tipping. :thumb:
SSCart_d.jpg

I'm not saying this is what you should do - just tossing out as food for thought.

:)

Oh, don't ever apologize for the questions. That's why we're here!
 
You're right Paul, there are quite a few scroll saw stands on the Internet. I do like your idea of sitting in front of the saw to make yourself as comfortable & relaxed as possible. Whatever you choose I would suggest that you consider including provisions to install a lighted magnifying glass that is mounted to spring loaded extension arms. I haven't made a stand for my scroll saw (yet), but I do have the lighted magnifying glass & find it helps a lot to see the cut line more clearly.
 
I've been shopping for a light with a magnifying glass, (one that I can Afford), for a couple months now. I want one that stays in place where you put it and it's been my experience that a lot of the cheaper ones have a habit of moving down from where they are placed. Seen what I want on ebay, some of the older ones, but so far they have all gone for much more than I'm willing to pay. Eventually I will get the deal I want!
 
You're right in that they sometimes do tend to drop & not hold position. I've taken care of this by really tightening things up, or using slightly stronger springs, or even removing a few coils & then bending the last coil 90° (they do bend better than expected) to re-attach. Thicker rubber "friction" washer could also be used, or add a dia. of sandpaper to the original washers. You can make them hold position, so I would pass on a good deal, i.e. cheap, if it doesn't want to hold well. They can be fixed to hold.
 
I've been shopping for a light with a magnifying glass, (one that I can Afford), for a couple months now.

At the woodworking show I just attended, all but one of the scrollers had this but, the price and size were out of range for what I wanted. I did learn that the magnifying glass either had to be very large or the frame had to be very slim. That is, a small glass and a fat frame like the one I use for inlay and detail work makes for minimal visibility at the scrollsaw and brings on quick fatigue. I went with the Rockler magnetic base magnifying lamp while it was on sale awhile back and have been very happy. This lamp won a lot of the bake-offs but, . . . Oh darn . . . Rockler seems to have stopped carrying it. That's weird; I'm glad I bought extra lamp-heads for it while the getting was good. At any rate, if you don't go with a large glass, avoid a bulky frame. DAMHIKT.

As to tilting the saw; yes I tilt the saw and like the table a bit higher than my elbows when I am scrolling. The tilt puts you more straight-on to the work and you can follow your line (or just plain see what you're doing) much better as you are not looking in at as much of an angle. I found I really didn't like hunching over the saw as it was a pain in the neck. Not a big deal for a quick cut out but, any project with a lot of detail or parts and the tilted table and a good magnifying lamp really pay off IMHO.
 
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Thanks for the replys all. Good info on the lamps, and I'm got a few ideas in my head about an adjustable tilt table. I also am pretty sure I will need ballast in my cabinet. it is pretty narrow. I plan on having the wheels wider than the cabinet for stability also. I love doing this kind of stuff and using recycled lumber means my only expense is screws, bolts and casters.
 
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