Band saw or scroll saw?

Question

I am making some toy "name trains" and I need to know what tool will suit me best. I am cutting letters out of 1x (3/4) stock. Probably poplar or pine. What should I buy and any suggestions on brands or models?

Answer 1

To cut out letters such as "A" , "B" , "D" etc. you need a scroll saw because a band saw blade will not fit inside the letters.

As to the best brand, I suggest you do a web search for scroll saw ratings. There are severa out there. Vibration and ease of blade changing are the two primary considerations.

Answer 2

Depending on the overall size say 6" letters- band saw
for smaller letters you may want to try some thinner stock say 1/2" or 1/4 - scroll saw . anything over 1/2" will involve a lot of time. If you want the train of letters to stand up put small bases on them one rectangle per letter across the bottom.

Answer 3

for all around duty the band saw is the better tool Depending on the size you can get a small band saw for under a $100.00 and decent 14" for around $300-500.

I have an uncle that is a prolific wood carver, he used his band saw daily, and doesn't own a scroll saw. He rough cuts his patterns that carves or uses hand tools after getting the heavy work out of the way.

Answer 4

Scroll saw. I wouldn't use it for thick, dense wood, but for cutting intricate shapes and most importantly, inside the letters. Try pawn shops, seriously. It is a pretty simple machine, so one second hand will be reliable, just test it first before you buy. Brand new, don't know about brands, look at the horsepower or amperage on the motor, large solid metal base, easily removed blade, deep enough arm, so you can get large pieces in and swing them around

Answer 5

band saw. without a doubt. any brand will do. it might be pretty expensive to buy one, so i would try to "borrow" one. either that or give a scroll saw a try. i guess it really depends also on how big these things are going to be, but I've used and have been successful in the use of both types. a scroll saw can vibrate pretty badly at times, and it can be hard to keep the part you are working on in one place... that's why i would recommend a band saw

Answer 6

Dremel makes a good buzz--scroll saw. That will do. A band saw will not vibrate and usually costs more. Blades are equally as important as saw. I find one of those strands with abrasives on them work very well for fine turns, but they do not last as long as the HS blades, and are not as good at chip removal, which will be important if you are going to do a lot of sawing.

Answer 7

i saw a cool settup made by dremel ...i doubt it would hold up to large scale production or anything ... band or scroll would depend on how the tool is settup .... i would think a bandsaw with a thin small blade would work best for that and it needs to be a settup that clamps onto a bench upright with a working table ... i think that was the dremel tool i saw... but you will need somthing like a jig saw with a rotating head ... craftsman makes one ...to get small pieces out of the center of some letters, and a drill to start them of course.

Answer 8

You need a scroll saw for the intricate detail cutting. I have a 16 in Craftsman that suits my needs fine....

Answer 9

Go with a good scroll saw. For work as thick as you're using, feed it very slowly. If it were me, I'd go with a Delta or Dremel.

Answer 10

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