Bandsaw vs. scroll saw for small pieces

[oakey]

Pirate
we are talking SCROLL SAWS
Stoppy asked about scroll saws

[Bob Vaughan]

Delta scroll saws are the tops for doing thicker wood very smoothly and very quickly.  Actually, the saw itself is a great platform for a good scroll saw blade.  Its the blade that does the cutting, now the saw.  The saw is just a platform.  A 1" stroke is about all most scroll saws are capable of.  Of course the big 36" Olivers or the Boice Crane saws had a longer stroke.

   

Standard Delta 24" scroll saw doing some parts in 1-1/2" thick cherry.  Note the smoothness of the cut.  Thats what to expect.

[oakey]

Bob
that is the saw i have it is very well made works great for its intended purpose
first saw i had was a ryobi that was not very good and i had a real early excalibur with a short arm
i like the old delta better than the others for what i use it for
the excalibur IMO was better if you were doing fret work or any thing requiring constant blade changes
i use the delta for inside cuts in my model building

[aquaticjim]

The bandsaw and scroll saw can cut out a circle but only the scroll saw can cut out the letter "O".

[iclark]

The bandsaw and scroll saw can cut out a circle but only the scroll saw can cut out the letter "O".

without using glue.

[John Mihich]

The bandsaw and scroll saw can cut out a circle but only the scroll saw can cut out the letter "O".

Yep

[Bob Vaughan]

The bandsaw and scroll saw can cut out a circle but only the scroll saw can cut out the letter "O".

That's a qualified outside 'maybe'.  Many band saws had welders on the side.  Most all were metal working.  When the job was worth it, the blade would be cut, threaded through the hole and re-welded.  The blade got cut and re-welded a second time when it was time to remove it.
Yeah, like I said, when the job was worth it.  Cutting out wood letters, maybe not so much.

[John Mihich]

I just did 24 names for our family.  I did use a drill for some of the inside holes but mainly I used the SS.  When done I had a couple spots to sand but in general they were done when finished cutting.

I use to do craft cuts outs on the BS but then spent a lot of time sanding.  I started using the SS and cut my time almost in half.  I rarely break a blade; I do change them when they get harder to cut.  The craft cutouts were from plywood so I had to deal with the glue.  With a magnifying lens and light combo I can really stay on any line. 

Of course if you only do cabinets or furniture then a SS is probably not a big deal.  You can't resaw much on a SS.  I haven't tried doing sawing on coins but I seen a lot of that at shows.  One thing I made for a while was 3D ornaments.  I have made metal ornaments - that was fun.  Basically I would sandwich a piece of copper between 1/4" ply .  when done I would have 2 wood and 1 copper ornament. 

To me a SS is a must.  I have been thinking about getting a bigger one but right now my Dewalt works fine.

[stoppy]

I am learning the art of intarsia and added a scroll saw.  Also traded in the 19" Grizzly bandsaw for a Pegas scroll bandsaw.  Each has it's place.  The scroll saw is limited to a 2" max cut and is really best at 1" or less.  But it can cut an inside circle, where a bandsaw is limited to outside curves. I have been cutting bandsaw boxes today.  The little blade can cut a 5" thick maple chunk and turn a 1/4" circle in the middle.  Down right fun.

The "flex drum" sanders make smoothing curves fast and easy.  Add a couple of mop sanders and hand sanding is almost eliminated.

Scroll saws are pretty cheap.  Delta, Dewalt?, Excaliber, Hegner, Pegas are all good brands.  They are seen as "crafty" machines rather than woodworking machines.  They are safe enough that my wife and grandkids play with them.  A great entry into making sawdust.  Experienced scrollers make awesome art pieces.  I think you would enjoy one for small pieces.

Is a 1/4 or 1/3 horse motor @ 1725rpm  ok for a flex drum sander?

[Bill Wilson]

These are some of the things I've made with my scroll saw.  Full disclosure, these pictures aren't of my pieces, but from the website where I got the patterns.  Posted to demonstrate that scroll saws are for more than just simple, crafty type stuff.  This is just the tip of the ice burg when it comes to what a scroll saw can do.