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	DeWalt 788 21 inch variable speed Scroll Saw    Review by: Spence Date: January 1, 2009 My Rating: Pros: 20" throat enables cutting larger projects Raisable arm allows top-threading, which is convenient tho' not a necessity Cons: No dust collection Aggressive cutting action akin to a jigsaw/sabre saw's "orbital" cutting - this is bacause the pivot points are very close to the blade holders, thus the blade goes significantly forward/backward while going up/down - the 'ideal' is a very vertical blade travel and this scrollsaw is about as far from that as one can get. It makes it difficult to cut delicately and breaks the workpiece at delicate points. DeWalt blade holders don't hold blades very well... they 'gloss over' and let blades slip unless frequently roughed up... the lower blade holder is especially irritating because the rotation to tighten the blade also rotates the blade end outward and bends it (only #3 and smaller), causing a 'hockey stick' bend that makes it difficult-to-impossible to thread it through small holes in thick or stacked workpieces. Review:
	DeWalt 788 21 inch variable speed Scroll Saw    Review by: Kerry Roberts Date: December 5, 2007 My Rating: Pros: Durable "Tough as a nail!" Fairly quiet Low vibration Quick blade changes Top and bottom feeding blade Cons: No dust collection Review: All in all, this is the best saw I have used and would say it is, by far, the best "bang for the buck." This is a wonderful saw for any novice scroller looking to increase the level of detail and accuracy in their cuts without spending upwards of thousands of dollars. I was able to nearly double my output time on my wood portraits on the top feeding blade feature alone.  The level of detail and accuracy I was able to achieve also improved significantly. After nearly 3 years of virtually constant use the only thing I had to replace was the lower blade chuck which was worn due to the high number of blade changes I had done. The absense of the dust collection is not a major drawback in my opinion.  I just keep a shop vac clamped under and every now and again switch it on to remove all the sawdust collected beneath it. I did find that under extreme cutting conditions sawdust accumulated under the switch and at one point stopped working.  I used compressed air to remove the sawdust and all was working again.  To avoid constant use on the switch I bought a foot pedal which I would highly recommend.  I found the foot pedal did two things.  It gave me a higher level of control in my cuts (i.e. I didn't have to take my hand off the piece to stop the blade and reposition) and it saved the life of the switch. If I buy another saw at some point in the future, it will probably be another DeWalt.  Awesome saw! :)
	Delta SS350LS 16 inch variable speed Scroll Saw    Review by: Kerry Roberts Date: December 5, 2007 My Rating: Pros: Compact design Quick release blade mechanism Dust collection tray  Blade storage tray Cons: Bottom feeding blade only Review: This was the second saw I owned.  My previous saw was a pinned Ryobi and this saw was a major improvement.  With the quick release blade mechanism I was able to thread the blade through pilot holes with relative ease.  With this saw my work with portraits and other intricate fretwork really took off. However, with virtually constant use the saw began to "fall apart" after a little over a year of use.  The quick release mechanism began to falter and the saw began to make a lot of noise.  I routinely did maintenance on the saw but it continued to deteriorate. I think this is a good saw for a novice/intermediate scroller who does occasional or moderate scrolling.  For me, it didn't stand up to the test of time combined with constant use.