# scroll saw vs. band saw



## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

In the ever present desire to acquire.. I can't decide between the two and I see a lot of decent deals on scroll saws. Is there a reason I should consider one over the other? I guess I'm not too sure of the particulars of either or the needs to have one or the other.


----------



## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Guys who know much more than me will be answering soon, but here's how I see it.

A scroll saw is for small curved cuts and such. It can do inside cuts because it has a removable reciprocating blade like a jigsaw blade. But they are not meant for thicker woods.

A bandsaw is for cutting curves into the big stuff, and it can be used to resaw wood too. You can't make inside cuts because the blade is a big circle.


----------



## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

Like Sanchez said, a scroll saw will cut very small radii, in fact, you can turn a cut back on itself with the right blade. There are many different blades for different types of cutting.

Generally speaking, the smallest band saw blade will be 1/8" wide and thicker than any scroll saw blade. So the smallest radius that can be cut is 1/4". 

For general woodwork, a band saw is preferred. Scroll saws are sorta specialized.


----------



## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I think that before you can decide what tool you want to purchase, you need to decide what you want the tool to do and what type of woodworking you want to do. The bandsaw and the scroll saw are 2 completely different animals. I have 3 of each and I can tell you that the jobs that I do on the scroll saw, I cannot do on the band saw and vise versa.
For larger type work like bandsaw boxes, cabriole legs, resaw etc, there is no substitute for a bandsaw.
For smaller type intricate cuttings like intarsia, fretwork and interior cuts, there is no substitute for a scroll saw.

So, let's start here. What type of work are you interested in?


----------



## Roger Newby (May 26, 2009)

Kenbo pretty well summed it up. I have both a band saw and a scroll saw and they each serve a different purpose with a little cross over. But definitely each is specialized to more specific uses. And both are enjoyable to use as they allow much more creativity.:thumbsup:


----------



## sweensdv (Mar 3, 2008)

I have both and use the bandsaw on a regular basis. I can't remember the last time I used my scroll saw. YMMV.


----------



## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*1 and 1 make...well 1 of each...*

GET BOTH! both are addicting! my scroll saw is stuck in NY in my friends garage :thumbdown: i'll have it back soon!

i'm currently looking for a 14" or larger bandsaw...just too broke at the moment to actually buy one haha.

look an KENBO's clock and you'll get the picture. get it...it's a photo...get the picture HA! i slay me...someone slap me! :bangin:


----------



## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

I really don't have any plans for either saw. My hope was that one of them would be a decent option for making tight, straight cuts better then me and my jigsaw. The addition of being able to make curves is a bonus at this point.


----------



## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Why wouldnt you use a table saw or circular saw for straight cuts? Circular saws are cheap.


----------



## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

For general stuff, a bandsaw is a better choice, in my opinion. I can do most things on a bandsaw that I can do with a scroll saw, except a lot of fine closed hole cutting. I can even make cuts that turn back on themselves, if I have the right blade. It's more difficult than with a scroll saw but most definitely possible.

Conversely, I can not do the same stuff on a scroll saw that I can on a bandsaw, as far as general work. No "big wood" cutting, no resawing, generally not enough throat to do deep cuts into wide boards etc etc.

Unless you expect to do a lot of scrolling, like Kenbo and a couple of our other resident scroll experts, get the bandsaw first.

As Sanchez mentioned, though, if you want straight cuts, either get a good straight edge to use with your circular saw, or get a table saw. You will still get "wobbly" cuts from a bandsaw unless you use the same techniques as you would for a tablesaw or circular saw for keep lines straight.


----------



## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

From the sounds of things a band saw would be better for general purposes. Thanks for all of the replies.

I do have a table and a circular saw, but the straig cuts I sometimes need to make can't be made on either, because they are not through cuts and need to have a vertically flat back cut... Think similar cuts to hand cutting dovetails. These have actually been on little game boards cutting out groves for domino's to slide in.


----------



## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

ccrow, I'd recommend a router for those cuts, then. Honestly, it's a lot easier to use for repetitive cuts like that and a cleaner final product, in my opinion.


----------



## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

FiveOneSix said:


> GET BOTH! both are addicting! my scroll saw is stuck in NY in my friends garage :thumbdown: i'll have it back soon!
> 
> i'm currently looking for a 14" or larger bandsaw...just too broke at the moment to actually buy one haha.
> 
> look an KENBO's clock and you'll get the picture. get it...it's a photo...get the picture HA! i slay me...someone slap me! :bangin:


 Dude, it dosnt matter what any thread is about, everytime you post, I laugh!!:laughing:


----------



## sundevil32 (Apr 22, 2010)

Ok another question from a novice to pro's. I am looking at a couple different band saws for my home shop. One a ridgid 14" from home depot that is currently on clearence from there for 276, but I've read a lot needs to be done to it to set it up properly, is it worth it. Or i was looking at the porter cable 14" or craftsman 12". Any suggestions, my wife wants me to go for the ridgid since it's about 150 bucks cheaper. Oh and been looking alot on craigslist, and i see alot of older craftsman 12" like the 113.24350, are they a decent saw?


----------



## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

sundevil, I would say the rigid is a good saw, from what I've heard. Setup takes a while with most saws, so I don't see that as a big issue but looking on Craigslist will definitely save you money. I wouldn't buy a 12" saw for the same price (range) I could get a 14" saw, but that's me. I've heard no major complaints about the craftsmen saws other than the occasional "not enough power" type thing. Biggest issue with the older saws will likely be resaw capacity, but even a 12" saw will likely have a good 6" capacity, which isn't horrible. Certainly a good option for starting off with if budget is an issue.


----------

