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Delta SS350LS Shopmaster Deluxe 2 Amp 16-inch Benchtop Scroll Saw with Stand | List Price: $383.89
Discount Price: $275.00
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Brand: Delta
Binding: Tools & Hardware
Features: - 16-inch variable speed scroll saw with stand; up-front, tool-free adjustments
- Heavy-duty 2 amp induction motor; 600 to 1,650 strokes per minute; removable dust collection box
- Cast-iron table
- Saw, upper and lower blade chucks, blade, leg set, manual
- 11-3/4-inch diameter table; 12-5/8 by 24-3/8 by 13-3/4 inches; 60 pounds; 2-year warranty
Bent upper blade clamp [Posted on 2007-05-24]
I purchased it locally, got it home assembled the stand mounted it and turned it on, it ran smooth and quite, however I didn't have time to test it out right away. After less than 1hr of use it seemed louder and to vibrate a good deal more. As I tried to figure out if I was crazy or the saw was really getting worse I saw that the blade clamp was mounted at an angle and appeared that after a little use it was bending to compensate. At this point and at most speeds, the entire stand moved back and forth. Also it was making what sounded like bearing noise from the upper arm. I returned it. I gave it 2 stars because even with the defect it worked better then the old Ryobi I had.
The reality today is most products are made with defects. The buyer has to decide if the product they purchase is worth the time takes to work with the manufacture and get the defective parts replaced. To me the Delta was not worth that time.
Great scroll saw [Posted on 2007-06-14]
I bought this saw and stand for $200 about 3 years ago as my first woodworking tool. It's been a great scroll saw for the price. If I was devoted only to scroll sawing I might consider upgrading to the 20" DeWalt saw. The saw was pretty easy to set up. Oddly enough it came with an extra stand leg. The variable speed motor work nices and is useful when you're switching from detailed fretwork to fast "ripping". The blade changing system works nice too. There's a "macro" adjustment on both clamps and a lever to "lock" it in. It took me awhile to figure out how tight the clamps should be for different sized blades but like anything else, the more you use it the faster you get. Now it's no problem. I rarely bend or break blades and am sure it's operator error as opposed to the saw. The saw has some vibration which I could probably eliminate if I put a rubber mat under the table legs but it hasn't been enough of a problem to do that. The dust collection box is fine if you never do fretwork but you'll soon take it off (and leave it off) because you can't change the lower clamp with the box installed.
All in all I would recommend this saw to anyone who wants a solid, well priced scroll saw for moderate use. Hope this helps your buying decision.
Ever wonder why it is on sale? [Posted on 2007-07-06]
Why is a $220 machine on sale for $160? Because it is low quality and frustrating to use. I bought one in Mar 2007 and have had problems ever since. The two main problems are: 1) Inordinate Vibration & 2) Inadequate Clamping system.
1) The saw vibrates heavily at half power or more. It sounds as if the upper saw are is striking the housing at each stroke. This can't be the intended design. I fear each stroke brings the saw closer to cracking or tumbling. The rattling is severe and not the quiet hum one would expect from a properly balanced & machined tool.
2) The Quickset clamping system is a poor design. Almost every other brand allows you to snap a blade with pins into place, or has some other reliable means of securing a blade into the machine. This saw has neither. You must negotiate a careful balancing act, on the top and the bottom (with little finger clearance), and if your blade alignment is too high or too low by a quarter-inch or more, the blade will shake loose upon startup. The squeeze clamping system is difficult to learn & use. To say nothing of attempting to actually cut wood. It seems even the least bit of pressure against the blade with shift the alignment and cause the blade to fall out of the clamp or strike the blade guide.
In summary, don't waste your money on such a poor scroll saw. There are several other manufacturers whose cheaper saw perform more reliably. No wonder the saw is not stocked by Home Depot or Sears, and that Lowe's recently stopped stocking the saw in favor of a better quality, cheaper import.
Not the best made, but nothing beats Amazon customer service! [Posted on 2007-07-30]
I was a little skeptical of this product at first, as Delta's brand name seems to stand for less and less as the years go on. After it arrived I set it up and noticed that the upper clamping mechanism for the blade didn't unclamp. Try as me and my mechanical engineering friend could, we could not get the clamp to budge. Upset, I called Delta and sat on hold for nearly an hour, talked to someone in customer service who told me a tech guy would call me back, waited 2 hours for that call, gave up, called Delta again, and this time demanded to be directly connected.
Once talking with the Tech guy, they determined that I had a faulty (surprise surprise) upper blade clamp, and mailed me a new one. Once it came, I installed the new one (which worked fine) and continued testing parts of the machine. It was at this point that the tension level for the blade tension broke as I was trying to pull it down (which is what the directions instruct you to do). Again on the phone with Delta, I was told that having two things not work was a sign the whole product was faulty, and I should return it to my nearest service center.
My nearest service center, it turns out, was 100 miles away. I mentioned that I shouldn't have to pay for gas for that long a distance for something that was not my fault. Delta customer service had nothing left to say to me at that point, and suggested I call the dealer from which I purchased the unit. Gee, thanks Delta. So if I were rating this product on Delta customer service, they wouldn't even get a star.
Amazon.com, on the other hand, was fantastic. I got right through to customer service, who told me to repack the unit and they would have UPS come pick it up immediately and give me a new one next day. I called on a Friday and UPS came on the Monday to pick up the old unit and Tuesday they dropped off my brand spankin new unit, which as of yet does not have any problems.
If you ignore the faulty bits, this scroll saw is well made for the price. The stand is stable and easy to assemble. The dust collection system is adequate, and there is little to no vibration with the saw. There are a fair few plastic parts on the machine, but they again you're not paying top dollar for it anyway. I had to make a new circular plate insert, as the blade gap in mine was too large for the wood sizes I was cutting, but that wasn't a big deal.
Overall, I'll buy from Delta again, but only through Amazon.com. This scroll saw is worth the money, but pray you get a functioning one on your first try.
Where's the air? [Posted on 2008-03-30]
I waited for two months to write a review of the SS350LS, as I hoped I would have a positive outcome to report. I purchased the Delta SS350LS scroll saw on January 30, 2008, despite reading several reviews written a couple of years ago about a weak air blower system. Since the reviews were written a while ago the problem must be fixed by now, right? When I set up the saw I got NO air from the blower. I called Delta on February 6th and was told, after some discussion of the problem, that they would send a part to fix the problem. As of March 30, 2008 I have neither received the part nor heard anything further from Delta.
Removing the adjustable blower arm I found that the air-line from the billows has an outside diameter of 3/16 inch. The inside diameter of the blower arm is 1/4 inch, leaving a gap of 1/16 inch between the air-line and the adjustable arm. Since the air-line only extends about two inches into the blower arm, the air from the bellows goes out the top of the adjustable arm and not to and out the nozzle. What would Norm say?
I own several other Porter-Cable and Delta products that perform well, so I am disappointed to find the lack of quality engineering in the blower system on this scroll saw. Be forewarned, the parts list for the SS350LS at the dewaltservicenet web-site, shows the saw's manufacture as Black & Decker and the saw's status as Discontinued without replacement.
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