This is my most recent project. A very easy to build Scroll Saw and another one to use as an accessory for the portable workshop. I will use my jig saw as motor, hard plywood and some screws.

Homemade-plywood-scroll-saw-plans

This is the 3D model of SketchUp included in the plans that you will find on my website. If you are interested in collaborating with my web or building your own scroll saw, here you can download them.

Scroll Saw Plans

 

 

How to make a Scroll Saw 1:

As always, we start cutting all parts taking the dimensions from the plans.

Put all the printable templates together and glue them to the plywood to ease cutting and drilling it.

Sand the edges on the belt sander table.

Make the calibration slot drilling three straight holes, then finish it with the rasp and make the holes to insert the bearings.

And the groove for the quick access cover in the 3D Router. Now, mill in the back the place for holding the jig saw. This will give it a great stability and will make easier to assemble it.

Assemble the parts for the stand with screws, using clamps to avoid the pieces from moving. Now it is ready for sand and varnish.

Assemble it all and insert the bearings.

Here you need to use a lock-nut to prevent it loosening due to vibrations. No need to over-tighten.

Cut and prepare the spring and install it using two eye bolts. One open and another one closed.

Cut and mechanize the aluminum plate to hold the blade. This system is necessary to allow a small oscillation due to the up and down movement of the blade.

Here we’ll also use a lock-nut.

 

How to make a Scroll Saw 2:

 

Let’s start this second part making the access to the power button and speed control, which, of course, will be different depending on the model you are gonna use.

Now prepare the fastening system of the blade, to do this, make a groove up to half of the bolt so we can get a hihger contact surface area. Assemble it and tighten the nut without moving the bolt.

Cut the top of an used blade to make the quick release system. You better use one for metal because they are a little wider. Also make a groove in the other bolt and insert the blade.

To place and remove the blade, we must proceed like this. First, hold the top and pressing down, insert it in the jig saw.

Check square of the blade in both axes, and calibrate it if needed moving the plate through the bolt. And in the other axis, using the side bolts.

Try if it works and now we can make the quick access cover using opal methacrylate. Remember to always work at low speeds with these plastic materials.

I’ll make now some final adjustments to get a better performance. I have to adjust the spring tension to the speed of the Jig. My jig saw has 6 different speeds, from 1000 strokes per minute in the furst one to almost three thousand the fastest.

After several tests, I noticed that with 4 to 5 kilos of spring tension, I get acceptable outcome up to the third speed. Using bigger tension the Jig could release the blade and if we use a higher speed, it will become unstable and the cuts won’t be perfect. Anyway with this speed range I have enough.

I am gonna assembly the second one now. It is almost the same but with a few changes to adapt it to my portable workshop.

Mark, place it and install the threaded inserts. Set up the blade like we did in the other one. And finally i’ll try if it works cutting a piece of plywood in the first speed. And thats all for today. I will make one last video so you can learn how to use both tools and I’ll try to show you all you can do with them.

 

Scroll saw upgrade:

 

After using my scroll saw for a few months I noticed that its blade holding system is not very efficient. Since we have to attach and detach the blade very often, a lot of time is wasted.

So I’ve decided to build a new system based on the one I had used for my coping saw, which turned out to be quite effective and easy to make.

 

Scroll Saw Readers Project:

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