SIP 01928 16" Variable Speed Scroll Saw

Great Machine. Very good performance for the price. Would recommend (Posted on 11/08/2011)

This machine, at least the one I got, has an ALUMINIUM table, not cast iron.
In summary I would say this machine is mediocre.

The table came grained from front to back, and I had to spend hours smoothing it with sandpapers. The form and workmanship of the removable disk and its enclosure was also rather suspect. The edges of the hole in the table curved downwards, and the disk wasn't really flat, and parts of it moved up and down. It did not really fit properly. Also I found its slots too big. I had to put inserts under the disk, and I filled in the slots.

The blade clamps and the arms were not really well aligned. I had to fiddle about with the clamps to make the blade go straighter up and down, but still it did not run true.

The top structural arm also moved up and down when sawing, and this meant the foot for holding down the work jumped up and down. This was not very practical. I took it off in the end.

Noise levels were what I can only describe as medium. I found the vibration was a bit on the heavy side. Sometimes it would start banging.

After all this, the worst thing was that the arms were not rigidly set in their alignment, and depending on how I was cutting, the blade would push to the right or left, then it would bounce back after the cut. This made the experience too unpredictable.

I know everything has to be sold for a profit, but I think for what you actually get, this is a little overpriced.

In my view and experience with it, this machine could be fine for amatuer hobby work, but definitely is unsuitable for professional use.

Finally, in the end the machine was too small for me anyway, and I bought an Excalibur Ex-30. (Posted on 11/08/2011)