DEWALT Scroll Saw, 1.3 Amp, 20 in Steel Blade, With Variable-Speed Trigger, For Precise Cuts (DW788)

I had purchased a Ryobi toy scroll saw about 7 years ago, and I was amazed at the level of detail I could create with it. I had been wanting to upgrade for years, and had done due diligence on every model offered. I read all the reviews and comparisons. I couldn't afford a Hegner, (upwards of $1700), nor an Excalibur or an RBI Hawk ($700-$800 range). Being as how the DeWalt DW788 offered a lot of features of the higher-priced models, but at considerably less cost, I focused on finding as much info on it as possible. After months of searching for info, I couldn't really find anyone that had a bad thing to say about it. From rank amateurs to professional woodworking shops, everyone seemed to praise it. Sure I found one or two people that weren't completely satisfied, but their complaints seemed trivial at best. So I went ahead and purchased one. Right here from Amazon.com. Amazon had the lowest price I could find. Sears will be happy to sell you one for $600 via their catalog, and I found a lot of places with similar pricing, but here is where I found the best deal. It qualified for the Super Saver Shipping, in which there is no shipping fee, but you'll have to wait a couple extra days for it, so they say. Mine arrived within 5 days, and it saved me $47 in shipping costs. Now, after playing with it for a few days, my primary reaction was WOW! Quite a marvel of engineering and workmanship. Shipped halfway around the world and most of the Southeastern U.S., punted from UPS truck to UPS truck, I installed the table (the only assembly you need to do, two screws), and chucked a blade in it. I set about the task of squaring the table to the blade (a daunting and frequently necessary task with my old Ryobi), and the blade was dead square side to side and front to back, right out of the box! At the slower speeds, you actually have to visually look to see if the thing is on, it's dead quiet and almost vibration-free. And boy-o-boy does it cut well. It has already allowed me to finish up a couple of projects I deemed too difficult for my old saw. I love the up-front controls, as my old saw had the blade tension adjustment at the back of the saw. Some of the projects I cut can have several hundred interior cuts, each requiring me to stand up and reach to the back of the saw, sometimes more than once to get the exact tension I want, so believe me when I tell you that up-front tension control is a nice feature. Another nice thing about the tension control is that it has an indexed scale, and you can always return to the exact tension setting. Oh, and I have yet to break a blade, I've even tried to. That was a regular occurrence with my old saw. My only complaint is completely trivial, and I'll learn to adjust my cutting style to it, but the upper blade holders thumb screw can beat your right index finger to a pulp if you get your hand in too close. I haven't yet had it long enough to judge how it will do over the long haul, but I am very impressed with the quality and workmanship. I have already been able to discover that this saw will allow me to take my skills to the next level, and perhaps beyond. Bottom line, if you're thinking about a mid-level srollsaw, then this is the one you've been looking for.

This is one awesome machine! I upgraded from another brand and what a difference, I should have spent the extra dollars to start with, and highly recommend seriously considering this scroll saw for anybody wanting to get into scrolling, or even for those with any experience at any level. First and foremost - blade insertion is easy and simple with just a little practice, insert the blade top first and snug the thumb screw, and if you are at 90 degrees with the table the bottom fits right in, tighten both blade screws. The machine I moved up from had adapters for the blades, and it was a very frustrating procedure when having to poke the blade through a hole, attaching the adapter to the blade, then hooking the adapters. With the DEWALT all it takes is turning the tension lever to the off position, releasing the top blade screw, poking the blade through the hole, then resetting the top blade, and resetting the tension. Once you get used to it, it only takes about 5 - 10 seconds to accomplish this. The machine is HEAVY, the table probably weighs about 50% of the total weight, and when bolted down produces very little vibration. The instructions for putting it together are very clear, and unless you are into power lifting I recommend getting help to get it out of the box and onto the work surface. I've been cutting out patterns in both 1/4" and 1/2" wood, and running at a slow speed (real curvy lines) on both thicknesses, and the machine does not bog down at all. Overall this is one outstanding saw, and well worth the investment. I've found that working with it is much less frustrating than my old one, and I actually enjoy working on it. I almost forgot to add something about the articulated dust blower, it's great! You can set it to whatever position you need to blow the dust away from where you are cutting, and due to the low vibration of the machine there is no or extremely little movement. UPDATE: I've been using this machine for five months now and couldn't be happier. I added the light and the easy lifter, both worth the expense. I do a lot of intricate work, and inserting the blades for inside cuts is very easy, and quick. I've had no problems whatsoever with the machine and have no problem recommending it. The only drawback to the machine is the lack of dust collection/control. There are third parties that have devices that you can install, I just keep my vacuum close by.

I was told the saw would be received in a week and I got it in about 4 days which was really nice. I also bought the stand that goes with the saw for an extra $46 and it was money well spent. The stand was very easy to assemble. I unpacked the saw (I bought a Used but New one) and could tell the saw had been openned and then repacked. The saw was in perfect condition, no scratches or blemishes at all. I picked the saw up and placed it on the stand and put the teardrop table on which was a snap. I looked for the 2 bolts to mount the table to the saw and found they were missing. These were M8 Hexhead machine screws so my local hardware store carried them, costing about $.86 a piece. When I went to insert the blades I noticed the thumbscrews were also missing. These are M6 screws so I went to the hardware store and bought 2 M6 hexhead machine screws and these worked. I superglued a allen wrench into the hexheads for a better handel to tighten the screws with. Another part, the foot which holds the material down was also missing (yes I was upset at this point but trudged on). This piece I could not purchase locally so I called Amazon and told hem via Chat what my situation was. They offered me a $25 refund but I wanted to see what all these parts would cost me, which was around $40 with shipping. So I contacted Amazon the following night via chat and expalined my situation and they gave me a %20 refund which was very nice, no questions asked etc. So even though I was missing a few parts I was still able to use the saw which cost me $400 with free shipping. Now on how the saw perfromed. I previously owned a Hitachi scrollsaw and this thing vibrated like there was no tomorrow. Hard to control and the blades kept popping out. The DW788 does not accept pin-in blades but thats fine with me. When I turned on the DW788, it was so smooth and so easy to use, I wondered why I ever bouht anything else. So easy to change and tighten the blade, you can slow the speed down very easly, I was like a kid in a candy shop. Heck I didn't want to go to bed it worked so nice. I had read about a guy who did a vobration test by balancing a nickle on his work bench to see it the vibration would knock it over. I didn't have a coin so I placed my beer on the saw table and it did not budge. WOW! an excellent saw plus a beer holder. Anyways, I would definetly repeat the purchase even with the minor hiccups, Great customer service and a wonderful saw.

This is my first scroll saw. I like DeWalt tools and this one is of the quality I now expect. I did struggle with some aspects of it, though. First, attaching the table is not as easy as it looks. You push the table, which has a hole in its narrow end, onto a mating pin. The instructions tell you to push it all the way onto the pin, but when I did that, the holes mounting it onto the angle bevel would not line up. I had to nearly pull the table off its pin to get the screws in. And, being under the table, those screws are awkward to manipulate. Next, the assembly instructions advise you to insert the blades (the saw ships with two very small ones) into the slot in the bottom arm and then into the top arm. Again, working beneath the table is difficult. I ended up inserting the blade into the top arm first. Finally, I made the thoughtless mistake of following the herd. When I purchased this saw, I figured I would need blades, too. It is an Amazon feature to offer accessories (like blades) that you can include in your purchase. Presumably, those accessories were purchased by lots of other people (that's why they are there). So, I thoughtlessly added the blades I saw as accessories frequently purchased by people who purchased this saw. Lo and behold, they are the wrong blades! This saw requires plain end blades and the blades offered by Amazon as accessories for this saw have pins. They won't work. It was the first time that had happened to me. I guess now I will have to examine accessories presented by Amazon as routinely purchased by other people to see if they are actually appropriate for the item I want.

This saw could be an All-Star. Instead, it's a third string bench-sitter. As least as it came from the factory. Having read other overwhelmingly positive reviews I ordered the saw. When it arrived I was careful not to lift it by the arm. I attached the table to the saw and installed a blade, careful to face the teeth forward and down, per the instructions. Problem #1. The blade was rubbing on the side of the blade hole in the table. It took a bit of manipulating the two screws that secure the table to the bevel gauge but I got the blade pretty much centered. There is no side to side adjustment to account for this. That's just not acceptable. Problem #2. The bevel lock knob on the saw was broken. That had to have happened during packaging or assembly. There was no damage to the box upon arrival and the saw was securely packed with the cardboard inserts. Problem #3. The blade is tilted because the upper and lower arms aren't in alignment. WTF? Seriously. Problem #4. The lower guard is bent and doesn't allow the table to tilt to the left. Not a bid deal to straighten it but it should've never got thru QC like that. Problem #5. This one's minor as I didn't expect it to do much anyway. But the "blower" moves about as much air as a flea fart. it's pretty much useless and is more in the way than functional. DeWalt gets a premium price for a HarborFreight-quality saw. You'd think they could make a better product. Having highlighted the bad, there are some good points. Very little, if any, vibration regardless of the speed setting. It's quiet. Very sturdy and stable. The speed and blade tension levers are functional and very easy to use. Changing blades is very easy...it takes about 5 seconds. So... I don't want to go thru the brain damage of returning this saw to Amazon. I'm hoping DeWalt makes this right. Update will follow. Email sent to DeWalt re: the problems with this saw. **UPDATE: 03/14/2017*** I decided to reorder the saw from Amazon. As usual, no problems with the return/refund. I received the 2nd saw today and it's perfect. It's very solid and nothing was broken, scratched, bent, misaligned or otherwise wrong. This one, too, runs well with little-to-no vibration regardless of the speed setting. The little blower is still lame but that's not why I bought the saw. Bottom Line: I initially rated this saw as 2 Stars. I've updated that to 4 Stars. Haven't heard back from DeWalt. Another issue like this and I'll be a former DeWalt customer and fan.

Exceptional scroll saw. The table size is a nice big size. The 20 inch arm length opening gives you a great amount of space for larger pieces. The blade is beyond easy to change, and still holds with no problems. This saw is also quieter, seems to cut so much smoother than any others I've used. Excellent value for the money. You can also adjust the speed. The design is just right, the base is nice and heavy. Accurate and fast cuts. I have now had this for over 4 years. I absolutely LOVE this scroll saw. I can't think of anything that I don't like about it, I have used it continuously for 4 years now and have had zero issues.

Sometime in the recent past, DeWalt moved the manufacturing for this saw from Canada to Asia. I recently ordered the saw for my father, and the one he got (and TWO replacements) all had problems due to poor quality control or manufacturing or both. I am a woodworker and own and have used many quality DeWalt tools over the years, so I was surprised at these problems. There are two bolts which hold the table in place, and on ALL THREE SAWS the bolt holes were apparently drilled off-center and mis-aligned, causing the blade to hit the side of the table slot (on the same side all 3 times). We spoke to the scroll saw manager at DeWalt and he was very aware of the problem but didn't offer to do anything to fix it other than return our money. (He even admitted to have several saws in his office that had been returned from customers with this problem.) He said he had "reported the issue to management" multiple times but nothing had been done for several months. Apparently this affects a large portion of the new saws coming from the new manufacturing facility in Asia. Buyer BEWARE. I am not totally surprised at the fact that DeWalt is having the manufacturing problem. I *am* surprised that they are doing little or nothing to fix it. At the very least I suggested that they put a quality check in place at the factory to check for this problem before they shipped out the saw and reject the ones with the problem. They have NOT done this, but instead tell their support people to ask the customer to "drill out the holes to allow the bolts to move over". Not on a brand new $500 saw thank you! We even asked the product manager if he could have someone in his distribution center open a box to check a saw for us and ship us a known good one; but he declined saying "he didn't have anyone who could do that". DeWalt is a better company than this and they shouldn't be allowing this kind of poor quality. UPDATE: Several months later after I wrote this review, we decided to give this saw one more chance and ordered a FOURTH one. Luckily this was was finally correct, and my father is very happy with it. The saw lives up to its original reputation. No vibration, precise clean cuts, etc. Now if you can get a good one in LESS THAN FOUR TRYs!!!

I waited a while before writing this review to be sure I got good at using this scroll saw. Well, there's not much to learn at all. I have used several other less expensive saws in my time, but WOW is this worth the price! The tension knob has numbers on it so you can get the tension the same each time with each different blade. No guessing where to turn a knob. The blades ARE very easy to put in! Blade changing has always been a pain with other saws so I don't know why this is so easy. I barely tighten the knob (wimpy girl) (no wrench needed) and the blade is in. Maybe there is something inside the blade holder that is different and holds blades in place better than the others without the excessive tightening. The blower actually works and having a long, bendable arm, you can position it where you want. The lower blade guard was in the way so I took it off. I always turn off the power strip when I change blades so I feel safe doing this although it is certainly "not recommended". The upper arm can be raised to make it easier to insert the top part of the blade into your project for inside cuts. I cut a piece of wood to hold the arm up when I do this. Yes, Dewalt has been informed of this oversight and may put something on the arm next time to hold it up. The best accessory for this? That foot pedal. No more trying to hold my wood with one hand while the blade is going, and reach up or down to turn the machine off ! When I need a break, the phone rings, or a neighbor drops by, I take my foot off the pedal and it comes to a "dead stop" just as advertised. Great one on Amazon for about $22. Magnifying light is terrific to have too. Most scroll saw web sites tell newbees not to use the spiral blades and I don't know why. I am not a newbee, but I'm not a professional either. I make basic craft things, and do not make the intricate fret work. The "New Spiral Blades" by Flying Dutchman, (# 5's) go through my pine wood like butter and there is no need to keep turning the wood either. I am not real good at making small turns with the regular blades. With a blade that's twisted and can go in any direction, I have no trouble getting into tight areas. These blades have flat ends too, which make them real easy to install. (This saw takes only flat ended blades, no pin blades) Amazon...please look into carrying these Flying Dutchman "New Spiral Blades" soon so we don't have to search for them! Lastly, this machine runs so quietly, compared to the others, you hardly know it's on. As you can tell, I am so very jazzed that I finally got this Dewalt.

This is a gem of a machine. I bought this to replace an older *** saw that bounced all over the table and consistently dropped blades no matter how tight I secured them; the table was very small, making large projects difficult; blade changing was a real pain; it was very noisy... all of these things the Dewalt is not! It's quiet and just hums along as you push the material into its blade. With a bit of practice ( not much), blade change is easy and fast. The table is a large solid steel plate with a deep throat that easily accommodates large projects. Making small tight turns is easy, which was a real problem with my old saw. The tension adjustment is easy and right at hand with the off/on switch, making management of the tool convenient. The air blast tube is long, so you can use it from various directions or positions. Overall, I agree with the many online reviews claiming this unit to be one of the best, if not the best, scroll saw. Construction appears to be solid, well made and tight-fitting all around. It isn't cheap, but its well worth the cost.

Es una excelente máquina

構造がしっかりしているためか、重量が30ｋｇ近くありますが、評判通りに動静かで静かで、振動も非常に少なく大変満足しています。

綺麗な状態で予定通りに届きました。ずっと欲しかったので、こちらで購入出来て良かったです。ありがとうございました。

SIMPLEMENTE LA MEJOR SCROLL SAW QUE PUEDES COMPRAR EN MEXICO, LO MEJOR DE LO MEJOR