Customer Reviews

DELTA 40-540 16-Inch Variable Speed Scroll Saw

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The saw requires minimal set up and is of solid construction. The upper quick release blade clamp is good - it's a pity that there is no quick release on the lower arm. The lower release screw is showing some signs of wear after six months of use but irrespective of this, releasing the lower blade clamp is not a particularly convenient operation.

The main drawback is vibration that occurs once higher speeds are used (it's noisy too). The saw is bolted to a pretty heavy bench, but the level of vibration is enough to cause items to "walk" along the bench as the saw is running. This could be an issue with the set-up, but all tricks that I've tried to dampen the vibration have so far been unsuccessful and I'm inclined to think the problem is the saw itself.

Overall not bad, but far from perfect.

I actually bought my Delta scroll saw a few years ago and had to do some work on it before I could use it - something in the upper arm adjustment was off, and the blade oscillated from side to side as well as up and down. Since I fixed the saw, it's been completely reliable; probably not recommended for professional full-time use, but outstanding for the hobbyist.

Just bought one a month ago. I did not have any adjustment problems (as mentioned in another review). The saw cuts well, the variable speed is great; overall a lot of fun to work with! The one gripe I have is that the whole thing is rather noisy. In particular, you better make sure you have a very solid table to mount it on, or your whole shop will start to hum in sync with the saw! Dunno whether other scroll saws are better or worse.

As the woodshop teacher for an alternative school program, I couldn't help but to offer a few comments on this tough saw for the money. I purchased two of these scroll saws five years ago and they have been used daily in a very demanding way as part of our program. For the price this is truely a VERY tough saw which just don't seem to wear out. By the way those same two saws are still going strong today. Thanks Delta, from a North Carolina vocational teacher!

Got the saw a month ago and after 2 hours of use the tip of the upper arm actually broke off. I was sure that it had been a bad casting because there were many small holes visable in the break of the metal. I returned the saw and got another. I had all kinds of trouble getting enough tension on the blade, then last night a small rubber disk popped out from under the tip of the upper arm. I took the tension assembly all apart and re-inserted the rubber disk now the tension is very good. Expensive blades make it a pretty good saw, cheap blades make it a poor saw. The hold down is no good and in the way. The sawdust blower is way too weak. It is noisey but I do not have a vibration problem even though I have not bolted it down. I do not think that any scroll saw is problem free and with all these noted problems it is still a lot of fun.

It's a saw that I enjoy a great deal. The speed selection is a must with ceder and such. I do wish that Delta would have a quick connect for the lower. I have found the present connect trouble some and have replaced it with a longer screw and knob. I have called Delta and they have said that it needed changed as well. Over all good machine for the money.

I do scrollsaw fretwork and am on my 3rd one of these saws. I figure that this "cheap" saw has made me between $7000 to $10000 in sales on each of the 1st 2 saws. And I was able to sell the worn out saws for $50 to people just getting started. If you don't have the mindset or patience, you're better off not using a scroll saw but I find this is the best stess relever possible. For someone starting out, this is a great saw - just don't push the work, let the blade do it's job.

I bought this scroll saw because I trust the Delta name, but I was dubious because of some of the reviews I'd read. Well, I'm happy to report that not only is this machine easy to assemble and adjust, but it held its own against a small herd of twelve year old kids at 4H summer camp this year. Those kids dished out some rough use and they broke several blades, too. But this saw made it through four days of woodworking classes during camp week, and helped the kids turn out some nice wood pieces, too, all things considered. It's a major improvement over the ten year old, 1.4 amp Dremel scroll saw that the county 4H Leaders Association had given me to use last year. This Delta model has power, speed, and accuracy. The variable speed is a great feature for matching the tool to the work. I filled requests from several of the camp counselors for scrolled wooden items to take home. Now, it looks like I'm going to be busy with my wife's requests for projects to use in her pre-school teaching job since I'm getting pretty good with the saw. No problems so far!

I have been doing various types of woodworking for many years, both as a hobby and as a job. One day during a job an older gentleman who lived in the house next door approached me while I was hanging doors and said "hey you wanna see some real woodworking" and brought me into his house to show me beautiful pieces of marquetry and intarsia. I was dumb-founded and decided to go out and buy a scroll saw. I payed [money] for this one and let me tell you it was the most gratifying purchase of a tool I ever made. It does everything from fret-work to marquetry and the variable speed feature is fantastic. The arm is steady and stable...only 1 minor problem and that is that I over-layed a piece of 1/4" plywood on the top of the table to facilitate smoother turning of my pieces.

About 10 years ago I sold tools & would watch what sold best & would get input from the buyers. This was the number one scroll saw I sold. I now have one my self & more than happy with it. It takes vary little time to cut like a pro , but I would suggest getting the 3 Doz. blade pack. Nothing worse than braking a blade & not having a new one.