Delta Scroll Saw

[bigtiller]

Sunday I looked at a model 1440 that was made about 1958. It has a 24 inch throat, light, stand and a home made mobile base. The guy was asking $250 for it and I have no idea what it is worth. What do you wood workers think? Did I walk away from a good thing or a headache? I like the ergonomics of the new ones and don't know if I will ever need a 24 inch throat.

It looks pretty much like this one.

[billybobjimmyjoejack]

I see similar Delta saws on Craigslist all the time for $100-$150 and they seem to take along time to sell.
I had a 26" Boice-Crane pattern makers scroll saw that was from the 50's and found that even though the company was still selling the same saw in the mid 80's for about $2500 I still was unable to sell mine for $200. It took me 2 years to sell mine.
It seems as though scroll saws just don't hold there value the same as other woodworking tools.
I found that with a band saw I can do everything the scroll saw does and more, at least for my applications.

[Dozernut]

Not too bad a price but not a bargain either. A machine that old is most likely going to need parts and adjustment. The good thing about the old Deltas is you can still get manuals and parts.

The marquetry artists like the old Deltas because the blade runs a straight 90 degrees front to back. They can cut a stack of veneers and have a straight cut and all the pieces will fit perfectly. The newer saws, especially the C-arms, the blade rocks back and forth a small amount. Not a problem unless you are cutting stacks of veneer.

My advise if you are wanting a scroll saw, is to check Craigs list every day. I have seen some RBI Hawks (Company went out of business) for $200 and that saw if I am not mistaken used to sell new for $1200. Otherwise DeWalt makes a nice scroll saw that won't bust the bank. I have had one for years and really like it.

Get a saw with a nice deep throat, if you are making a pierced cut on a square or rectangular piece you need the room to rotate the board without it banging up against the back of the frame of the saw. This will stop you short on your project.