Scroll saw in apartment

[swalsh627]

Hi everybody,

I am going to have to go to NY for eight months for work, but want to keep woodworking. I'll be in an apartment so I'll be leaving most of my tools here until I return. I've been wanting to get into scroll sawing for a while and thought that this would be a good excuse. I was wondering if I would be able to use a scroll saw in an apartment. I haven't used one since shop in high school so I don't know if the sound and dust would be manageable. I would have it on a stand, and have the stand on a mat of some kind to help eliminate vibrations. I won't have any dust collection other then maybe a shop vac, but I couldn't leave that running because of the noise. Also, I will be there during the winter (next winter) so working outside is not really an option. I was hoping to get some input from those with scroll saw experience.

Also, if it is possible to use one in an apartment, what would people recommend in terms of a good saw (I'm open to new or used)? I haven't bought any tools lately so I could afford a quality saw. I'd prefer to buy quality once than junk a few times. It seems like Dewalt and Excalibur keep coming up in my searches, are these worth the extra money? I'll probably wait until after I move to buy it, so I haven't been checking craigslist much yet.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

[Berta]

Mine is in a spare room in my house. Does it make noise? Yes. Would I put it in an apartment? Not sure about that. You are welcome to come and check it out. BTW I have a Dewalt.

 

[PeteM]

I tried it once. Sawdust wasn't a big problem but noise and vibration was.
I'd suggest trying some carving, Much less noise and no dust.

 

[SubGuy]

+1

I tried it once. Sawdust wasn't a big problem but noise and vibration was.
I'd suggest trying some carving, Much less noise and no dust.

 

[Berta]

Looks like it might be time to learn or perfect some hand tool woodworking.

 

[Raymond]

You could always build your own marquetry chevalet.

http://www.wpatrickedwards.com/EtudeMarq.htm

 

[sgood]

Hi Steve, I have talked with people from all over the world who used scroll saws in just about every environment possible. I know many who have set up shop in a spare bedroom or even their kitchen. It's obviously not the perfect workshop but it can be done. The two obvious issues are dust and noise but don't forget about the health of those who live in the apartment. If you will be by yourself make sure you use a good dust mask. If there are others in the apartment you want to seal off the room as well as you can to prevent the dust from being inhaled by others also.

I do not recommend dust collection while cutting. It's too noisy and frankly not that effective on a scroll saw anyway. Just keep a good shop vac and clean up well after cutting. One other thing that can be helpful is to set up a box fan with a furnace filter. Keep it next to your saw and it will help keep the airborne dust down.

Noise is really conditional on the saw you have, the room you use it in and if you have fire walls between apartment. If you are in a first floor apartment on a concrete slab you won't have much to worry about. If you have other apartments under you then you will have to do more work. Make sure the saw is on a high quality stand. The stands that come with the DeWalt or the Excalibur are very good and minimize vibration. Make sure the saw is well mounted to the stand and all nuts and bolts are tight. You can also install anti-vibration mats under the saw if you sill have issues. Another simple way to minimize vibrations is to cut thin stock. Half inch or thinner woods are easier to cut. Woods like Walnut and soft maple are easy to cut and that helps. If you look at the patterns on my blog you will find hundreds of free patterns that you can use thin stock with.

Being away from home that long is tough enough. You may as well enjoy your woodworking while your there. I say give it a try. You can always turn it off it it does not work out.

Steve Good
www.scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com

 

[swalsh627]

Thanks everyone. I might give it a try. Worst come to worst I just wait until I move back here to really get into it. I'll have to start getting into more hand tools. Never a bad skill to have