The question of how loud is a scroll saw is a common one that comes up when people think about getting a new machine. Some people aren’t really sure what the answer to this question is and they assume that any scroll saw will be loud enough to scare their children if they ever accidentally bumped into it while they were playing or cutting wood. However, modern scroll saws aren’t that loud anymore and some aren’t even heard over other machines in a wood shop. Here’s why.
A good scroll saw has a zero turn radius, which means that the blade doesn’t actually cut all the way through the wood. Instead, the vibration of the saw blade creates a sound that resembles a whining refrigerator motor. Because there’s no actual cutting contact with the wood, there’s no physical vibration that creates the noise.
Even though a scroll saw creates no actual vibration, however, it still generates sound because of its rotating blade. To keep this from being the most noticeable though, there are two different ways to make the motor more quiet. One way is to raise the height of the blade. Another way is to eliminate the rotation of the blade. In fact, it’s easier to achieve these quieter speeds with scroll saw patterns than it is with some of the other types of machines.
When it comes to high speed scroll sawing, the easiest way to make the machine quieter is to increase the depth of the cut. This is especially true with intricate patterns that generate lots of very tiny cuts. Because each of these cuts creates a very tiny hole, the throat of the machine must be wide. As a result, it can’t be as deep as it would have to be if the throat were smaller. Raising the depth of a cut allows the woodshop operator to create finer and more detailed patterns, which results in quieter and smoother operation.
The next thing that you need to consider when asking yourself how loud is a scroll saw is whether or not you use very intricate scroll patterns. A small, detailed pattern will generate less noise than an intricate pattern of identical cuts. Many scroll saws will generate more noise if they’re used at a lower depth. In addition, the small size of many of the tiny holes necessary for intricate scroll patterns means that the teeth don’t have as much to wear. Also, the depth of the cut determines the angle of the blade. The angle is important because it controls how much vibration the scroll motor creates.
Another thing to consider is how the scroll saw’s blade and motor are constructed. Most scroll saw blades are made out of steel or aluminum, while most dewalt motor blades are typically made from either carbon-fiber or aluminum. The former produces fewer mechanical parts, which increases the lifetime of the blade and motor. If you are going to be cutting small patterns, then you can probably get away with using a cheaper and less elaborate blade and motor combination. However, if you’re going to be cutting large pieces then you will definitely want to spend the extra money for a better blade and motor combination.
It might also be helpful to know how many turns per minute your scroll saw is capable of producing. Many woodworkers use saws with about two to five blades, although some can use up to eight blades at once. Some woodworkers also use crosscutters, which allow them to perform very complex crosscuts. These are generally only used for very intricate cuts where the distance between cuttings is small, and cannot feasibly be accomplished using the scroll saw alone.
Although this article does not cover the exact noise level that scroll saws make, it does provide an overview of the types of noise that are associated with these machines, as well as the different types of scroll saw that are available for woodworking hobbyists. No matter what your skill level is, scroll saws make excellent woodworking machines, and many woodworkers find them indispensable in their home shops. With the right accessories and motor combination, however, they can make just as loud a sound as other power tools, so it’s important to keep both your ears and your nose at the ready when using one.