Many of us have sore hands from arthritis or other medical problems. The thumb screw that comes with the DeWalt and Excalibur scroll saws is not the best for sore hands. I have bought and built replacement knobs in the past but I keep looking for the best solution. This DIY knob is just another attempt to solve that problem.
Before you consider this project read these cautions.
1. The stock DeWalt screw has a bearing in the tip. The bearing helps prevent blade bending. This DIY knob will not have that feature. If you carefully flatten the tip of the screw you can minimize the problem. The instruction with the pattern show how to do this.
2. You can apply more torque to the blade clamp assembly with this larger knob. Do not over tighten the clamp or you could possibly break the clamp assembly. There is no reason to tighten the clamp to much. If the blade is slipping out of the clamp there are other issues.
The pattern includes complete instructions to build the knob. All the hardware was purchased from Lowes and should be easy to find at any good hardware store. The screw is an M6-1.00 X 30. You will also need a lock nut, Washer and two part epoxy. The knob is cut from 1/2" thick Baltic Birch plywood. I used the ply for strength but you can probably get by with any hardwood. There really will not be that much stress on the knob. Remember we are not going to crank down on it.
You are going to need a 3/4" Forstner bit. A drill press is recommended but if you are careful you can get by with a hand drill.
The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Make A Donation
Click book to purchase.
If you would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years
DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.
