Monday, January 19, 2015

Not for the faint of heart.


The DeWalt DW788 scroll saw is one of the most popular saws ever produced. Most potential buyers of a mid level saw will consider the DW788. I probably get more email about this saw than any other machine on the market. 
If you spend any time researching this model, especially on the internet you will see a wide range of comments. Both good and bad.

Originally the machine was manufactured in Canada. It had a very good reputation then which was well deserved. These were known as the type 1 machines. Eventually production was shipped over seas and the quality dropped. It took some time but eventually most of the quality issues were worked out. These were the type 2 machines. If you are interested you can check to see which type machine you have by looking at the label on the motor.

Today I can recommend the DW788 as a quality machine. That's not to say that they don't have problems. All machines can have trouble. For the current price of the DeWalt DW788 I don't think you will find a better saw. The one exceptions to this is the Delta 40-694. It is the Delta version of the DW788. They are nearly identical so I consider them both together. You can often find a better deal on the Delta so it's is something to consider.
The reason I wanted to talk about the DeWalt is because I received an email from Bob Brokaw of the Gwinnett Woodworker association today. He has a great deal of experience servicing the DW788. Bob has taken the time to put together a four part video series showing the dis-assembly and common repairs of the machine.

Let me say up front that these procedures will void the warranty of your machine if you try them your self. These should be preformed by a qualified service technician. With that out of the way I do think it's very useful to know and understand your machine. Even if you never attempt these procedures on your machine you will have a very high understanding of how the machine works. This can be useful even if you have a tech service the machine. 

Thanks Bob for a wonder gift to the DeWalt scroll saw users. 

Part One:
http://youtu.be/bNt2Y0ajDwk
Part Two:
http://youtu.be/nWksSKjIEbs
Part Three:
http://youtu.be/2-p-LanzTho
Part Four:
http://youtu.be/HSxknKfrAQ0
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