Father's Day is just days away and this project is for all those bonus dads out there. It is a simple project that would probably mean a tremendous amount to that guy who stepped up to the plate and took on a tough job.
If you have a grandchild who has a loving stepfather this may be something special you could build together.
Bob Brokaw of the Gwinnett Woodworker Association demonstrates DeWalt DW788 Maintenance Procedures:
Bob Brokaw is one of the leading experts in the country on repairing the DeWalt DW788. He has produced a few videos showing repair techniques. This is another in that line of videos. There is updated material in this video. If you have watched his other videos you will find even more information here. Every time Bob does one of these videos he gets better at presenting the information. This is his best yet.
I realize this is just one of many scroll saws on the market but this is an important saw. The DeWalt is the most popular scroll saw ever sold for the serious hobbyist. The DeWalt has been on the market for many years. There are thousands of them in the field. If you own or are considering purchasing the DW788 then you should bookmark this video for future reference.
The DW788 is what I consider a mid-level saw. That is not a knock on the machine but more a reflection of its price point and slightly poorer build quality of the high-end saws. As a mid-level saw it does not have much competition. The Delta 40-694 is really the only machine in the same class.
Let me mention something that I think is important. Repairing these saws yourself is possible. It also requires at least a moderate level of skill. If you have no experience working on machinery you may be better off using a repair facility. While this is by no means a complex piece of machinery it can bite you in the rear if you make a mistake.
If you take on these repairs I highly suggest you take pictures as you go. Pay meticulous attention to how the parts come apart. Observe the minor details. Keep hardware separated as you remove it. Label parts if you think it will help in reassembling.
I spent 37 years working on very complex electro/mechanical hardware. We would disassemble machines with hundreds of moving parts. We would have repairs that would take days to complete. Even with all that experience I still take pictures when I disassemble anything. Complex jobs are often just a long series of simple steps. If you document each simple step you have a far greater chance of being successful.