Make your most detailed, intricate cuts. Originally used for jewelry making and highly decorative carvings, these saws are also useful for creating templates, models, and prototypes. These scroll saws have a thin, narrow blade—narrower than a pencil—that moves up and down at high speeds for precise cuts. Change the speed of the blade to cut though different materials and thicknesses. Use faster speeds for soft woods and slower speeds for metals, plastics, and hard woods. Two parallel arms hold the blade to reduce vibration and keep the blade perpendicular to your workpiece. For cuts in the center of your workpiece, drill a pilot hole, then thread the blade through. An adjustable dust blower on these saws clears debris to keep your cut line visible.

Saws for use on wood only have a tilting arm to simplify beveled cuts. Since the worktable stays flat, your workpiece won’t slide around, which gives you better control on angled cuts. The tilting arm also prevents you from having to position yourself at an awkward angle while cutting. These saws come with a foot pedal that you can use to start and stop the blade, keeping your hands free to position your workpiece. This is especially helpful for detailed designs. In addition to the dust blower, these saws have a dust port, so you can hook up a dust collector to keep your work area and air clean.

Saws for use on wood, metal, and plastic have a tilting table so your blade stays vertical when making beveled cuts.