[Duane Bledsoe]

If I put a 1/8” straight bit in my table mounted router, wouldn’t this work almost as well, and maybe even easier in some aspects, as a scroll saw? I can see advantages and disadvantages to this. One big advantage would be I wouldn’t have to keep rotating the workpiece. Some disadvantages would be increased risk of tearout, not able to make acute inside corner cuts (still could clean up later with a knife or chisel), and limited to 3/4 or less thicknesses of wood, and I’m not sure how well 3/4 would do on it.

I had a nice scroll saw that was given to me but I hadn’t used it in the 4 years since I got it so I gave it to another person who had a need. I still don’t need one, and I have a band saw that covers nearly all of my needs anyway, but I was just curious about this.

 

[DonkeyHody]

I think you will find that it's hard to follow a cut line since the bit tends to climb into the wood. A 1/8 bit also cuts very slowly and has trouble ejecting the sawdust from the cut so it gets hot easily. Feed it too fast and you'll break the bit. All in all, not a very satisfactory way to cut. I got by for years with just a good jig saw instead of a dedicated scroll saw. I got a great deal on an RBI Hawk scroll saw a few months ago. I use it mostly as a horizontal surface to catch stray tools and things.

 

[BrianS]

I have to echo what Andy said. The bit will quite likely turn blue in short order from the heat generated by cutting on both sides at the same time. I have a 1/2" Bosch bit that I did this to. (Surprising enough it still cuts fine with it's blue colour)

 

[CharleyL]

And 1/8" is considered HUGE for a scroll saw blade. The blades that I use the most are 0.010" thick and 0.034" front to back.

Charley

 

[DesertRatTom]

Scroll saws seem like fussy tools to me, and I just don't make stuff where I could use it. However, I think it is a handy tool for making inlays.