Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

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Nelvis
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Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by Nelvis »

Well my wife wouldn't let me buy Speedster's wooden Piantedosi track so now I'm window shopping for some power tools to "fix up the house" ;)
I really want a scroll saw first and foremost for cutting down and then shaping the block with less fear of my son using it. Cutting down a block on the tablesaw I inherited from my grandfather is downright scary. I was drooling over the Dewalt 788 but it's like 500 bucks:
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It would be great to have a drill press and stationary belt sander as well, which led me to finding the "Wen" brand. It is and inexpensive line and everything they make is highly rated on Amazon and elsewhere. I could get all 3 (scroll saw, drill press, and belt sander) for about $350:
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I realize it's not top of the line equipment but what are the pitfalls here? Anyone have any experience with this brand? Or are my choices in priority power tools flawed in some other way?
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whodathunkit
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Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by whodathunkit »

Nelvis wrote:Well my wife wouldn't let me buy Speedster's wooden Piantedosi track so now I'm window shopping for some power tools to "fix up the house" ;) ?


Don't fell bad my wife wouldn't let me buy it also!

If the shop tools fill your needs and your happy with them How can you go wrong!




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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by Vitamin K »

Wen tools look to be onpar with most low-budget tools (e.g. what you'll find in Harbor Freight). In fact, they look similar enough to Central Machinery stuff that I would wager they come out of the same factory in China. That said, I have a Harbor Freight Central Machinery drill press and scroll saw. They aren't the greatest, but they do the jobs that I ask of them. I can cut out car bodies with the scroll saw and my wooden holder block, but it's definitely a lot more tedious than a bandsaw.
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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by Speedster »

You can buy the tools shown for $235 from Harbor Freight. For a total of $370 you can also have a bandsaw. I have the drill press and two 3/8" drills and they do the job. We do have a scroll saw at our workshops but the two bandsaws do most of the work. I'm not familiar with the WEN brand.
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Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by whodathunkit »

Nelvis,

When I first started out scroll sawing
I had a low end Dremel scroll saw.
It was ok but I soon wore out the link bar.
It was nothing more then flat metal with roll pens.

For the DeWalt 788 I have.
The chucks for holding the blades have been replaced a lot threw all the use.
Since I've owned it id say it's been threw 7 sets of chucks.
Delta has a scroll saw out that is just like the DeWalt 788 saw.

But for what your looking to do in the way for tools to outfit your shop.

I would say if your not looking to use them on an every day bases.
That you'll do ok with saving the money on the three tools.

I'm not very familiar with the WEN brand tools as well.


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Last edited by whodathunkit on Wed Feb 24, 2016 11:40 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by Gtdhw »

I just want through the "search" for a cheap drill press. I went to Menards to look, then onto HF. HF's comparable drill press was very chincy. I passed on it because the display model had LOTS of slop. I could grab the chuck (at any level, up or down), and wiggle it against the shaft. There was just too much clearance for me to ever feel comfortable getting a true hole. I went back to Menards and bought the WEN pictured above. Very nice little drill press for the money, and I would pick it 100x over the HF model.
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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by whodathunkit »

Just stopped in at a sears store on my way home from work..
The WEN tools are also being sold at sears.. so replacements parts should be easy to get .
Seen a nice 10 inch two speed band saw with stand and work light for $256.50.
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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by gpraceman »

whodathunkit wrote:The WEN tools are also being sold at sears.. so replacements parts should be easy to get.
Well, that's assuming that Sears stays in business.
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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by whodathunkit »

The WEN tool brand dates back to 50's -60's wounder if some one has took over the brand name?
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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by birddog »

I'm going to offer up a different piece of advice. Over the years, I've purchased some very nice power tools and some cheap power tools. The cheap stuff never lasts and the good stuff lasts a life time and performs well. Of all the tools I own, I probably use my Delta drill press the most. I would suggest a good quality drill press that will last (I've owned mine for 20 years now). It works as well today as the day I bought it. For pinewood derby building, I think a scroll saw is better than a table saw or band saw (I own all three, but could get by with just the scroll saw for PWD building if I had to). I bought a used Hegner scroll saw for something like $650. It hurt to pay that much for a tool, but I've long since forgot the financial pain and really enjoy using such a quality tool.

I am a hobby wood worker, so I use my tools for building many things beyond pinewood derby cars, so I see it as an investment. When I retire, I plan to make even more use of my tool collection.

I don't think you can ever go wrong purchasing a quality tool. You can go wrong purchasing a cheap one.

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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by race#67 »

Craigslist. Do some searching, you can find plenty of top notch name brand tools made in USA cheaper than new imported tools.
This is especially true for band saws and drill presses. IN fact, buying vintage tools and restoring them to new is a hobby in itself. Check out OWWM.com
I got a PS Wood 21" Scroll Saw on Craigs for $75 dollars that was barely used. The saw sells new for $700.
http://www.pswood.com/21-scroll-saw-inc ... ades-more/
I picked it up in Pataskala ironically!
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Re: Buying some power tools, scroll saw, drill press, etc.

Post by LightninBoy »

Being a cheapskate and not having a lot of need for tools outside of PWD ... I went with the cheap tools. I have a Ryobi scroll saw, a Rockwell Bladerunner (stands in for a real bandsaw) and a Skill bench drill press.

I've had good luck with all except for one - the drill press. Even though the Skill was the highest rated of all the drill presses in its class, it lasted about 9 months before the slop rendered it unusable for PWD. I don't even want to admit the amount of time I wasted trying to make it work. I know it dwarfed the ~$200 I spent on a proxxon drill press to finally solve it.
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