It was back in early Feb that I purchased my Delta scroll saw but I never sent the proof. I took time to clean it up a bit though it was really in good shape. I also replaced the tubing for the dust blower and lubricated the recommended locations. Hopefully, as the weather warms, I'll be able to use it.

Al my saw sits on a table 20" high and this lets me use an office chair on casters.....to be comfortable while I play with the saw. I also have a couple of box fans  sitting on the floor to the right of the saw. I built little tracks to slide some used house furnace filters 20 x 16" to catch the dust so it won't keep blowing around in circles right at my noses...

   That saw should last you 20 or 30 years, naw, at your age, no telling? but at least have fun while you can...

The Cherry Tree has the Flying Dutchman scroll saw Blades and a #5 is about all I ever use anymore....I'll look the exact number if you need it. A gross at a time is the best price. No need to do any practicing just get you some patterns and get after it...The more you saw the better you will get. Sit off center to the right side while sawing for this will make up for how the blades are built. Keep one eye on staying on the line and the other eye to keep the blade straight up and down while sawing, especially while turning one way or the other...a person has a tendency to want to bend the blade when off line a hair to try and get the blade back where it should be instead of turning the wood. Let the blade do the sawing and don't force it to cut too fast. When off the line just gradually curve back.  I think Amazon is a lot higher than Cherry Tree or Sloan Scroll Sawing for Olson brand Precision ground Blades but they are too agressive for a person trying to get the feel of running a scroll saw. No need to change blades until you start smelling wood burning..and once a blade wears out it is hard to control...

  The reverse teeth blades with a few teeth pointing up at the bottom of the blade is good for they help keep the bottom side of the wood being sawed to have a smooth clean cut on the bottom of the wood. But if you don't keep pressure  pushing the wood down on the table as you saw then you will get kick back from the wood and sometimes causing the blade to break or else hurt old fingers....... Kick back is caused when you move the wood out of alignment with the blade as you are turning the wood . Just go slow take you time for you ain't going anywhere any way...

  If you wear glasses then you probably don't need the magnification of the light to look through...while sawing I use glasses for up close but glasses and the magnified lens of the light are too much and will give me a head ache right quick.

   I noticed to speed your machine is set on and that might be too fast. I saw about half speed for any more and the blade gets too hot too quick causes the blades to wear out too quick... The tension is important and not having run a saw like yours very much so not a clue but this is where you need to experiment. It does need to be tight but too much and you will pull the blade in to...the lever for this is almost touching my nose so its easy to change one way or the other while sawing. 

  If you pay for patterns never use the ones you buy...this is where one needs a printer and Rapid Resizer for I can copy all my patterns in to as many copies as I am fixin to saw with and later if you need more of that pattern you still have the original....and besides with a printer and Rapid Resizer you can enlarge to pattern or reduce the size, either way.

   Also about two thirds of my clocks I made from pictures I see and click on the picture and get it as big as it will go then send it to Rapid Resizer or to Documents or Downloads or Pictures where you have access to those  pictures as they are needed...

 

Here is a good example or using the same pattern only making it bigger each time for the next clock...The first one of these I made was the small dark clock then next I wanted it a little larger then the next bigger yet..and I still have that same picture I I want to make the same one only different for the forth time... 

The first picture was taken in Colo. Use to we would spend 3 months during the summer at an RV park and I would take  my scroll saw, band saw, small table saw and all the stuff it would take to do wood working while enjoying the cool summer days up high in the mountains. Only this time I forgot to take the box fan which I use all the time I am sawing so a box fan was 20 dollars at a Walmart and the filter was almost half that much but that fan is important.

 

Thats a Gandy milk carton for a table for the saw and another milk carton with a piece of plywood was my seat for sawing.. That year I also took enough hardwood already sized for the 4 jewelry boxes I made that first year in Colo. 

  I have made the scroll saw a part of almost all the things I have built since I have retired 21 years ago and I hardly ever build anything with flat wood for part of the finished project. Building things with flat wood and having to please the customers I finally shucked when I retired. I told my wife now I get to do things my way and I will say much more pleasant than all my working life...

 

I hope you enjoy scroll sawing as much as I do!!!

Thanks for all the info Jessy. I know I'll never reach your level of talent, but at least it will provide a lot of fun time. Yeh, at 89 it's not likely it will give me 20 years of service. I do plan to set it up as you recommended. The saw is really in excellent condition. Previous owner said he bought it new and hadn't used it for several years.

There is a nice scrollsaw magazine out there, that I subscribe to. I will get the exact title next time I’m in the basement, and send it to you, just in case you’re interested. 

Thanks Artie. My wife and I have both gotten both shots of the covid vaccine. Maybe we will be able to get together sometime soon.

 Congrats on the new toy Al. Can't add much to what Jess posted but I can say you will enjoy this model saw. The first Delta I bought in 1992 like this is a 2 speed. In 2003 the only parts I had to replace were the plastic air pusher and the (2) small screws that attach the connecting bar on the back of the arms, they wore down & caused a vibration. This model didn't come with the quick release on the upper arm but I have since changed that. I have removed the chrome hold down guard, it seemed to get on the way when trying to feed the blade through the wood.

 I have to recommend https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/ . A lot of friendly people & the format is the same as it is here. The pattern gallery is endless & free to download.

Hope you get some play time soon. 

 

She's a beauty Al.  Look forward to seeing what you do with it.  These guys sure gave you some good info to get started.