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Delta Specialty Company
Hand Crank Scroll Saw
Delta Specialty Company
Hand Crank Scroll Saw
Hand Crank Scroll Saw
In the summer of 2018, I accompanied my good friend Tommy to an antique tool show. My wallet left the show considerably lighter, and my bag considerably heavier with a number of excellent antique tools. Since then, I've cleaned up those tools purchased that day and put them to work. But there was still one thing from that day that lingered: the one that got away.
On a table near the entrance of the outdoor show, among a number of other tools, was a small and interesting saw. It looked like a beefy fret/coping saw, but mounted on a stand with a small table like a scroll saw, and a large flywheel with a handle. Quickly I realized the genius of this old device: turning the hand crank spun the flywheel, and an very clever reciprocating mechanism changed this rotary motion into up and down motion, driving the saw blade perfectly perpendicular to the table surface for precise cutting action. In reality, it is exactly the same way a modern scroll saw operates, but with a hand crank instead of a motor. I was smitten, but I was also out of money.
In the years since then, I have kept my eyes open for similar saws, occasionally finding them for sale but either for more than I was willing to pay or in too poor of shape or missing substantial pieces. In late July 2020, I finally found what I was looking for. The saw and mechanism were complete, no pieces were broken, and there was no significant rust or corrosion aside from the saw table.
The saw was produced in the early 1920's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by the "Delta Specialty Company", the forerunner of DELTA tools as we know them today. There is much that has been written about these saws and mechanisms elsewhere, and a quick search will turn up patents, ads, and other information. One point of interest is the original target market. Around the turn of the 20th Century, young boys were encouraged to create with their hands using smaller or gentler versions of "adult" tools, as a way to help them develop useful skills for their future and channel their young energies in a productive (rather than destructive) way. Fret saw work, that is, creating elaborate shapes, patterns, scrolls, and marquetry, was a popular pastime for adults and vicariously children as well, and this saw was designed to help in making precise and perpendicular cuts.
I did a very light restoration on the mechanism. Everything was fairly clean, and after cleaning away some light debris and surface oxidation and lubricating the moving parts, the mechanism was incredibly clean and free. Significantly, I had to sand down the surface of the saw table as it was badly pitted. This removed the remains of the nickel plating. The table still has some very light pitting remaining, but I do not want to take it further and compromise the integrity of the piece. The fine pitting will not affect the function of the saw.
I did not repaint the reciprocating mechanism as it was in fairly good condition and would typically be slightly oily in use. I did repaint the base and flywheel with black enamel paint (I like the look more than the original red, I wasn't aiming for a perfect restoration, and these are not so outrageously rare and valuable that I am "destroying" an antique) and picked out the printed information on the base and cutouts in the flywheel with white enamel.
These saws were made to be bolted to a work surface, or a base to be attached to an electric motor to be driven with a belt. I used a 1.5" thick walnut remnant to make a heavy base for stability, beveled the top edges, and finished it by French Polishing.
The saw accepts modern 5" pin end scroll saw blades. I am currently using a 20TPI skiptooth blade in it. The action of the saw is very smooth, and the control is excellent. The built in work hold-down arm can be adjusted to apply light pressure down on the work near the blade, holding it to the table and keeping it from "popping" up with the upstroke of the saw (it cuts best oriented on the down stroke).
This is a fantastic tool, and after getting used to the operation, allows for some seriously accurate fine cuts. I look forward to putting it back to work!
In the summer of 2018, I accompanied my good friend Tommy to an antique tool show. My wallet left the show considerably lighter, and my bag considerably heavier with a number of excellent antique tools. Since then, I've cleaned up those tools purchased that day and put them to work. But there was still one thing from that day that lingered: the one that got away.
On a table near the entrance of the outdoor show, among a number of other tools, was a small and interesting saw. It looked like a beefy fret/coping saw, but mounted on a stand with a small table like a scroll saw, and a large flywheel with a handle. Quickly I realized the genius of this old device: turning the hand crank spun the flywheel, and an very clever reciprocating mechanism changed this rotary motion into up and down motion, driving the saw blade perfectly perpendicular to the table surface for precise cutting action. In reality, it is exactly the same way a modern scroll saw operates, but with a hand crank instead of a motor. I was smitten, but I was also out of money.
In the years since then, I have kept my eyes open for similar saws, occasionally finding them for sale but either for more than I was willing to pay or in too poor of shape or missing substantial pieces. In late July 2020, I finally found what I was looking for. The saw and mechanism were complete, no pieces were broken, and there was no significant rust or corrosion aside from the saw table.
The saw was produced in the early 1920's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by the "Delta Specialty Company", the forerunner of DELTA tools as we know them today. There is much that has been written about these saws and mechanisms elsewhere, and a quick search will turn up patents, ads, and other information. One point of interest is the original target market. Around the turn of the 20th Century, young boys were encouraged to create with their hands using smaller or gentler versions of "adult" tools, as a way to help them develop useful skills for their future and channel their young energies in a productive (rather than destructive) way. Fret saw work, that is, creating elaborate shapes, patterns, scrolls, and marquetry, was a popular pastime for adults and vicariously children as well, and this saw was designed to help in making precise and perpendicular cuts.
I did a very light restoration on the mechanism. Everything was fairly clean, and after cleaning away some light debris and surface oxidation and lubricating the moving parts, the mechanism was incredibly clean and free. Significantly, I had to sand down the surface of the saw table as it was badly pitted. This removed the remains of the nickel plating. The table still has some very light pitting remaining, but I do not want to take it further and compromise the integrity of the piece. The fine pitting will not affect the function of the saw.
I did not repaint the reciprocating mechanism as it was in fairly good condition and would typically be slightly oily in use. I did repaint the base and flywheel with black enamel paint (I like the look more than the original red, I wasn't aiming for a perfect restoration, and these are not so outrageously rare and valuable that I am "destroying" an antique) and picked out the printed information on the base and cutouts in the flywheel with white enamel.
These saws were made to be bolted to a work surface, or a base to be attached to an electric motor to be driven with a belt. I used a 1.5" thick walnut remnant to make a heavy base for stability, beveled the top edges, and finished it by French Polishing.
The saw accepts modern 5" pin end scroll saw blades. I am currently using a 20TPI skiptooth blade in it. The action of the saw is very smooth, and the control is excellent. The built in work hold-down arm can be adjusted to apply light pressure down on the work near the blade, holding it to the table and keeping it from "popping" up with the upstroke of the saw (it cuts best oriented on the down stroke).
This is a fantastic tool, and after getting used to the operation, allows for some seriously accurate fine cuts. I look forward to putting it back to work!