Buying the Proxxon DS 230 E was a decision we took after a lot of thought. This is one of the few available scroll saws in the market. It is available at UMS technologies. They basically are dealers for aeromodelling equipment. They are suppliers of Proxxon products too.
My experience with UMS.
I paid the scroll saw from the website only to hear that it was not possible to buy proxxon products via the web. UMS refunded the money and actually quoted lower than their web price. Service was reliable and they answered all my queries over phone, but were a little slow in answering emails and processing. So if you deal with UMS be sure to call first, ensure that products are available in stock and that you can actually buy them, and plan a little ahead.
Unboxing the Proxxon
The instructions on the proxxon are very sketchy on assembly. However if you are going for a scroll saw chances are you will be easily able to figure out what screw goes where. It did take me some time to assemble it.
The blade change.
This is difficult. The screw to clamp the blade is way inside the box and has to be accessed with a long allen key. This cannot be done blindly. One has to peer into the side, carefully place the allen key and then twist. This is inconvenient. Secondly if the blade breaks, it is not so easy to get the broken bit out of the lower grip as it is not so accessible.
While making blind cuts, it is necessary to drill a hole into the wooden piece and place the blade through it. As changing the lower end of the blade is next to impossible once it is through the wood, I usually keep the lower end clamped, bend the blade and put the upper end through the hole. This is fine for small pieces of wood. However for larger bits of wood, the blade guide with the roller gets into the way. There is no way to move it away. It can only be lifted vertically. So If I were to be making a large piece, I would have to improvise or detach the blade from the bottom every time.
Blades
Proxxon provides 5 blades with this. They seem good quality, but I did not really use them. I had a bunch of local blades that I had picked up and used these. The DS 230E has an adjustment to utilize even small blades. Though possible this requires removing three scews each time. What I finally did was to move it to the position of the smallest blade. I break my local blades to reach this size.
Performance :
Great. Very silent, very smooth. There is a tension screw on top, and a small bellows. One fault I found was that the bellows tend to jump out and get stuck outside the casing if the tension is too much. This could have been avoided. The motor does not seem very powerful, and cutting trough one inch hardwood is slow. However cutting through veneer and 10 mm ply is a breeze. The variable speed is a nice feature. The machine has to be screwed on to a large base if you do not want it to jump around due to vibrations. The whole machine is very light.
Features : A fence. Really really useful. It is straight and helps you cut straight. There is also a miter attachment for cutting angled pieces. This is also quite useful. I need to make a few mini jigs to optimize its use. There is a slot to store the blades and one to store the key. I do not use either of these.
Final Impression : Though not the easiest machine to use, with practice blade changes become easy. So it is not really a problem. The machine is smooth, reliable until now and cuts clean. It is worth the cost if you are going to use it. It is wonderful for making decorative pieces and children's toys. There is a cheaper alternative from Aaren Relipower that is less than half the cost, but this has to be pre ordered and there is a waiting time of more than a month. I have not tried it out but it looks similar to the proxxon with fewer features. Overall I feel this machine is a good buy if you are looking for a small, reliable scroll saw in India.
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| Proxxon DS 230 E is a small but efficient scroll saw |
My experience with UMS.
I paid the scroll saw from the website only to hear that it was not possible to buy proxxon products via the web. UMS refunded the money and actually quoted lower than their web price. Service was reliable and they answered all my queries over phone, but were a little slow in answering emails and processing. So if you deal with UMS be sure to call first, ensure that products are available in stock and that you can actually buy them, and plan a little ahead.
Unboxing the Proxxon
The instructions on the proxxon are very sketchy on assembly. However if you are going for a scroll saw chances are you will be easily able to figure out what screw goes where. It did take me some time to assemble it.
The blade change.
This is difficult. The screw to clamp the blade is way inside the box and has to be accessed with a long allen key. This cannot be done blindly. One has to peer into the side, carefully place the allen key and then twist. This is inconvenient. Secondly if the blade breaks, it is not so easy to get the broken bit out of the lower grip as it is not so accessible.
 |
| The lower blade grip is deep inside the machine and needs a long key |
While making blind cuts, it is necessary to drill a hole into the wooden piece and place the blade through it. As changing the lower end of the blade is next to impossible once it is through the wood, I usually keep the lower end clamped, bend the blade and put the upper end through the hole. This is fine for small pieces of wood. However for larger bits of wood, the blade guide with the roller gets into the way. There is no way to move it away. It can only be lifted vertically. So If I were to be making a large piece, I would have to improvise or detach the blade from the bottom every time.
 |
| Blade guide that has to be lifted up to move out of the way |
Proxxon provides 5 blades with this. They seem good quality, but I did not really use them. I had a bunch of local blades that I had picked up and used these. The DS 230E has an adjustment to utilize even small blades. Though possible this requires removing three scews each time. What I finally did was to move it to the position of the smallest blade. I break my local blades to reach this size.
 |
| Blade holder can be lowered or raised by removing these three bolts |
Great. Very silent, very smooth. There is a tension screw on top, and a small bellows. One fault I found was that the bellows tend to jump out and get stuck outside the casing if the tension is too much. This could have been avoided. The motor does not seem very powerful, and cutting trough one inch hardwood is slow. However cutting through veneer and 10 mm ply is a breeze. The variable speed is a nice feature. The machine has to be screwed on to a large base if you do not want it to jump around due to vibrations. The whole machine is very light.
Features : A fence. Really really useful. It is straight and helps you cut straight. There is also a miter attachment for cutting angled pieces. This is also quite useful. I need to make a few mini jigs to optimize its use. There is a slot to store the blades and one to store the key. I do not use either of these.
Final Impression : Though not the easiest machine to use, with practice blade changes become easy. So it is not really a problem. The machine is smooth, reliable until now and cuts clean. It is worth the cost if you are going to use it. It is wonderful for making decorative pieces and children's toys. There is a cheaper alternative from Aaren Relipower that is less than half the cost, but this has to be pre ordered and there is a waiting time of more than a month. I have not tried it out but it looks similar to the proxxon with fewer features. Overall I feel this machine is a good buy if you are looking for a small, reliable scroll saw in India.
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| Small house, picket fence and gate made from veneer strips |
A work mate recommended me to your website. Thanks for the
ReplyDeleteresources.
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Thanks for the write-up. Proxxon are a reputed brand, make many variates of tools and in model making tools they are well known. I have been think of getting a scroll saw for quite some time. I have learnt my lesson always buy good tools especially ones that you tend to use a lot. They work out cheaper than cheap tools and also are a real help in actually achieving what you want. The little model you made is starting to give me ideas!!!. My son has started getting interested in model railroad...(My wife wonders if it me or my son!!!)
ReplyDeleteYes, I too have started to make toys for my kids. I will post some pictures later. The scroll saw is really a very useful and reasonably safe tool. However I bought proxxon as this was the only one available in India. Abroad I suppose there are so many other options.
ReplyDeleteThe proxxon is good for small light work. If you have eyes on thicker wood, perhaps you will have to go in for a bigger machine.
Your Works are brilliant Vinay :) and I am happy to find someone using scroll saw to make toys in VELLORE ,
DeleteI am an Artist , Graphic Designer/ 2d Animator , I left the Animation Industry after a long 10 yrs period feeling fed up and saturated...I wanted to make a living on my creative skills in my Home town Vellore. and bought many tools and learning everyday. :)
I wanted to make a rocking horse for my daughter , and started with few power tools a hand jigsaw, angle grinder and a power drill finally ended up with lot of tools.
My frustration began after I bought a ''Indian made scroll saw'' which is a heavy duty one used to cut ''switch box holes '' its a mess , still struggling to fine tune it ,
hence I tried to modify my ''hand jig saw into '' a scroll saw , but alas all in vain , since the lowest speed is too high and the table started to vibrate and the wire blade of no.25 broke ,so I tried to add a fan regulator to reduce the volatage , but it got burned since the wattage is not sufficient , But I manage to rreduce the speed to a desirable level and cut few pieces, still i am not able to find a solution,
Hope we could share our experiences and also the techical difficulties we meet. My email id - immanuelsathish@gmail.com
Hi
DeleteMy first scroll saw was from Aaren Relipower in Delhi. Paid about 4500Rs for it. It did ok in the beginning, but the neck started to loose tension. A few times, i managed to mount smaller fret saw blades on the machine. Aaren has a new machine in the markets which is about 10,000 Rs. They claim it is a lot more stable. The Proxxon machines cost quiet a bit now. I haven't been able to get in touch with USM, but another dealer in Delhi quoted some exorbitant prices.
Hi Sujith. Surprising that you could not contact UMS. The proxxon that I have costs about Rs 11,000 and should be somewhere the same still.
DeleteHey Vinay. Will try contacting them again. I would trust the Proxxon over the one from Aaren Relipower.. I really like the stuff you have been building. There are some really neat books on toy building if you are interested. 'Traditional Wooden toys' by Cyril Hobbins is interesting. You should be able to find some inspiration in there.
Deletehi nice little review
ReplyDeletei got this saw to and mine got a ruler on it but i dont use it
so i put the ruler screw in the top saw blade holder so i dont need
the long key to chance the saw blade
Hi,
ReplyDeleteCan you please forward me the pricing details for the 'PROXXON DS 230/E unit' or do you know if i can get similar scroll saw in Mumbai?
Hi Harry
ReplyDeleteI paid about Rs 11,500 for it. It is available from UMS technology Coimbatore. They send it by post. http://umstech.in/view_products.php?cat=Proxxon%20Products
You cannot buy it from their website directly although they have the "add to cart feature". It is best to call them up, get an email quote and do a bank transfer.
I was able to find only one other Indian supplier in delhi http://www.indiamart.com/aarenrelipower-pvt-ltd/machine-tools-accessories.html
Vinay, thank you so much for the detailed information. May i have your email address please for further assistance.
ReplyDeletedrvinayoommen@yahoo.co.in
ReplyDeleteHi Vinay, it is great to meet my first fellow scroller in India!! I have been at this hobby from the past year and a half and made many projects and now I make patterns as well:-) making scroll saw patterns from a photograph along with other ones ( another great hobby)
ReplyDeleteI have Proxxon DSH E though the dream machine is the Rolls Royce of saws (EXCALIBUR) or a Benz(DEWALT 788) ,ha! ha!
Prior to my purchase I did an intense google search to find clubs or scrolling community in India but the result was zero!! So you can imagine my happiness bumping into you while searching for blade clamps as the Allen key one that came with the saw is absolutely useless and cumbersone as I thread the blade in the pilot holes to do inner cuts. I have modified the machine a bit and works well! I am self taught and ofcourse got tons of help from the scrolling communities in the States.
Incase you need any help,assistance or have any question , I will be more than happy to help,my giving comes from my receiveing
Have a safe New Years eve and a very Happy New Year
Tom
Hi multitom. Great to hear from you. Can you contact me at my email id drvinayoommen@yahoo.co.in I would love to be in touch.
ReplyDeleteHi Vinay,
ReplyDeleteI too bought a Proxxon 230E recently. I am into ship modelling from kits, but I want to start building from scratch.
Couple of questions, where can I buy the following ( I live in Bangalore):
- 1.5mm and 3mm ply wood sheets (1mx1m will do)in India?
- 2mmx2mm and 4mmx4mm squsre rods (0.5m length max)
- 3mm, 5mm and 8mm dia walnut rods (0.5m length max)
- local fret saw blades for the proxxon machine
Will be much obliged if you can help
Verghese
Hi Verghese
ReplyDeleteI am not sure about buying things in Bangalore. However place your questions in diyable.net. There are a lot of people in Bangalore who can help with the specifics.
As far as I know the thinnest plywood commercially available is 6mm. (I amy be wrong). This is three layers thick. For 3 mm ply you could use what is called a 'veneer' sheet which is basically a thin decorative ply.
Any plywood shop will have them. The only drawback is that most will only sell them as a sheet of 8x4 feet. You may have to find a smaller shop that will sell you pieces of what he has.
For thin pieces of custom wood, I would use a table saw. Set the blade to cut off a very thin sliver of wood and make your own wood strips. If you do not have a table saw, I suggest you get the wood of your choice from a lumber mill (2.5x2.5 inch thick and length say 4 feet or so. Get them to plane all four sides. You will be left with a long reaper of 2x2 inches. Then take the whole reaper to a carpenter and explain what you want. Let him make thin strips of wood for you. You will get 2 inch wide strips of wood 4 feet long.
I have not found any shop selling rods. You can make the 4mmx4mm rods using the proxxon itself using the aluminium guide provideds. Circular rods may not be easily available. The shopkeeper told me that I would have to get them turned myself.
ReplyDeleteFor very specific needs I request my relatives to bring them to me. I ship the products to their address before they leave.
Hope I have helped. Do not forget to ask at diyable.net
Hi Vinay,
ReplyDeleteis spiral scroll saw blade can fit with Proxxon 230E?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteIf anyone try to buy Scroll Saw from Aaren, this scroll saw uses Pin End Blades, If you wanted to use Plain End Blades, you have to make your own Blade clamp for the machine, but it is not difficult as the original blade clamp/holder can be easily removed from both the upper and lower reciprocating arm. The machine is also bundled with only one blade. If you want more than one, you have to tell them how many you need before they shipped the machine. After doing some research, I'm sure it is China made machine. The look and functions are like western Scroll Saw machine, the table can be tilted from 0 degree to 45 degree. Blade tensioning is a bit frustating. Overall, I think the machine is great for the price but not so good as compared to other US & European machines. It can be used fine by hobbyist. But not very reliable for serious Scroll Sawers. But we have to remember that we do not have much option to choose as there are not many seller for the Scroll Saws in India.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteCan anyone tell me where can I buy Scroll Saw blades?
HI
ReplyDeleteYou can buy scroll saw blades from local hardware stores in your city. I buy them in Vellore. It is best to take a sample. The blades are actually sold for 'fret saws' or what are also called 'U frame saws' which is the hand version of a mechanized scroll saw.
Since you guys appear to be experts on Scroll saw, what is the recommendation on Dremel Moto Saw?
ReplyDeleteHi I am using a dremel moto saw,
ReplyDeletefirst 30 days broke all the blades, i find it extreamly convenient to use, Ive been toying with some 20 mm MDF (not sure if thats the right thing to do)
unable to find the 4" pin type blades in India, ordered them from olensaw.net for $30 only shipping :(
its very handy light and convenient machine to have, drawback is the unavailibility of blades.
I have been fascinated with using the spiral blades, can anyone help me where I could find them in Hyderabad, and what are they called in local language.
Perhaps I could adapt them to the pin type holders.
Your expert advise would greatly appreciated.
Thanks all
Try mach powertools. They sell dremel blades online. However the blades are expensive.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, thank you!
ReplyDeleteSo I understand that you tried to cut hardwood thicker than the producer recommends (they say maximum 10mm - a bit more of 1/3 inch for *hard*wood) and it worked?
That would be great because that was the only reason keeping me away from buying this. Of course it would be slow but I could wait.