FlounderFillet5 Posted August 20, 2014 Share #1 Posted August 20, 2014 Hey guys, Today I lucked out like no other and wanted to share with you all. I have been searching for a Dewalt 788 for a while now and have only been finding the occasional one pop up on craigslist, normally costing between $300-$400 and they get snatched up before I even see the ad. I was surfing craigslist tools today and not much had changed from the night before when I had checked it last, darn. Then I took some time to post some various things the wife wanted sold on the site and when I finished was about to get up but thought I should check the tools section one more time before moving on with my day. Lucky I did because the top item on the list was a Dewalt 788 scroll saw which had been posted less than twenty minutes before and only asking $100! I looked at the pictures and it looked practically new. I quickly called the number... no answer, I then texted and was drafting up an email when I get a response to my text saying that it worked well and I could come take a look a few hours later. When the evening rolled around, my wife and I hopped in the car and drove nearly an hour to get to the seller's house. We went down stairs to the basement and saw the beautiful saw. I asked to test it so we plugged it in and the machine hummed to life with little to no vibration and not much noise at all. The seller asked if I wanted to cut some wood and I said "of course", excited to give it a try. While he was fetching the wood, I played with the blade tension-er, speed control, and made sure the light worked, then turned it off. The seller came down the stairs with wood in hand and I excitedly flipped the switch to test this bad boy out... silence. It turned out the outlet breaker had popped the safety fuse so we brought the saw up stairs to the garage. We plugged it in and flipped the switch... still nothing. Perplexed, the seller found a new fuse and swapped it out and nothing at all. The seller then apologized for wasting our time and gas and figured I no longer wanted the saw. I asked if he would come down on the price and offered $60 since I was taking a risk on a broken machine. He agreed after a short (felt like an eternity) pause and I hauled it off. When I got home, I plugged it in to check if it would work and nothing, then I pulled the switch housing off the saw and vacuumed out the debris... still nothing. Then, I noticed one of the wire terminals was very loose where it connected to the switch and I held it tight and the saw hummed to life. Now I have a flawlessly working Dewalt 788 and only paid $60 for it! I can't wait to start making saw dust with this thing. Anyone have any suggestions on wood to practice on just to get the hang of it? Also, what blades would you guys recommend? Landlubber Mike, WackoWolf and gjdale 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WackoWolf Posted August 20, 2014 Share #2 Posted August 20, 2014 Nice catch. That is one in a million. Congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_SalD_ Posted August 20, 2014 Share #3 Posted August 20, 2014 Nice find Max, Right place at the right time. Now I'm jealous dressler and Terry N 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjdale Posted August 20, 2014 Share #4 Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Hey Max, good for you! What a find! I'll bet you're still grinning like a Cheshire Cat, and probably will be for some time yet. I'm no expert, but I know a lot of folks recommend the Flying Dutchman brand of saw blades. I've just got some myself and so far I'm liking them a lot - enough to order more anyway. The type I'm using are called Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse and they come in a range of sizes. I suggest that you buy a dozen or so in a variety of sizes and test them out to see what you like. Over here they're costing me AUD $4.50 per dozen (about US $4.00). With all that money you just saved, you could buy a life-time's supply! Have fun with the new toy. Edited August 20, 2014 by gjdale druxey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtaylor Posted August 20, 2014 Share #5 Posted August 20, 2014 Great find!!!! I've been using both Olson and some from Saw Bird. I think it would depend on what you're planning to cut. My current blades are the Saw Bird #3 Double Reverse Tooth (TPI 20) with 8 reverse teeth. Good for 1/8" to 1/4" thick wood. I use the Olson Skip Tooth #400 (TPI 33) for the thinner woods. WackoWolf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reklein Posted August 20, 2014 Share #6 Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Great find. sometimes a little poking around can yield great results. My best find lately was a 50 inch TV Walmart had as a floor model. The remote was missing and the bolts for the stand had been lost. I bought a remote at Walmart and stopped at the hardware store on the way home for bolts and Voila a $1300 MSRP TV for $500. Not quite sixty bucks but a great savings. That was 2 yrs ago BTW Bill Edited August 20, 2014 by reklein WackoWolf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jud Posted August 20, 2014 Share #7 Posted August 20, 2014 Need to send the seller of that saw 20 bucks. That act would be worth much more to you than that 20 bucks could ever be if you keep it in your pocket. jud Ponto and mtaylor 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlounderFillet5 Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted August 21, 2014 Hey guys, thanks for all the replies! The flying dutchman blades were the ones I remembered being highly recommended and I am ordering some of those for sure. Mark and reklein, you guys found some great deals as well, without the added risk of buying a broken item so well done! Jud, I thought about contacting him and letting him at least know the saw started working but the cragslist post is now removed and my phone is kind of glitchy so I cant seem to find the text message thread that would reveal the seller's number. Oh well, I took a risk and it paid off. I have been so happy today, going around town and looking for stuff to get all set up now. I found a great woodworking shop that has a decent selection of hardwoods so I got a few sheets of various species, a little variety pack of Olsen blades to get me working before my flying dutchman blades come in, and I have been reading though some books and whatnot on scroll sawing. I think I am going to do a few scroll saw projects just for fun now that I have my saw haha, modelling will have to wait at least a few days. Well, happy modelling guys! WackoWolf and gjdale 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trussben Posted August 22, 2014 Share #9 Posted August 22, 2014 That's a very lucky find, well done! I have the same saw and I use the Flying Dutchman Ultra reverse blades in a variety of sizes, mostly #3 and #5 and I have had very good experience with them, although they don't last forever cutting hardwoods like boxwood and Swiss pear. Ben mtaylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtaylor Posted August 23, 2014 Share #10 Posted August 23, 2014 Ben, I've found that buying blades with fine teeth is a better deal when buying them by the gross. Cherry wears them out in a hurry also. Trussben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlounderFillet5 Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted August 26, 2014 My flying dutchmen blades just came in and I got a couple of the starter packs that come with a variety of sizes in the selected blade layouts. I think I will probably start buying the blades by the gross once I find which blades I prefer and which sizes etc. I am excited to get started making saw dust but now that school has started back up, I fear it might be some time before I have any real time to cut. Also, I need to find some time to tune the saw a bit, it has a little bit of the knock that seems to be common with dewalts and I may need to adjust the length of the rod that aligns the upper blade holder to get a better blade track. That may just have been the way I put the blade in though, I just havent had an opportunity to mess with it since I cut my first project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landlubber Mike Posted October 8, 2014 Share #12 Posted October 8, 2014 Nice score I bought the same scroll saw a year ago off of Craigslist as a "used once for 5min" deal. Paid a bit more that you did and got the stand (nice) and light (not as necessary), but it's a very nice tool. I've used it quite a bit the last few months and it does the job nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael mott Posted October 8, 2014 Share #13 Posted October 8, 2014 Congratulations Max, it really is great when the stars align in the universe. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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