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In case you are not aware of who Micro-Mark is, in their words, 'Micro-Mark is THE mail-order source for hard-to-find tools and supplies for any profession or hobby that requires the use of specialized precision miniature tools.' This, in my option is very true. Their catalog is very extensive.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

In this session, I will review my experiences with second of 2 tools I recently purchased from Micro-Mark. The Microlux Multi Scroll Saw

Microlux Multi Scroll Saw # 60514

I will be the first to admit, I am not a great scratch kit builder. I have attempted a few projects using a straight edge and Xacto knives but never really liked my results. I found it very difficult to cut small parts in numbers with the same dimensions. As I did not have the room, or budget, to buy a power tool for each specific job I might need, finding a tool that could combined a miter saw, table saw and scroll saw into one power saw was something I really needed. I found that in the Microlux Multi Scroll Saw by Mirco-Mark. This saw has both a rip fence and miter gauge that allows it to do the job of 3 different saws.

With my purchase, I also ordered a #81387 Easy-Mount Bench Bracket For Microlux Saws for $17.95. I chose the bench bracket as I wanted to take my saw from my garage to my train room or to shows the club goes to. You can permanently mount the saw with the 4 screws that come with it. The saw comes with 4 blades although I would suggest ordering extras. As I was trying the saw out, I broke a couple and had to place an order for more. The part numbers for the blades that come with the saw are #80856 and 80857. I had to ask Micro-Mark for the blade part numbers as they were not listed on any documents that came with the saw.
Assembly was easy. A couple of screws to attach the bow, install the blade and you're ready to go. The only area I had some problems with was installing the blade. The instructions were good, it just takes a time or two to learn how to adjust it so the tensioning screw doesn't hit the bow. The other thing I noticed out of the box was the power cord. The power cord is over 6 feet long. This gives you the freedom of not having to keep the saw close to a wall outlet and minimize extension cord use.
The first thing I made with it was a push stick for those close to the blade cuts. The saw had a bit of trouble ripping a 1X2 along the 2" side. This may have been caused by the blade not being set up quite right. I had no trouble crosscutting a 1x2 for a later project. The cut was very smooth. Another thing I noticed was that the saw is very surprisingly quiet. No noise protection is needed at all. Safety glasses and paying attention are a must. With a lot of blade exposed you have to be aware of the blade above the blade guide.
Cutting sheet styrene was just as easy. The cuts did need some cleaning but overall a very clean cut. The bow is long enough to rip a length of sheet styrene although it will hit the back of the bow as you finish. This where I found my first shortcomings with the saw. The rip fence only goes to the back of the blade. As you get the end of your cut, you have to be careful that what you are cutting does not suddenly shift. Note, I received an E-mail from Microimage after they read this. Tom told me, " that the rip fence is short because of European safety requirements, which do not allow a fence to go much beyond the saw blade." It should be noted that you can with a little work, you can add an extension to the rip fence. The other was with the miter gauge. If you do sheet styrene and use the miter gauge, the miter gauge hits the blade guide. I e-mailed Micro-Mark and they told me to just cut about an 1/8" off the left end. Given these accessory items are used on other tools as well, which saves us money, I think it would be nice to have the rip fence extended by about 1/2" to 3/4" and add instructions or put a light mark on the gauge to show where to cut it.

Here you can see how the rip fence ends at the back of the blade.

Here you can see where the uncut miter gauge hits the blade guide.

Now I clear the blade guide after cutting the miter gauge.

Yes, the miter gauge in the center picture is going the wrong way but I cut it before I remembered to take a picture.

The rip fence secures to the base with a thumb screw. The fence locks down to a true 90 degree angle. Every time I double checked it with a square, it was at 90 degrees. The miter gauge is fairly accurate, though the markings are a bit difficult to read. Another thing I noticed was as I finished up, there was no place to store the blades, miter gauge and allen wrenches. The rip fence can be left on the table base but I am having to use the plastic bag the saw came in to store these items. Would be nice if a vinyl pouch was included so that you could store those items which could then snap or Velcro to the side or back of the saw base. It could also be used to wrap up the power cord when not in use.

As I mentioned earlier, I did break a few of the blades that came with the saw. I chose to order some of the standard saw blades Micro-Mark offers. Note, these blades are much thinner than the premium blades that come with the saw. These blades would be good for scroll cutting but I would not really use them for too much cross-cutting or ripping of wood. I noted that when I used the small blades to cut styrene, the cut was not too clean. The styrene debris seem to get to rejoin to the sheet styrene after the cut. This could have been due to the blade being very thin and the debris really did not have anywhere to go or I had the blade speed too high. There is also an issue in switching back and forth between the standard and premium blades. I noted that after I used a standard blade, I could not get the premium blade into the top arbor. I had to take off the clamp and use a thin flat blade screw driver to widen the arbor enough to get the premium blade to fit. I e-mailed Micro-Mark about this. Their answer was, "The blades that come with the saw are .020" and .027" thick, optional blades can be as thin as .010". Tightening the clamping ring closes the slot in the arbor shaft to hold the blade. Tightening with little or nothing in the slot can cause the slot to close and my need to be pried back open to accommodate the blade. This can happen with either upper or lower mounts, but would be more likely to occur on the upper because that arbor has a longer blade slot, and because that clamp is easier to access and therefore often gets tightened down with more torque." Now that I know this, I will most likely only use the premium blades.

One of the other nice things about this and the other saws Micro-Mark sells, is that you can view instructions and replacement parts list on line in case you loose the enclosed instructions.

You can see the advantage of having both a rip fence and miter gauge. You can make multiple small cuts with little prep time.

This is the first attempt to make a traffic signal. Cut by hand, not too well done.

Still need to work on my skills but having the saw allowed me to make a more to scale traffic signal.

Overall results.

Pros 1. Very versatile, tool of many uses. 2. Very quiet. 3. Lightweight and portable. 4. Long 6+ foot power cord.

Cons 1. The rip fence could be longer, 2. No storage pouch for accessories. 3. Need to cut miter gauge to fit under blade guide.

I would give this saw an 9 out of 10.

This saw will handle all of your light duty cutting. It makes doing the small cutting very easy. While I feel the saw has few shortcomings and yes, they may be a bit nit picky, but they can be easily overcome. I am still learning the finer points of using the saw, I do not regret getting it. It will make my endeavors in scratch building easier and much more fun. I look forward to using it more and can finally do some of the scratch built projects I only dreamed about.
For a beginner I very much recommend getting this saw. For the more experienced, you too will enjoy the many uses for this saw.

I will give Micro-Mark a 10+. There customer service is tops. I got quick answers to my questions and issues during the writing of this review. My orders were filled quickly and correctly.