A scroll saw's declared noise depends on its maker's test: Hegner gives 64.1 dB(A) idling and 74.5 cutting for its Multimax saws, JET 72,5 and 78,4 for the JWSS-22B, and Dremel 79.0 for its Moto-Saw.
These are the sound pressure figures as each maker printed them:
- Hegner Multimax 14-E, 18-V and 22-V: 64.1 dB(A) idling, 74.5 cutting, K 4 dB(A)
- JET JWSS-22B: 72,5 dB(A) idling, 78,4 in operation, no K stated
- Dremel MS20 Moto-Saw: 79.0 dB(A), standard deviation 3 dB, mode not stated
Hegner's and JET's figures are measured at the operator's working position; Dremel does not say where its microphone stood. Dremel alone adds a sound power figure, 87.0 dB(A), which describes the whole machine's output rather than what reaches your ears, so it stays beside the Moto-Saw and is never set against the others.
Hegner's and JET's scroll saw figures are kept apart because Hegner cites prEN 31202, a draft, while JET cites the published EN ISO 11202, and JET states no uncertainty, so this page ranks neither saw against the other.
A draft and a finished edition of a measuring standard can differ in their corrections and setup, and neither maker says how its own test would read under the other text. Hegner adds K = 4 dB(A) to its values; JET leaves the spread of its 72,5 and 78,4 unstated.
The working conditions are described differently too. Hegner names a spruce block 0,79 inch thick and the fretsaw blade it used, while JET's "In operation" line names neither. Each pair of figures is therefore shown only beside its own saw.
One declaration covers three Hegner saws
Hegner prints a single noise section for the Multimax 14-E, 18-V and 22-V without saying which saw was on the test stand. The manual lists the same 100 watt motor output for all three, so on Hegner's paperwork the choice comes down to throat, speed control and price: $995, $1,695 and $1,995 at Advanced Machinery, Hegner's US importer.
Yes, a scroll saw gets clearly louder once its blade enters the wood: Hegner's own declaration climbs from 64.1 dB(A) idling to 74.5 cutting at the operator.
That is a rise of 10.4 dB inside a single Hegner test. JET's JWSS-22B shows the same pattern on its own paperwork, going from 72,5 dB(A) idling to 78,4 in operation, a rise of 5.9 dB. Each rise describes one saw under one maker's test and says nothing about how a different board will sound.
Hegner fixed its conditions with a planed spruce block and a blade 0,059 inch by 0,039 inch. A thick oak blank, a coarse skip tooth blade or a hurried feed changes what the cutting figure describes, and none of the makers here declares a figure for those.
Why is the Dremel Moto-Saw listed on its own?
The Dremel Moto-Saw is listed on its own because Dremel names no test standard or operating mode for its 79.0 dB(A), and Dremel UK's product page prints a different 77,3 for the same saw.
Dremel's UK manual for the MS20 gives sound pressure of 79.0 dB(A) and sound power of 87.0, each with a standard deviation of 3 dB. The UK product page for order number F013MS20JB lists 77,3 and 88,3. We quote the manual, which states its spread, and show the page figures beside it.
The Moto-Saw is also a different sort of machine: a 0.6 amp motor, a .31 inch stroke and a 9.84 inch throat, with a motor unit that lifts off the base to work as a handheld coping saw. The US MS20-01 manual names the same MS20 model and the same 1500 to 2250 speed range as the UK manual.
No figure can settle a Hegner against a DEWALT, because the US manual for DEWALT's DW788 prints no noise declaration, and DEWALT's UK and European service sites refused our requests for the European manual.
DEWALT's US page says the DW788's double parallel-link arm "dramatically reduces vibration and noise", but attaches no number to the claim. Its US manual gives a 20 in. throat and 400 to 1,750 strokes per minute. Until DEWALT publishes a declaration, the DW788 cannot be placed beside Hegner's 64.1 dB(A) idle figure.
Excalibur, another name people weigh against Hegner, is no easier: the setup and operation manual for the EX-16, EX-21 and EX-30 that we read prints no noise figure, and Excalibur's own site did not load for us.
No, Hegner's English manual, linked by its US importer, is the only US document we opened with a noise declaration. JET's JWSS-22B and JWSS-18B manuals, Dremel's MS20-01 manual and DEWALT's DW788 manual print none.
The JET and Dremel figures therefore come from Europe. JET's JWSS-22B numbers are in a manual published by Tool France, the brand's French distributor, for the 230 V saw sold under the same model name. Dremel's come from its UK manual and product page for the MS20.
Hegner's English manual still lists a 230 V, 50 Hz motor for each Multimax, even in the copy linked for US buyers. Read its figures as describing that build; Hegner publishes no separate figure for a 120 V saw.
Rikon's and Proxxon's scroll saw ratings are ceilings rather than measured values, so they cannot be ranked against the Hegner, JET or Dremel declarations, or against each other.
Rikon's page and manual for the 10-600VS give a "Maximum Sound Level" of less than 76 dB idling, and its 10-622VS manual gives less than 80 dB at 0.3 m (11.8 in.). Neither states a weighting or a standard. A ceiling tells you the saw stays under a line, not where under it the saw actually runs.
Proxxon's DS 230/E instructions, which we could open only in a copy hosted by the retailer Conrad, print "≤ 70dBA" for generated noise, again with no distance, mode or standard. Proxxon's own product page calls the motor low noise without a figure.
A scroll saw runs quieter when it is bolted to a solid bench over a soft pad, with its table kept clear of the motor; WEN and Rikon give that advice in their manuals.
WEN's 3921 manual says to fit a soft foam pad between the saw and the workbench "to reduce noise and vibration", and warns that setting the table edge against the top of the motor causes excess noise. Rikon's 10-600VS manual says the table should not rest on the motor block either.
Rikon also prefers a bench of solid wood to one of plywood, because vibration and noise are more noticeable with plywood, and recommends a foam rubber base of about 400 by 240 mm (15-3/4 by 9-1/2 in.). None of these steps comes with a decibel figure.
WEN, Excalibur, RYOBI, Shop Fox and Grizzly publish no noise figure in the scroll saw documents we read, and DEWALT's and JET's US manuals print none either.
WEN's manuals for the 3921, 3922 and 3923 give none, and the 3920 no longer appears on WEN's site. RYOBI's US page for the SC165VS gives none. Shop Fox's W1713 and W1872 manuals and Grizzly's G0536 and G0969 manuals give none.
Delta's site refused our request for the 40-694 manual. Einhell and Scheppach print figures for European scroll saws, but neither showed us a US storefront, so we could not tie a model to the US.
