A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal-operated saw

Saw

A saw is a tool that uses a hard blade or wire with an abrasive edge to cut through softer materials. The cutting edge of a saw is either a serrated blade or an abrasive...

 that is useful for cutting intricate curves in cases where a jigsaw

Jigsaw (power tool)

A jigsaw is a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves, such as stenciled designs or other custom shapes, into a piece of wood, metal, or other material. It can be used in a more artistic fashion than other saws, which typically cut in straight lines only. In this way, it is similar to the rasp and...

 or coping saw

Coping saw

A coping saw is a type of hand saw used to cut intricate external shapes and interior cutouts in woodworking or carpentry. It is widely used to cut moldings to create coped rather than miter joints. It is occasionally used to create fretwork though it is not able to match a fretsaw in intricacy of...

 is not appropriate. It is capable of creating curves with edges. It is somewhat similar to a band saw

Band saw

A bandsaw is a power tool which uses a blade consisting of a continuous band of metal with teeth along one edge to cut various workpieces. The band usually rides on two wheels rotating in the same plane, although some small bandsaws have three wheels. Bandsawing produces uniform cutting action as a...

, but unlike band saws, in which the saw blade is a continuous loop, scroll saws use saw blades similar to those of coping saws and operate through a quick reciprocating up and down motion.

A scroll saw has two main advantages when compared to a band saw.