# Hand Scroll Sawing



## john70 (9 Oct 2013)

Hello Scrollers. I have just registered for the forum. I have been Hand Scroll Sawing for 8 years and i wondered if anyone else did the same thing.

john70.


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## Bryan Bennett (9 Oct 2013)

First of all John a warm welcome to a very good group,I did hand fretwork a long long time ago.It has to be about 45 years ago.Somewhere in the posts when I joined I posted a photo of a fort that I had made.It was made with the scrollsaw,the first fort was cut out by hand.I doubt if anyone would use a hand saw now,I am very happy with the machine type. I hope that you enjoy the great members that we have here.


Welcome aboard Bryan


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## martinka (10 Oct 2013)

Welcome, John. I've not done any hand scrolling other than a couple of inches just to try it. I know some Russians who all do hand scrolling and do some quite ambitious stuff.
I was going to bid on an old Hobbies saw this (yesterday now) evening but forgot about it, and ebay didn't send me a reminder to say the auction was ending. It went for less than £14 

Martin.


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## ChrisR (10 Oct 2013)

Welcome John.

I was given a hand fret saw, for my birthday when I was seven or eight, spent many hours sitting to the kitchen room table cutting out Disney character’s that my sister had drawn on to plywood, when cut my sister would paint them.

That was many years ago, I am now seventy, and have been using a powered saw for many years, I still have that original hand fret saw and keep threatening to use it again, but that’s as far as it gets.  

Take care.

Chris R.


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## mac1012 (13 Oct 2013)

hi john welcome to the forum , I am interested in doing some hand scroll cutting only basic shapes like my angel wings, when I am at craft fairs , I have considered using my gem treadle saw but it creates more problems than it solves , would value your input as to what are the best sort of fret saws to get and blades etc how to hold the work whilst cutting etc 

would be good to see some pics of your work too !

mark


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## scrimper (13 Oct 2013)

Until I bought my Hegner I often used my Hobbies hand frame; finding myself better able to control the cut than with my A1 treadle machine. I still use my hand-frame occasionally and actually have 3 different sized versions from the original Hobbies company, I do have a soft spot for them as they belonged to my late father and my late Grandfather who was an expert fretworker.

As far as a cutting table is concerned Hobbies used to sell various metal cutting tables but I always found myself blunting the blade against them, I always prefered to make my own wooden version similar to the one the new Hobbies company sells http://www.alwayshobbies.com/components ... ting-table


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## john70 (13 Oct 2013)

Hello mac. I use Hobbies own fret saw the same as scrimper said. If you look in Always Hobbies website you will find the fret saw in their catalogue. I use 00.01 fine fret saw blades which do a great job on 4mm bb. Regarding the cutting table, decide if you want to stand up or sit down scrolling. I stand up because personally i find it steadier to control the plywood. Back to the cutting table make a boxabout 2ft square and as high as you need it,depending on your height,then make a v cutting table to fit on the box. You will also get the shape of the v table from the catalogue. I have 5 saws 1 was my fathers he used to make my toys for me at Christmas. Hope this helps John.


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## bugbear (14 Oct 2013)

scrimper":1y0hqodw said:


> Until I bought my Hegner I often used my Hobbies hand frame; finding myself better able to control the cut than with my A1 treadle machine. I still use my hand-frame occasionally and actually have 3 different sized versions from the original Hobbies company,



Ditto in all regards!!

BugBear


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## martinka (14 Oct 2013)

How about one of these for hand scrolling?


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## powertools (14 Oct 2013)

The guy I purchased my A1 from also gave me a round table with a v cut out of it because it had Hobbies written on it and thought it may have been part of the saw but neither of us knew what it was.
I can now see that it is an old Hobbies table for handsaw work.


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## scrimper (14 Oct 2013)

Is the table like the middle picture here?

I have the top version and it is horrible to use, a home made wooden one is 200% better!


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## scrimper (14 Oct 2013)

These are the hand-frames that I have. IMHO they are far superior than any you can buy today, apart from the quick release at the top the bottom part of the handle rotates for tensioning and for fitting shorter blades, I also find the flat frame is far superior to the modern tubular versions. Naturally these were made in the Famous Hobbies factory at Dereham.

A quality tool, it's a great shame we can't buy quality items such as this today.


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## powertools (14 Oct 2013)

scrimper":32kqlaw9 said:


> Is the table like the middle picture here?
> 
> I have the top version and it is horrible to use, a home made wooden one is 200% better!



That's the one.


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## Bryan Bennett (14 Oct 2013)

I remember having the saw table priced 3 shillings wow that certainly brought the memories back.Those were the days.

Bryan


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## ChrisR (15 Oct 2013)

martinka":3ghj2wr5 said:


> How about one of these for hand scrolling?
> 
> 
> Attachments:



Martin.

That is an interesting table for hand fret sawing, I would think that to some degree it would help to ensure that your saw was held vertical, when cutting. When using a hand fret saw this is probably the hardest discipline to master, when I was just a boy, I can remember my late uncle standing behind me telling/advising me when I was not sawing vertically, he was a very good teacher, but being a very skilled cabinet maker his standards were very high, not a bad thing of course.

I have only ever used two the Hobbies pressed steel cutting table as shown top of Scrimpers image of tables, plus a wooden one that my late uncle made for me, if I remember correctly the wooden one was much better to use, easier to grip your work, and a greater surface area. It was a very long time ago, so I may be just dreaming. 

Take care, from a now cantankerous old git. (hammer) 

Chris R.


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## martinka (15 Oct 2013)

When I was cutting the Whitby Steam Bus, there was a little piece I was wary of cutting with the Hegner, so I made a table - they are apparently called a "bird's mouth" among other things. The first was a piece of laminate floor which I found to be too slippery. The second was a piece of ply with a hole drilled and a vee cut into it with the Hegner, with a countersunk hole so I could bolt it to one of the many tapped holes in my bench top. You would have laughed at my performance. 

Scrimper, I wish you lived a bit nearer, I could have done with borrowing your hand saw to copy the clamps for my treadle saw.  I'll keep an eye out on ebay, but one seller from the USA has put a buy it now price of £94 on his! I hope he gets it, but it won't be from me.

Martin.


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## bugbear (15 Oct 2013)

scrimper":2bkcmu7p said:


> These are the hand-frames that I have. IMHO they are far superior than any you can buy today, apart from the quick release at the top the bottom part of the handle rotates for tensioning and for fitting shorter blades, I also find the flat frame is far superior to the modern tubular versions. Naturally these were made in the Famous Hobbies factory at Dereham.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You can, and cheaply.

But not new.  Renovation may be required.

BugBear (with that model in 12", 14", 16")


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## martinka (15 Oct 2013)

There's a very rusty one on fleabay at the moment, but it looks like one of the shackle clamps is missing. I might have bid on it otherwise.

Martin.


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## scrimper (16 Oct 2013)

These are the very basic sawing tables that I use, they are a bit grubby etc as I made them over 30years ago, notice the clamp slots are recessed so as to keep the top of the clamp below the table surface., I just clamp them on the bench or table when needed.


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## scrimper (16 Oct 2013)

This is my Fretwork cupboard,


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## martinka (16 Oct 2013)

Nice cupboard, John, did you make it?

Martin.


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## scrimper (16 Oct 2013)

Yes I did make it but it's only thrown together, not quality cabinet making!


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## martinka (16 Oct 2013)

scrimper":29fo0twp said:


> Yes I did make it but it's only thrown together, not quality cabinet making!



It's all relative. It looks quality to me, who has no woodworking capabilities at all. Someone who has been at it all their life might have a different opinion. 

Martin.


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## ChrisR (16 Oct 2013)

Scrimper.

Looks good to me. =D> 

My cupboards are just old kitchen wall cabinets made of ply, with bright blue doors :roll: . 



Chris R.


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## Bryan Bennett (16 Oct 2013)

Scrimper it also looks very good too me.If you said that you had bought it,I would have believed you. =D> 


Bryan


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