# Thinking about a new scroll saw, some advice



## megga (29 Jan 2014)

Been trying to do some fine work on mine (just a cheap and chearfull, around £80 to £100 new)
I like Axminster, excaliber and hegner, and i know £500 will get me excited, but i may be looking at spending £250 to £300
The things that bother me with mine
1) viberation
2) the blower (mine has asthma)
3) the bit on the table where the blade goes through, needs to be of a reasonable size so small pieces dont fall through.

Cheers


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## Chippygeoff (29 Jan 2014)

The three things that give you some concern are very valid points. Firstly, vibration is difficult to control on the cheaper saws, even bolting them down they can still vibrate. The way to get the best from a scroll saw is to have a solid platform for it to sit on. My bench is made up of 2 layers of 4 x 2 and on top of that I have a layer of 18mm MDF. My Hegner is firmly bolted down at every point and I have no vibration whatsoever.

Your second point concerns the blower and again, on the cheaper machines they are not very efficient. I have no problems with mine but as you progress into your scroll saw work you may decide to rig up some form of dust extraction as I have, this will save you having to wear a mask.

I have never liked saws where you have a table insert, they are a real pain when you are doing fine work but on a lot of machines you have to have the insert for blade changing so the clamps can pass through the table. On my Hegner I have a fine slot leading up to the blade and where the blade goes up and down there is a small aperture and this is just wonderful. Sadly I do not think Hegner are producing this cast iron table any longer and I have not seen it on other saws. I would avoid buying an excalibur, not a good machine. Look for a second hand Hegner or save up for a new one.

There are other scroll saws available and some are not to bad. Ideally the machine should have a cast iron table, variable speed, quick blade changing clamps and a good speed to name just some of the things I would look for in a scroll saw. Hope this helps.


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## M P Hales (29 Jan 2014)

Chippygeoff":2k1em58a said:


> The three things that give you some concern are very valid points. Firstly, vibration is difficult to control on the cheaper saws, even bolting them down they can still vibrate. The way to get the best from a scroll saw is to have a solid platform for it to sit on. My bench is made up of 2 layers of 4 x 2 and on top of that I have a layer of 18mm MDF. My Hegner is firmly bolted down at every point and I have no vibration whatsoever.
> 
> Your second point concerns the blower and again, on the cheaper machines they are not very efficient. I have no problems with mine but as you progress into your scroll saw work you may decide to rig up some form of dust extraction as I have, this will save you having to wear a mask.
> 
> ...





+1
Geoff knows what He's talking about

M


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## megga (30 Jan 2014)

Hi, thanks for the reply. Will be unable to bolt the saw down as i have limited space in my small corner of this world we live in (small man cave with two bench sander's, lathe, bandsaw, pilla drill, mortice machine and a table saw) so its all has to be stored when not in use. I have seen a peougeot saw for £250
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-400V- ... 636wt_1037

Not sure about them (well there cars are cr*p :mrgreen:


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## Chippygeoff (30 Jan 2014)

I have looked at the Peugeot saw and as the cheaper saws go the spec is not to bad. However. It states using pinned blades makes blade changing easy, just release the tension and the blade just pops out. With pinned blades you are severely limited with blade choice as to size and type etc. If you were planning to do some fine fret work or other pierced work which involves lots of internal cuts you may struggle to get a pinned blade to pass through the drill hole. It did state that it takes pinless blades as well and these would be your best bet as there is a huge range and a blade for every purpose but I feel you would need a quick release clamp, especially on the top arm. The speed range on this saw is very good and I know there are people on this forum who have the same saw imported by various firms who produce some really nice things. It also has a cast iron table , which is another good point.


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## Bryan Bennett (30 Jan 2014)

Megga a very warm welcome ,Geoff has answered all your requests in a very clear way which cannot be bettered.When I bought my machine ( a very long time ago ) there was not a place like this to receive advice. I was very fortunate to have bought a Hegner Multicut 1,the cheapest in the range.Until I came here ( 12 months ago ) I did not know that there were other scrollsaws about.

Bryan


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## martinka (30 Jan 2014)

One little trick to reduce vibration if you can't bolt the saw down permanently, but you need to be strong enough to move it around - bolt the saw to a piece of flagstone.


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## scrimper (30 Jan 2014)

I find that vibration is tiny on a Hegner even when just placed on a bench especially at the lower speeds. I have mine bolted to a sturdy purpose built stand on castors which can be moved around as required, I get zero vibration with this.

You can remove the blower and set up an extraction unit if dust is a problem.

Blade hole size is largely irrelevant, simply make a false table that clips over the standard table and choose what hole size you want. 

I would agree with the advice to buy a s/h Hegner.

IMHO the Peugeot saw you mention is a spruced up copy of other cheapo machines, personally I would advise against. (just my opinion, others probably will disagree)


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## megga (30 Jan 2014)

Looks like Hegner or the Axminster (i love Axminster stuff and there delivery service is brill)
Am i right in sayining the entry level Hegner dont come with vair control? if so what the next one up with vairable controll, as i do cut plastics some time.
Thought the Peougeot looked a bit on the cheep side.
With mine when on full speed the viberation is so bad the line are a bit blur lol, but saying that its done me good, just want to progress to finer cuts now.

Whats the problems with the excaliber ones, i thought they was supposed to be good????


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## scrimper (30 Jan 2014)

megga":2cnu3ztn said:


> Looks like Hegner or the Axminster (i love Axminster stuff and there delivery service is brill)
> Am i right in sayining the entry level Hegner dont come with vair control? if so what the next one up with vairable controll, as i do cut plastics some time.
> Thought the Peougeot looked a bit on the cheep side.
> With mine when on full speed the viberation is so bad the line are a bit blur lol, but saying that its done me good, just want to progress to finer cuts now.
> ...



I understand that Excaliber used to be good but like many toolmakers today they have gone over to producing cheaper inferior products but you are still paying a premium for the name. A good example of this is Record who still market machinery with the label Record of Sheffield badges proudly displayed on them whereas in actual fact they are just cheaply made slightly improved far eastern products, Record products used to be made in Sheffield and were top quality although Record's earlier quality scroll saw was made by RBI of USA and was very well made.

As far as variable speed goes you do have to pay a large premium for this on Hegner machines as they use more reliable vibration free induction motors whereas many other machines use noisier universal (carbon brush) type motors which are easily speed controlled by cheap simple electronics.

Many here will tell you that you don't need variable but personally I would not be without it, I find it very useful to slow the cutting speed down especially when cutting small or thin materials, also a slower speed gives less vibration, you mentioned you wanted to store the machine after use and with a variable speed machine you could mount the Hegner on a stout board or base and clamp it to your worktop as you need it' the slower speed means it could comfortably used with out being bolted to a worktop with out much vibration. In fact when I first got my Hegner I used it simply placed on the bench and found vibration minimal and practically zero at the slower speeds.


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## megga (31 Jan 2014)

Well after bidding on a Hegner on flee bay, then realising that its 20+ years old, i managed to retract my bid.
Not being able to afford a new Hegner (cause i want vairable speed) i have gone for the Axminster AWFS18, so i blew my budget out the window.


Now the next bit of advice with regaards the Mrs, do i try the 

"what that old thing, i have had it years"
Lock myself in the shed, and shout through the door what i spent
bok an ambulance for myself
or do the good old one, it only cost £50


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## Jmac80 (31 Jan 2014)

just be honest 

Or... Get her excited about the amazing things you can make with it, gifts for nieces, nephews etc 
My better half is into making jewelry, She buys 1.5mm thick aluminum blanks like hearts, circles etc. 
It didn't take me long to convince her how great a scroll saw would be for cutting out her own aluminum blanks and we went halfers on a new hegner multicut se  I just ordered her a 1.5mm thick aluminum sheet 8 foot by 4 foot for £50!!! she used to pay about £15 for 10 x 1" circle or heart blanks!!!

James


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## Grahamshed (31 Jan 2014)

Jmac80":2k15h5da said:


> I just ordered her a 1.5mm thick aluminum sheet 8 foot by 4 foot for £50!!! she used to pay about £15 for 10 x 1" circle or heart blanks!!!
> 
> James


Sounds like you could be into another business line there as well.


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## Geoffrey (31 Jan 2014)

Hi what about axminster hegner clone I have both 18 awfs axminster clone and two Hegners. 
the axxy is my go too saw It was 216£ inc vat in 2007 and is in daily use they 
are a lot dearer now its your choice I know what id do.

Geoff


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## megga (31 Jan 2014)

Jmac80 said:


> just be honest
> 
> :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## megga (31 Jan 2014)

Just purchased it, and it's being delivered tomorrow, rubbing my nipples in excitement


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## Geoffrey (31 Jan 2014)

Hope you ordered some pegas blades to put in it they do a mixed pack for not a lot of money.
13£ for 60 blades .
I used to use Fd blades but prefare pegas.

GEOFF


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## Jmac80 (31 Jan 2014)

megga":we2g33j3 said:


> Just purchased it, and it's being delivered tomorrow, rubbing my nipples in excitement


 :lol: :lol:


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## megga (31 Jan 2014)

Geoffrey":1wcfovrs said:


> Hope you ordered some pegas blades to put in it they do a mixed pack for not a lot of money.
> 13£ for 60 blades .
> I used to use Fd blades but prefare pegas.
> 
> GEOFF



No, but i have loads, there the only ones i use.


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