# Replacing Meddings blade guides



## beech1948 (8 Sep 2014)

Hi,

I have a Meddings industrial scroll saw. Its big, heavy +++ (200+ Kg) and now converted to variable speed. The blade guides are such that they accept pinned blades. I want to convert to pinless blades and have removed the upper and lower blade guides.

In searching for styles of blade guide to copy I have found very little information and so I have a few questions.

Q1: Most guides seem to be a loose metal square pad which tightens against a fixed pad using a screw/ hex bolt/why. Is that so.

Q2: Are there any blade guide kits which might fit. Both my upper and lower guides fit into position on to a spigot about 3/8ths long and 7/32 wide....I will measure more accurately soon and the spigot and blade guide are joined by a press fit roll pin. If I can replace this with some kit parts even if I need to add a few holes that would be good.

Q3: Are pinned and pinless blades all the same length.

Hope this makes sense to someone who can help a bit.

Al


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## Phil Pascoe (8 Sep 2014)

Wizard will be with you soon...


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## Chippygeoff (8 Sep 2014)

I can only help with the blade question. Pin and pin less blades are the same length but with pinless blades you have a vast choice.


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## beech1948 (8 Sep 2014)

Thanks Geoff.

My concern was if there would be a need to adjust the "stroke" length of the scroll saw.....seems I will not need to.


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## wizard (8 Sep 2014)

I am happy with pined blades on mine, just picked up some 6 ½ “ ones at the car boot


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## summertime (8 Sep 2014)

Hi, I have a meddings fret saw in very good condition, used it alot before I bought my Hegner polycut then an excalibur EX 30. IN my opinion the meddings is 1950 technology, the EX30 is 100 times better than the Meddings.
I spent days with the meddings, it relies on the spring to keep the blade in tension, not s good idea.
if you want to improve your scroll sawing beyond belief , buy an excalibur 21 
Regards Roy Ames


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## beech1948 (8 Sep 2014)

Summertime,

You may possibly be right if I was going to use this as a scroll saw. 

However, I need to develop the Meddings into a sanding machine using scroll saw sized sanding strips, say 4 to 12mm wide and 150mm long, with an up and down action. I need a series of grits from 80 to 2000 and from coarse AlOx to 0.3 micron so these will be self built strips. Some sanding type some polishing types.

I do however need a faster change of blade/sanding strip than the pinned type blade guides provide. Pinless blade guides seem like the best answer here with a quick release mechanism.

It cost me £26, less than the scrap value. Its big, quiet, very well built has no discernable vibration when mounted on small rubber feet and mat and is I think reliable. Even if I have to keep oil in the gearbox.

An Excaliber by comparison would be many 00's of GBP's, is probably not strong enough and according to various web sites of uncertain reliability and build quality vs the price asked. 

My other scroll saw is a Diamond. 

My application involves the making and finishing of some heavily customised one off jewellery mounts (others fit the jewels) from metal castings (lost wax process), resin castings and exotic wood. The scale can be small like a dolls house stuff but much of it is interlinked to be 3 to 10 inches across and tall. The Meddings would handle the first rough shaping of a cut out piece the rest would then be done by hand.

Al


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## beech1948 (23 Sep 2014)

I've been looking at the Axminster APTC spare scroll saw blade guides as here

http://www.axminster.co.uk/blade-clamp-for-awvfs-fretsaw

It seems that if one was held horizontal then the larger of the two holes (across the waist of the guide) could be used to mount to the meddings top guide and need only a 3-4 mm hole to be secured by a roll pin.

Does anyone have experience of these guides, how strong are they across the middle waist. 
Do they need a screw across the front to close the guide on the blade

Any one got any thoughts on these.

Al


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## powertools (23 Sep 2014)

I modified both my cheap scroll saws to use the clamps you have linked to and I am happy with the results for the price.
Your sig suggests that you only want top quality and you will not find that for £2 per clamp I would suggest that you risk the low price and see for yourself if they will do what you require. 
The screw to close them comes with them.


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## Claymore (23 Sep 2014)

...........


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## beech1948 (23 Sep 2014)

powertools,

First the sig is really about the need to avoid much of the carp currently for sale masquerading as tools eg my eldest boy just bought some chisels made of cheese which were rapidly returned to an argumentative shop holder and replaced with 6 old marples chisels from my "unrescued" stash.

Like everyone else I'm not rich and only like paying for stuff that will do it's job.

The reason I asked about the Axi blade clamps is that even though they are cheap as chips they look a bit weak around the waisted part and have quite a bit of the casting drilled away. So I thought I'd ask for some experiences. and they look like the Jet blade clamps just slightly different. 

1)I've since found out that Sheppach sell their blade clamps as spares so seeing if they might fit with a bit of metalwork.
2)Some of the older US Delta parts might fit.
3)Olsen scroll saw blades also make a conversion kit but it probably won't fit.
4)Franc Pozgay ( spelling?) in the US offers a kit also but unsure how to evaluate.
5) the best I've seen are from the older Diamond brand scroll saws but they went out of business so I would need to copy their design...needs a machinist.
6)Maybe that a small bit of mild steel with a couple of threaded holes and a slit will work.
7) Just noticed that Axi sell the blade guides off the Proxxon DS460 for £14 that might work with some engineering.

So still trying to evaluate and decide a way forward


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## Farmer Giles (18 Nov 2014)

I'm just in the middle of buying a meddings scroll saw, a mate of mine is picking it up on Thursday - I hope it fits in the back of his Skoda Fabia.... He may have to dismantle some bits. If I like it I shall make some pinless clamps of some description after looking at other makes to combine the best design features. Is Heggner the pinless clamp design of choice or are there better ones?


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## Phil Pascoe (18 Nov 2014)

Wizard will no doubt be along to give you odds on the chances of getting it in a Skoda Fabia...


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## Claymore (18 Nov 2014)

..........


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## wizard (18 Nov 2014)

Move it in one piece it’s a bit fiddly to take apart and it will fit in a small hatchback with the back seats down.


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## beech1948 (18 Nov 2014)

A couple of things;-
1)Claymore: many thanks for the URLs they look useful

2)After looking at several non-original solutions to the pin-less blade clamps I have decided that non of these will fit easily or will not be strong enough for various reasons.

3) The solution came to me after I persuaded a seller of a Meddings on Ebay to send me some pictures of the upper and lower pinless clamps. It turns out to be a mild steel part which can be manufactured fairly easily with what's in my workshop. So I will have a go before Christmas. I will try and post the pictures when I get 5 mins to resize them.

This seems the easiest way to go as most of the options have no easy way to be engineered to fit.


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## Farmer Giles (18 Nov 2014)

thanks guys, I shall post pictures when I get it home, however it will be a while, its being picked up by a mate and taken from Kent to Essex then I shall ship it to Yorkshire later in December.


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## Farmer Giles (23 Nov 2014)

They got it into my mates Fabia hatchback, but had to take the arm off to do it. It is now cluttering up my mates 11th floor flat hallway, I need to buy his girlfriend a very nice bottle of wine.....


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