# Which saw for my buisness - advice really needed!



## kemo_2002 (29 Aug 2012)

Hi everyone, i am new to this forum, and was hoping some of your guys my be able to give me a bit of advice in somethingi dont knowmuch about!

i have my own business, currently making keepsake boxes, but for hte decoration i use MDF letters - i usually buy these, which cost roughly £1 per letter (6" high , roughly 6mm thick)

i would however like to start doing these myself and try to expand the business using different shapes ect.

eventually i wanted to save for a CNC but they are so expensive! and to be honest, apart from being able to mass produce them, it looks as though a scroll saw will fulfil my needs for now, if i tell you what i want to make, maybe some of you kind peple could give me an idea ofwhat i want tobe looking for:

i want to use it for cutting out MDF, mainly single letters, around 6" high 6mm thick
mdf shapes, of different kinds, stars, hearts ect

i would like to get into freestanding letters around 18mm

although im not 'mass producing them' i would be looking to do anything from 10-50 letters per week ... could a scroll saw stand up to that mch use?

Comments and suggestions greatly apreciated! 

oh budget..well im self employed and i am purley working formyself so i dont have £££££ to spend, but i dont want to g out an buy something that will give up on me after a month or so. Second hand is fine too, probably means i could get more for my money...


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## Blister (29 Aug 2012)

Only one choice in my book 

HEGNER 

they have 20% off on sales of new machines at the moment

If you will only be cutting wood then variable speed is not really needed

click the link 

http://www.hegner.co.uk/Scrollsaws

as you are self employed you need reliability so a sound quality saw is a must 

Dewalt 788 is also good but very rare in the UK as they are no longer sold here 

Then a list of all the others , the cheaper they get the lower the quality 

and blade changing needs to be easy as well , you will find loads of posts on this subject in the search facility 


:mrgreen:


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## loftyhermes (29 Aug 2012)

I would recommend a second hand Delta with the quickset blade clamps, at least two speeds.
happy scrolling
Steve


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## Mike M (29 Aug 2012)

I have to agree 100% with this statement:
"as you are self employed you need reliability so a sound quality saw is a must".
Do not buy second hand. You never know how much it has been used, no warrenty when there is a problem with the saw. 
You can deduct it as a business expends.
FD Mike


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## kemo_2002 (29 Aug 2012)

i was thinking HEGNER - but for what i want to do, which one? there is alot of choice, again the main things i will be doing it mdf wooden letters, shpaes, variety of thickness from 6mm - 20mm possibly going onto harder woods in the future. 

Do you think that i hegner will be to high spec for what i want it to do?


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## Blister (29 Aug 2012)

kemo_2002":bvsbzmqd said:


> i was thinking HEGNER - but for what i want to do, which one? there is alot of choice, again the main things i will be doing it mdf wooden letters, shpaes, variety of thickness from 6mm - 20mm possibly going onto harder woods in the future.
> 
> Do you think that i hegner will be to high spec for what i want it to do?




This one will do what you need , cuts up to 50mm ( 2 " ) 

http://www.hegner.co.uk/Hegner_Multicut_1

Quality is only a problem when you don't buy it 

Lovely saw , I have one :lol: 

Again buy good quality blades from Mike , he is in the USA but posts really fast and has a super range of quality blades , 

he will advise what blades you need for different wood types 

http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm

Have fun :mrgreen:


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## kemo_2002 (29 Aug 2012)

yes quality, seeing as though i have never in my life used one! everyone has got to start somewhere though right! 

im not sure if to go for second hand (not quite as expensive mistake if i really cant get to grips with it) i appreciate there is no warranty, but i couldnt take it back because i 'couldn't do it' lol

I would definately get a new blade! are the older hegner 1s much different to the newer ones that are now made? do you think i would need a variable speed? and if so, why?

Many Thanks again!


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## Blister (29 Aug 2012)

kemo_2002":2s5l9xpr said:


> yes quality, seeing as though i have never in my life used one! everyone has got to start somewhere though right!
> 
> im not sure if to go for second hand (not quite as expensive mistake if i really cant get to grips with it) i appreciate there is no warranty, but i couldnt take it back because i 'couldn't do it' lol
> 
> ...




If you buy a quality saw it will hold its price well


> (not quite as expensive mistake if i really cant get to grips with it)



How would you not get on with it , a couple of hours practice on some scrap wood following pre drawn lines and away you go 

You will get more annoyed trying to work with a low quality saw and it blade changing 



If you buy a cheap saw you may be able to give it away if you are lucky at a later date 

Variable speed is only really needed if you intend to cut metals and plastics and because of the extra electronics , costs more


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## kemo_2002 (29 Aug 2012)

Great, thankyou for a advice!

so now its just a choice of £395 (or £531 for other HM-1/110 - not sure what diff is? apart from £136) plus, etra for quality new blades?

Or

buy second hand probably costing around £200 if i buy brand new blades for it as recommended.

arghhh


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## Blister (29 Aug 2012)

This gives a comparison on the saws 

http://www.hegner.co.uk/assets/common/t ... rison.aspx



> HM-1/110 - not sure what diff is?



The 110 is 110 volts and needs a transformer

re the 20% off offer its time limited 

Call us on now 0845 567 0001 and quote SS20HGSS.

Offer available until 30th September 2012.


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## kemo_2002 (29 Aug 2012)

i see, ohhhh i assumed it has already taken the 25% off...makes buying new even better 

would you recommend that i may need any extras whilst placing my order? or will simply new blades be adequate?

sorry for all the questions, i just really want ot get it right first time!

I see the main difference is the variable speed, but like you said, im not wanting to cut plastics, i only want to work with wood  Out of interest, does it make a difference in speed if you are cutting thicker or thinner wood?


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## Blister (29 Aug 2012)

> does it make a difference in speed if you are cutting thicker or thinner wood?



As I said earlier you need to ask Mike what blade he recommends for a particular type of wood and thickness 

BUT you need to let the saw do the sawing and don't push to hard and don't force it , 

as it causes the blades to heat up and bend leading to a broken blade , and blackened wood either side of the cut ( burnt ) 

no different to using a table saw / band saw , you need to give it time to cut and clear the shavings away from the blade ( easier with the correct blade ) :wink:


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## mac1012 (29 Aug 2012)

no not really i cut between 4mm and 40mm with hegner 1single speed going the full 50mm with this model would be pushing it a bit .

as a general rule the thicker material you will need stronger coarser blades , numbers 3 5 7 and 9 should provide you with enough options for different materials

reverse tooth would be best it means 2 teeth on the bottom facing upwards so you dont get break through 

as for accessories quick release blade clamp from hegner is a must about 20 quid after that it depends how much money you got to spend !! you can have lights , foot switch a machine stand etc etc for my first 18 months all i had was the hegner and a cheap electric 1/4 sheet sander and i produced work that i sold (ah the simple early days) 

i use niqua reverse tooth saw blades that hegner supply about 8 pound for 3 dozen with delivery i find them very good and take couple days if you get hegner order some with your machine no extra postage then !

a hegner, a selection of blades , quick release clamp , a sturdy bench , some sand paper , a drill and your good to go 

Mark


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## mac1012 (29 Aug 2012)

For 4mm ply i use a number 3 if i was cutting around 20mm - 30mm i use a 5 or a 7 any thicker a number 9 , but here is the rub you could use say a number 9 on say 15mm depth but you wouldnt be able to cut tight radius it not an exact science it a matter of experimenting, i read some advice somewhere and it said to use the thickest blade you can get away with and as a general rule it works for me.

also you need to have at least two teeth covered by the depth of wood 

Mark


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## kemo_2002 (29 Aug 2012)

pardon my ignorance again, but the hegner 1 comes with :

1 x Pack of blades with 1 doz each grades 1,3,5,7,9 for wood cutting.
2 x Blade Clamps fitted in machine

will i need to get better blades than these? and also you say a quick release clamp (which i have heard on here is very useful) i take it the above again, is not adequate?


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## mac1012 (29 Aug 2012)

your not ignorant i know what it was like when i started !!

the hegner machine supplied blades are ok and will do the job fine i used them to start with but a dozen of the most popular sizes wont last long looking at what you are cutting i would order a dozen of 3,5,7 to get you started the reverse tooth niqua ones and you will notice the difference in quality 

the standard release clamp works fine and i used it for about a year then i got round to ordering the quick release clamp and wish i had it from the begining !! without trying to go into detail just two words sum it up quicker and easier , especially for internal cuts you wont be dissapointed and you will see the difference if you cant i will buy it off you for a spare !


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## [email protected] (29 Aug 2012)

I too wanted a scrollsaw for commercial use and bought a basic Hegner a couple of weeks ago. Its fine. I do alot of internal cutting so a foot switch would have been a great feature so may buy one for the future. I also bought the blade clamp thing which works really well. I have a quick release clamp on the back of the machine as standard and am struggling to see why an enhancement on this is worth the money :?: I hate buying secondhand machines unless I know the history also I hate buying cheap quality. At £395 less 20% its quite alot of money but well spent IMO. One thing I've noticed is the table scratches easliy being ally.

all in all this machine lives up to its reputationand I am well please  

blade changing is a doddle and it also cuts in stright lines without problem....


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## kemo_2002 (30 Aug 2012)

Thankyou everyone for your help! ive almost bought my first saw! im a bit nervous actually, whilsti m question asking, i might as well chuck in a few more, i will be cutting MDF boards, what do you use to cut the boards down to size? i know B&Q do a cutting service,but at 50p a cut, its going to work out expensive and cut down my profit margins, also, any advice on an easy method of getting the pattern onto the wood?

Thanks


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## mac1012 (30 Aug 2012)

dont be nervous if buying the hegner you be fine, i cut down my ply borads on hegner around 4 foot by 2 by cutting across half way then turning around and cutting across halfway again , i stick or draw the pattern on first so i know where to cut with a bit of pratice you can reduce a board like that down to workable pieces , obviosusly if you had a table saw that would maybe help or just a workmate and jig saw to get it down a bit but you will be suprised what you can reduce with the hegner

as for sticking i use prittstick power silver , metallic tube and then any that dosent peel off i sand , if you catn sand it because mdf you can use a a bottle of stuff called sticky stuff remover by de-solvit a few drops of that will quickly remove any residue it fantastic stuff b an q sell it but order online for instore pick up as hard to find on shelf.

a few drops on mdf wont affect the mdf just rub of quickly and dry and you be fine, .

you can use spray adhesive like m3 but i never could get on with them as pattern used to peel of unless you got exaxctly right , some guys on here use them i think but they are expensive and strong fumes and imo a bit messy, pritt stick is cheap and it never lifts of but make sure pritt stick power in metallic .


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## mac1012 (30 Aug 2012)

what i meant with MDF was if you cant sand it because it will mark the smooth surface of your letters with it being a smooth hard finish on the MDF if that makes sense. i never really worked with it so dont know if you can sand light sand the surface of it, i know you can sand the edges but if you painting your letters you may be able to light sand the surface if any pattern still hard to peel off.


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