Advice on which Hegner to get

[Steve A]

Hello all
Just joined the site very impressed by the detailed advice given.
As so many members have already said get the best you can afford, well I've been saving for quite a while.
I would like to buy a hegner, these are the four I'm interested in
Hegner multicut 2S scrollsaw V. speed 720.00
Hegner multicut SE " " 230v 100w. 899.00
Hegner multicut SE " " 110v. 989.00
Hegner multicut Quick " " 230v 100w. 999.00
This will be my first saw I intend to use it most days and work with a variety of woods thick, thin, hard and soft. From very detailed pieces to coffin size projects.
Really would appreciate any/all advice. Many thanks Steve.
P.S sorry if this has been previously answered but I'm a bit techno challenged.

 

[martinka]

There's not really a lot to choose between them. It's unlikely, being in the UK, that you would want the 110v model. The difference between the 2S and the SE is a the 2S has an aluminium table and the SE has a cast iron one. I don't know anyone other than Chippygeoff who has the cast iron table, and no one has expressed disatisfaction with the alloy table. So, in my opinion, it comes down to the 2S and Quick. The difference here is that the Quick has a 4" bigger capacity. The 2S can cut to the centre of an approximately 36" wide piece of wood, so you have to decide whether being able to cut a piece that's 8" wider is worth the extra £280. After owning a 2S single speed for 2 years, the 2S variable speed is the one I would choose.

 

[Chippygeoff]

Hi Steve. To get the very best out of a scroll saw I would choose one with variable speed and a cast iron table. The variable speed will allow you to cut all the materials you are likely to come across and the cast iron table ill absorb any vibration better than aluminium. The Hegners are renowned for being quiet, reliable and just about the best you can get. When I say vibration I did not mean from the machine iteself but from the wood you use. It there is only a slight cupping of the wood it will bounce as you progress cutting a pattern.

What annoys me a great deal is the term "Beginners Saw." I am always being asked what would be a good saw for a beginner. If people buy a cheap saw they can be put off for life by it's terrible performance, given a good quality saw the beginner will take to it like a duck to water. I remeber when I finished my carpentry. joinery apprenticeship I was given a complete set of hand tools to get me started, a lot of them were very poor quality and with poor quality tools you will not produce quality work.

By buying a Hegner scroll saw you will be able to produce anything to the highest standard. It will take a lot of practice to become a scroll saw artist but the learning curve is both enjoyable and frustrating but the members on the forum are here to help people just like you so when you get a problem just ask. We were all beginners once so we know the problems you will face. Order your hunger and have fun, it will last you a lifetime.

 

[Bryan Bennett]

Hi Steve a very warm welcome to the forum,you will be starting a hobby that I am sure will give you a great deal of satisfaction.I can just about remember when I started quite a few years ago.I bought the baby of the Hegner family and have never regretted my choice.

Bryan

 

[gilljc]

Hi, and welcome.
I have recently moved from a multicut 1 to the SE, and I can honestly say that the only thing I don't really like is the cast iron table, it is only because this saw was advertised for sale secondhand when I was seriously thinking of changing that I went with it. I did phone hegner to ask them and they honestly couldn't give me a reason why the cast iron table is better than the aluminium one. The saw in itself is exactly the same, and I have to disagree with Geoff re vibration, I have more trouble with vibration in my wooden shed than I ever had with the lighter saw. I have had to beef up my workbench considerably, in the house on my kitchen worktop there is no problem with vibration at all, but the same was true of my 'little' hegner.
if you have a concrete floor or similar and really solid workbench then the cast iron table should have no worries, but I honestly don't think it is worth the extra cost. Beyond that I would recommend the variable speed and then it is down to the size of throat that will suit your needs best ( the main reason I 'upgraded' and so far I haven't used the bigger depth of throat )
Gill

 

[PeteG]

Hello Steve I can't give you any advice on which one to buy sadly, but I reckon which ever model you opt for you'll be a very happy man.
I'm lucky in that mine was a birthday present and I had orginally ordered the Multicut SE with cast iron table, but the delivery date kept changing
so I cancelled and orderd the Multicut Quick which was in stock. The only difference between the two machines being 18" or 22", and the
extra £100.00. I say that, they actually wanted an extra £50.00 delivery for the Multicut Quick because it comes on a pallet, which it didn't need
and the delivery driver just cut the straps and then handed me the box!
I had a different response to Gills when I first called them, I asked to speak to a member of staff who was a scroller. I was told that no one at Hegner
actually used a scroll saw, the one chap that did had left. And whilst the rep I dealt with was very nice, he did comment that he didn't know what if
any the difference was, only that someone he knew could balance a coin on an alloy table and it wouldn't fall over.
One thing to bear in mind in you decide to go for the Multicut SE, they only orderd one, which is probably the one they now have instock and the one I'd
been waiting for. They keep plenty of stock of the Multicut 2S, same saw with alloy table, as they sell more of them from what I was told by the rep.
Like I say, no doubt you'll be very happy with either and they are a dream to use, can't wait to get back on mine tomorrow

 

[toesy]

Hegner multicut Quick - very rarely appear on eBay, buy if your not in a rush wait a bit and you may grab a bargin.

I have two second hand units and the 1st one I purchased over a year a go, and for the past 6mths have used it daily for 8hrs plus. And other than me knocking it over on its the stand and bending the tension rod its bullet proof. It always amazes me when a blade breaks how it all carries on working.

I now know, quality you pay for.

One day I intend to buy a brand new Hegner multicut Quick as a special present to myself

 

[ChrisR]

Hi Steve.

Welcome to the forum.

The posts above have given all of the information you need I think regarding Hegner.

Just to add, I have had a Hegner for many years and it gets a very busy life, to date I have not had to replace any parts, (excluding blades).

You will certainly enjoy using a Hegner, and that’s the key point, enjoy! as everyone you will make mistakes and end up feeding the waste bin with them, but that’s just part of the learning/addictive curve of scroll sawing.

Take care, and remember, enjoy.

Chris R.