Blades off ebay?

[Anonymous]

I've got a freebie paypal voucher to use on ebay and I need some blades for my hegner (never did get round to buying any since last asking). Are the blade packs on ebay any good?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/52-HEGNER-FRE...g_GL?hash=item4399d325a4&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/60-HEGNER-MET...g_GL?hash=item439664c8c0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Gill]

Hi Dave

They're decent enough blades and a lot of people like them, although I prefer Flying Dutchman. The eBay vendor is certainly making a profit; Hegner retails the same set of woodworking blades for only £10.61. Still, if you've got a voucher burning a hole in your pocket...



Gill

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Gill,

cheers for the info. The hegner price doesn't include vat. They still work out cheaper though. I'm going to Yandles tomorrow so I'll take a look what they've got.

On the subject of blades how much should I tension the blades? I managed to break 2 at the weekend. The first one bent slightly when I was removing it, then it broke when I put it back on and turned the machine on. The second blade was much smaller and broke while I was tensioning it. No idea of the quality of the blades though.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Gill]

Good question!

The inexperienced scroll-saw user is often inclined to run blades at too low a tension for fear of breaking the blade. Breakage is much more likely to occur due to mishandling of materials during sawing operations than by overtensioning the blade.

Plucking the blade as a musician plucks a string is as good a way as any. When the blade is properly tensioned, it will impart a certain sound or pitch, but as long as it is tight enough to give a musical note it should cut well enough. There is also the feel of resistance to the touch by the finger as the blade is plucked. If properly tensioned, it will exert a certain amount of resistance. After a few trial runs, the user will become experienced enough to judge how to adjust blade tension.

The thinner the blade, the higher the pitch for an appropriately tensioned blade. Yet, even though thinner blades have less mass, they will resist the side pressure from a finger as much as thicker blades. A useful reference for determining a blade's proper pitch is the realization that the note from a correctly tensioned blade is likely to be higher than the highest note reachable by your voice, even if you're a member of an opera club.

• (My bold.)

According to Mr Taylor, it's all a matter of experience - an opinion I share. Moreover, you will sometimes find that you need to tighten up the tension after working for a few minutes. I don't understand why this is so, but sometimes I begin to hear a rumbling bass undertone on my Hegner as I cut, an indication that the tension is slacker than it ought to be.

What make of saw do you have? It could be that someone else has a similar model and can offer advice about any peccadilloes that saw might have.

When you say the "second blade was much smaller", do you mean it was finer? For most saws, all blades should be a uniform length - 5 inches. If you are using blades which were supplied with your saw when you bought it, the chances are they will be inferior quality. Throw them away, buy a reputable brand (Flying Dutchman, Hegner, Olsen, Pebeo etc) and be surprised by the difference in your saw's performance.

Blades are quite delicate and if I ever accidentally bend one it goes straight in the bin. Sometimes I try to turn too tight a corner when cutting, the blade binds on the wood and... . If bending becomes a particular problem and you are not binding as you cut, it might be worth having your saw serviced because it could indicate problems with either the tensioning device or the distance between the upper and lower arms. However, I think it is much more likely to be a matter of technique and once you have the blade properly tensioned this problem will diminish.

Gill

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Gill,

cheers for the info. Since breaking the blades I've realised that I was massively over-tensioning the blades. Basically I was tightening until I could hadly tighten any more. I didn't know about the plucking and hadn't thought about the deflection.

I bought some blades from Hegner on Saturday at Yandles. When I got home I tried out on of the blades. I'm not sure whether it was the blade or me but I did find it a much more enjoyable experience.

I've got a multicut 1 saw. One thing I did notice about this saw (and probably any saw) is the strange blowing mechanism. It's the first time I've come across a machine that deliberately blows the dust towards you rather than away from you. I'm going to need to get my dust extractor connected.

Dave

 

[Gill]

I've got a multicut 1 saw. One thing I did notice about this saw (and probably any saw) is the strange blowing mechanism. It's the first time I've come across a machine that deliberately blows the dust towards you rather than away from you.

All saws have their peccadilloes and, yup... that's Hegner for you :roll: ! A £500 saw with a 50p dust blower. In theory you should be able to bend the plastic blow tube by dipping it in boiling water, but I've never tried that. Actually, it's quite effective if you configure it to suck rather than blow, but it does have a tendency to pull out little pieces of waste wood and trap them in the tube.

 

[Mike M]

It's the first time I've come across a machine that deliberately blows the dust towards you rather than away from you.

Check this: http://mikesworkshop.com/newprod.htm

You see the hose I make for the Hegner saws in the US. In the UK it will not fit becuase you don't have a hold down on the Hegner in the UK.
A long time I talked to them at Hegner in Germany but it seems they don't care much for their customers.
Mike

 

[alanjm]

I have a Hegner and I did a bit of jiggery pokery with some heat shrink and fitted the natty jointed tube that I got from Mikes workshop and now I blow dust away from. And yes one day I must fit a proper extraction system tomy saw....one day.
Alanjm