I just bought an Axminster!

[GuitardoctorW7]

Hi Folks,
Just to say hello as I'm a newbie here, it looks like a great site and the font of all woodworking knowledge.
I've just bought a S/H Axminster AWFS 18 on Ebay for £200. It looks in reasonable condition and I'm hoping to have great fun with it. I also bought a starter pack of Pegas blades and some Pegas spiral cut blades to learn what different types do.
I'll mostly be using it for guitar repairs and some building. I'm hoping that I can use the saw to make finely detailed templates and jigs.
Any advice gratefully received, and thank you in advance
Graham

 

[WRT WOOD WORKS]

Hi Graham
Also a relative newbie!
Got to be honest, i have tried some of the pegus spiral blades and wasnt a huge success, in fairness could of been me though!! Found they tended to wander off course. So i stuck with the regular pegus blades and thats all i use now.
Be good to hear how you find the spiral blades because i have a pack in the workshop and wat to give them another go.
Happy scrolling!
Bill

 

[whatknot]

Personally I detest spirals, I do not enjoy them at all so I stick to flat blades (Pegas usually)

Does your AWFS18 have a quick clamp ?

If not put one on your wish list

Apart from a good clean out of the dust that builds up, lube the points in the manual periodically (about every two months ish)

Waxing the table also helps (about once a month)

When you get to grips with the saw, you may want to upgrade the bushes on the tension lever, the original nylon ones can be changed with an upgrade to brass bushes, but I found the small bearings off some spare router blades were perfect, two per side using the original retaining clip

 

[GuitardoctorW7]

Hi
Many thanks for the advice. Yes mine has a quick clamp, but the nylon bushes. It's hardly been used (ex school) so has an emergency stop button which I'll probably remove. Got it for £200 so I hope it's a bargain

 

[GuitardoctorW7]

Hi Graham
Also a relative newbie!
Got to be honest, i have tried some of the pegus spiral blades and wasnt a huge success, in fairness could of been me though!! Found they tended to wander off course. So i stuck with the regular pegus blades and thats all i use now.
Be good to hear how you find the spiral blades because i have a pack in the workshop and wat to give them another go.
Happy scrolling!
Bill

Hi Bill, thanks for the advice I'll let you know once the steep learning curve flattens out a bit.
Cheers
G

 

[whatknot]

If you mean it has an NVR switch, thats standard fitment, I find no problem with it personally

Some like to fit a foot switch but have no idea why, and that requires the bypassing of the NVR switch

With some use you will find the nylon bushes wear quite quickly

Hi
Many thanks for the advice. Yes mine has a quick clamp, but the nylon bushes. It's hardly been used (ex school) so has an emergency stop button which I'll probably remove. Got it for £200 so I hope it's a bargain