New saw advice

[Stooby]

Hi I am new to the forum. I am thinking of getting a new scroll saw and wonder if there is any advice here on what is a good machine. I have seen lots about the Hegners but can't go as high as their variable speed models are.
I am on my first scroll saw, the Dremel moto saw. Things I like about it are the easy blade change, auto tensioner and vary speed. Things I don't like are the pin blades making detailed work impossible, lack blower, dust port that won't fit anything and limited to a few blades.
All advice welcome, thanks.

 

[Chippygeoff]

It is the most asked question on the forum, what scroll saw should I get. There are a lot of bad scroll saws out there and a few good ones. It;s down to what you can afford. If you go for one of the cheap imported ones from the far east your scrolling experience will be filled with frustrations and probably disappointments. The ultimate scroll saw has to be the Hegner and if you cant afford a new one then scan the ads and e-bay for a secondhand one, even a 20 year old single speed Hegner would be preferable to a new imported chiwanese saw.

 

[Bryan Bennett]

A very warm welcome to the forum Stooby, I totally agree with Geoff .I bought the baby of the Hegner family,the Multicut 1 single speed.When I bought it a very long time ago I didn't realize that there were different ones around.
I was very fortunate to have made the right choice without knowing it,it is a wonderful hobby to have.

Bryan

 

[toesy]

Welcome to the forum fella

What's a good saw? = What you can afford.

DONT do what I did and buy a brand new one for around £100, (these all look the same, and come more than likely out of the same factory)

Buy a used one from eHay for a quarter of the price, this will have been used and tested by it's previous owner, you may also get some freebies with the machine.

Best thing to do is try and collect it, this way you will get to see it work and get some free advice.

Use that until you feel you want to invest more money to get better results, and then SAVE up, and get a second hand Hegner on eHay usually circa £175.00 plus, then do it.

Then you will be a happy chappy

 

[Stooby]

Thanks everyone. I made the mistake of reading up on this question on American forums. They really rate the Excalibur. Is the Hegner consider better in the UK?

 

[Chippygeoff]

The excalibur that is available in America is not the same as the ones available here in the Uk. The Uk versions are rubbish whereas the ones in America are a decent saw. There are several saws available in America that I would rate very highly but sadly here in the UK there is only one decent saw available as a new purchase but having said that there are saws that come up from time to time on e-bay etc that are older models no longer made but still a very good machine, like Deltas. The reason Hegners are rated so highly is that it is the only decent saw that is available here at a vastly inflated price. I have no regrets buying mine and in all the time I have had it I have not had a single problem, they just go on forever with a little TLC.

 

[jonluv]

Hi
Just to echo what Gippygeoff says , you can pick up some older quality saws on ebay or gumtree. I got an unused Delta 40-540 for £30 an old Hegner multi 1 for £65 which I did'nt get on with but sold it for £140 and it got a Delta Q3 for £60.
If it wasn't for the Hegner getting such a good price I could not have bought my current saw.
I would like the USA Excalibur but the are rare in UK (I think)

John

 

[finneyb]

Axminster's Trade AWFS18 at £400 with variable speed and a 3 yr guarantee is half the price of the equivalent Hegner . Looks identical to the Hegners and performs just fine.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-tr ... scroll-saw

Brian

 

[ChrisR]

It is the most asked question on the forum, what scroll saw should I get. There are a lot of bad scroll saws out there and a few good ones. It;s down to what you can afford. If you go for one of the cheap imported ones from the far east your scrolling experience will be filled with frustrations and probably disappointments. The ultimate scroll saw has to be the Hegner and if you cant afford a new one then scan the ads and e-bay for a secondhand one, even a 20 year old single speed Hegner would be preferable to a new imported chiwanese saw.

Welcome to the forum.

I second Geoff’s post.

Take care.

Chris R.

 

[Stooby]

Given the extremism price variation between the Axminster and similar Hegner are their any known issues about either that I should be aware of?

 

[Stooby]

Hello all, sorry for that lazy question. I have spent some time looking over old posts and the AWFS18 does look good to me. I see there are a lot of recommendations to fit the hegner quick release clamps to the AWFS18, is that easy to do? Also what is it best to stand it on, the Axminster stand suggest I would need to add an mdf sheet on top to accommodate the larger machine? And something to dampen vibrations?

 

[Chippygeoff]

When you see the AWFS18 first thoughts are that it is firstly a bargain when compared to the real thing, you read the spec and realise to get the equivalent Hegner you would need to spend three times the money, ot there a bouts. If you were to buy yhis machine from Axy then make sure you wear thick gloves when unpacking it as the underside of the table and the base can have very sharp and jagged edges that could rip your hand open. Secondly, it would have to be very firmly bolted down on a solid bench or stand. To all intents and purposes it is a Hegner in disguise but it is a long way from being Hegner quality. It is made in the far east like most other saws and is only a Hegner clone in appearance. The quality of the materials leaves a lot to be desired. Having said all that I know some people who have bought this machine and then got rid of it while there are others who have bought one and have stuck with it. At the end of the day it's what you can afford and if I were in your shoes I would want to see it in the flesh and try it out before I parted with my hard earned cash.

 

[Farmer Giles]

I bought this Proxxon scroll saw, about 150 quid including postage from Germany, its a cut above the 100 quid clones quality wise but I must admit I am not a scroll saw aficionado so there may be issues I don't know about, I couldn't say if these are better or worse for blade fitment etc. as I have had little to compare it with except a mates cheap clone. It takes both pinned and pinless blades and the blower works well as does the extraction. There is one second hand on fleabay now for 90 quid, pick up only though.

BTW, nice and heavy and doesn't vibrate across the bench.

 

[Roughcut]

I bought this Proxxon scroll saw, about 150 quid including postage from Germany, its a cut above the 100 quid clones quality wise but I must admit I am not a scroll saw aficionado so there may be issues I don't know about, I couldn't say if these are better or worse for blade fitment etc. as I have had little to compare it with except a mates cheap clone. It takes both pinned and pinless blades and the blower works well as does the extraction. There is one second hand on fleabay now for 90 quid, pick up only though.

BTW, nice and heavy and doesn't vibrate across the bench.

It's good to hear that someone has another brand of scroll saw not often mentioned here.
I believe Proxxon have a decent reputation.
The only thing I have heard is that some Proxxon machinery is only really suited to short duty periods of use as the machine motors get hot.
That was from a Proxxon Band saw review I read somewhere.
I personally have no experience of Proxxon gear so this could be false information that I read.
How do you find the saw Farmer Giles?

 

[Samfire]

[*]I am not sure why so many people think the UK Excalibur is a poor saw, I have one and it works great for me. I wonder if other Excalibur owners are happy with theirs. It would be interesting to get a balanced opinion.
George

 

[Farmer Giles]

It's good to hear that someone has another brand of scroll saw not often mentioned here.
I believe Proxxon have a decent reputation.
The only thing I have heard is that some Proxxon machinery is only really suited to short duty periods of use as the machine motors get hot.
That was from a Proxxon Band saw review I read somewhere.
I personally have no experience of Proxxon gear so this could be false information that I read.
How do you find the saw Farmer Giles?

The motor seems fine and it generally has a quality feel about it for the cash. Presently I feel the saw is not being pushed by my skill level so is better than I am There are some sensible and useful reviews on Amazon too, including a Hegner user.

 

[Roughcut]

Thanks for your reply Farmer Giles.
It's good to hear of people's experiences of other (not so much mentioned) brands of scroll saws to help give people more options when looking to purchase a scroll saw.
The amazon reviews look good.

 

[finneyb]

Given the extremism price variation between the Axminster and similar Hegner are their any known issues about either that I should be aware of?

I have the Axi Trade AWFS18 - perfectly happy with it. I went thro the same decision making process as you are doing.

Personally, I can't see significant differences in the spec between the equivalent Hegner and the AWFS18, except the Axi is heavier at 29kg and doesn't have a split table ( I consider the Hegner split table to be a weakness).

Suggest the main difference in price is due to the higher German wages cf to Far East and a poor sterling to euro exchange rate.

Does the Hegner quick release clamp fit? I don't know but would expect it would. Alternatively you can make your own using 4mm threaded bar with a couple of nuts and lever turn it - I use a small mole grip as the lever and it works fine.

Axi gives a 3 years guarantee on Trade kit and they do provide excellent customer service should it be needed.

Brian

 

[martinka]

Does the Hegner quick release clamp fit? I don't know but would expect it would. Alternatively you can make your own using 4mm threaded bar with a couple of nuts and lever turn it - I use a small mole grip as the lever and it works fine.
Brian

Yes it does fit, but it's not as simple as that to make your own. The Hegner quick clamp has a rotating piece at the inner end of the 4mm thread which stops the tendency of the blade to twist as you tighten it.

 

[finneyb]

Does the Hegner quick release clamp fit? I don't know but would expect it would. Alternatively you can make your own using 4mm threaded bar with a couple of nuts and lever turn it - I use a small mole grip as the lever and it works fine.
Brian

Yes it does fit, but it's not as simple as that to make your own. The Hegner quick clamp has a rotating piece at the inner end of the 4mm thread which stops the tendency of the blade to twist as you tighten it.

Martin,

I accept that Hegner Quick clamp has rotating piece as you say and I can see what they are saying about the blade's potential to twist. I've never noticed problems with the blade twisting using my method above. Mike's workshop has a lever that's been mentioned on here before and so far as I can see there is no rotating piece on that either ie its just like the method I use. Mike does make it clear that his lever is not a Hegner product.

Brian