lastminute
Established Member
Looking for a scrollsaw (for a friend) with quick release blade clamp...any suggestions?
Thanks
Gerry
Thanks
Gerry
...which scrollsaw?
- Thread starter lastminute
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
novocaine
Established Member
try asking in the scroll saw section (they are all a bit weird, but don't worry they don't bite, most people). Might be worth chucking in a drawing of a nice scrollsaw pattern before you enter though. 
AES
Established Member
+1 for posting in the Scroll Saw section.
How much do you/your friend want to pay? What will the main use/s be?
At around the 100 quid mark (plus/minus) they're all much of a muchness (seem to come from same Chinese factory, despite different name badges & colours) - some have QR, some don't, but a lot of those that don't can be simply/cheaply modified for QR (Axi for example have a pair of QR clamps that fit many) - NOT all though.
Some take only pinned blades (a pain if he wants to do fretwork with internal cuts), some take both pinned and pinless.
"Good" saws include Hegner, Delta, Excalibur, and Axi have a couple of own-label saws based on these. New prices from about 300 quid up, but from time to time these good makes appear on the SH market (ebay, etc) + also here in the For sale section (there was a Hegner here recently, don't know if it's still for sale).
Suggest you/your mate visits the Scroll Saw section and does a search, there's plenty of threads there discussing which machines to buy.
AES
How much do you/your friend want to pay? What will the main use/s be?
At around the 100 quid mark (plus/minus) they're all much of a muchness (seem to come from same Chinese factory, despite different name badges & colours) - some have QR, some don't, but a lot of those that don't can be simply/cheaply modified for QR (Axi for example have a pair of QR clamps that fit many) - NOT all though.
Some take only pinned blades (a pain if he wants to do fretwork with internal cuts), some take both pinned and pinless.
"Good" saws include Hegner, Delta, Excalibur, and Axi have a couple of own-label saws based on these. New prices from about 300 quid up, but from time to time these good makes appear on the SH market (ebay, etc) + also here in the For sale section (there was a Hegner here recently, don't know if it's still for sale).
Suggest you/your mate visits the Scroll Saw section and does a search, there's plenty of threads there discussing which machines to buy.
AES
eribaMotters
Established Member
I bought a 2nd hand Hegner many years ago and gave it heavy use for a few years. We bought them new for use at [Secondary] school where I taught and nothing else came near them for quality or longevity. We had a couple that were still going strong after 25yrs of daily use . I would not buy anything else.
Colin
Colin
AES
Established Member
There's a LOT of truth in what's said above about Hegner.
BUT, and it's a pretty big but, these days their design is pretty old-fashioned (e.g. no tilting head, just a tilting table, unlike the Excalibur, the Axminster version of the Excali, and now, a new Jet model), AND; by general consensus amongst experienced scrollers (many to be found on the Scroll Saw section, by no means just me), new Hegners (both new machines AND all their spares) are just vastly over-priced - the quality is unarguably excellent, but all 3 of the above-named give you more bang for your buck and are almost, if not exactly equal, in quality (build and materials). In fact one of the Axminster range IS actually a Hegner "clone", and reckoned by a couple of experienced owners on the Scroll Saw section to be every bit as good as "the real thing".
I bought an Excalibur 21 a couple of years ago (before Axi had their own re-badged but cheaper version) and before buying I had the opportunity to test both an Excali and a comparable muliti-speed Hegner in the shop's shop for an unlimited period (about 90 mins each). Personally, although undoubtedly very high quality, I choose the Excali over the Hegner (more "bang for the buck", just as good quality, AND the Excali was not only a bit cheaper, but spares prices for the Excali are "sensible", not "absolutely outrageous" as Hegner spares are now generally acknowledged to be).
But caution - we're talking about 300+ upwards quid machines here (in all cases except if buying SH) whereas a new scroll saw starter may want to consider the plus/minus 100 quid machines (some of which ARE usable - often luck of the draw though).
HTH
AES
Edit for P.S. Notwithstanding high quality, ALL machines require spares now and then, even Hegner - e.g. the "pump" for blowing sawdust away from the cut, perhaps a drive belt (depends on model), QR blade clamps, perhaps the odd bearing (normally specials, not off the shelf). Hegner are "taking the mickey" with prices these days (not just my opinion).
AES
BUT, and it's a pretty big but, these days their design is pretty old-fashioned (e.g. no tilting head, just a tilting table, unlike the Excalibur, the Axminster version of the Excali, and now, a new Jet model), AND; by general consensus amongst experienced scrollers (many to be found on the Scroll Saw section, by no means just me), new Hegners (both new machines AND all their spares) are just vastly over-priced - the quality is unarguably excellent, but all 3 of the above-named give you more bang for your buck and are almost, if not exactly equal, in quality (build and materials). In fact one of the Axminster range IS actually a Hegner "clone", and reckoned by a couple of experienced owners on the Scroll Saw section to be every bit as good as "the real thing".
I bought an Excalibur 21 a couple of years ago (before Axi had their own re-badged but cheaper version) and before buying I had the opportunity to test both an Excali and a comparable muliti-speed Hegner in the shop's shop for an unlimited period (about 90 mins each). Personally, although undoubtedly very high quality, I choose the Excali over the Hegner (more "bang for the buck", just as good quality, AND the Excali was not only a bit cheaper, but spares prices for the Excali are "sensible", not "absolutely outrageous" as Hegner spares are now generally acknowledged to be).
But caution - we're talking about 300+ upwards quid machines here (in all cases except if buying SH) whereas a new scroll saw starter may want to consider the plus/minus 100 quid machines (some of which ARE usable - often luck of the draw though).
HTH
AES
Edit for P.S. Notwithstanding high quality, ALL machines require spares now and then, even Hegner - e.g. the "pump" for blowing sawdust away from the cut, perhaps a drive belt (depends on model), QR blade clamps, perhaps the odd bearing (normally specials, not off the shelf). Hegner are "taking the mickey" with prices these days (not just my opinion).
AES
