Advice on Record Power SS16V Scroll Saw 16-inch

[WoodySteve]

Hi i want to buy my first scroll saw. i see this Record Power SS16V Scroll Saw 16-inch on amazon for £129.
the reason im looking on amazon as i was given a gift card £140.
so my question is will the Record Power SS16V Scroll Saw 16-inch be any good for everyday use ?
or should i go with another scroll saw but keep in mind i got to buy it from amazon with £140 :lol:

thanks
steve

 

[boysie39]

Hi Steve , you will probably have noticed by now that there is a strong leaning towards Hegner saws on this forum .
I don't know if Amazon have Hegner's on their list . I don't have any experience of the Record saw so can not offer any advise .
I'm sure someone will be along who can offer you help on the Record . whatever your decision I wish you well with whatever you decide .

 

[WoodySteve]

Thanks Boysie, all i can see on there is

Draper 22791 405mm 90W 230V Variable Speed Fretsaw with Flexible Drive Shaft and Worklight £130.95
Sealey SM1302 406mm Variable Speed Scroll Saw with 230V Throat £107.74
Clarke CSS400B 16" Scroll Saw £86.80
CLARKE SCROLL SAW VARIABLE SPEED 230 Volt CSS400C £129.30
FERM Scroll Saw Electric Fret Bandsaw £69.99

 

[boysie39]

Steve , from what I can gather Clarke and Sealey are the same make with just the brand name changed . Made in China or some place down that end of the globe . That is not to say that good stuff has not been found from that quarter but reports would not give much hope .
Can you not sell your voucher to someone and go about buying a Hegner on some other bidding site . A bad saw to begin with could turn you against this great art form . Best of luck .

 

[Bryan Bennett]

Hi Steve look on the post "Frustrations" on the Record scrollsaw I noticed the notice on the bottom of it Established in the 1909's that is very misleading to any person thinking of buying one.Iown the cheapest Hegner and has Eugene says it is the most popular make.If I was you I would wait and try to save some more. :roll:

Bryan

 

[WoodySteve]

the vouchers are email codes called E-Codes. so cant really sell them. i just have to choose between the ones listed and hope for the best lol.

Thanks Brian i will have a look

 

[scrimper]

Steve, my advice would be to use the vouchers on something other than a scroll saw from Amazon and wait for another opportunity to buy a decent scroll saw later, if you buy one of these in haste now you will regret it later. Buying one of these will end in frustrations and probably put you off scroll sawing!

 

[martinka]

Steve, my advice would be to use the vouchers on something other than a scroll saw from Amazon and wait for another opportunity to buy a decent scroll saw later, if you buy one of these in haste now you will regret it later. Buying one of these will end in frustrations and probably put you off scroll sawing!

On the other hand, it was buying and using one of these that got me really interested in scroll sawing. And I've still got it.

Martin.

 

[WoodySteve]

thanks scrimper. i take your advice and buy something else untill i get the cash to buy a decent one.

 

[WoodySteve]

my next door neighbour as just told me hes got a old scroll saw i can have as he dont use it. so i will take up his offer and have a go

 

[Chippygeoff]

When you get intoscroll sawing it is just not the scroll saw you need but a whole list of othher things, a belt.disc sander is very handy as is a hand held sander. A drill press is a must really and if you really get i to it a router table. You will need a good liaght for the scroll saw and a fott switch is an added bonus. Have you got anything to cut your wood to sixe like a saw table or maybe a cross cut saw. Planty of things to spend your Amazon voucher on.

 

[scrimper]

Steve, my advice would be to use the vouchers on something other than a scroll saw from Amazon and wait for another opportunity to buy a decent scroll saw later, if you buy one of these in haste now you will regret it later. Buying one of these will end in frustrations and probably put you off scroll sawing!

On the other hand, it was buying and using one of these that got me really interested in scroll sawing. And I've still got it.

Martin.

But, do you still use it?
You now have a better saw and the benefit of experience. In the past I have often bought a cheaper item then later wished that I had bought a better one in the first place. Sometimes I am lucky and someone else will give me good advice on whether an item is a good one or not before I waste my cash.

That is the good thing about the internet one can often get good advice about stuff before buying, Steve did just that and hopefully will profit from it.

I always think the proverb below is a good one, it was written by John Ruskin 1819-1900

Its unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little.
When you pay too much, you lose a little money-that is all.
When you pay too little you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can’t be done.
If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run.
And if you do that,
You will have enough to pay for something better!

 

[mac1012]

don't worry about getting lots of equipment for two years all I had was my hegner and a cheap half sheet sander and a cheap cordless drill and I made and sold work quite successfully, adding other things is nice but not a must have

mark

 

[scrimper]

In actual fact you can do some pretty decent fretwork with just a hand frame a block and sandpaper and a simple hand-drill for internal cuts, My grandfather and my dad created some exquisite fretwork with no workshop, they had a A1 treadle machine and that was it, the work was carried out in the front room!

I do have a decently equipped workshop as I do other woodwork and the equipment does help with my fretwork but one can manage without too much in the way of tooling.

 

[martinka]

Steve, my advice would be to use the vouchers on something other than a scroll saw from Amazon and wait for another opportunity to buy a decent scroll saw later, if you buy one of these in haste now you will regret it later. Buying one of these will end in frustrations and probably put you off scroll sawing!

On the other hand, it was buying and using one of these that got me really interested in scroll sawing. And I've still got it.

Martin.

But, do you still use it?

Yep, I do. If I have to move the Hegner out of the way when I have a car in to work on and then want or need to cut something, I just chuck the Jet saw on the bench, clamp it down, and use that. I spent some time making improvements to that saw and it will do anything the Hegner will do. Admitted, it won't do it as well or as quick, and it doesn't feel as good, but if I hadn't had an internet connection, I would never have heard of Hegner and would have been happily using the Jet. In my opinion, the biggest improvement anyone can make isn't to change their Chinese saw for a Hegner, but to change the crap blades for quality ones. Of course, if you are going to be sat at the saw for hours on end, then it's a different matter. But buying a Chinese saw didn't put me off, as it apparently should have done, though I agree that a lot of the Chinese saws deserve the bad press they get, but the better ones are perfectly usable if you aren't scrolling for a living.
Martin.

 

[scrimper]

In fairness the Record is probably one of the better cheapo ones but as you say many of the Chinese made ones are total cráp!

It annoys me that They put the name of Record on these cheap Chinese made machines, it's an insult to the once great name of a quality British tool company and deceives buyers into thinking they are buying quality!

 

[WoodySteve]

Thankyou everyone for the advice, i decided not to buy a scroll saw from amazon. im going to get a henger after xmas.
i all ready own a belt sander and bandsaw and chop saw also a coronet hobby woodturning lathe and bench drill,
my neighbour give me a scroll saw today, i plugged it in and it started vibration around on my work bench :lol: (hammer)
its only a small challange scroll saw. alright for nothing untill i can afford a henger .

regards
steve

 

[scrimper]

Steve, The saw really needs bolting to a sturdy table or bench, otherwise they do 'dance' about a lot.

 

[martinka]

Talking about cheap scroll saws, I just came across this set of photos. The photos show the same model as the Record and the Jet.
http://imgur.com/a/Yp5JN

 

[WoodySteve]

cheers scrimper i will bolt it down tomorrow and have a pratice on some thin ply wood.

thats a nice chest set someone made there martinka. i will stick with the one my neighbour give me untill after xmas than i buy a henger