Got a saw....now what?

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Tonight I managed to get my hands on a Hegner Multicut 1. I've read that it's fairly basic when it comes to hegner saws but I got it for a very good price (I think).

I haven't even turned on the machine yet. Is there anything that needs checked first? Do these saws need maintained at all?

Looking forward to cutting out some stuff tomorrow. Are there some practice shapes that help? I remember talking to a guy at Yandles last year about practising but can't remember exactly what he said.

I also enjoy turning. Can turning be combined with scroll sawing? Can't quite think of how at the moment but I'm sure something could be done.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Gill]

Hi Dave

My first proper scroll saw was a Hegner Multicut 1 too ; a huge step up from the electromagnetic Spiralux I started with. The saw needs very little maintenance - I just gave mine a drop of 3-in-1 oil on the arm pivot points now and again.

Before you switch the machine on, make sure your blade is properly tensioned and is fitted correctly with the teeth pointing downwards. You would be surprised how many people get caught out on this! Then make sure the table is square to the blade. A small engineers square will probably suffice to check this accurately, but there are other ways. For instance, if you cut a nick into a square block of wood then turn the wood upside down, the blade should fit perfectly into the nick if the table is square.

Patrick Spielman produced some excellent pattern books with very simple outlines which are good to learn with. However, you don't need a pattern book. Cheap colouring books for children often have designs which can be used for scrolling. So can greetings cards - with Easter just around the corner you should be able to find lots of eggs, bunnies, chicks etc. Free supermarket magazines often have suitable pictures which can easily be adapted too. So long as the patterns don't have too many sharp corners, they will be good to start with.

Don't try to follow the pattern line too closely when you start to cut or it will turn out wonky as you over-compensate. Instead, try to aim slightly ahead. If you go off the pattern line nobody will notice, but everyone will notice if the edges are wonky.

Is that enough to get you going? I hope I haven't missed anything important, but it's so easy to overlook things which I now take for granted.

Scrolling can certainly be incorporated into turning, especially when it comes to making pens. It's not something I've ever tried myself because I'm not a turner, but I hope to do so one day.

Here's something simple to get you going:

It was one of my first ever patterns (which is why the lines are not as smooth as my later patterns ) - just cut away the green bits and you'll be left with something that bears a passing resemblance to a Spitfire.

Gill

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Gill,

cheers for all the info. I haven't had time to turn it on today due to other annoyances. Hopefully I'll get the chance tomorrow.

It's funny you mention kids colouring books as that's the main reason I wanted a scroll saw. I want to make things to stick on to the kids walls, door, furniture, etc. It's great as the kids grab what ever I bring in the house. I turned a small winged bowl the other night but accidently cut off the wings. The kids decided it was a small hat! Very clever daddy.

I don't have a printer this week so I your pattern will have to wait til next week. I'll post some pics of the finished mess once completed.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[AlbertoA]

Dave, my daughter (she's 3) even likes "random" pieces and she can try to re-assemble it. If you colour each piece individually you can get nice looking results...
Thanks to both of you for the drawing books idea, that's very nice and I will surely use the patterns.

Alberto

 

[Anonymous]

Managed to have a play with the hegner today. Wow, what a saw. You just know as soon as you turn it on that it's a great saw. Very quiet!

Only one question... is there any quick way of disconnecting the blade to put it through a hole for cutting internal sections? I had to undo a bolt in the top to loosen the grip on the blade.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Gill]

It sounds as if you need one of Hegner's Quick Release Blade clamps:

They're available from HegnerUK but I see they cost more than £17 now . The last time I looked they were £12, IIRC.

I guess this is what comes of having a strong Euro and weak Sterling .

Gill

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers Gill. Looks a little expensive for what looks like just a knurled nut. Think I'll come up with my own idea to do the same thing.

Dave

 

[Geoffrey]

Hi Dave its not just a knurled nut the clamp is different a blade cannot pass right through. The clamp as a stop at the back of it.
i use one and it makes a big difference

Geoff

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Geoff,

Cheers for the info. Seemed expensive just for a knurled nut. I'll check one out when I get the chance.

Of course the first thing I did when I used the scroll saw was put the strange looking key to one side. Never thought about it again until I looked on the hegner site today. Some things are just too obvious for dummy here.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[user 5053]

We have a diamond fretsaw and it is great fun to use. I am a turner but their is no reason why you can't combime the both. I use to look in books and magazines for ideas and do a lot of sketching. I did some galloping race horses, dogs and a Taj Mahal. Scroll saws can be a bit noisy so you may want to use ear protectors. I wish you all happy scrolling.

 

[Gill]

The Diamond certainly is noisier than most saws, largely because it has a brush motor (if that is the correct name). Anyway, it's the sort of motor that powers routers. Hegners are fitted with induction motors and are much quieter.

Gill