Scroll saws

[TommyChips]

Hi all, I am in the market for a scroll saw particularly for the delicate cutting of marquetry, any advice on the many products would be most welcome.

 

[Waka]

Tommychips

You might want to post this question on the Scroll Sawing forum, that's where all the experts reside.

 

[dickm]

A Hegner, or possibly ....................... a Hegner

 

[TommyChips]

Thank you both for your replies.

 

[boysie39]

Tommychips.

Welcome aboard .there are a lot of scroll saws on the market ,users will give you conflicting reports .

However the majority seem to favour Hegner , There have been lots of debates on the merits of most saws but apart from the cost Hegner seem to be the best .

Hope you get what you want soon and please post some pictures of your work .

 

[rspsteve]

plenty of bargain Hegners appear on eBay ... I missed one that went for £166 but picked up a almost unused Multicut 2 machine for £175 .

Its on its was as we speak but wont get used till the new year when I can set up my small workshop.

Steve

 

[scrimper]

My Hegner is quiet running and free of vibration and a joy to use, IMHO the saws are very overpriced but they are undoubtedly the best you can buy.

Seems that there are a plethora of cheaply made fretsaws available that are all mostly of the same design with a few cosmetic differences; in some cases just the colour or the brand. having one of these cheap saws in my workshop I can tell you they are not a pleasure to use nor suitable for serious fretwork. At the other end there are Hegners which are (IMHO) way too expensive, I feel there is an opening for someone to manufacture a decent Hegner quality saw at a more sensible price.

In conclusion I would suggest that Hegner is the one to aim for but as Steve says look on ebay and try to buy second-hand and save a lot of cash, most s/h Hegners are going to be in pretty good mechanical order although if you do need a spare part; spares are very expensive.

 

[Bryan Bennett]

Hi Tommychips welcome aboard,I would think that if you want to very thin wood like veneers you may have to consider a variable speed machine.I have the cheapest Hegner single speed and it does projects that I never thought that I would be doing.Good luck in the choice that you eventually make.

Bryan

 

[Chippygeoff]

If I were to design a scroll saw I would have a 22 inch throat. The table would be thick solid cast iron, it would be 3 times the size of the hegner table. There would be no inserts, just a small fore and aft slot for the blade. The table would be rigidly fixed at a true 90 degrees to the blade with no tilt facility. It would have the same quick realese clamps and the same tensioning system as the Dewalt 788 and the best bit of all, it would have variable speed up to 2000 strokes per minute. With this sort of speed it would be like a knife through butter using 3/4 inch hardwoods. It would have a built in light and on the base would be round about 8 points where it could be bolted down. The motor would be the finest industion motor available rated for continous use and if this could be made for around £600 the company making them would have to introduce a night shift to keep up with demand.

 

[stevebuk]

If I were to design a scroll saw I would have a 22 inch throat. The table would be thick solid cast iron, it would be 3 times the size of the hegner table. There would be no inserts, just a small fore and aft slot for the blade. The table would be rigidly fixed at a true 90 degrees to the blade with no tilt facility. It would have the same quick realese clamps and the same tensioning system as the Dewalt 788 and the best bit of all, it would have variable speed up to 2000 strokes per minute. With this sort of speed it would be like a knife through butter using 3/4 inch hardwoods. It would have a built in light and on the base would be round about 8 points where it could be bolted down. The motor would be the finest industion motor available rated for continous use and if this could be made for around £600 the company making them would have to introduce a night shift to keep up with demand.

will we be seeing you on Dragons Den Geoff, thats a sure fire winner..

 

[boysie39]

Chippygeoff , I have just sold three of your new design already , when can you deliver . :lol: :lol:

If it were only possible When I think back to the 60/70s going through Birmingham you would hardly need your headlights what with all the foundries at work .Where did it all go wrong . :roll:

 

[ChrisR]

Hi Tommy.

Hi
A further vote for Hegner, high price yes, but I guarantee you would never regret buying it, and I understand very easy to sell on, but I can't understand why anyone would want to sell on, you would never be able to prise mine from my grip, and I have had it many years. (hammer)

Runs as good today as when purchased, and trust me it has had a hard working life, to date. =D>

Take care.

Chris R.

 

[scrimper]

Regarding a larger table I have made a 'fit over' larger table for my Hegner with just a slot for the blade rather than the large insert it does help when doing detailed work.
A picture is below.

 

[stevebuk]

Looks good Scrimper, any chance of seeing 'How its made' as the table is very small..

 

[martinka]

I also made a false table for mine, but I made it a bit shorter so that I could lift the front and slide it backwards to get to the clamp holder. Actually, the size was dictated by the size of the piece of ply I had handy at the time, but it worked out OK. It's about 3 or 4" wider than the original table but it makes a big difference. I don't think I could work without it fitted now.
Mine is 8mm ply with 2 spacers at each side and the front with 'lips' that go under the original table, so it's like sliding it into a pocket, if you see what I mean. I did have a reason for making it that way, but I can't remember why except that it was to make it secure.

Martin.