Which saw

[Baldhead]

My disabled brother wants to try scroll sawing, so which saws meet the following criteria,

1. Doesn't cost a fortune (he doesn't work so funds are tight)

2. Takes both pinned and non pined blades

3. Is easy to operate

4. Has good resale value incase he doesn't find scrolling is his thing.

I understand Hegners are the Rolls Royce of scroll saws but since he's car is an old Peugeot I doubt he will be buying one, also this is going to be a birthday present from his wife, so although I would advise buying second hand I think she would like it to be brand spanking new.

He lives in North Devon so Axminster Power Tools is not that far away from him.

TIA

Baldhead

 

[martinka]

1. There doesn't seem to be an inbetween price with scroll saws, there's (relatively) cheap and (relatively) expensive.
2. I think that's just about every saw except the Hegner. I'm not sure about the Excalibur.
3. They are all easy to operate. Some are more awkward than others for blade changing.
4. Unfortunately, only the more expensive ones such as the Hegner, Excalibur, etc, seem to have a good resale value.

I have a Jet, which Axminster sell for £106, which I did some decent work with. It needs bolting down, a handle fitting to the top clamp, and the hold down foot and the left hand guard removing to make it reallyusable, but that's just my opinion. It can obviously be used straight out of the box, though it still needs bolting down. I wouldn't expect to get 50% back on the buying price even though mine is still like new.
I don't know anything about the Proxxon's and after that the price is £500 and rising at Axminster.

If he is in no hurry, best bet is to keep an eye open for second hand, preferably one of the better quality saws, but I must say I am not of the opinion that buying cheap means you will be put off for life. My first go with a scroll saw was with a borrowed 15 year old Draper and rather than put me off, it made me want to buy my own. The Hegner came later and was almost unintentional, I wouldn't have been unhappy owning just the Jet. Come to think of it, if I had never found this forum, I would probably have never heard of Hegner. (hammer) :mrgreen:

(The Hegner is probably why we have a 16 year old car. :wink: )

 

[Chippygeoff]

I endorse everything Martin has said. You are asking a lot and its just not feasable. Its either going to be a cheap saw or a Hegner, maybe a Delta if you can find one on flea bay. I cannot understand why you would want it to take pinned blades as it would be very difficult to do pierced work with these and your choice of blade size if very limited. I don't know what sort of disability your brother has but he may well stuggle with one of the cheaper saws and on top of that they can be very frustrating when using them. In your shoes I would go for a second hand hegner. I to am disabled and my Hegner is the best thing I ever bought.

 

[Baldhead]

Thanks guys, guess I'll just have to convince my lovely sister-in-law to spend a bit more! His disabilities are he cannot walk unaided (uses a stick or wheelchair) and it is very painfull to bend or twist etc etc. he had an accident at work several years ago, he does some wood carving and wants to try scroll work, probably just for a change.

Cheers

Baldhead

 

[ChrisR]

From another disabled user of Hegner, I would agree with the above posts and yes the original purchase price of a Hegner may be above other saws, but runs very smooth, which means less operator fatigue, an important factor for me and I am sure a factor for lot of other disabled people.

As Geoff said in his post ,you don’t really need a saw to take both pin and plane blades, as you can get any size or grade of blade you could ever want with plane end blades.

Take care, I am sure your brother will enjoy scroll sawing.

Chris R.

 

[Baldhead]

My fault guys, I thought if he got a saw that takes pinned blades it would be easier and quicker to change the blades.

Baldhead

 

[Bryan Bennett]

I also endorse all the posts that have replied,Hegner are the best.If you are able to get one and your brother changes his mind you will probably be able to sell it on this site quite easily.I hope you are fortunate are able to get hold of one.

Bryan

 

[scrimper]

Have to agree with what others said, basically in the UK you either have to choose from a cheap poor saw or a Hegner, you can buy an Excalibur (which are expensive) and reading reports they are not worth the amount they cost. In the US they seem to have a much better choice of saws.

Worth keeping an eye on ebay for a decent s/h Hegner.

The Hegner does cost a huge amount compared to others and I wish that a company would produce a decent good quality saw in competition with Hegner as I do think they cost too much for what they are. However if you tried one of the cheaper saws and then the Hegner you would know instantly why most people here are fans of Hegners.

Hegners are easy to use do not use complicated equipment or electronics (apart from a variable speed control on some models) and are an absolute joy to use when I first had my Hegner I found it almost impossible to walk past without having a go on it!

 

[Chippygeoff]

I have been thinking about the cost of the Hegner. I looked at the polycut 3 some months ago and it was about £1200. I looked at the Hegner site again yesterday and was shocked to see that the polycut 3 is almost £2000. I really cant see anyone paying that amount for a scroll saw. For that sort of money you could get a really nice piece of quality workshop machinery such as a planer/thicknesser or a large table saw. I was wondering if buying a Hegner from another country would be a lot cheaper, even taking into account the shipping cost. I believe when Eugenge bought his Hegner he paid in Euros and made quite a saving.

 

[martinka]

I think their main customer is education establishments who seemingly will pay whatever price is asked. Hegner will charge whatever they can get away with I suppose. Allegedly.

 

[ChrisR]

To keep a balance the (Hegner Polycut 3), is the top of the range, but I think that most users would find that the (Muiticut 2 S) did all that was wanted.

The Polycut 3, with 19 5/8’’ throat and a max cut depth of 2 5/8’’. 180w motor. Price £1832.68.

The Multicut 2S, with 18’’ throat and a max cut depth of 2 5/8’’. 100w motor. Price £806.86.

So the only real gain with the Polycut 3 is an extra 1 5/8’’ throat, plus a slightly higher wattage motor, but the gearing is that well balanced that I have never stalled the 100w motor on my saw, or had it slow down, even when cutting max depth in hard wood. I appreciate that the Polycut 3 is generally heavier built and with a larger table, but I suspect that not many domestic/hobby users would ever fully exploit this.

Having said that, I would love to own a Polycut 3, but I know that I could never justify the price.

As Geoff said, a plainer thicknesser, a table saw, or in my case a nice band saw, would be on my shopping list.

Take care.

Chris R.

 

[boysie39]

I believe when Eugenge bought his Hegner he paid in Euros and made quite a saving.

I think the way it works ( I may not be correct in this ) is. large companies set out their stall early as regards other currencies and their transaction rates are always on the lowest rate or highest which ever is best for them . When I am buying in Stg. I ask for their price in Euros , it is usually 10 to 15 cent lower than the current Bank rate .
maybe more. which would mean £500 might be 830 euro .Paying by Bank card at the Stg. price they asked when my card is processed in the bank I am charged the euro price of that day. Which means £500 works out at 630 euros. Hope this makes sense , If I were paying by cash in euros I would have paid 200 euro more .

 

[Bryan Bennett]

Nice to see a post Eugene hope you are well,and your views and comments will always be appreciated by all members I am sure.

Bryan