139 Re: Scrollsaws
Description
This article is from the Woodworking FAQ Collection 5, by multiple authors.
139 Re: Scrollsaws
From: garyl@Sunny_Oregon.WV.TEK.COM (Gary Laroff)
Date: 17 Feb 90 01:34:03 GMT
In response to information on buying a scroll saw:
This past year I looked around at most of the available scroll
saws before committing to a replacement for my Dremel. The
Dremel is so bad that you put it away and never use it. My
choice was the slightly expensive Hegner with variable speed
motor. It is indeed a sweet machine, never vibrates, never
breaks blades and is a joy to use.
If I were to do it over again on a tighter budget, I'd get one of
the better Hegner clones, probably the Sakura (or similar
sounding Japanese name) which I've been told is really just
another Taiwanese clone. They are painted bright orange and are
hard to miss. I would also insist on fitting it with the Hegner
blade clamps. Regardless which of the parallel arm machines you
buy, the Hegner clamps should make the machine use far more
efficient, with negligible blade breakage. And, if you plan to
do any fretwork or much inside cutting, these clamps are the only
way to go.
In December my ancient Delta bandsaw threw its tire and I had to
use the scrollsaw until the bandsaw was operational again. To my
surprise, using some of the heavier scrollsaw blades (still much
finer than a 1/16 inch bandsaw blade) it was possible to cut
intricate curves in 1 3/4 inch maple and cherry, and with
reasonable speed.
In summary, the most important purchase criteria to me,
prioritized, are:
1. parallel arm design
2. Hegner blade clamps
3. large enough throat (over 14 inches...18 is nice)
4. variable speed motor.
Continue to:
My Books
