Hawk 220VS mod

[Hawk]

For me personally when doing portraits and such type fret stuff I really prefer to top feed. On my Delta P-20 it was quite comfortable given the blade holders. A few years back I gave the Delta to my daughter because I was lucky and scored a pristine Hawk 220VS.  For me top feeding on the Hawk proved impossible mostly because of the spring loaded top arm. Holding it down and dealing with the blade under the table was impossible for me.

I posted that issue on the Hawk Scrollsaw Facebook site and 1 response referenced the G4 26", he said it was a piece of cake to top feed. So I looked at some photos of that Particular saw and saw that there was a hold down for the top arm.

So with a little improvising I think I solved my top feed issue. So far I've tested it a few times and seems to do the job....time will tell!!

[rjweb]

Hawk, glad to see that it worked out for you, I don't own a hawk but others will be following your idea, RJ

[Scrappile]

Looks like a good simple fix, but one more thing to do before scrolling proceeds.  You have to remember to lift that stop up.  Hope it works out.  I have been blessed, I was born a bottom feeder, never could get top feeding working for me.  No matter what saw I owned.

Edited December 17, 2025 by Scrappile

[Denny Knappen]

I am a top feeder, so I never considered a Hawk.  That looks like a great fix.

[kmmcrafts]

20 hours ago, Hawk said:

For me personally when doing portraits and such type fret stuff I really prefer to top feed. On my Delta P-20 it was quite comfortable given the blade holders. A few years back I gave the Delta to my daughter because I was lucky and scored a pristine Hawk 220VS.  For me top feeding on the Hawk proved impossible mostly because of the spring loaded top arm. Holding it down and dealing with the blade under the table was impossible for me.

I posted that issue on the Hawk Scrollsaw Facebook site and 1 response referenced the G4 26", he said it was a piece of cake to top feed. So I looked at some photos of that Particular saw and saw that there was a hold down for the top arm.

So with a little improvising I think I solved my top feed issue. So far I've tested it a few times and seems to do the job....time will tell!!

Is it just the photo backwards or is your accessory arm on the opposite side as most of the other Hawks. When facing the front of most Hawks the accessory arm is usually on the right hand side. I know they can be mounted on either side maybe for right or left handed folks or just preference but I've only seen a couple of saws have it on the left side.

This looks like a good fix for holding down the arm.. the older saws with the lower blade chucks behind the angle mechanism really weren't designed in a way to top feed.. however I was always able to do it on all the Hawks I've owned without any hold down. My new saw has the hold down much like the G4 saws but I've never used it.. I normally bottom feed but on certain larger projects I do top feed so just depends on the projects. 

 

[Hawk]

3 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

Is it just the photo backwards or is your accessory arm on the opposite side as most of the other Hawks. When facing the front of most Hawks the accessory arm is usually on the right hand side. I know they can be mounted on either side maybe for right or left handed folks or just preference but I've only seen a couple of saws have it on the left side.

This looks like a good fix for holding down the arm.. the older saws with the lower blade chucks behind the angle mechanism really weren't designed in a way to top feed.. however I was always able to do it on all the Hawks I've owned without any hold down. My new saw has the hold down much like the G4 saws but I've never used it.. I normally bottom feed but on certain larger projects I do top feed so just depends on the projects. 

 

When I got the saw (Facebook Marketplace) about 2+  years ago it was on the left. Never really gave it any thought,  felt "normal " to me.

 

[Roberta Moreton]

I purchased a Hawk a few months ago. I don’t like it.  At All!  Top feeding is easy. It goes down into the bottom clamp easy. Just have to tighten the thumb screw. My problem was after everything is ready, tension is perfect, turn it on and…the blade pops out of the top clamp.   It’s outside in the garage.  Someone want it? $200 would please me. 

[kmmcrafts]

7 hours ago, Roberta Moreton said:

I purchased a Hawk a few months ago. I don’t like it.  At All!  Top feeding is easy. It goes down into the bottom clamp easy. Just have to tighten the thumb screw. My problem was after everything is ready, tension is perfect, turn it on and…the blade pops out of the top clamp.   It’s outside in the garage.  Someone want it? $200 would please me. 

The Hawks and Hegners both are a lot more fussy with the tension.. and either people hate them or love them, LOL.. That said, I'm sure you've already tried sanding the ends of the screws and set screw.. Lot's of people have trouble with the clamps and if you bought the saw used there is a possibility that the previous owner tightened the screw too tight a few too many times and spread the clamp apart. 

Whenever I watch others saw on YouTube to me almost every single scroll sawer on there looks like they are really clamping down on the blade way too much.. I don't know how much gripping power they have in their hands but man most of them at least "look like" they're just cranking that thing down and it doesn't need to be that crazy tight.. good way to ruin a clamp for sure on any saw. 

There used to be a person that made retrofit blade clamps for a lot of saw models where you could put the Delta Quickset II blade clamps on other saws.. Delta by far made the best clamp I've ever seen but unfortunately they are no longer sold and neither are the parts. Someone should take that design and replicate it or very similar.. they required no tools and only had a lever to flip over and had a much larger clamping surface than these tiny thumb screws that most everyone seems to over tighten. 

Anyway, I would guess maybe the upper clamp is bad is why you're having trouble keeping the blade in it when turning on the saw..

 

[BadBob]

10 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

almost every single scroll sawer on there looks like they are really clamping down on the blade way too much.

I noticed that too. 

[Scrappile]

To me, one of the good things about Hegner clamps is they are made of steel. not aluminum.  You would really have to clamp hard spread them out.  

[kmmcrafts]

4 hours ago, Scrappile said:

To me, one of the good things about Hegner clamps is they are made of steel. not aluminum.  You would really have to clamp hard spread them out.  

I bought a box of blades from an estate sale a few years ago. The guy had 3 Hegner saws there.. after getting home and digging through the box to see what I actually got I found several blade clamps for those Hegners.. Took them back to the sale but someone already bought the Hegner saws.. I probably should have got one since they were selling them for $80 each.. anyway, I found two clamps that had the screw threaded in and broken off.. really someone was tightening them so tight to snap the bolts / screws off..  BUT yes you are correct.. be pretty difficult to spread those apart.. well, maybe because I would have never thought someone would break the screws off either.. that's some torque on those as they're not the smallest screws.. 

[BadBob]

15 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I would have never thought someone would break the screws off either.

I have seen videos where the scroller tightened the clamp with a tool. 

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, BadBob said:

I have seen videos where the scroller tightened the clamp with a tool. 

I have seen that too.. but still it's sometimes hard to know how much strength they have and many folks deal with arteritis and may "look like" they are struggling with making it tight.. But I agree it sure looks like they're putting way too much torque on the screws but who knows what the actual torque is. 

Most every used saw I have purchased I have had to address the blade chucks because of over tightening the blades.

[BadBob]

21 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I have seen that too.. but still it's sometimes hard to know how much strength they have and many folks deal with arteritis and may "look like" they are struggling with making it tight.. But I agree it sure looks like they're putting way too much torque on the screws but who knows what the actual torque is. 

Most every used saw I have purchased I have had to address the blade chucks because of over tightening the blades.

When the blade is removed and the end is bent, I'm sure they're applying significant pressure to the clamp.