1983 Hegner Multimax 2

[Steve Kroser]

I found an impeccable looking old saw near me for what definitely seems like a super-brag worthy price - $80. It is missing parts. 

What upgrades/replacements are available and would make sense?

Cheers

[kmmcrafts]

Welcome to the village!

 

I think the preferred upgrades might be subjective to what the user is planning to use it for. Myself.... I would have a hard time having to reach to the back of the saw to release / tension the blade so an important upgrade to me would be to get the up front tension release.. others are okay with the tension lever being at the back of the saw. Another for me would be the quick clamp upper blade holder.. Some of the smaller and old saws I'm not sure if they have a option for some of these upgrades..

You got a good deal

About 8-10 years ago at an estate sale I had the option to buy 3 of these saws.. but they were the small and quite old 14 inch saws,  they were $60 each but I passed on them as I was a bit tight on money at the time. While there I knew one of the family so they gave me a big box of blades. After getting home I found the bottom of the box had several Hegner parts including several blade clamps.. Almost sold them on eBay but never got around to putting up a listing. Then a few years later at another estate sale guy had a very nice Hegner but was missing blade clamps. He lived out of state and was selling entire woodwork shop full of tool very cheap as he had only a few days off work to get things taken care of and get his dads house on the market. Since saw was missing parts he said if I didn't take the saw with me he was putting it in the dumpster. He already had a lot of good tools in the dumpster so I took the saw and when I got home I realized I still had those free blade clamps. LOL Funny how that all worked out. The one I got is a newer model 18" that come with the upgrades from the manufacturer so I'm glad waited for the right deal, LOL

They are one of the best saws on the market and I consider any of them under a couple hundred dollars that are in working order to be a great deal. I still prefer my Hawk scroll saws but these are very nice saws too. 

[Scrappile]

Do you know what model it is, how big, 14#, 18", or 22"?  It looks like a single speed.  Maybe add more pictures, the front, back and label.  You can find out info and parts at Advanced Machinery.  They  are the only Hegner dealers in the U.S.  Very good people to deal with.

Edited January 9 by Scrappile

[OCtoolguy]

There is a rear-mounted blade tension release that would work on your saw. It makes tensioning much easier but you still have to reach to the rear. The Quick Clamp makes blade changing easier too. Did you get any of the accessories with it? There is a skate key type of wrench for tighting the blade holders. They all have a square head so a tool is needed. There are only 2 lube points to worry about. Upper and lower arm bushings should be oiled every 10 hours. As Paul mentioned, Advanced Machinery is the only parts source in the U.S. Wolfgang is happy to help and he replies to emails promptly. MAnuals and parts lists are available for download. Welcome to the Village. Keep us updated on your progress.

 

[Gonzo]

Quite the deal! I have an older model Hegner and I put the rear-mounted blade tensioner on it. Takes about3 seconds longer than it takes me on my front mount Hegner to tension the blade.  Again, quite the deal, it’s a great saw. 
An aside here. Like Paul said, you have to oil the saw every 10 hours. I put an hour meter on both of mine. I also wax the table every 10 hours 

[Scrappile]

Got to an honest scout, but I cannot take credit for the 10 hour lubing.  @OCtoolguy pointed that out.   It is great advice, I had better do that before my next cutting.