kmmcrafts

I need to look at the Hegner and see... I bet there is an adjustment like the Hawk has so the distance between the lower arm and the upper arm is the length of the blade.. If you adjust the Hawk correctly you just lower the upper arm down as low as it goes and then put the blade in the slot and clamp it... My Hegners upper arm will go about 1/2 - 3/4 inch past the top of the blade when I bring down the upper arm to insert the blade.. Having it adjusted like the Hawk so there is no guess work to how far down to lower the arm is what I am used to.. Even though I could easily adjust to the way it is.. it just seems like it should be lower it all the way and insert the blade and clamp it. As it's set up now I end up lowering it down onto the blade and bending the blade then I go to raise it up and go too high to clamp it so I feel like I'm constantly fiddling with it to get it clamped.. I bet there is adjustment on the rod at the back so the arm can't come down so far like on my Hawk.

Back in the day people walked up hill both to and home from school.. They had strong legs and didn't need to sit at the scroll saw so the stands are tall for standing at the saw.. People these days design saws to use while you lay in bed and watch tv aka CNC / Laser machines.. somewhere in between all that was the shorter stands like the EX, Pegas etc.. I have a tall stool and like to sit up higher.. I made a block as Paul said to mount my foot switch and rest my feet on..

Yes smaller blades is worst than the larger ones.. especially when you get into spiral blade territory.. The long arm on the Hawks is almost impossible to go any smaller than a 2/0 blade.. If one is going to be doing a lot of 3/0 spiral blade using a DeWalt ( in my opinion ) would be the best saw.. why DW? because it has adjustable tension.. Excalibur saws don't have that... well they do sort of but it's not a very good design and not the most user friendly when working with those super small blades. I switched back to the Hawk BM-26 this morning to finish up another trivet and a couple things I noted was.. it's a lot easier to insert the blade into a hole because the upper arm goes up much higher than on the Hegner.. Also, the Hawk is designed to pull the upper arm down to the blade and when the arm bottoms out it is at the right position so the tension is set the same every time.. The Hegner ( unless I'm doing something wrong? ) the blade is longer and the arm will come down past the top of the blade. Now I could cut off the excess of the blade so I could just bring down the arm to position but.. It is just a minor thing and something I can get used to.. but I think those are two things that Hegner could improve upon. Another thing I like about the Hawk better is the blade aggression adjustment.. I find that the Hegner is a little more aggressive cutting which is not excessive but it's the only way the saw can be set up so if you was going to cut one very thin project you cannot adjust it to a lesser aggressive cut.. I think on the Hawk I could almost cut a sheet of paper without issue if I adjust it correctly.. the Hawk is very easy to do real fine detail work.. cutting blades of grass is one of the things that I do on the Hawk and would somewhat struggle with on the Excalibur and probably on the Hegner too.. My overall assessment between the two saws is, I think Hegner is probably built more solid.. not by much.. But I think the Hawk is a better saw for fine detail stuff.. and can be adjusted to do thick wood too. Don't get me wrong you can do the same with either saw or even a DeWalt can accomplish the same product.. but the one that would / could be most relaxing to sit at in my opinion doing fine detail work would be the Hawk provided you have it tuned well. My opinion might change as i get more seat time behind the Hegner.. Maybe I need more time with it and learn more about adjusting it.. So far if I was to have to sell all my saws and only keep one I would stay with the Hawk BM series.. for the type of work I do most.

Paul, That is exactly how I felt about the first Hawk I got.. except the part about spending all the money since i only paid $100 for it, LOL.. I just knew from reading that both the Hawk and Hegner are very fussy with tension.. That said, it still took me several months to get the hang of it, partly because I still had my DeWalt and once i got frustrated with sawing on the Hawk I just moved to the DeWalt.. I eventually got the hang of it and like you.. I'm so glad that I didn't give up. From experience between the two saws, I can say without a doubt that Hawk is more picky and less forgiving if the tension isn't exactly right. I still break blades on the Hawk now and then.. but like you say.. it's usually because I'm using a blade too long and just trying to make it through the last bit of a project. The Hegner definitely is smoother running throughout the speed ranges.. The Hawk ( all three styles I have ) get the shakes really bad at certain speed ranges but if you go below or above that speed just slightly they smooth right out. I think part of the reason Hawks are more picky and have that one area on the speed where it shakes is.. these are 26" saws.. those arms are huge.. they must be like 30" from one end to the other and you get a blade way out on the end that slightest little bit of not enough tension swinging the upper arm since both arms are not powered by the motor like they are on the DW type saws.. That is a lot of stress on these tiny little blades.. That is why I think the Hegner might be a little more forgiving on the blade tension.. Then you look at the front of the rocker assemblies on a DW / EX type saw and there is a whopping what maybe 4 inches of arms there... I have accidently did a cut on my DW without even applying tension, LOL.. I knew something was weird but it worked.. You wouldn't get a Hawk / Hegner to even turn on without snapping the blade without tension. I have seen way too many people buy new or used Hawk / Hegners and in a short amount of time say they don't like the saws and sell them.. I may be wrong but I think they just give up on a very good saw.. It's understandable because going from a DW type saw to one of these is way different.. almost have to learn to scroll again. When people are posting about upgrading to a Hawk / Hegner I like to let them know it's different and might be difficult to learn.. Some catch on right off the bat, others don't, some give up and then go posting on these forums about how junk these saws are, LOL

I don't like the larger sized spirals.. Charles uses #3 blades.. I have some #3's I bought 20 years ago, LOL.. The largest one I use is a #1 and that's pretty rare.. My go to is a 2/0 FD-NS.. But if you go with Pegas they tend to run smaller so a #1 is closer to the FD 2/0. I should also note that the Pegas are quite fragile so they are not my go to for that reason.. They break very easy.

Anyone use spiral blades on the Hegner.. That's be interesting trying to get a 2/0 twisted blade into the 0.5mm clamp.. Probably a must to untwist the ends so you could get proper clamping.. I know Charles Dearing exclusively uses spirals and he uses a Hegner..

It was user error as in not really knowing how to use the Hegner.. Did you know that a #5 blade will clamp into the large clamps and hold tension until you turn the saw on.. well that's where those blade holders went.. now that I'm using the correct sized holders I'm not having any issues, Also why I'm not too worried about trying to find them.. What gets me is, if I break a blade on the Hawk they don't go flying into space. Hawk has a spring steel ( some are plastic ) blade holder thing to prevent that. Yes there is one on the Hegner too, but this is what gets me is. The one on the Hawk the blade holder slips right in there real easy and you'd think it'd slip out and go flying into space but they don't. On the Hegner the thing has a pretty strong spring to it and it's kinda hard to push down to even get the blade holder in there.. yet when a blade slips / breaks that holder goes into space somewhere and somehow. Boggles my mind how that gets out of there and the one on the Hawk is so loose fitted in there and I never really had one come out of there in the Hawks..

So this saw is pretty nice but I think it’s going to be too expensive for me to use. Only took 3 missing blade clamps to finish this thing. The first time I broke a blade and the thing went flying. I looked everywhere for it even on my hands and knees. Then I went to go get a drink and the clamp was laying 15 ft away in the middle of the shop. Anyway, I started with 4 clamps this morning and now have just one left. I suspect they went under my workbench and I’m not moving it to find out as it’s heavy without all the tools inside the lower cabinet.

Yeah, from what I've seen / read online is people either love them or hate them.. mostly due to either table size or the clamp system.. Hawks are the same way.. either love them or hate them.. I've known of Hawk owners that bought a new Hegner and didn't like it.. also known of a couple Hegner owners that got Hawks and didn't like them so..

I actually like the taller stands, all three of the Hawks are tall like the Henger so I'm used to it.. My DeWalt was tall too.. the Excalibur is much shorter even though I have the legs adjusted all the way up.. Really like the 3 legged stands of the Hegner and the DeWalts..

More excited than that.. more like a puppy that's so happy to see someone that he start peeing everywhere. I have been watching for one of these for at least 7-8 years.. but everything I find is $700 plus or one of the old ones without the front tension and quick clamp etc.. I finally somewhat gave up looking daily etc after I got my new Hawk.. always said I'm going to get a deal someday.. The few deals I did find looked like they been dragged behind a car for 50 miles and still wanting $400+.. This one looked rough too but $50 asking price was worth at least going to look at it. I had in my mind to buy it at least for the foot switch and stand. But it turned out to be in good condition and free.. just dirty

I'm going to clean it up and paint it I think.. maybe use some quality automotive paint or maybe even have it powder coated. Painting it I can do myself but I don't have powder coat equipment.. Also some, maybe a lot of that on the top side of the stand is that oil / dirt gunk as I haven't cleaned on the stand at all yet.. maybe it'll also clean up more than I think, though there are spots of flaked paint and rust too so I'll probably just paint it.

Well, not sure if you seen my post about picking up a Hegner MultiMax 18 this morning.. Now I officially have about 20 minutes of seat time at one.. Hawks are nice saws but this thing blows the Hawk out of the water by quite a lot.. just from my first 20 minute impressions.. You won't go wrong with either saw but if the funds are there for the new Hegner and you can't strike a deal on anything used I think you'd be very happy with a new Hegner..

Cleaned up fairly well, stand still needs cleaning but the saw looks brand new under all that gunk. Even has a working bellows lol.

Okay yeah I looked at them and just guesstimate on what one to use.. then I found more and they had ink stamps 0.5 as best I could make of it.. they have been working good with my #5 and 3 blades.. Talk about Cadillac of saws.. what little I've used it so far I am really impressed. So far the only downside to it that I have is the smaller table than I'd like and the air blower once I got it working ( tube was completely plugged with the gunk oil stuff and dirt ) the blower blows the dust into my lap, LOL.. I do like the hose being built into the upper arm so I don't never have to fuss with aiming it or having it in my way while treading a blade.. But it does just blow the dust at me instead of off to the side.. That's a minor issue and I think I can get used to the small table for most my projects will be fine.. Well he had a table saw and other stuff there but not thinking I never even enquired about anything else.. Had stacks of boards in the rafters as well as a couple pretty good piles on the floor. The table saw was also real grimy / dirty and was a pretty small outfit, but I don't know much on table saws and just bought the new DeWalt one last spring.. Who knows though.. could have been a real nice high end saw for all I know.. I'm sure anyone that may have looked at this Hegner if they didn't know would have labeled it as a pile of junk. The guy told me he knew nothing about it then when I couldn't even put a blade in it to try it he felt bad as I drove an hour..so he said I could just have it if I was interested otherwise it was going in the next dumpster when it showed up.. He was just trying to clean out the place to sell it and was throwing a lot of stuff out..

Is there anyway to tell what size blade clamps I have? I was looking on the Hegner site and they show different sizes.. I was able to clamp a #5 and try the saw with one of those that I showed in the picture above.. I mostly use #3 and 5.. but with a spiral I use a 2/0.. I didn't notice any markings on the clamps I have.. But with the quick clamp I only use the clamp for the lower arm so I have 4.. Anyway, just wondered how do I know what sizes I have?

Yeah, thing is the thing was listed for a week.. I can't believe it was still there other than the listing didn't mention Hegner or anything pertaining to what it was other than scroll saw.. I messaged right away and he responded right back and said any time today I could look at it.. I said how about right now, LOL

Yes I did.. just a few blocks from the fair grounds...

Not sure but I think they sprayed this with some kind of sticky oil film. It’s all over the whole saw and will take some elbow grease to get it off. I soaked the top of the table with some WD- 40 and let it set for 20 minutes and wiped it off. Took a few times but it’s coming out nice . I don’t think this thing has seem much use honestly and I think he must have sprayed it with something to keep it from rusting / corrosion and that’s why it’s sticky grimy dirty looking. Seems to be a gem under all the whatever film on it. I did put a blade in it and run a small test cut and the variable speed is working great. Seems real smooth throughout the speed range. Quieter and smoother than the Hawk even with all the dirt grime on it. It’s going to take some time to clean it up good to use it. I don’t want to run it with this crude all over it.

Okay here is one of the boxes of Hegner parts I got a few years ago that I just mentioned in my last post. If I’m not mistaken Hegner has different sized clamps for blades. This one blade looks like something used to cut trees down so I probably can’t use it for #3 or 5 blades can I? Any idea of what any of these other parts are for? This stuff is all new in the packages. Thinking they may not work for my saw? Somewhere there is a box with a bunch more clamps without the blades attached that I believe were never used.

Just got back home and unloaded it. The table and basically the whole saw is covered in an oily substance and then dust / dirt stuck to it so it looks way worst than it really is. I think it’ll clean up very nice other than the stand. Here is another kicker on this deal. About 6 years ago my auntie was helping her friend that does a business with estate sales and helping organize them etc. and there was a couple Hefner’s there that I passed on for $40. After the sale there was a box full of blades and parts. I have about 10 clamps somewhere up in my loft that they gave me so if / when I can find them I can give it a try. So I don’t think I’m going to need to buy anything for this other than some cleaner to clean it up. Not sure how these pictures turned out seemed kinda dark on my phone but here is the few pictures. I’ll possibly have some questions later. Right now I’m going to go try finding that box of blade clamps upstairs. I'm amazed at how light this is.. I unloaded it by myself.. wouldn't do that with a Hawk I don't think..

Good eye Bob. sure does look like the rod and part of the system anyway..

I’m on my way back home. Had to pull off and say this: Not going to believe this. The guy plugged it in and it runs. But I couldn’t try it because he couldn’t find any lower blade holders / clamps. He said it was his dads and they’re just trying to clean out to sell the house as his parents moved into a care home. He said if I want it as is I could have it as one dumpster full of stuff already went and this one was going to go into the next one if I don’t take it. Has a foot switch and we powered it on and it runs but no lower blade holders. For free I can use the foot switch anyway. oh and it actually looks nicer than in the photos. I post some photos later when I get back.

Now and again I look for saws.. You know me I'm only buying good deals.. This thing is dirty and rough looking so maybe not worth the $50 for this Hegner.. Heading out soon to go look at it. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/562862105744653/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Aae1c6c29-9622-47ef-bb47-86e8e0801d80 What's your thoughts.. It's about a 55 minute drive from me.. I'll be heading out in the next 30 minutes I hope.. Hope he will take $40 because I only have 2 20's on me..

This is a whole kit if the saw is missing several parts. https://stores.bushtonhawkstore.com/ultra-tension-rod-kit/