kmmcrafts

I'd put the PolyMax in the same class as the Eclipes.. They are tanks built for industrial use.. Unfortunately they are not supper user friendly for doing lots of inside cuts.. ( tension lever at the back of the saw and slightly cumbersome blade changes ).

You almost described a Hawk. Not sure about a expandable throat.. that would be interesting.. so does the folding table wings.. Many saws are self greasing, LOL ie when it wears out you take it apart and replace parts and grease it, LOL That sounds like DW and EX saws.. Hawk and Hegner you just put drops of oil at the required locations every 10 hours use.. Had saws with the "built in light" and not had great results with them.. even the smoothest saw still shakes the light.. and over time I think this may help blow the bulb prematurely. Blade cartridges sounds like the blade holders for Hegner and Hawk.. I have 20 holders for my Ultra and that is awesome thing to have.. well... until you used up the last good blade and then you spend 20 minutes reloading the blade holders with new blades, LOL.. It's nice to be able to change a blade on the fly to get a project done.. at the end of the day I don't see a lot of advantage to these because someone has to stop at some point and reload those holders.. It is nice if you use several different size and style of blades throughout a single project as I do sometimes.. Like veining.. I have a spiral blade in one holder and the other appropriate sized blades all loaded so I don't have to stop and swap blades out all the time.. I swap blades throughout the project without actually having to change out the blade just change out the preloaded holder.. All of this for less than 1K is wishful thinking.

I tend to agree with you, some of the saws I see on CL and FB are on there for a month or more.. I found a Henger a few weeks ago for $400.. it's now been listed over a month.. I posted it here and several folks said if it works good it's well worth the $400 but ask for a lower price. I know what you mean about the newer faster cutting saws too.. which is why I have kept my Excalibur around.. I like using the Hawk more for thin wood cutting but it's also more relaxing to sit at for me than the EX too. I expect the Hegner will probably cut on the slower side much like the Hawk.. kinda the same design with the longer arms etc.. I will say the new BM26 with the adjustable blade aggression cuts pretty close to the same speed as the EX does but not these older Hawks I have. If I go with a Hegner then I'm selling the 226 hawk Ultra and keeping the BM26 and Excalubur.. If I go with a Jet or Pegas then I'm keeping the BM26 and the 226 ultra and will sell the old Hawk and the Excalibur. LOL I like the three legged stand of the Hegners.. I think it'd fit nicely in the one corner of my shop.. I may put up three saws for sale and whatever sells will help make my decision on what I'll be buying, LOL. I really only need a good saw and a back-up saw.. somehow I ended up with 5 saws.. LOL..

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/d/durham-hawk-g4-26-scroll-saw/7335298672.html Judging by the side table being mounted on the front it "may have" some holes drilled into the stand to put it on like that. I think I know why they may have done that.. ( to keep the sawdust from landing in you're lap.. I think it'd be annoying for me in that spot but whatever, LOL.

I think I might actually do that, simply put.. I don't "need" to sell it.. IF someone is willing to spend that on a old saw then great for me.. I just hope no issues arise with the saw as I want the purchaser be happy with their purchase.. Well.. as far as functionality of the saw. If they don't like it because of their own preference's that's on them.. I just want it to be a trouble free experience for them. I've run enough hours to know it's trouble free for me at least. They bring $300 - 500 ish for the same vintage and even older single speed ones in my area.. Just not what I'd be paying myself.. and knowing I only have $200 ish in this one and got 3 years or so on heavy use from it, it doesn't owe me anything. I'd be very happy with $300 from it.. at $200 I'd probably just keep it.. and think hard about it at $250.. I mainly posted this to see if others thought my expectation of around $300 for the older saw with the known motor issues from these older motors was too high of a price expectation.. I think I'll probably start the price at either $400 or 450 and that gives room for those that like to make offers.. My idea is to sell two saws and buy another, LOL.. I'm looking at trying either a Hegner, Jet, or Pegas.. I don't "need" to.. I just want to, LOL I like tools.. If I can't sell the saws at my expected price then I still have my same old quality saws and won't try those others.. but if I can then I'll experiment with a different brand.

I don't wear glasses in the shop at all.. really only wear them if I drive.. and mostly only at night time driving.. I've had them for about 5 years now but only remembered to actually wear them a dozen or so times.. Should just put them on eBay, because every time I put them on and look at my scrollsaw work it looks like crap.. my work looks a lot better without them.

I have noise cancelling Worktunes head phones where I can play music though the headphones while protecting your hearing.. https://www.amazon.com/3M-WorkTunes-Protector-Bluetooth-Technology/dp/B0723CYHPZ However they compress against your head and if you wear glasses they compress hard enough to give a headache after just a few hours.. I spend 6-8 hours daily in the shop so i can't do that either.. LOL.. They little seyco dust collection system is fairly quiet so long as you keep the filter cleaned out etc.. and those high end vacs are also much quieter.. That's the route I eventually want to go.

Interesting video but I think I only understood a couple words he said..

Was going to tell you: I found a Hawk G4 in North Carolina on Craigslist.. Not sure how close to you that is.. I think they was asking $500 if I remember right. I use searchtempest to search craigslist by state instead of going to CL and searching each individual city.. Everyone says that about those Hegners.. I have a hard time paying $400 on a old, very old saw that looks like it was towed behind a car in the northern salt / snow / ice covered roads for about 8 years, LOL I looked at one a couple weeks back and even got the guy down to $300 from the 400 he was asking.. The rusty saw and tiny table just turned me off..

They use the paint from the dollar store I think.. every one I look at on craigslist etc. look like crap.. I've only ever seen one Hawk that looked like that.. LOL I guess it's a good thing the paint is the only thing they skimp on.. but being a used saw buyer.. sure turns me off when looking at them.. They look terrible.

Wish I had known, I have a bunch of Hegner clamps and some goofy looking zig zag looking springs that go at the back of the saw.. Came in a box of blades etc I picked up at a estate sale.. Must be 10 clamps in the box.. Of coarse the pack rat I am.. I probably couldn't find them now, LOL I was going to eBay them.. but I decided to hang onto them since i want to own a Hegner sometime just to play around with and see if I like them.. I'd have gave you those clamps for shipping cost.. Like I said.. probably 2 hours work just to find where i put them now though, LOL

Okay I’ll check messages. Since we are on the subject I thought I post images of what I have. I am out of stock on a couple styles and the larger two with Roman numbers are the last two I have. They sent me some samples and those were two samples. I don’t personally use any with Roman numbers. The only ones I have with stainless back covers is the 1-7/16 and 2-1/8. Some of the smaller ones have plastic bodies with stainless backer, the others are all metal. The 2-1/8 are all metal as well. The metal ones in the smaller ones have gold color hands. Was supposed to be black as that is what I use, but my last order they was out of black hands and I have to order certain quantities to meet the purchasing requirements so I took all the black hands they had and said to fill the rest with the gold. I have no black hands left and hopefully will be placing a order soon for them.

I’m actually working in the shop on making a T set up for my homemade set up right now. I’ll have to wait until I take a trip to town for some pieces I need.

I found the dust port on the EX to work quite well for me.. I think better than the Seyco on board dust collection system that I bought.. I just have too loud of a vac to use it all day long, LOL... and too cheap to buy a "new" festool or fein vac.. not found a used one yet that didn't look and act like it had been through a world war at a reasonable price.. But I really do like the dust port, think it'd be easy to put a T or Y in the piping to put a dust port up top side and have the saws bellows blower blow toward the above table vac port. Kinda wish I'd have went that route instead of the on board Seyco unit.. that doesn't seem like it'd have enough power to fix up a T or Y to collect from the top side..

Should just need to adjust the tension on the upper arm. At the back of the saw there should be a screw with a locking nut on it.. loosen the locking nut and turn the screw in just a small bit and adjust it to your stiffness to your liking. BTW, glad to hear you like it.. I'm also used to the barrel clamps.. Did Jet change the hole in the barrel clamps yet? The hole used to go all the way through the barrel.. and lots of folks were confused about how deep to insert the blade.. Hawk has a hole that the blade bottoms out in.. Just curious if they've changed that..

Yeah, send me a message of what you're in need of and I'll see if I have it in my inventory, I ordered a big batch of clocks at the beginning of the year.. I still have not inventoried what I have as I ordered a lot of different stuff than I normally do. I had someone here wanting some clocks and I was really busy at the time and now I forgot who it was.. LOL so if you see this send me another message, LOL. I order factory direct and specific order with Seyco motors, I do get both all metal framed and a few of the plastic ones as well as those plastic ones are good in some instances.. The all metal ones fit very tight and sometimes on real fragile pieces I'll use the plastic ones..

Yep, I've been tossing the idea of buying the 18" Jet.. IF / When I sell my old Hawk. The 18" has more table in front of the blade and the reverse tooth blade issues they have with the 22" was resolved on the 18". Dang good saw with a unique upper blade clamp. I bet those with arthritis in their hands would love this upper clamp.. The lower clamp might not like so much though..

Yeah, that’s kinda my thinking. These old Hawks in my area are on Craig’s List for 300+ But in my mind I wouldn’t pay that much for as old and the known problematic motor these have. The issue for me is I do know it’s a good saw “right now “ but moving it and jarring it around to the next home anything could go wrong. It’s old . Was used hard by the original owner and well worn when I got it. I took a chance on it at $100 . Then I got 2-3 years of use out of it. It doesn’t owe me anything but at the same time it’s a dam good saw and I don’t want to just give it away for a $100 either. But would really feel bad if someone paid a couple hundred and all of a sudden had issues with the motor or controllers that these old saws are known for. This would be a $400 ish saw if it had the better motor. The motor issues is what holds me back from even selling it. I just keep using it for the last couple years even though I’ve said I was going to sell it 3 years ago when I got the brand new Hawk.

I’m thinking about selling my old 1993 Hawk 220VS. This saw I gave $100 about 5-6 years ago. I did add needed parts $50 for upgraded front tension cam with the new style BM series front nose and blade holder. In un-needed parts included upgraded to the flexible air blower line kit $20 and also since the saw only had one lower blade holder barrel I bought 2 more so additional $40. Used the saw for a couple years until I found the 226 Ultra. Used it all last summer to give the other saws a break and at one point started making some squeak sounds that turned out to be the sealed bearings in the arm that connects the lower arm to the motor so another $12 in parts. I’ve put a total of about 400 hours on the saw. Runs great but is the older saw that has the problematic motor but I’ve never had any issues with the motor. The saw is a 1993. The saw does have a weird blade angle where the blade doesn’t go completely strait up/down but once you touch the wood it cuts strait, made about 200 puzzles with it last summer and every puzzle piece is square and go in both from the top and bottom so it’s cutting square. What is a good price to start out with? I don’t need to sell but also don’t need the saw. The upgraded tension system would work on either of my other two saws but taking this part off make the saw unusable and more of a parts saw in which not much else would work on the other saws.

@SCROLLERNATION Actually I did in my long book of a post I did in the first reply.. Like the 4-5th paragraph.. I mentioned a lot of people take off the dust blower and hook up a vacuum.. Maybe incorporate that into a new designed saw.. though it'd be pricey to have on board vac system..

I like easy to repair, durability, precision, large table, adjustable blade aggression, and poor customer support... Hawk! Who needs parts when they're so simple you could make them with a hunk of aluminum and a belt sander ( redneck style )..

Think that knob is for the storage drawer

Here is a little more info on it.. https://www.woodmagazine.com/review/saws/scrollsaws/harbor-freight-26-scrollsaw-65406

Interesting to see what is important to others.. and how many are just happy with the saw they have etc. I think something else that would be interesting is if everyone could "try" each brand of saw just to hear their comparisons on them.. Many folks have only had one saw or maybe two.. and have not had the luxury to try other saws.. I see lots of folks on the FB groups that love their Harbor Freight or other very low end entry level saw.. I'm not knocking those saws as they do serve some folks very well for their expectations. After using the Hawks for several years now, I'd have a hard time going back to a DeWalt, not that the DW is a bad saw it's the luxuries of the Hawk that make one realize how nice it is to have a saws upper arm just go up on it's own.. Even the Excalibur is a bit of a pain in the behind to have to "lift" the upper arm up to change to different holes etc.. The small luxuries you get used to and then go back to a saw where the arm has to be lifted up OR like the DW where you have to lift it and either hold it or prop it up or buy a lifter / jim dandy easy lift etc.. Guess I'm spoiled but I'd have a hard time going back to one of the old saws I've had in the past.. and to think now about how the DW was such an upgrade to the saw before it, LOL They're all good saws.. just some are the difference from a Ford Pinto vrs a Crown Victoria LOL

I don't know where Les got those.. they're all the same and some cans have different style nozzles.. I just googled "spray can nozzles.. and came up with this mix of styles.. There are others that are just of one style etc. on etsy too. I'm sure doing the same search on Amazon or Ebay will result in many options as well. https://www.etsy.com/listing/679310878/lot-of-spray-paint-can-caps-mixed-male?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=spray+can+nozzles&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&frs=1