PMosley

It's often said that the blade needs to be tuned to a high C note for proper tension. Unfortunately, I do not know what a high C note sounds like. I want to purchase a tuning fork to aid in proper blade tensioning but am unsure which one to buy. What frequency should the tuning fork have? Thanks!

Thanks, Tony. You are right about the tightening. I had to play around with the tightening of the saw to the table to optimize it for vibration. I've found it's hard to be consistent with the tension, since I usually have to lessen the tension (even after releasing quick-lock tension lever) to remove the blade assembly. There are no indicator numbers for tensioning (like on the Dewalt, for example). Too much tension and blades break. Too little tension and the blade wanders (especially in my case, since I tend to cut thicker stock up to 2"). Good advice from you dad on the oil. Like I always say, when in doubt, lubricate! I've found the manuals are available online from Advanced Machinery, however they are for the current version of the saw. But not much has changed on these saws since their introduction, which is the mark of a great design.

very nice work, sir!

I would think you would need to use the small 0.5mm clamp for a blade that small. In their article on blade clamps (http://www.advmachinery.com/p-72-blade-clamps.aspx), advanced machinery recommends a size 0.5mm clamp for blades size 4 or smaller. Although the QuickClamp can supposedly be used for all size blades, better results may be obtained by using the small size clamp. I agree it is a fantastic saw and that the learning curve is a bit steep. It is not like my previous saw, the DeWalt DW788, that only had one clamp option.

Thanks for the help, Kevin, Paul, and Jim. So after taking the advice presented here and screwing down the screw above the clamp until it was almost touching and oiling the upper and lower bearings, the vibration is much better. I can stand a nickel on its end at 1700 RPMs. The nickel moves around a bit, but it stays upright for several seconds before falling. The only issue now is the blade breakage. I don't think my feed rate is too fast, but perhaps I have been applying too much tension. I will try cutting some stock today with less tension to see if I still break blades. Has anyone been able to confirm or deny that the slight tilt from front-to-back (as seen in the first photo) is normal?

Hello, folks. So I recently acquired a 1992 Hegner 18-V on Craigslist (I paid $500, stand included, in case you're wondering). It seems to vibrate quite a bit, and I also seem to be breaking a lot of blades. They always break at the upper end of the blade clamp. I looked in troubleshooting portion of the manual, and it said to "check blade clamps for straight up-and-down position when blade is tensioned." So I checked with an engineer's level, and it's not quite straight. I've attached a photo so you can see. I don't think this is how it's supposed to be. The manual also says to "check blade clamps seats for horizontal alignment" but I am not sure how to check for that. What do you all think?

Great work! Love the Batman and Star Wars!

It seems like a nice area -- that is, at least what I've seen of it from the Fox reality television series Cops. It seems a lot of segments on that show are filmed there for some reason.

Hello, folks. Phil here writing to you Duluth. Just wanted to make my introduction. In addition to scroll sawing, I enjoy cycling and spending time with family. Hope to have many great interactions on this here Scroll Saw Village forum!