Iguanadon

Keep the comments coming folks. kmm, let me ask you what you mean by adjusting the aggressiveness of the cut. The Hegner is variable speed, as is the Dewalt. Is there something else that causes the Hegner to cut "slower". I'm not overly concerned if I'm forced to cut a little slower. My goal is to cut 5 puzzles a day, about 2 hours of cutting per day. An extra few minutes won't cause me any problems, but just wondering what could slow down the cutting process. And you're right, I can't go with a bigger/thicker blade. I use a #3 blade in order to keep the puzzle pieces as tight as possible. Thanks again for your thoughts. Iggy

A recent post of mine ended up going down a path I hadn't expected or planned, but in a good way. If you're tired of Iggy and his banter, feel free to skip this post, it won't hurt my feelings. Much. I'll try to be concise... here goes... I've been scrolling seriously for exactly 1 year. In that time I have now worn out two DW788 saws, meaning they start making noise and need some maintenance. In this 1 year, I have cut 1,000-1,200 animal puzzles. So, I'm only getting 500 or so puzzles out of each saw in about 6 months before needing to have work done on each saw. I fully intended to do the maintenance myself, I even bought a 3rd one (used) as a backup to my backup so I'd have 3 in rotation... 1 I'm using, 1 that needs to be maintained and 1 ready to use in case of breakdown. Two days ago I took the plunge and tore down my original saw to perform maintenance. I had all the necessary bearings and sleeves on hand and felt pretty good about things. I removed the main linkage and started greasing bearings, replaced a couple of sleeves and reassembled it. I had a bit of an issue with my blade tensioner when I was done and pinpointed it to the top arm binding and not moving freely. I loosened the case screw and that helped. I started using the saw the next day and it was sounding better and doing well, but then then the knocking (more like "tapping") started again. I simply am not patient enough or mechanically inclined enough to take the time to learn to maintain them properly. I admit it, I'm a bit lazy and more than a bit impatient. But it's also a matter of time. I work full time and my puzzle "business" keeps me cutting 2-3 hours a day as well, not to mention attending sales events as a vendor. So much for being concise... anyway... while I was discussing all of this on another thread yesterday, the subject of high quality saws came up and Hegner being the top of the line got me looking at them again and pondering the possibility. https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/products/multimax-22-v-variable-speed-scroll-saw?variant=29346710854 I'll admit, I'm 99% sure I will order one soon, but I value the thoughts and recommendations of the SSV members here. Thanks to those that provided a lot of great information and feedback. Also an offer to let me come try out a Hegner before buying it. You guys and gals are great. I emailed Advanced Machinery yesterday and they replied just a few hours later as I asked about maintenance/repair and their response helped convince me they are a quality saw which require very little maintenance, have a 7 year warranty and in almost all cases if a repair is needed, the part can be sent and I can replace it myself. The machine is simple enough even an Iggy can work on it. I have watched videos, I have read sales brochures, I have read the owners manual and while I know the saw has various differences from the Dewalt, I feel I can adjust to them. The blade loading is quite unique but I use the same blade for everything, so I only swap them out when they wear out, about every 4 or 5 puzzles. I bottom feed for inside cuts so I will get the optional blade QuickClamp. The great thing is I have my wife's approval to buy one. :-) Seriously, it's great that she supports me, and my puzzles sell well enough that I can pay for it from my sales easily enough. I've looked at the Hawk as well and while it seems to be somewhat similar to the Hegner, I feel more confident about the history and reliability of the Hegner. I don't mind paying a little more for quality. Here's your chance to live vicariously through me... let me know your experience with the Hegner if you have one or if you've done research and have some helpful hints or information. Any and all feedback is welcome. Thanks in advance, Iggy

I start off with a 5 ft long board laying out 15 patterns on it. I cut it into pieces using a jigsaw that contain 3 or 4 patterns, and then I take those pieces and cut them out into individual puzzles on the scroll saw and yes I need the full 20" depth of the Dewalt often so I'd feel better having the Hegner 22.

You're hired as my communications director. :-)

Hey Ralph, I use poplar because I like the color variations (see recent example). It's a bit brittle with the tight grain but I really like how it looks with mineral oil applied. I use #3 blade - Olson Mach Speed I sent your patterns, let me know if you didn't receive them. Thanks for the order. Iggy

Very nice offer Scott, thanks. I'll keep that in mind and will let you know if I think about taking a road trip up your way.

Now you're just rubbing it in. ;-) No deals at all around here. A brand new one for sale on Craigslist about 5 hours from me for $1450 with stand. https://asheville.craigslist.org/tls/6160199051.html

Yeah, I scanned Craigslist and can't find one anywhere within a couple of states at a reasonable price. If I could find a used one for under $1,000 I'd jump at it.

Thanks a lot Paul for the honest review and the early concerns you had about yours. I'm reading everything I can about the saw right now and I even emailed Advanced Machinery to ask what/how repairs/maintenance would be handled if needed. Nice to hear from you that it's so simple to work on if necessary. Adv Machinery even sells it cheaper than Amazon does with a stand. I saw the Quick Clamp and figured that was the one accessory I'd definitely want. :-) If anyone else has thoughts and experiences with the Hegner, please chime in. Have I mentioned DARN ALL OF YOU!!!!

My newest Dewalt bought in December is just now starting to make the "noises" that my older one started out making before it got bad. If I were to take it to a Dewalt center right now, they likely would call me 2 weeks later and say "we can't find anything wrong with it"... so, I think I'll continue to use it until it's making noises and stuff all the time, then take it in (within the 1 year warranty period of course) and get it repaired/replaced. And I was just discussing this with my wife and she told me to just go ahead and buy a Hegner. Really. LOL She's been very supportive of my hobby. What a great wife huh? I told her about my partial success in repairing the one yesterday and she said "Yeah, you don't have the patience for that crap." She knows me so well. LOL She asked how much a Hegner is, I told her $1800 and when I said "That's just 3 weeks of sales at the weekly farmers market." is when she said to just buy one. Darn her and darn all of you for getting me thinking of doing this!!!

Thanks Tony, you have all started me thinking about a Hegner... DARN YOU ALL!!!! :-D The saw I worked on yesterday is doing better, but it's far from being back to 100% and honestly I don't know if I have the skills and desire to try to maintain them myself. For sale 2 Dewalt 788 scroll saws. Heavily used, need some minor maintenance... Make offer. LOL (That will still leave me 1 as a backup saw)

Hi Christian, Take a look at this thread that I started and then provided my findings and what I ordered. I hope this helps. Iggy

Hey Charley, great to hear from you. Once I got the overall assembly disconnected, I only took one screw out at a time to check the sleeve and grease the bearing. I know my limited ability and memory. :-D Hoping nothing flies off the saw over the next couple of weeks.

Funny you say that... I'm almost of the thinking that if I can get 500 puzzles out of each saw and the saw costs me $500, then it's "only" a buck a puzzle... which is pretty much what I pay for booth/event space... it's just another cost of doing business. If I knew someone that would want to buy a used Dewalt saw for $200 every 6-9 months that needs maintenance, then I'd be down to only $300 expense for every 500 puzzles. However, 1/2 a day or a day of downtime to perform maintenance every year really isn't that bad (assuming that once greased properly the saw lasts longer than 6-9 between maintenance cycles), especially if I take a day to do it in the winter when I don't have any events going on. FYI - I swapped out my saws this morning and used the one I worked on yesterday to cut the outline of 3 puzzles and so far, so good. We'll see if the entire saw flies apart into 812 pieces in a few days.

I've been very happy with the Dewalt overall. It cuts well, it's smooth, replacing blades is easy, however, the fact that I'm "wearing them out" in about 9 months has me mildly concerned. But then I hear that out of the factory Dewalt simply oil the bearings and bushings rather than using grease and what I'm hopeful of is that if I can perform maintenance on them myself (and not screw other things up in the process), I'll get longer use out of them between tear downs. I now have 3 Dewalts and my long term plan is to get comfortable, efficient and proficient doing this and I'll be set rotating the 3 saws over the next couple of decades. If I'd known from day 1 that I'd become a puzzle junkie, cutting over1,000 puzzles in my first full year, I'd have likely bought an Excalibar or Hegner right off the bat.

Hi, yep, all the patterns of the pieces I've cut are for sale. All are done by Harvey Byler and sold with his permission with $2.00 of each one going to him. Go to my website and select how many patterns you want, then list them in the notes field. I email them out as soon as possible. Iggy

In order to remove the entire jogger arm assembly, you have to do that. I've watched the videos and depending on what you're trying to do sometimes you can keep it partially assembled. Part 3 is the best one for seeing the total teardown.

OK, well, I greased a few bearings, replaced a couple of bushings and then started to freak out with all the parts laying around so I put it all back together while I somewhat remembered where stuff went. Good news - No leftover parts or screws! LOL When I turn it on, it sounds better but I haven't tried cutting anything yet. Bad news - My tensioner is way off and barely tensioning so I must have messed with something somehow. That'll give me something to look at tomorrow. I figure the more I take it apart and put it together, the better I'll get at it. I've gone thru the exercise of adjusting the tensioner before, but this is WAY off... something is whacky. I'll figure it out.

My current jumble of parts. :-)

So, my original DW788 started making noise last December and I was in the heat of holiday cutting season and couldn't have any down time so I simply bought another one so I could keep on cutting. Well, now my new one is starting to cry for attention a little bit so I am getting worried it may require maintenance soon, so.... I bit the bullet and I'm taking apart my original one to see what may need some grease or replacing. So far, nothing is jumping out at me. The bushings look OK, the bearings aren't missing any needles, but need grease. I'm re-watching the videos by Gwinnett Woodworkers to see what else I need to look for and check. I have a full set of spare bearings and bushings if needed, but I can't tell that any actually need replacing. I'll tinker with it the rest of today and tomorrow and then the tough part... re-assembly... That actually concerns me as I'm not really all that mechanically inclined, but I'll work my way through it, cursing all the way I'm sure. LOL Wish me luck. Iggy

Excellent, I'm glad they worked well for you. Another tip... if you don't already have business cards, when you get some made up, slide one in each package (on the back side) before shrink wrapping them.

The weather guy was on vacation and just got back today and opened my puzzle. I had sent it to the TV station. He posted a Thank You on Facebook. I may need to hire him as my puzzle photographer. LOL

Freshly cut this morning... I think this could be a popular one. Iggy

He can cut and sell his own damn puzzles.

Yep, absolutely Dan... I know I'll be back to my inside "U" shape for those events, but fortunately they're rare compared to the events where I have some elbow room. I'll milk this set up for all it's worth at the farmers market the next 17 weeks.