Rolf

I have never seen or used this saw in person but look forward to at some point. Price wise to me it is entry to mid level. Interesting about the dry bearing comments. Are they dry bearings or bushings? My first reasonable saw was the Delta SS350 and after a bit of use it seemed a bit noisy so I took it apart and put white lithium grease on all of the pivot points and the connecting links( they don't have bearings) it has been smooth and quiet since. It is an emergency backup saw now.

Amen! Thanks for the update.

I have ever seen a belt driven Hawk. The only belt drive saws I have seen is one Hegner (a very expensive one) and all of PS wood machines. Some of the older Deltas also.

Thanks Bill, I knew someone would have the information. I wonder how many of those saws are out there.

I believe Ernie has passed away and new saws are no longer available. the was a support group formed for this saw but I am sorry I am not sure where I saw it. I am thinking on the Scrollsaw woodworking and crafts forum. I will try and find it. It had a true vertical stroke. I used one at the first Fox Chapel open house many years ago. No top feed put me off.

I have used the this saw, as many of our club members have this saw. When it was time for me to upgrade I had the opportunity to use a HawkG426 alongside this saw. They are both in the same price bracket. I loved both saws as they were a dramatic improvement over my Delta SS350 (that was an excellent entry level saw). I chose the Hawk as it was more suited to my style of scrolling. The reasons for my choice, (this was back in 2005) Hawk had top feed capability and an adjustable dust blower hose. At that time the Hegners blew the dust right in your snoot. Also the G4 blade clamps were and still are tool less. But one of my main reasons was the amount of room under the upper arm. Having said all of that The Hegner saws are bullet proof one of our members has been scrolling for 70 years and his wife also has a Hegner . As with most tools it is a matter of preference.

Never trust the dial when checking for true square. ! I have yet to see a saw that is perfect and you also have the issue of how you look at the dial, parallax. Before I start any critical project, especially if stack cutting, I verify that my table and blade are square. Better safe than sorry.

Wobble side to side?

I quote you JT " I will say again , What does the customer care where you got the pattern from??? " It is probably more for me when I tell a customer the origin of the original design. Otherwise I feel like I am misrepresenting my work. That is just me.

Orangeman , What vintage Hawk?

If you like what you see in a photo, ask about the source of the design and its availability. If it is a free pattern that is one thing but if it was made from a purchased pattern then BUY it from the designer!!! It really frosts my a__ that people will spend $10 for a pack of cigarettes and $for a bottle of beer and have no scruples about hosing a hard working designer out of a few dollars for their pattern. Respect our designers and support them, because without them most of us would be floundering. Sorry this hit a nerve. There are some scrollers that actually brag that they have never bought a pattern.

If you keep wearing out saws Why are you not going to a more reliable high end saw? Like a Hawk or a Hegner? Orangeman why are you breaking blades on the Hawk and Hegner? Where are the blades breaking? Check your tension. I rarely break a blade on my Hawk G4-26 if I do it is because I pushed it too long or over tensioned it.

Having a seamstress for a Mother and a toolmaker for a Father, did not hurt my scrolling comfort levels. Kevin "I'm thinking the best scrolling expert level i'll achieve in my lifetime will be expert at producing ornamental firewood.. " made me laugh.

I agree wholeheartedly. We were all beginners at some point. Forums like this and the SSWWC are a great resource for getting opinions of your work should you choose to ask for it. We are all happy to help anyone to take their work to the next level.

One little toot my own horn moment regarding this topic. The first fretwork project I submitted to our local woodworking show for judging was a Jeff Zaffino design. One of the judges was Wes Demarest one of the editors for the former Creative woodworking and Crafts magazine. This was my first, first place ribbon. I had my new Hawk G4-26 for almost a year at that point. This was back in April of 2006, I had been scrolling about 2 years at that point. I have to thank my fellow club members for the fast learning curve. If you have a club near you Join!

Scrappile, no beating you up as this is what I always do. To support the delicate stuff I have it resting on a piece of wood. That gives me more control and reduces the risk of launching something. Very nice impressive work .

I am leaning towards poplar. I would prefer it over pine if it is being painted, I don't like it for stain.

I made them once cutting my own paper etc., not worth my time for the pennies saved. I have also decided that I prefer the Mac mop style from Klingspore much more. I love to make my own stuff, but there is no joy or entertainment value in making sanding mops in my opinion. They have a sale going on right now https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/mm07204/ I use a 180 for the hard woods and 220 for the softer and final finishing.

This is the first time that I have seen a Hawk without the Linc lock. What is the age of your saw? The blowing of the sawdust int your snoot was always a beef of mine with the older Hegners. I believe they have also changed to the linc-loc blowers. The Loc-line kit for $20 from Hawk is a fair price. http://stores.bushtonhawkstore.com/loc-line-upgrade-kit/

That is how we learn! Don't let it get you down. The only thing I have thrown away was a bowl that exploded on the lathe. The scrolled things that had issues were repaired, super glue is the magic fixer

I grew up around tools my Dad was a toolmaker (machinist) my Mom was a seamstress and the techno junkie. German immigrants we didn't have much so we made a lot of things. At 15 I built my own hydroplane and always like working with wood and metal. In 2003 three I designed an built a shed in my backyard. Round top door and all. I decided that it needed some ginger bread under the peak. I had inherited my Dad's Craftsman scroll saw so found a design I liked and enlarged it to an appropriate scale. Learned lots of things Throat depth and easy Blade change were important. It took a couple of minutes for a few second cut. But it gave me a taste for the scroll saw. I joined a local woodworking club and saw an image of a Volker Arnold ornament on the cover one of their newsletters. It reminded me of the stuff our relatives sent us from Germany every Christmas. My wife bought me a Delta SS350 for my BD. Simple fast blade changes and off I went, started selling ornaments at our Church Christmas fair. My hobby attention span has always been short, but scrolling really bit me in the butt. In 2005 I bought my Hawk G4 26.it has since paid for most of the tools in my workshop. (only one fair a year), In 2010 I started test cutting for SSWWC magazine. They have challenged me with projects that I probably would not normally have taken on. They opened my mind to try almost anything at least once, I love challenging projects it keeps the hobby fresh for me. I never would have thought that this hobby would take me where it has. One additional huge plus has been all of the friends all over the country and world that I have made. And even better have met some of you at shows and scrolling events.

Saw tooth hangers?

I like the rack. Good price would have saved me .03 cents a piece.

As you see there are lots of opinions. We all get to a point where we are happy with our own methods. I don't like using solvents, and I find a heat gun with a pattern directly on the wood leaves a residue. I am also not a fan of spray adhesives (smell and mess) So I use a Xyron machine to put the adhesive on my patterns. Pricey but I don't care it is just too easy and neat. I still use 3m painters tape under it on small projects , Contact brand removable shelf liner for large projects. Con-Tact® Brand Self-Adhesive Shelf Liner in Clear Some club members use the Xyron with removable adhesive directly. This is the new version Xyron. https://www.xyron.com/en-us/new-creative-station/

I have always used Sloans for my Olson blades, you can't beat their service. I use Klingspore for all of my sanding needs.