garryatpa

When I have had wall hangings made of 1/8 or 1/4 inch wood and screws or small nails were not suitable I always used hot melt glue. Put a dab on the wood where each end of the saw tooth hanger will go and press into the dabs of glue. To increase the holding ability smooth another dab of glue over each end of the hanger so it extends over the glue pushed out the sides. garry

Hi Mike.. Welcome to the village where you will meet people that can help you and answer most of your questions. I too started out using a Dremel with 3 inch pin end blades. I wanted to do more detailed work so it didn't take long to switch to a saw that used pinless blades - A Delta 15 inch single speed saw which I used until I wore out the bushings in the arms and after replacing the arms I gathered as much info as possible and purchased a Hegner 22 variable speed saw which I still use after close to 35 years . As you have learned so far, you can saw an unending list of materials and make beautiful items. I have sawn wood, plexiglass, paper, bone, antler, thin metals, and more. So let the dust fly and enjoy a hobby that will last a lifetime. Garry

I have a Dewalt 788 and at times the tip of the blade would bend like a hockey stick.. On some saws this is caused by the blade clamp not being able to pivot or the blade not being centered in the blade clamp. (I also have a Hegner 22 where this can happen if I don't get the blade centered in the clamp at the pivot point). In the case of the Dewalt 788 which has the same parallel link drive system as the Bauer I suspect the partial cause of the hockey stick is that the blade clamp does not pivot. After experimenting a bit I found that when I reduced the tension on the blade it helped prevent the blade bending. I reduced the tension from about the "2" position on the 788 to a touch more than "1" and it seemed to help. Try reducing the tension on your saw in small increments and see if it helps. Like you say when sawing out very small openings and your starting hole is small , especially on thicker wood, the bend prevents threading the blade through the hole and the only other solution is to try and straighten the blade with a pair of pliers.. Garry

Just an addition to my comments above - make sure you put a couple of drops of oil (3in1) on each side of the bushing which holds the arm after every 10 hrs of operation. I have no side to side movement of the arms after 37 years of operation. When saw is running and you look at the blade from the front , the blade should be a solid line not blurry caused by side to side movement. Garry

I have a 1993 Hegner 22 with the front tension release. Think this was the first year they had the front tension. I bought it new at that time for about $1400 without stand and paid another 100 for a stand later. The only part I have replaced is the connector from the lower arm to the motor flywheel. The bearings on the connector get rough about every 15 years of use. I bought another Hegner 22 about 3 years ago as a second saw. The picture of it was only the saw. Was advertised for 750 and after 2 or 3 weeks on Kijijji dropped to 500. I live about 800 kms from where it was located so had my son look at it and see if it ran smooth etc. He ended up buying it for me. When I met up with my son to get the saw He unloaded a good looking saw and homemade welded steel stand that must weigh 100#s. He also had extra blades, a connector link, quick clamp and other blade clamps .. so I believe it was a good deal. As far as the blower bellows not there that is one of the first things I removed on my new saw and made a vacuum system from a wood stove fan that was strong enough to suck the dust off the top the workpiece and runs so quiet you cannot hear it. The blower sent all the dust straight at the operator and should never have been made that way. Newer ones have a lock-tight blower hose that can be bent to blow to the side but I prefer to get rid of the dust with a quiet vacuum system. I think the saw you mention is a good deal. Garry

There are quite a few questions in the above posts. I hope some of the comments below will help. I have a Hegner 22 that I bought in 1993 and I am still using it. The only part that seems to wear and cause a knock is the link connector bar, which I have replaced about every 15 years. I have never tightened my tension 2 turns. When I change blades because of breakage or to a different size I adjust the tension - turn the tension knob until all play is taken up then tighten it another 1/2 to 3/4 turn. There may be times that you have to re-tension the blade because the tension knob turns as the saw is running. Gordon re blade tip bent like hockey stick - caused by the blade not being centered in the bottom clamp. Place the blade into the bottom clamp until it hits the clamping screw, back the blade away from the screw just a hair and tighten the screw , in this way when you tighten the screw it does not touch the blade and cause it to move. Make sure the blade is lined up with the pointed tip of the clamp, this is most important. Making tight turns with any blade may be assisted by taking a fine sandpaper, attaching it to a flat strip of wood and , while the saw is running hold the sandpaper against the back corners of the blade at about a 45 degree angle to remove the sharp corners along the lower 1 to 2 inches of the blade. This will allow the blade to corner more easily. I have only used this method a few times and that was quite a while ago, but worth a try. When making tight turns always keep the saw running, I find that I am most comfortable at a speed of about 1300 on the dial of the Hegner. Stand at the front of your saw centered facing the blade. Do not push the wood to either side. Note: To check if you are pushing the wood to one side or the other , as you are sawing stop the saw while hold the wood still. After the saw is stopped , lift your hands off the wood, and if the wood moves to either side of its own accord you need to adjust your sawing as you are not pushing straight back on the wood. When turning the wood use one hand as the pivot point hand which does not move or moves very little and apply a little pressure down near and to the side of the blade, the other hand is used to turn the wood very slowly while slowly pushing the wood through the blade. Only stop after finishing the curved cut if you stop. Do not move the wood when the saw is stopped. I believe I have seen tables for band saws which give the radius of a circle for different sizes of saw blades. I think the same would apply to the scroll saw in that a 2/0 blade would be able to saw a tighter radius than a number 5, or 9, although a number 2/0 and a number 5 will both be able to turn "on the spot". (higher blade speeds would help "on the spot turning" . When you are turning and the blade is at a 45 degree angle I am thinking you are forcing the blade to turn faster than it is able to saw. The only time my saw blade is at 45 degrees or teeth not facing the front is if I stop the saw and turn the wood. Increasing your saw blade speed may help. Breaking blades - In MHO over tensioning and under tensioning both cause blade breakage. Under tensioning I believe is worse than too much. When sawing puzzles , which I have sawn only a few, you must turn the wood first one way and then reverse and turn the other way in order to saw the tabs and openings for the tabs. I find that if I am sawing small ornaments and saw one direction then turn to the opposite direction that it is much like taking a piece of wire and bending it back and forth in order to break the wire. The more sharp turns one way and then the other the more often blades will break because the bending weakens them. What do other puzzle makers feel about this theory? Maybe slowing the speed at which you push the wood through the blade will help reduce blade breakage, but keep the saw speed up at the same time. Garry .

I just finished a cutting of the Great Blue Heron .. Was a bit of a challenge as it is only 1 3/4 inches x 1 3/8 inches sawn in moose antler. Still working on a frame for it. comments,questions welcome. Garry

Are you looking for any particular patterns or year of Hobbies patterns. I have number of Hobbies patterns/weekly magazines but I have not been able to go through them and put them into catagoies , etc. yet. I happened to get them from a friend who moved and stopped dong scrollsawing. The oldest pattern I have found so far goes back to about 1919. One thing I did notice is that the old patterns are mostly small - Kleenex box covers, letter holders, small shelves with birds, dresser mirrors, etc and wall hangings. Patrick Speilman's books have some of the old patterns , but I don't know how easy they are to find now since he has passed away. His scroll sawing handbook and other of his books were my guides through my early years of scroll sawing back in the mid 1980's . Does Hobbies (not sure of the name they go by now) sell some of the old patterns yet? Will have to start making a list of what I have and putting them into files. Garry

I have two 22" Hegners, one purchased new in 1993. I used the saw almost daily up until about 2012. Maintenance is minimal in that a few drops of oil on the bushings every 10 hours. The second Hegner is a 1996 model that I got on Kijiji in 2022. I have not used it very much yet. I have learned to listen to the saw as you use it and it will tell you when something needs attention. Example - the pivot pin for the front tension lever sometimes works loose and needs to be reset in its proper position. The back tension rod may work loose and need to be retensioned . Not enough tension causes the saw to run noisier. I have replaced the link connecting the lower arm to the flywheel after about 15 years of sawing (twice). There was a bit of a knock when the link was starting to wear. I also have used the Dewalt 788. I find it more aggressive than the Hegner. Also when making sharp turns the Hegner is able to turn easier as the stroke is more vertical than the Dewalt; the Dewalt has a much more noticeable back and forth movement as the blade moves up and down and makes sharp turns more difficult. I have no experience with the Pegas so cannot really comment on it. I find the Hegner to be easy to use and quiet. Changing blades from one starting hole to another is quick, just a few seconds is required. The blade holders can be set up with different sized blades if required - I use a small magnet to hold the blade holder with blades installed set on the stand to the side of the saw. All in all I have not regretted spending a little more to get the Hegner and I would not hesitate to get another if needed. Garry

When I have done craft sales in the past I used a wire grid system that is also used in retail stores ( similar to Barb,s). Use a black cloth draped behind the display so the scroll sawn articles contrast and show up against the background. Connectors are available to join more than one wire panel so they can self support on the floor or tables depending on size of panels. This could be done using plywood cut to an appropriate size, painted black and covered on one side by chicken wire also painted black. Join panels by hinges. Tom, most scroll sawn work does not show very well against a white background . Maybe a frame could be made and attached to wall and chicken wire stretched across. These wire systems provide endless ways of displaying your scroll sawn work. When using fabric for backgrounds different colours can be used. All the best in your sales. Garry

Sorry for the clarity of the pics as they are taken from 35mm prints that were a little fuzzy. The eagle pattern is from Southwest Scroll Saw Patterns by Patrick Spielman and Dan Kihl 1994. The canoe scene is from a leather tooling book by Stohlman. The top two photos are sawn from slices of birch at the original size of the patterns ( about 8 x 5) while the bottom two are sawn from slices of deer antler; the same patterns reduced to about 1 1/2 x 1 inch. The canoe scene in birch is finished with satin waterbase varathane; the eagle is also finished with varathane but in I believe an oil base which changes the color of the wood. These were sawn probably 20+ years ago. The shadowbox frames are painted first with a black stain, then sprayed with speckle stone paint. Will add some more pics as I get started on the Heron. Garry

Quite a few years ago I used my scroll saw to saw antler using the same blades I use for wood. I cut maybe a dozen pieces. I found antler to have a strong smell and dust is very fine so you need a mask, air filter, and exhaust fans to to protect yourself. I first cut the deer antler into slices about an 1/8 inch thick and at an angle of 45 degrees to the line of the antler. I ended up with pieces about 2 to 4 inches long by 1 1/2 to 3 inches wide oval shaped. These were sawn from the lower area of the antler next to the head where the centre part is more solid material and the resulting piece is big enough for the pattern. The centre in other areas is quite porous and does not hold together well. I recently acquired some antler and am looking at sawing it. The Judy Gale Roberts pattern of the Great Blue Heron caught my eye as perfect for this. I plan on reducing the size of the pattern to approximately 1 1/2 x 1 inch (centre part of pattern). I will then glue the cutout to a black backing and frame in a shadowbox frame . Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures uploaded as I go through the process. Will be using a Hegner 22 variable speed saw that I have used for the last 30+ years (bought new in 1993). I would be interested in comments, suggestions, etc from those who have sawn antler , or not. Garry