Saving for new scroll saw ideas please

[Dawie]

Hi everybody,

I have decided that it is time to get a really good scroll saw, the ones I have been working with are ok, but I read and see better ones. Now living in the Netherlands, my choice is not as wide as to the people in the US. I have a choice between all the Hegner saws and the Excalibur 21"(Can get this one from Belgium). Could you guys let me know what you know, I am leaning towards the Excalibur, mainly because of the moving arm and that the machine tilts instead of the table. Waiting on your wise words.

From a white Netherlands
Dawie

[don in brooklin on]

I can't comment on the Hegner but I have an Ex-21 and love it.

I was brand new to scrolling and our club have Dewalt 788s and so most of the members have those and recommended that I should get Dewalt. 

After gleaning advice from all the blogs, I decided on the EX-21.  I got it on sale with a stand and a foot pedal for just about $100 more than the DW788 and it is the best $100 spent. (Dewalts are on sale new in Canada for 499 and includes stand and light and I have not seen the EX-21 on sale for a while).  Guys from our club who have come over and tried it out love it too. In fact, a couple have now bought EX-21s.

I really like the foot petal so if that is part of the deal I would recommend.

I use FD blades and have cut lots of soft wood and hard woods with ease.

In over 2 years, I have not had one problem and it is used nearly everyday for a couple of hours.

As far as I am concerned you can't go wrong with and EX-21.

Good luck.

Don in Brooklin, Ontario Canada.

[Toneman]

I have the EX21 and love it! I do have a dealer about 80 miles from me (Seyco) and that was a big factor in my selection of saws. I am sure the Hegner and Dewalt are good saws, else so many scrollers would not use them. I have the stand, light, magnifyer, and foot pedal.

Tony,aka,Toneman

[UHMNL]

Dawie,
I have the Hegner and very pleased with it.
Go to the Hegner factory and maybe they have a good rebuild on hand.
Email me if you need a phone number.
I see that it is not white anymore in the Netherlands.
FD Mike

[scorpionrider]

im new to scroll saws, but i did a lot of research and ended up buying an excalibur 21".  i am very pleased with my choice, it is very smooth and has allowed me to cut well with no experience.  i bought a foot pedal and think that makes things much easier. i have since bought foot pedals for several of my shop tools just for better control.

[jimbo]

If I had the choice I would buy a Henger, I have a Ex Excalibur and have never ending problems and by the time it is out of warranty it will be only fit for the tip
Jimbo

[julief]

If the head tilting feature appeals to you, go for the EX.  You don't have to fight gravity because the table stays flat.  The head pivots both directions and gives you full range both directions.  ( Many saws only go 5 to 15 degrees on one side.)  I cut a fair amound of spiral bowls and inlays and find it much easier to work on it all flat than at an angle.

[Dawie]

Thx everybody. Still have some time to decide what I want to do, will let you all know. Still leaning towards the EX-21. Probably will only get one March or April next year.
Dawie.

[Marcellarius]

Hey Dawie,

I don't know the EX-21, so hard to say.
I have the Hegner Multi cut 2SE myself and It works perfect.
also on slow speed I have great tork.
one thing is the blade clamps, the bottom one is with a special key and it's a bottom feeder.
I have seen top feeding on the DeWalt, and that looks awesome, but don't know how the EX-21 is dealing with that.


Hegner is expensive, also on spare parts, even these little clamps cost small fortunes.....
how is the price of the EX-21?

look into the service possibilities. can the company in Belgium deliver spare parts as quick as the Hegner guys in Holland can?

And at last the space, the EX-21 is a lot bigger then the Hegner I guess, also heavier.
Do you have enough space for a EX-21 in your workshop?



Did find you some excaliber vs hegner link's:  (there's more on Google )

http://www.scrollsawer.com/forum/general-scroll-saw/37331.htm
http://www.womeninwoodworking.com/WIW_forum/showthread.php?1120-RBI-vs-Excalibur-vs-Hegner-Scrollsaw
http://boardreader.com/thread/Hegner_saw_or_a_excalibur_ex_30_cafbXpfg.html

[Dawie]

Hi Marcel,

Good advice to check on service and spare parts. I plan on moving to Groningen in the summer and there I will have a whole shed (schuur) for my woodworking. Moving in with a friend who's son is getting married and he wants to rent out a room. His daughter -in-law to be suggested he rented to me. He offered me the shed and we will put up another shed in the back for our bicycles. He has already arrange a workbench for me.

So it will be around the summer that I will really get around to buying, so enough time to continue my resurge. Thanks for the links as well.

Dawie
 

[orangeman]

I have both the Hegner and DeWalt 788 and use the DeWalt 95% of the time.

I have found blade breakage to be more of a problem on the Hegner than the DeWalt.

Also, I have found the Hegner somewhat difficult to tune and keep true to a 90 degree angle with the table. This is a MUST for me as I use the saws to make puzzles.

Warranty and repairs should be investigated. Fortunately I have a DeWalt Service Center within an hour's drive. I have had three DeWalt saws in the last ten years and all three have had to be repaired. They get a lot of use! Fortunately one was still under warranty.

DeWalt has a good policy on repairs in that they cap the repair cost at $250, even if they have to replace every part on the saw.

I understand the new Delta saw is identical to the DeWalt 788 and includes a 5 year warranty! That is a plus.

The Puzzleman (aka orangeman)