Hawk, Hegner or something else?

[Dave Cav]

Scroll saws, that is. Any preference? I have a very nice Delta 24" pre-serial number model, but I am thinking about making some clocks, and I'm not sure if the Delta is up to the small blades that'll be necessary. I've used the Hawk and Hegners saws before, and I can't see a whole lot of difference between the two. There seem to be a lot more used Hawks for sale, though.

Has anyone done much fine scroll work using blades in the SR-5 range with a Delta 24"? It seems like the constant tension walking beam assembly used in the Hawk and Hegner might be a advantage over the plunger type saws.

[Rick Potter]

I have an RBI (Hawk) inherited from my dad. My rich buddy has a Hegner. They both work just fine, and are well built. I don't know about parts for a Hegner, but Hawk parts are available if needed.

[Raymond Fries]

I have the Dewalt 788 20" saw. I have done very fine work with it and love it.
I made this clock as a wedding gift for my brother.352665

Some of the other projects had much smaller detail than this clock.

Good Luck finding what works best for you.

[Geoff Crimmins]

Hegner parts are available through Advanced Machinery, though some parts can be rather expensive. I have a couple of Hegner scrollsaws that I bought used. They are quality machines that cut fine. They need to be bolted to a steel stand or at the very least clamped down to your workbench. Otherwise they will vibrate all over the place. You could go to owwm.org (you'll need a free account) and ask about using small blades on your Delta scrollsaw. I used to have a Powermatic 95 scrollsaw and never had problems with it breaking blades, though I didn't use the very smallest blades. I worked great, and ran very smoothly, but it was rather mind-numbing doing pierced work because of the time it took to release the blade.

--Geoff

[Brad Barnhart]

I'm on my second Hawk. I traded my first one in one on their BM -26 model. Largest they make. 26" throat, with several frills & dressin's. Out of the five other breeds I own, the Hawk is my work horse. You can't go wrong with red!! Their parts & tech service is impeccable! my .02.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a 26" Hawk and like it. I've used the DeWalt scroll saw and it's a nice saw, also. No experience with the Hegner.

Mike

[Doug Ladendorf]

I've been enjoying my Excalibur. Surprised it hasn't been mentioned.

[Rich Riddle]

I thought of purchasing a scroll saw two years ago and ask about them. Someone recommended waiting until the next time there was a project that needed a scroll saw. That project never materialized. That said, out of all the choices the Excalibur excelled. Most cannot say enough about them.

[Jim Finn]

I have had five scroll saws. The Harbor Freight saw died a sudden death, the De Walt lasted to just out of warranty. I now have a 2008 Hegner Polymax-3 and a 1986 Hegner multimax-3. (a 25" saw)... I also have a 1988 Jet saw. It is a 15" saw and I paid $15 for it in 2010. All three of my scroll saws have induction motors. This is why they have lasted so long. I cut 3/4" thick or thicker woods and killed the De Walt cutting this. I have used an Excalibur and it is a very nice saw, as is the De Walt. The main advantage of the saws I own is that they are durable, unlike any saw with a brushed (universal, or DC motor). I run my saws most every day for 4-8 hours.

[jerry cousins]

i used a hegner for many years and really liked it - but then moved up to a deeper throated xclaibur - 30". took a little while but i think the xcalibur is a superior machine - not so much for stoutness of build but for control in tight cuts, easier to use for pierced cuttings (feeding thin blades from the top rather than searching from underneath), and adjusting speed controls.
jerry

[Larry Frank]

This is a Chevy versus Ford question. Hawk, Hegner, Excalibur...all fine machines. IMHO the Hegner is a great saw and built to really last. I bought a used Hegner and it is great for me and will cut thick pieces. For my uses, it is great.

If you are going to do fret work or something where you need to feed the blade through holes, then a Hegner may not be the best choice. All of them mentioned will handle smaller blades and do fine work. I use a very good lighted magnifying lamp for most of my work.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have the DeWalt DW788. Like it a lot. But my saw is an early model that was manufactured by Excalibur in Canada.

352670352671352672352673

[richard poitras]

The Excalibur scroll saws are no longer available if you are considering one of those. But the jet saw is very similar to the Excalibur except it loads from the bottom instead of the top?

[jerry cousins]

sorry to hear the xcalibur is no longer available.
forgot to mention 1 major difference - for angle cuts the xcalibur's headstock tilts rather than the table - i found this a great advantage for doing double bevel marquetry
jerry

[richard poitras]

Jerry the Jet does the same as far as a tilting head. In fact it looks like the same unit as the Excalibur. All most like they stole the design?:eek:

[John Terefenko]

The Hawks, Hegners, Excalibers are all top of the line highend saws. Now there is a difference if you are a top feeder or a bottom feeder and THAT IS the only difference. There are differences in many saws and yes the Excaliber and now the new Jet saw have a tilting head design. No better than a tilting table if you are into that but some may find it easier. As is with top feeding over bottom feeding. It is a matter of preference. I own 2 Hawks 220 and 226, Hegner 18" a Dewalt 788 . Have been scrolling for over 30 years. I use Flying Dutchman blades and mostly the $5 Silver reverse blade. You will get 100 different people disagreeing on different blades also and again it comes down to a matter of preference. Can not go wrong with any of them.

[Dave Cav]

Thanks for all the input. Hawks seem to be a lot easier to find so I'm glad everyone seems to be happy with theirs.

[Andrew Kertesz]

If you were in my neck of the woods I might be cajoled into selling my Hegner 22V....

[Rich Riddle]

One thing people haven't mentioned here is that if you purchase a used saw in good condition that the price will be far more reasonable. I have never seen power tools that immediately lose resell value as much as scroll saws. The other thing I forgot to mention is you have tons of time when considering a scroll saw; they languish forever. I had one seller on the Creek who wrote me over an eighteen month period trying to sell. He lived near St. Louis and couldn't get a bite up there. Andrew listed his for sale last August and still has it. The move slower than any other tool I have seen.

[Andrew Kertesz]

Rich is right...not everybody has a need or want of a scroll saw. While they are quiet, don't make a big mess they are more a specialized tool.

[Rich Riddle]

My wife really liked the lack of mess and quiet aspects, but I don't perform enough detail work.....I am not good enough to perform all the detail work. I did enjoy watching the motors move almost silently and that little rubber piece move up and down.
Rich is right...not everybody has a need or want of a scroll saw. While they are quiet, don't make a big mess they are more a specialized tool.

[Robert Parent]

I have owned a Hegner for about 10 years and really like it especially after owning several low end saws. It was a hard choice between the Hawk and Hegner but went with the Hegner. If you live near a large city both saws come up for sale fairly often if you want to save a few dollars.

Robert

[Dave Cav]

Well, I ended up getting an RBI Hawk. There were four or five Hawks on CL within a hundred miles or so, but the one I got was only about 10 miles away. I went to look at it Sunday afternoon, and picked it up Monday evening. It's an early 2000's RBI 26" model, the biggest one they made. I got it for $ 450, which I don't think is too bad as the current version of the saw is going for $1400 plus shipping. I got it from the second owner, who apparently never used it or used it very little. She bought it from the first owner, who apparently didn't use it much, either, because the saw appears to be brand new, and it came with a bunch of patterns and pattern books that have never been unfolded. I'll give it a try this weekend when I have some free time.