Hegner Multimax-18 Scroll Saw Story

[Mike Henderson]

Maybe a year ago, a neighbor of mine (a few houses away) told me he had a scroll saw that he didn't use and he'd give it to me. I didn't push him because I have a scroll saw and don't use it a lot - but I told him I'd take it, expecting it to be some cheap (maybe Chinese) scroll saw. My neighbor is not a woodworker - I think he inherited the saw from a family member and just wanted to get it out of his garage.

A week ago, he pulled into my driveway and unloaded the scroll saw - a Hegner Multimax-18 with a manufacturing date of 1990. It was dirty, missing parts, and obviously had not been used in a loooong time. I put it in my shop, cleaned it up and ordered the needed parts. For example, when I went to clean the bellows they just fell apart from dry rot, and there were no blade clamps. It was over $100 for the parts.

After I received the parts I installed them and tried out the saw - works great.

Now I have to decide what to do with the saw. What I'm thinking of doing is putting a large scroll saw blade in the saw, maybe a #12, and using it for cutting complex parts. If that works, I could put a wide (1") blade in my 20" bandsaw and wouldn't have to keep changing blades on the bandsaw.

Otherwise, I could sell it but I would feel bad selling something that was a gift to me.

Any ideas on the best use for a scroll saw like this?

Mike

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[Dennis Yamamoto]

Double bevel marquetry

[John Sincerbeaux]

I would put a 1” carbide blade on your 20” bandsaw and never touch the blade again. Sell one of the two scroll saws and put that money towards a 14” bandsaw that would do all the small cutting you suggest for the scroll saw.
I don’t like cutting thick wood (over 1/4”) on a scroll saw. The Hegner Saw is a great saw but would not be my first choice for Marquetry.

[Bill Dindner]

I was thinking about adding a solid scroll saw and just leave a carbide 3/4'' blade in my bandsaw, if you go this way, please leave an update if this works out well. I don't have much experience with premium scroll saws.

[Erik Loza]

I would put a 1” carbide blade on your 20” bandsaw and never touch the blade again. Sell one of the two scroll saws and put that money towards a 14” bandsaw that would do all the small cutting you suggest for the scroll saw...

Agree 100%

Erik

[Mike King]

I would put a 1” carbide blade on your 20” bandsaw and never touch the blade again. Sell one of the two scroll saws and put that money towards a 14” bandsaw that would do all the small cutting you suggest for the scroll saw.
I don’t like cutting thick wood (over 1/4”) on a scroll saw. The Hegner Saw is a great saw but would not be my first choice for Marquetry.

is your objection for marquetry a scroll saw in general or the Hegner specifically? Silas Kopf and Jim McDonald both use scroll saws for marquetry.

[Mike Henderson]

Double bevel marquetry

I already do marquetry - that's why I have another scroll saw. Example:

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My other scroll saw is an Hawk RBI with a 26" throat.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

I would put a 1” carbide blade on your 20” bandsaw and never touch the blade again. Sell one of the two scroll saws and put that money towards a 14” bandsaw that would do all the small cutting you suggest for the scroll saw.
I don’t like cutting thick wood (over 1/4”) on a scroll saw. The Hegner Saw is a great saw but would not be my first choice for Marquetry.

Sounds like a good idea. Which carbide blade would you recommend?

Mike

[John Sincerbeaux]

Nice Marquetry Mike. I’m thinking you might be a Paul Schurch disciple? I am as well.
I have a 1” Lenox Woodmaster CT on my 20” Agazzani. It is a great resale blade.
Two years ago, I completely committed to learning and using the double bevel technique opposed to “packet” style I had been doing for years. I now use only shop sawn veneer (1/16”) which to me is so much nicer to work with opposed to commercial veneer. I also searched and found a 30” Excalibur scroll saw which is so much nicer than my previous Dewalt. The tilting head makes it better for bvl cutting. Silas Kopf uses an Excalibur scroll saw.
I don’t remember if the Hegner has a tilting head or table but I don’t like how the blade is attached to the head. Kinda fussy. I do have a friend in Holland that uses a Hegner and his Marquetry is as good or better than Silas’s.

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks for the bandsaw blade recommendation. I took a class with Paul Schurch some years ago. I am limited in my marquetry because I just don't have the artistic talent to draw the designs.

The Hegner and the RBi that I have are tilting table saws. The tilting head seems like a nice advantage. You really lucked into a nice saw there.

The question I've always had about shop sawn veneer is what do you use for green (for leaves)?

Mike

[Dave Cav]

I have a 1” Lenox Woodmaster CT on my 20” Agazzani. It is a great resale blade.


I don't know about the resale value of a Woodmaster CT, but I have one on my 20" MM and love it. It's a couple of years old and about time to order another one. I also have an older 14" Grizzly steel framed saw for scroll work, and an RBI Hawk that I found for a price so cheap I couldn't pass it up. I don't use it often but it's handy when I need it.

[jerry cousins]

hi all - seems to have become a marquetry discussion - i use the double bevel method - i started with a hegner and then found a 30" xcalibur - i really like the tilting head rather than the table tilting - it helps with large pieces not having to fight gravity. also appreciate the top-down threading of the saw blade. the depth of throat is also a plus for those fewer big pieces.

i have a mm16 to cut veneers to 5/64 (older delta 14" for the other band saw work) - as john described - the mm is dedicated to re-sawing using a 1" resaw king from laguna. the blade has been great and laguna will resharpen them - last time i did it i think it was $40 and usually get 2 sharpenings.
green veneer is a hard one - some poplar is pretty green - but usually when xposed to sunlight (and time) it can fade to a light brown. there are dyed veneers - i can't remember the source right now - but if no one else has one i'll search it out.
the other tough color is blue - closest i have come is blue mahoe

jerry

[Rick Potter]

I have a Lennox on my Aggie 24", Mike. Nice blade and looks like it can be resharpened, but I have never enquired about it.

[jerry cousins]

sorry - i could not find the company i was thinking of - pretty sure it was in london - that had thick dyed veneer. attached is a piece that shows some greens out of different pieces of poplar - ranges from very dark green to very pale

just could not figure out how to get it vertical
jerry

[Christopher Charles]

Nice to have good neighbors! I have the same Hegner and use it for double bevel. I also use a woodmaster ct on my 18” aggi, and almost as often just cut veneer with a 1/2” Lenox bimetallic blade. I don’t use dyed veneers so cant help there. So not adding much here..good problem to have!