Hegner Owners' Club Question

[PMosley]

Hello, folks. So I recently acquired a 1992 Hegner 18-V on Craigslist (I paid $500, stand included, in case you're wondering). It seems to vibrate quite a bit, and I also seem to be breaking a lot of blades. They always break at the upper end of the blade clamp. I looked in troubleshooting portion of the manual, and it said to "check blade clamps for straight up-and-down position when blade is tensioned." So I checked with an engineer's level, and it's not quite straight. I've attached a photo so you can see. I don't think this is how it's supposed to be. The manual also says to "check blade clamps seats for horizontal alignment" but I am not sure how to check for that. What do you all think?

[amazingkevin]

With the blade in and tight try top raise and lower  the top arm to see if there is play else where in the saw,do this forcefully.

[Scrappile]

Phillip, I have a Hegner and they take some getting use to.  I have only had mine a few months so I am still trying.  I see from your first picture that there are two things I would suggest trying.  I have a different clamp on mine but I also have the same clamp you have that I have used.  The screw above the clamp should be screwed down till it is almost touching the top of the clamp.  On that type clamp you do not want it toughing but almost, as I understand it.  Also try to get the blade as perpendicular to the clamp as you possibly can.  

 

In the picture below I have arrows pointing to what I am talking about.  I have the screw all the way down on mine and you are suppose to with the clamp I am using.

 

 

Also do not hesitate to call   Advance Machinery ( 800.727.6553 ).   They will help you, no matter if you didn't buy from them. 

Edited August 10, 2015 by Scrappile

[Jim Finn]

I agree.  Screw the clamp holder down to almost touch top clamp;  I found to made my Hegner saws smoother running, I bolt the stand  to the concrete floor.  Too tight of tension and too fast a feed rate or saw speed will break blades.

[PMosley]

Thanks for the help, Kevin, Paul, and Jim. 

 

So after taking the advice presented here and screwing down the screw above the clamp until it was almost touching and oiling the upper and lower bearings, the vibration is much better. I can stand a nickel on its end at 1700 RPMs. The nickel moves around a bit, but it stays upright for several seconds before falling. 

 

The only issue now is the blade breakage. I don't think my feed rate is too fast, but perhaps I have been applying too much tension. I will try cutting some stock today with less tension to see if I still break blades. Has anyone been able to confirm or deny that the slight tilt from front-to-back (as seen in the first photo) is normal?

[Scrappile]

The problem I have with mine is getting the tension adjusted correctly for the size blade.  So far I have not been able to use a blade smaller than a #3.  I like to do delicate pictures, and my most used blade is a spiral #3/0.  I have not been able to work with one on my Hegner.  Very thankful I have an Excalibur also otherwise I would no be enjoying scrolling.  Hopefully I will someday figure out the right combo to get them to work with the Hegner.

 

All I can say is practice, be patient, buy lots of blades.  It is a great saw, but like I say it takes some getting use to.

 

You might check out the different clamps available at Advance Machinery.  I like the "QuickClamp" best. 

 

http://www.advmachinery.com/c-6-scroll-saw-accessories.aspx

[PMosley]

The problem I have with mine is getting the tension adjusted correctly for the size blade.  So far I have not been able to use a blade smaller than a #3.  I like to do delicate pictures, and my most used blade is a spiral #3/0.  I have not been able to work with one on my Hegner.  Very thankful I have an Excalibur also otherwise I would no be enjoying scrolling.  Hopefully I will someday figure out the right combo to get them to work with the Hegner.

 

All I can say is practice, be patient, buy lots of blades.  It is a great saw, but like I say it takes some getting use to.

 

You might check out the different clamps available at Advance Machinery.  I like the "QuickClamp" best. 

 

http://www.advmachinery.com/c-6-scroll-saw-accessories.aspx

 

I would think you would need to use the small 0.5mm clamp for a blade that small. In their article on blade clamps (http://www.advmachinery.com/p-72-blade-clamps.aspx), advanced machinery recommends a size 0.5mm clamp for blades size 4 or smaller. Although the QuickClamp can supposedly be used for all size blades, better results may be obtained by using the small size clamp. 

 

I agree it is a fantastic saw and that the learning curve is a bit steep. It is not like my previous saw, the DeWalt DW788, that only had one clamp option.

[Scrappile]

I have and use the small clamp.  I have both, have never had a reason to use the bigger clamp yet.

[Puzzleguy]

Hegners are a bit tempermental -i own 2 of them

 

For some reason the bolts that hold it to the stand have to be tighened one at a time

but not super tight at first-go in a circular pattern ( one after the other - a little at a time )

until their all tight -though this was silly - but Hans at Hegner ( not sure if hes still their-was some time ago )

Told me thats the trick - and yes it does work

 

Getting the tension right on the blade also helps - ( dont over do it )

make sure you oil that sucker every now and then ( mine gets oiled every time i use it )

my dad use to say that oil is cheap and it makes stuff last a long time - he was right .

 

Those saws are a bit tricky -but very habit forming -

Id start out with some of the bigger blades till you get the hang of it .

Those very fine blades break fast when your new at the machine -

once you get the feel for the machine - they will last longer -

so dont let the fact that your breaking blades bother you at first -its all in experience and time .

 

Hegner may or may not send you a manual for the beast-

and their maybe some where on the net when you can download a copy of it -

not sure if i still have mine - Id have to look -

if someone does they can always scan it and attach it to an email -

their not very big ( a few pages )

 

Hope this helped !

Tony

Edited August 12, 2015 by Puzzleguy

[PMosley]

Thanks, Tony.

 

You are right about the tightening. I had to play around with the tightening of the saw to the table to optimize it for vibration.

 

I've found it's hard to be consistent with the tension, since I usually have to lessen the tension (even after releasing quick-lock tension lever) to remove the blade assembly. There are no indicator numbers for tensioning (like on the Dewalt, for example). Too much tension and blades break. Too little tension and the blade wanders (especially in my case, since I tend to cut thicker stock up to 2").

 

Good advice from you dad on the oil. Like I always say, when in doubt, lubricate!

 

I've found the manuals are available online from Advanced Machinery, however they are for the current version of the saw. But not much has changed on these saws since their introduction, which is the mark of a great design.