Oh boy... I've gone and done it... DW788 taken apart..

[Dave Monk]

26 minutes ago, djhwoodwerks said:

I would definitely buy one, but I bet shipping would cost as much as it would the saw. I'm in Kansas!

Dewalt has a year warranty. They replaced mine at N/C after wearing it out in 9 months. My second one is about 6 months old and showing wear. I will buy something heavier duty.

[Iguanadon]

47 minutes ago, Dave Monk said:

Dewalt has a year warranty. They replaced mine at N/C after wearing it out in 9 months. My second one is about 6 months old and showing wear. I will buy something heavier duty.

My newest Dewalt bought in December is just now starting to make the "noises" that my older one started out making before it got bad.  If I were to take it to a Dewalt center right now, they likely would call me 2 weeks later and say "we can't find anything wrong with it"... so, I think I'll continue to use it until it's making noises and stuff all the time, then take it in (within the 1 year warranty period of course) and get it repaired/replaced.

And I was just discussing this with my wife and she told me to just go ahead and buy a Hegner.

Really.  LOL  She's been very supportive of my hobby.  What a great wife huh?  I told her about my partial success in repairing the one yesterday and she said "Yeah, you don't have the patience for that crap."  She knows me so well.  LOL  She asked how much a Hegner is, I told her $1800 and when I said "That's just 3 weeks of sales at the weekly farmers market." is when she said to just buy one.

Darn her and darn all of you for getting me thinking of doing this!!!

[Scrappile]

Iggy, you will find that the Hegner is a different saw, and in my case it took a while to get real comfortable with it.  The table is about 2/3's the size of the DeWalt.  I thought it was too small to work with, but I'm very use to it now and it works fine.  The having to mount the bottom of the blade in a clamp with a tool and then putting it in the bottom holder, seemed like it would be unworkable, but now it is second nature to me, not a problem.  I'm a bottom feeder and the upper arm does not lift nearly as high at the DeWalt and I thought would be a problem, I'm use to it and it works fine.  I can be made to go up higher with a pretty simple modification, but I have not seen the need yet.  It is quieter and smoother running than the DeWalt and even the Ex.  And it feels so solid.  I never worry about it breaking.  If it did happen to, it is so simple to work on, I know I could replace/fix any part on it.  Part are available on matter how old of a Hegner one has.  The foot switch that comes with it is much smaller than most.  I thought that would be a problem, now I like it and am thinking of getting the same foot switch for my new saw replacing the one that came with it.

When you order yours..... make sure you order the "Quick Clamp" https://www.advmachinery.com/products/hegner-quickclamp

for the upper clamp.  It is worth every penny. 

If you know someone that has one go check it out.. I will not sell my Hegner as long as I am scrolling. I will more than likely pass it on to my daughter..

[Iguanadon]

1 minute ago, Scrappile said:

Iggy, you will find that the Hegner is a different saw, and in my case it took a while to get real comfortable with it.  The table is about 2/3's the size of the DeWalt.  I thought it was too small to work with, but I'm very use to it now and it works fine.  The having to mount the bottom of the blade in a clamp with a tool and then putting it in the bottom holder, seemed like it would be unworkable, but now it is second nature to me, not a problem.  I'm a bottom feeder and the upper arm does not lift nearly as high at the DeWalt and I thought would be a problem, I'm use to it and it works fine.  I can be made to go up higher with a pretty simple modification, but I have not seen the need yet.  It is quieter and smoother running than the DeWalt and even the Ex.  And it feels so solid.  I never worry about it breaking.  If it did happen to, it is so simple to work on, I know I could replace/fix any part on it.  Part are available on matter how old of a Hegner one has.  The foot switch that comes with it is much smaller than most.  I thought that would be a problem, now I like it and am thinking of getting the same foot switch for my new saw replacing the one that came with it.

When you order yours..... make sure you order the "Quick Clamp" https://www.advmachinery.com/products/hegner-quickclamp

for the upper clamp.  It is worth every penny. 

If you know someone that has one go check it out.. I will not sell my Hegner as long as I am scrolling. I will more than likely pass it on to my daughter..

Thanks a lot Paul for the honest review and the early concerns you had about yours.  I'm reading everything I can about the saw right now and I even emailed Advanced Machinery to ask what/how repairs/maintenance would be handled if needed.  Nice to hear from you that it's so simple to work on if necessary.

Adv Machinery even sells it cheaper than Amazon does with a stand.  I saw the Quick Clamp and figured that was the one accessory I'd definitely want.  :-)

If anyone else has thoughts and experiences with the Hegner, please chime in.

Have I mentioned DARN ALL OF YOU!!!!

[tonylumps]

Iggy I don't know about buying a New Hegner Unless you can take one for a little test ride.In case you do not like it.You would have a hard time getting your money out of it.Or you might really like it.Remember buying a used Hegner is the same as buying new I bought mine used a year and a half ago it was built in 2002.The design has not changed much since they came out. Except for a few little things i found a nice one down on Ebay in Palm Coast Fl. i don't know how far that is from you .

[Iguanadon]

2 minutes ago, tonylumps said:

Iggy I don't know about buying a New Hegner Unless you can take one for a little test ride.In case you do not like it.You would have a hard time getting your money out of it.Or you might really like it.Remember buying a used Hegner is the same as buying new I bought mine used a year and a half ago it was built in 2002.The design has not changed much since they came out. Except for a few little things i found a nice one down on Ebay in Palm Coast Fl. i don't know how far that is from you .

Yeah, I scanned Craigslist and can't find one anywhere within a couple of states at a reasonable price.  If I could find a used one for under $1,000 I'd jump at it.

[tonylumps]

6 minutes ago, Iguanadon said:

Thanks a lot Paul for the honest review and the early concerns you had about yours.  I'm reading everything I can about the saw right now and I even emailed Advanced Machinery to ask what/how repairs/maintenance would be handled if needed.  Nice to hear from you that it's so simple to work on if necessary.

Adv Machinery even sells it cheaper than Amazon does with a stand.  I saw the Quick Clamp and figured that was the one accessory I'd definitely want.  :-)

If anyone else has thoughts and experiences with the Hegner, please chime in.

Have I mentioned DARN ALL OF YOU!!!!

Don't ask me why .But I had the whole saw apart and put back together in 15 minutes 2 Brass bushings is all the saw runs on 

[Scrappile]

Here is a pretty good looking deal.  They don't say if it is VS or what size.  This is in my area.  Sees to be more of them for sale out here in the west coast.

https://kpr.craigslist.org/tls/6166406663.html

I just emailed to see if I can get more info on it.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Scrappile

[NC Scroller]

Scott I have a 18" Hegner I found last year if you want to drive a couple hours and test drive it.  It is not for sale though. 

[Iguanadon]

13 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

Here is a pretty good looking deal.  They don't say if it is VS or what size.  This is in my area.  Sees to be more of them for sale out here in the west coast.

https://kpr.craigslist.org/tls/6166406663.html

I just emailed to see if I can get more info on it.

Now you're just rubbing it in.  ;-)  No deals at all around here.  A brand new one for sale on Craigslist about 5 hours from me for $1450 with stand.

 

https://asheville.craigslist.org/tls/6160199051.html

Edited June 8, 2017 by Iguanadon

[Iguanadon]

7 minutes ago, NC Scroller said:

Scott I have a 18" Hegner I found last year if you want to drive a couple hours and test drive it.  It is not for sale though. 

Very nice offer Scott, thanks.  I'll keep that in mind and will let you know if I think about taking a road trip up your way.

[Scrappile]

Iggy, if you don't plan on cutting large item like big portraits maybe a 18" would work for you.  Have you ever used the full depth of your DeWalt?  If you really get serious, I mean like you are ready to buy, I think it would be worth taking Scott up on his offer, you may very well find the 18" is the ticket for the kind of work you do.

[Iguanadon]

2 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

Iggy, if you don't plan on cutting large item like big portraits maybe a 18" would work for you.  Have you ever used the full depth of your DeWalt?  If you really get serious, I mean like you are ready to buy, I think it would be worth taking Scott up on his offer, you may very well find the 18" is the ticket for the kind of work you do.

I start off with a 5 ft long board laying out 15 patterns on it.  I cut it into pieces using a jigsaw that contain 3 or 4 patterns, and then I take those pieces and cut them out into individual puzzles on the scroll saw and yes I need the full 20" depth of the Dewalt often so I'd feel better having the Hegner 22.

[Scrappile]

Well, then you do need the bigger saw.  Have you considered a new Hawk?  I do not know much about them but have read great reviews and those that own them seem to love them as much as the Hegner owner love Hegners.  They have a 26" that is still cheaper than the Hegner,  From what I understand they last, like the Hegner does.  I've always wanted to try one.

[tonylumps]

2 hours ago, Scrappile said:

Well, then you do need the bigger saw.  Have you considered a new Hawk?  I do not know much about them but have read great reviews and those that own them seem to love them as much as the Hegner owner love Hegners.  They have a 26" that is still cheaper than the Hegner,  From what I understand they last, like the Hegner does.  I've always wanted to try one.

I always wanted to try the newest hawk. I like the idea of the blade adjustment that changes the angle of the saw blade front to back

[Karl S]

found this in Cincinnati

[Scrappile]

One more possibility and I will shut up, do consider the Seyco saw.  I went from a DeWalt to an Excalibur. I had the DeWalt for around 3 years, started reading all the problems/breakdowns people were having and I decided it was time to upgrade before my luck ran out.   Sold it and got an Excalibur.  What a difference, I forgot quickly that I thought I liked the DeWalt.  Well you can't get a new Excalibur now, but the Seyco is basically an Ex with a BIG table.  If you were to go that way, maybe wait a few months and see how they do.  I just started using mine, so far I love it a little more than I did the my Ex, mostly because I like the big table.  Coarse if you waited a few months the special may be off.  $929, free shipping, foot pedal, stand, nice little square. 

 

Alright shut up,,,,

Edited June 9, 2017 by Scrappile

[kmmcrafts]

I don't know much about the Hegners.. but.. I will say that it is quite an adjustment going from a DeWalt saw to a different saw.. and what I mean by this is.. I have been cutting on a DeWalt for about 10 -12 years.. took forever to get used to the Dewalt because of the aggressive fast cutting that the Dewalts are known for.. and many people don't like because they are too aggressive.. 

 

I bought a fairly lightly used Hawk 220VS last October for $100 and all I can say is.. it's an awesome saw.. but... it took a long time to get used to cutting on it because.. it's just not very aggressive cutting.. Love it for thin wood cutting because it's not so aggressive.. but for anything thicker than 1/2 + I hate the saw.. it seems so slow at cutting.. for one the older Hawks 220VS only have about 1500 strokes per min. speed as apposed to the DeWalts 1750.. If you are used to cutting fast.. you may not like some of the other saws.. unless they have an adjustable blade angle ( front to back ) so you can make it more aggressive cutting.. 

I liked everything about the Hawk 220VS other than the blade not being able to adjust the aggressiveness of the cut.. Three weeks ago I run up onto a Hawk 226 Ultra brand spankin new still boxed with tons of extras.. $400 love this machine as it has two positions for the blade adjustment for making it either aggressive or not aggressive cutting.. I use it in the aggressive position all the time and absolutely love this saw.. The brand new BM220 and the BM226 saws and an adjustable lower arm that you can variably adjust the aggressiveness of the cut.. Love to have one of those..

 

Anyway, I just wanted to give a heads up on my experience with using a different saw after using a dewalt all those years.. It's sort of like driving on the expressway at 70mph for 8 hours and then go into a city and drive 30mph.. that is how I felt after cutting for so many years on my Dewalt and then going to the Hawk.. I am sure other saws would be the same feeling unless you can adjust the blade to get the more aggressive cut.. Might be worth the drive to test one out before putting out all the money and being disappointed.. Just My Opinion 

 

I also do a lot of cutting and have taken my dewalt down for new bearings etc more times than I'd like to mention.. I have found though if you use a good quality synthetic grease you can get a lot more time on the bearings.. I typically do the front portion of the saw every year.. and the back every other year.. I find that since they didn't use sealed bearings that the fine sawdust drops right down onto the bearings at the front of the saw and dry up the grease.. these are the ones that I end up doing yearly.. now.. I will say.. I have really only replaced the bearings only once.. But I clean out the old bearings and re-grease every year.. and have been running the same bearings for 5 years now.. If you can maintain them good.. the bearings will last a long time.. it's just when the grease drys up and then it burns up the bearings and sleeves..        

[amazingkevin]

On 6/8/2017 at 5:42 AM, Iguanadon said:

I've been very happy with the Dewalt overall.  It cuts well, it's smooth, replacing blades is easy, however, the fact that I'm "wearing them out" in about 9 months has me mildly concerned.  But then I hear that out of the factory Dewalt simply oil the bearings and bushings rather than using grease and what I'm hopeful of is that if I can perform maintenance on them myself (and not screw other things up in the process), I'll get longer use out of them between tear downs.  I now have 3 Dewalts and my long term plan is to get comfortable, efficient and proficient doing this and I'll be set rotating the 3 saws over the next couple of decades.

If I'd known from day 1 that I'd become a puzzle junkie, cutting  over1,000 puzzles in my first full year, I'd have likely bought an Excalibar or Hegner right off the bat.

Oil just makes it worse .grease everything .there are  so many parts that A miniscule wear here and there adds up  to a knock further down the line