Sydney Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 (edited) Hi, I am new to scroll sawing and looked around here and thought it was interesting so here I am. I currently have an entry level Porter Cable which I have used for about a year. Reading here I get the impression it is not that good of a saw and maybe I need to upgrade to Seyco , Hegner, or Hawk. It seems like people have issues with Dewalt and Delta as well. A new saw for me is not a problem in the price range. I see the Hegner 18v is priced at $1495.00 and the Seyco at $929.00 on special while the Hawk BM 20" runs $1200.00 plus shipping. I mainly am cutting fretwork so which saw would you recommend and I apologize for the war of words I may have started. Edited August 30, 2017 by Sydney lawson56 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Welcome to the Village Will! If you are doing fretwork I would recommend a saw capable of top feeding. That would include the DeWalt, Delta, Seyco and the Hawks. Also Woodcraft is selling the King saws which are the same as the old Excalbur saws. The old adage applies, get the best that you can afford that will do what you need. So, come on in and join the fun! lawson56 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Well, if you do fret work, I would recommend a saw capable of BOTTOM feeding. That would include the Seyco, Hawk and Hegner. I left out the DeWalt and Delta, Because you said you had no problem with the price range of the higher end saws. I would also include, the Excelisor if you are in Canada. Keep in mind the Hegner is the only one I mentioned that is strictly bottom feed, I think. The top feed verses bottom feed, has no bearing on the type of scrolling you do, in my opinion. Dan, and others may disagree,,,, To me it is like whether you are right handed or left handed.... I am a bottom feeder, others are top feeders. I drive a GMC others drive a Ford.... All that said, welcome to the forum.. So glad to have you. Hope top see some of your work soon. MTCowpoke22 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 3 hours ago, Sydney said: Hi, I am new to scroll sawing and looked around here and thought it was interesting so here I am. I currently have an entry level Porter Cable which I have used for about a year. Reading here I get the impression it is not that good of a saw and maybe I need to upgrade to Seyco , Hegner, or Hawk. It seems like people have issues with Dewalt and Delta as well. A new saw for me is not a problem in the price range. I see the Hegner 18v is priced at $1495.00 and the Seyco at $929.00 on special while the Hawk BM 20" runs $1200.00 plus shipping. I mainly am cutting fretwork so which saw would you recommend and I apologize for the war of words I may have started. I have 9 Dewalts so i think you way a head with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneG Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 (edited) Welcome! I am about to get an excelsior just need to decide on the 21 or 30...take your time in upgrading and if your doing a lot of fretwork then blade changes are crucial! I had a Hegner multimax 18 (sold it and kept my Dewalt), loved the way the saw cut but doing fretwork on it was a pain in the ass due to blade changes. I would also suggest you have a look at the new jet 21 it seems really good from the reviews I have seen. Edited August 31, 2017 by WayneG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Welcome to the Village Will. I'm Marg from Australia. Now after all of what was said before, I bottom feed and I have a DeWalt and a Ex 21 and I love them both. I know you now have a headache and have no idea what to get, sorry about that. Marg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawson56 Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 A Great Big Howdy and Welcome from Southern Tenn,Glad ya came by The Village for a look see.as you can see a bunch of Friendly Folk here.Looks like ya got some Great advice.I myself have s Porter Cable,and its doing Great,it's been running for well over a year 4 to 5 hrs a day.minus the wkdys. Now the other saws that was mentioned,They are Awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Welcome to the Village, Will !.......Nice to have you aboard ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Welcome to the village. Good to see more people join the family. I'm looking forward to see your work. Any questions, someone here will have the answer. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuner Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 WELCOME, beware, if you ask 10 scrollers which is there favorite saw you will get at least 6 different answers. Any of the saws mentioned will do the job, some better than others but since your just starting until you know what YOU like and want pick by price. Sounds strange but with scroll saws you do get what you pay for in workmanship, service, and parts. Best of luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveww1 Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 welcome to the village Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meflick Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Hi Sydney and welcome to the Village. First, you say you have a PC that you have been using for about a year. Then you indicate that AFTER looking here, you get the impression that its not a good saw and you should look to upgrade. IF you had NOT looked here and saw anyone post something bad about the PC, did you like it, did you enjoy using it, have any problems with it? What led you here - was it a problem with your saw its self? If not, then I would say you were happy with the PC and there is no NEED to update/upgrade until you want to or have problems with the PC saw. There are lots of benefits and drawbacks to every saw. Some people can master any saw and make beautiful and breathtaking work with it - kinda like some musicians - they can pick up any instrument and make beautiful music with it. I have seen people on here like Lawson who uses a PC saw and does beautiful work with it. I have seen work on here from people with most all of the saws and have seen beautiful work done with them all. So clearly, they all can be used to do the work. I think how much you use the saw, what type of work you are doing with it which means the type/thickness of the wood, etc., whether you top feed or bottom feed, etc. play into what works better then others for some people. Everybody has their favorite. Sometimes its simply because its all they have ever used. Others are always trying out new and different ones because they have a desire to do so and can. Doesn't make anyone right or wrong. If there was one "perfect" saw - we would all have that saw. My suggestion is to decide if you want to stay with the PC for a while longer, do some more research (lots of these threads on here and a whole section dedicated to the different saws pros/cons), "listen" here to the discussions had about the different saws - why somebody loves their Delta - someone else doesn't and wants to upgrade - what is it that draws someone to the higher end saws - if they get one - why they got it and do they like it, how is it different from their old saw(s), how is it the same - can it top feed, bottom feed, both - is it a pain to change blades or easy, etc. Get a basic "feel" for them based on that information and while you are doing that, figure out what your scroll "type" is. Once you have done that, you will better know which is the right saw for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 Welcome to the village it's a great place to call scrolling home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 Welcome to the forum from TN. I have both the DeWalt 788 and Excalibur EX 21. The Ex21 is my go to saw, but I still use the DeWalt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaughn Posted September 2, 2017 Report Share Posted September 2, 2017 I owned a Hawk 26" and now an Excalibur 21. I have to go with the Ex (or King or Excelsior or Seyco). Top or bottom feed, smoother running than the Hawk and powerhead tilt versus table tilt. These are the factors I appreciate. Welcome to the Village!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted September 2, 2017 Report Share Posted September 2, 2017 Welcome to The Village. We are all glad you came. I have to say that Meflick, gave you some really good things to think about. I started with a Ryobi and found I could make about anything I wanted to. However the material used in manufacturing the saw left a lot to be desired as i was continually replacing parts on it. but that said, they were inexpensive to buy and readily available. I then purchased a De Walt and loved that saw as it was super easy to work with and the blade changes were quick and easy. I did have some problems with the saw after about 4 years but it is an easy saw to work on and for the money, I think it is the best saw you can buy. I have owned 2 of them. I still think it is a really nice saw. I also have owned a Hawk, which I also believe is a really good saw but mine was used when I got it and I found that the tension settings and the blade changing was not to my liking so I did not use it much . However I still feel that Hawk is a great saw, just not one that I prefer. Don't jump too soon, any place you might find that sells saws and maybe can let you try them out, could be very helpful. Like Scrappile said,,,,,, saws are a choice that fits ones likes..and I use cars also to specify what is best for one is not necessarily the choice of another. Ford guys Don't like Chevys. Why? personal preferences. Dick heppnerguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Scroller Posted September 2, 2017 Report Share Posted September 2, 2017 A big WELCOME from me,where ever your from. Roly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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