I'm now a proud owner of a Hawk!

[trackman]

2 hours ago, teachnlearn said:

May have been a SDGood Video, or another. Mounted the pedal to a wooden box. RJF

I have my switch  on a foot stool. Rest my other foot on the frame cross bar. I got a good deal on a hawk one time and sold it as Fast as I could. Didn’t like bottom feeder, blade clamps and slow cutting. To use to my EX21 lol. 

[teachnlearn]

41 minutes ago, trackman said:

I have my switch  on a foot stool. Rest my other foot on the frame cross bar. I got a good deal on a hawk one time and sold it as Fast as I could. Didn’t like bottom feeder, blade clamps and slow cutting. To use to my EX21 lol. 

Works. RJF

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

I tried telling you Kevin. Maybe it does take some time coming off saws with a different arm function but I learned on a Hegner first and then right to the RBIs and when I got the Dewalt I do not like it. Someday I will sell that saw and being a type#1 should get good money for it. Has a stand I never put together. Not even sure all the pieces are there which is why I got the thing for cheap from Home Depot. It was one of those deals they made me buy it. I have used it on occasion but not a fan. love my RBI saws and will not part with them. They have cut many projects and made me some fine $$$ over the years.

Edited March 25, 2019 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[dennis123]

Congratulations.  I've had my RBI 220 for about 15 years now and have never had a problem with it.  

[heppnerguy]

I still think the Hawk is a great saw. I just could not get comfortable with using it. It took too much time with the blade between cuts, I did not like the tension knob way in the back of the long throat, and the blade change drove me nuts, (OK I was already a little nuts to begin with ). If those things do not bother you, or maybe yours is newer then was mine and do not have those issues, then time will make things perfect for you. I hope so.  Definitely one of the better made saws out there. 

Dick

heppnerguy

 

[kmmcrafts]

6 minutes ago, heppnerguy said:

I still think the Hawk is a great saw. I just could not get comfortable with using it. It took too much time with the blade between cuts, I did not like the tension knob way in the back of the long throat, and the blade change drove me nuts, (OK I was already a little nuts to begin with ). If those things do not bother you, or maybe yours is newer then was mine and do not have those issues, then time will make things perfect for you. I hope so.  Definitely one of the better made saws out there. 

Dick

heppnerguy

 

You must have had one of the early ones..All of the newer ones have the tension release at the front of the saw now.. They've came a long long way from those days... blade clamps are much different tension release up front... the newest ones from about 2005 ish and newer can be top or bottom feed.. There is considerable less vibration from my early saw 1993 to my newer saw 1998 and my newest one.. 2019.. Not saying they are the best saw.. I like each saw I have for different things.. Still don't like using the Hawk on thick wood.. 3/4" plus thick.. I like the Excalibur or DeWalt better.. My new Hawk once I set it up and cut.. I might like that one for thick wood.. don't know yet as I haven't cut anything on it yet.. Gotta clean out the shop and find the parking spot for it..  

[Phantom Scroller]

At least you won't need a big leather glove for that Hawk. Happy scrolling. Roly

[OCtoolguy]

49 minutes ago, Phantom Scroller said:

At least you won't need a big leather glove for that Hawk. Happy scrolling. Roly

Roly, I'm not sure what you mean. Can you explain? "Big leather glove"?

 

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, kmmcrafts said:

You must have had one of the early ones..All of the newer ones have the tension release at the front of the saw now.. They've came a long long way from those days... blade clamps are much different tension release up front... the newest ones from about 2005 ish and newer can be top or bottom feed.. There is considerable less vibration from my early saw 1993 to my newer saw 1998 and my newest one.. 2019.. Not saying they are the best saw.. I like each saw I have for different things.. Still don't like using the Hawk on thick wood.. 3/4" plus thick.. I like the Excalibur or DeWalt better.. My new Hawk once I set it up and cut.. I might like that one for thick wood.. don't know yet as I haven't cut anything on it yet.. Gotta clean out the shop and find the parking spot for it..  

Kevin, what is it on those "newer" saws that allows them to be top or bottom feeders? I have the blade clamps that have the roll pin in them and are supposed to be inserted into a hole in the support bar to change blades. But, if you don't overly tighten them, I think a person could loosen the bottom blade holder and feed from the top. Is there a different blade clamp that is newer/better that will fit my saw? Mine was made in 2001 according to Nilus. The guy I bought it from said he thinks his wife bought it in 05 but wasn't 100% sure.

 

Edited March 25, 2019 by octoolguy

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, octoolguy said:

Kevin, what is it on those "newer" saws that allows them to be top or bottom feeders? I have the blade clamps that have the roll pin in them and are supposed to be inserted into a hole in the support bar to change blades. But, if you don't overly tighten them, I think a person could loosen the bottom blade holder and feed from the top. Is there a different blade clamp that is newer/better that will fit my saw? Mine was made in 2001 according to Nilus. The guy I bought it from said he thinks his wife bought it in 05 but wasn't 100% sure.

 

I think one actually could top feed with the "Ultra" style Hawk like you and I have.. but it wouldn't be all that easy, LOL.. If you go look at the pictures of my new saw. you'll see that the lower arm protrudes through the angle mechanism.. where the ultra and earlier made saws the lower arm sits back behind the angle mechanism.. while the newer saw has a roll pin type upper and lower clamp.. they are different than the ultra ones.. also the plastic tab on the lower arm to hold the blade clamp in place.. those are spring steel on the new saw and hold the clamp up tighter to the lower arm than the plastic ones of he ultra saws.. 

Unlike the Excalibur.. and DW saws.. the Hawk saw you bottom out the blade into the hole on the clamp.. both top and bottom.. though on the top you have to lower the arm down until the blade hits against the roll pin stop.. You can adjust how far the arm will come down.. so it stops at the right position.. The blade will be installed in the exact same position every time.. In a EX or DW you place the blade in the clamp and you could place it ( depending how the saw is set up ) up to 1/4" higher or lower and still be able to clamp them in and cut.. Put it too low while using a reverse tooth blade you could be skipping the few reverse teeth at the bottom.. The Hawk the blade will only go in so far into that lower holder.. so every blade is going to be in the saw the same way every time.. 

My DW may have quite a lot of wear.. but I can put a blade in that saw and have a good 1/4 - 3/8 inch above / below where the thumb screw clamps the blade.. actually more like 1/2 probably cause it's quite a lot.. and using that saw I have to be careful how I position the blade as the reverse teeth don't come up high enough.

Anyway top feeding would be a pain to try to lower the upper arm while reaching around behind the tilt mechanism and get the blade into the little hole while the holder/clamp is loosely flopping in that slot.. and getting the blade to bottom out in the clamp and then tighten the thumb screw..       

[JimErn]

2 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Roly, I'm not sure what you mean. Can you explain? "Big leather glove"?

 

Those who participate in the sport of falconering wear a heavy leather glove so the talons of the bird of prey (hawk, falcon) do not dig into their arm.

[teachnlearn]

2 hours ago, JimErn said:

Those who participate in the sport of falconering wear a heavy leather glove so the talons of the bird of prey (hawk, falcon) do not dig into their arm.

https://www.westernsporting.com/c/FEC.html

One of many suppliers. I put them on my wife to keep her nails from going in my back. NAWW! If my wife sees this I'm dead. RJF

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, JimErn said:

Those who participate in the sport of falconering wear a heavy leather glove so the talons of the bird of prey (hawk, falcon) do not dig into their arm.

Ok, now I understand. It's really weird the way a human mind works. I never would have put that together.

 

[heppnerguy]

On 3/25/2019 at 9:02 AM, kmmcrafts said:

You must have had one of the early ones..All of the newer ones have the tension release at the front of the saw now.. They've came a long long way from those days... blade clamps are much different tension release up front... the newest ones from about 2005 ish and newer can be top or bottom feed.. There is considerable less vibration from my early saw 1993 to my newer saw 1998 and my newest one.. 2019.. Not saying they are the best saw.. I like each saw I have for different things.. Still don't like using the Hawk on thick wood.. 3/4" plus thick.. I like the Excalibur or DeWalt better.. My new Hawk once I set it up and cut.. I might like that one for thick wood.. don't know yet as I haven't cut anything on it yet.. Gotta clean out the shop and find the parking spot for it..  

 you are right about the saw I had. It ran great but was way too much work to do fret work and just to change the blades. It was a great deal at $65 but I would rather work on a DeWalt or EX then the saw I had. I also believe that a newer Hawk is much improved and more pleasant to work on, However it also looked like the saw that is shown in the photo. If it is like the one that I had, I just  wanted him to know that it was a lot of work to use, compared to the saws he already has. I am hoping that it is newer and better designed then the one I gave my daughter. It was still extremely better then the  cheaper saws on the market and extremely dependable.  

Thank you for your comments, I do not want to discourage or be put down by my comments, but only to take the time to see if he really likes this saw and plans to do a lot of work on it, before he sells the saws he already has. 

Dick

heppnerguy

[OCtoolguy]

34 minutes ago, heppnerguy said:

 you are right about the saw I had. It ran great but was way too much work to do fret work and just to change the blades. It was a great deal at $65 but I would rather work on a DeWalt or EX then the saw I had. I also believe that a newer Hawk is much improved and more pleasant to work on, However it also looked like the saw that is shown in the photo. If it is like the one that I had, I just  wanted him to know that it was a lot of work to use, compared to the saws he already has. I am hoping that it is newer and better designed then the one I gave my daughter. It was still extremely better then the  cheaper saws on the market and extremely dependable.  

Thank you for your comments, I do not want to discourage or be put down by my comments, but only to take the time to see if he really likes this saw and plans to do a lot of work on it, before he sells the saws he already has. 

Dick

heppnerguy

No problem Dick. It is strange the way we all have the right intentions in mind when we put fingers to keys and write our thoughts. For some reason, the way they come out sometimes just doesn't work the way we wanted. I take all the comments here with a grain or two of salt because I know there have been times I've written something and when I read it later, I find that it really didn't convey my thought accurately. I appreciate any and all input from all the great folks here on this forum. Even though I've been hanging around for 4 years and I am still a relative newbie to the craft of scrolling, I think I have picked up a lot of great info and have put it to good use. So, keep your thoughts coming. Someday, I'm going to drop in on you over there in Casa Grande.

 

[heppnerguy]

7 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

No problem Dick. It is strange the way we all have the right intentions in mind when we put fingers to keys and write our thoughts. For some reason, the way they come out sometimes just doesn't work the way we wanted. I take all the comments here with a grain or two of salt because I know there have been times I've written something and when I read it later, I find that it really didn't convey my thought accurately. I appreciate any and all input from all the great folks here on this forum. Even though I've been hanging around for 4 years and I am still a relative newbie to the craft of scrolling, I think I have picked up a lot of great info and have put it to good use. So, keep your thoughts coming. Someday, I'm going to drop in on you over there in Casa Grande.

 

I would really enjoy the opportunity to meet you

Dick heppnerguy

[OCtoolguy]

1 minute ago, heppnerguy said:

I would really enjoy the opportunity to meet you

Dick heppnerguy

Be careful what you wish for Dick. Once I see what you have in your refrigerator, I may never leave.

 

[kmmcrafts]

40 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

No problem Dick. It is strange the way we all have the right intentions in mind when we put fingers to keys and write our thoughts. For some reason, the way they come out sometimes just doesn't work the way we wanted. I take all the comments here with a grain or two of salt because I know there have been times I've written something and when I read it later, I find that it really didn't convey my thought accurately. I appreciate any and all input from all the great folks here on this forum. Even though I've been hanging around for 4 years and I am still a relative newbie to the craft of scrolling, I think I have picked up a lot of great info and have put it to good use. So, keep your thoughts coming. Someday, I'm going to drop in on you over there in Casa Grande.

 

Most times I post or reply... I look back and think I could have worded it better..LOL Sometimes I look at it and think what an A$$.. LOL I really don't mean any of my post to be that way.. sometimes it's just making a point or trying to make one... but reading back through a few days later sometimes makes myself wonder about myself,  .. I've always said I like something about all the saws I have or have had.. none of them are perfect for every types or style of cutting.. I've mentioned many times that if I was primarily cutting thick wood ( puzzles ) I'd not use a Hawk.. The real reason I have to have all these saws... 

[OCtoolguy]

4 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Most times I post or reply... I look back and think I could have worded it better..LOL Sometimes I look at it and think what an A$$.. LOL I really don't mean any of my post to be that way.. sometimes it's just making a point or trying to make one... but reading back through a few days later sometimes makes myself wonder about myself,  .. I've always said I like something about all the saws I have or have had.. none of them are perfect for every types or style of cutting.. I've mentioned many times that if I was primarily cutting thick wood ( puzzles ) I'd not use a Hawk.. The real reason I have to have all these saws... 

Likewise Kevin. I know JT thinks of me as some sort of "kook" but until I can get familiar with the two different types of saws, how else but to own them. I tried the Hegner and I liked the cutting style of the parallel arms. I started out with a Dewalt and since I had nothing to compare to, I liked the saw. I am not sure what you call that mechanism. I kept hearing about how great the EX saws are so I started watching for a deal on one. I found it. I love it. Then, after all the hoopla over the Hawks, I got curious as to what they are all about. So, I found one. I think that by doing my homework and becoming familiar with the saws over the years and seeing the changes/upgrades, I have become somewhat knowledgeable about them. I like learning. It's sort of a hobby to know a little about a lot of things. It keeps the gray matter at bay. 

 

[Rolf]

I am so glad that you are happy with your New Hawk. It is a tall Saw, I guess the original designer must have been a big guy.

Adjustable legs would have been a nice feature.

Regarding top feeding it doesn't take long to get used to feeding the blade into the bottom clamp.  

On the older hawks where you had to reach around the angle plate that would have been a pain.

 

Edited March 26, 2019 by Rolf

[kmmcrafts]

And one of the accessories on their site is leg extensions to make the saw taller.. or.. to angle the saw....

[OCtoolguy]

Well, to bring you all up to date, I went out today and cleaned my shop and got the shop stool to where it needed to be. I can see now that the height of the saw will not be a problem once I get everything situated where it's all comfortable. I also did a bit of inventory on what wood I have and in what thicknesses. I wish I had a lot of room to be able to organize it all. I'm thinking that I might just cut everything down to either 12" or 24" pieces so they are all uniform and will stack a bit neater. I'm going to post some pics of my shop and also something else I fixed today that has been bugging me and maybe a lot of you all too. If so, it's an easy fix. Stay tuned.

 

[OCtoolguy]

Here are a couple of pics of my little hideaway. 9 x 13 with one window. I am going to install a small window a/c unit above the window. My son was going to toss it so I figured, why not? I have come to the conclusion it's not the saw that is the problem but the stool. I must find one that is comfortable and has a bit more adjustment. I recall some of you buying draftsman stools. Would somebody put up a link to the one you chose? Thanks for looking.

 

 

[kmmcrafts]

Ray you have a nice little spot to work in.. looks well organised.. Organization is something I lack when it comes to where to put what for the best space and work friendly area.. My wife.. bless her heart.. is great at it and went out one day to help me organize the shop.. she had the table saw crammed up against the wall.. would maybe be fine if I was cutting supper short boards, LOL..  One thing that does drive me nuts though is when she rearranges every thing.. takes me 2 months to re locate where my stuff went, LOL 

 

[OCtoolguy]

15 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Ray you have a nice little spot to work in.. looks well organised.. Organization is something I lack when it comes to where to put what for the best space and work friendly area.. My wife.. bless her heart.. is great at it and went out one day to help me organize the shop.. she had the table saw crammed up against the wall.. would maybe be fine if I was cutting supper short boards, LOL..  One thing that does drive me nuts though is when she rearranges every thing.. takes me 2 months to re locate where my stuff went, LOL 

 

Kevin, it looks organized but it's not. I'm a packrat. My wife says so and she is right. I can't leave anything just laying somewhere if I can fix it or use or whatever. I don't know why but I end up with more crap than anybody should. So, with that said, in order to use what room I have, I have to keep moving stuff around. I can't figure out what constitutes a scrap of wood that is too small to save. I have boxes now of stuff that should go into a fireplace. Unfortunately, we don't have one. If someone can tell me what to do with these wood chips/scraps/cutoffs what have you, I'd be most thankful. I have a flat screen tv out there that came out of our motorhome. I don't need it. I'd have to buy/rent a cable box to use it. I have a computer out there just because I love computers and might want to jump on the internet. I just can't toss stuff. If nobody wants to buy my Dewalt, it may find that it is going to be my "outside" saw. Except that I owe my wife the money I pilfered to buy the Hawk. What to do, what to do?