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Midwest Scrollsaw show


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I watched in Facebook various videos of top brand name scrollers using the Pegas scrollsaw and from what I saw you can keep that saw Everyone of them and I mean everyone of them had a hard time inserting the blade in the lower clamp. They would have to actually look under the saw to see what they were doing and still had problems. Give me my RBI saw any time I know many times it takes many hours to get a feel for the saw and process but these are scrollers that have used the Dewalt saw before and others with that parallel link system. Not impressed with the Pegas saw at all. 

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Two things come to my mind here and I've said this in various replies over the years both here and on facebook.. and also not trying to toot my own horn.. 

First thing is.. Just because they are well known scroll sawers doesn't mean they are professional and proficient at scroll sawing.. ( truly nobody is ) especially across all brands of saws.. They are well known because they aren't camera shy and put out videos and content, are in magazines, and they have time to go to these big events and become well known etc etc.. Most of these well known folks are well known because they take time to " get well known " by playing around with putting videos and content up all the time.. and many of them are designers.. they want to be well known to get people to buy their patterns etc.. So they don't spend " most " of their time scroll sawing.. they spend most of their time putting content out there and new patterns to get well known within the scroll sawing community..

I don't have any issue with inserting the blade in my Excalibur now that I upgraded to the Pegas clamp.. which is basically a Pegas saw.. The Hawk IS much easier but I am proficient with either saw as well as the DeWalt and old quickset II Delta blade clamps.. Though I haven't used the old Delta in a couple years so I might fumble for the first couple blades changes etc.. but that muscle memory will come back..

Just to give an example and not picking on Rolf.. But a while back when I was talking about putting the hour meters on my saws.. he mentioned he had nearly 400 hours I believe is what he said.. He's own that G4 since 2005.. He test patterns for the magazines etc. and is a ( in my opinion a well known scroller ).. I got nearly 100 hours on my new Hawk.. at that same time I put hour meters on all of my saws.. The Excalibur is around 60 hours now.. the older Hawk Ultra has about 35 hours and the oldest Hawk is only around 10 hours.. I cannot remember when I put these meters on the saws.. but it was right around the time I got my New Hawk delivered.. which was I think March.. I haven't cut nearly as much this year as I have in the past either because other family things have been taking up some of my time and I'm trying to learn this CNC..

Anyway,  This is just my 2 cents worth. and hopefully I haven't offended anyone in what I've said.. Again.. not tooting my horn.. just making a point.. They are well known not because they're professionals.. but because they always putting content out there for people to watch.. 

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Some of them were accomplished scrollers. If you have to get off your chair and bend down to look under a saw to insert a blade, I do not care who you are that is not a sw I want to scroll on. I use the Dewalt and it too is not as convenient as the RBI and I consider myself an accomplished scroller. I was just making a point because if they were the ones pushing the sales of those saws that would not be my choice of. Bob Duncan is a well known scroller and has tested many saws for the magazine when he was there. Rick  Hutcheson another well known scroller fumbled with that saw. They did not look comfortable using it. If I offended any one I do not care😀 Just found it weird because that was the big saw being promoted at that show along with that scrollbandsaw. 

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I find it weird they had to do that, because as Kevin wrote the Pegas is a Pegas because of their clamps.   I never had to look under my Ex table to clamp the bottom of the blade in, and I am a bottom feeder so I didn't do as routinely as the top feeders do.  I now have a Seyco ( an Ex with a larger table) that I have put the Pegas clamps on and I do not have to look to clamp the bottom of the blade.  Easy to do by feel alone.   And the Pegas clamps are nice.  When Heppnerguy (Dick) visited last he checked out my Pegas clamps and ask me to tell him honestly, why they were better than the original Seyco/Excalibur clamps.... I had to think a few seconds and all I could really come up with is they are such a pretty red!

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For the record, I struggled with the Hawk clamps when I first got my Hawk.. as well as all those other saws.. everyone has a starting point.. as I said.. not everyone is proficient on every brand and style of saw..  Let each of these guys run the saw for say 100 hours.. then see if they still struggle with blade changes.. I wasn't dis-crediting any of the " well known" sawers.. my point was.. they do not have the experience in running those saws for nearly enough hours to be proficient..

I understand what you're saying though.. promoting a saw and not knowing how to use the said saw proficiently makes the saw look bad.. In promoting this saw at these shows... They should have someone demonstrating the saw that is experienced in running one so to make it  "Look" easy to use.. I sure wouldn't have wanted the cameras aimed at me when I first started using the Hawk.. Most of the talking would have needed bleeped out, 😂 I couldn't for the life of me get used to those round barrel clamps... or the blade Tension.. Kept breaking blades or having them pop out.. Mind you.. I was using a very well used saw too.. so not all of it was my fault.. it turned out to have a worn tension cam, wedge.. and other parts..  Now on the same saw.. I can reach around the front angle bracket and insert that lower barrel clamp without bending down to look.. I also have at least 200 hours run time on that first old Hawk I have.. 

 

I don't think you've offended anyone.. most folks won't reply to this thread because they don't want to spark a flamed thread or get involved in one.. You and I will stand our ground on our own believes.. which many times differ between us.. everyone else grabs the pop corn 🤣 

    

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When I got my EX21 about 10 years ago I didn’t know what was the way to put the blade in. From top or from bottom. It was obvious to me really fast that finding the hole looking down at it was easier than looking under the board. This made me loosen & tighten bottom clamp.  After looking under the table a couple of times I made myself do it by feel. Didn’t take long & I was doing it without thinking. There is my 2 cents worth. 

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Not to be a know-it-all but I find this sort of amusing. It's really so easy. I have no problem inserting a new blade in my EX. I just put it in the top clamp first. I lower the arm and guide the blade through the table hole and down to where it is in front of the blade clamp. I can feel the blade and it's not difficult to push it into the slot in the clamp. I might have to open the slot up a tad but it's not a big thing. I put the blade into the slot, pull down a bit and close the clamp. Now, I can release the top clamp and go on with my cutting. I don't understand why anybody would have to get down on their knees to do this. I don't think any of these folks are as proficient as they claim to be. JMHO!

 

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Been scrolling for over twenty years and had several brands of saws. Dremel. Dewalt, Hegner, Ex and now a Seyco. Never had to look under the table to put my blades in. That would kinda be like having to have the light on while making love I think.  Just my two cents worth.  Everybody has or learns there own way to use their scrollsaw.

grizz

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42 minutes ago, scrollingforsanity said:

Been scrolling for over twenty years and had several brands of saws. Dremel. Dewalt, Hegner, Ex and now a Seyco. Never had to look under the table to put my blades in. That would kinda be like having to have the light on while making love I think.  Just my two cents worth.  Everybody has or learns there own way to use their scrollsaw.

grizz

I've been scrolling a little over  two years I think. I recently purchased a 14V Hegner and you have to load the lower clamp first.I don't think I know how to top feed with it. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something.

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1 hour ago, Rockytime said:

I've been scrolling a little over  two years I think. I recently purchased a 14V Hegner and you have to load the lower clamp first.I don't think I know how to top feed with it. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something.

No top feeding on a Hegner Les. Unless you drill very large holes.

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On 8/7/2019 at 11:06 AM, Scrappile said:

I find it weird they had to do that, because as Kevin wrote the Pegas is a Pegas because of their clamps.   I never had to look under my Ex table to clamp the bottom of the blade in, and I am a bottom feeder so I didn't do as routinely as the top feeders do.  I now have a Seyco ( an Ex with a larger table) that I have put the Pegas clamps on and I do not have to look to clamp the bottom of the blade.  Easy to do by feel alone.   And the Pegas clamps are nice.  When Heppnerguy (Dick) visited last he checked out my Pegas clamps and ask me to tell him honestly, why they were better than the original Seyco/Excalibur clamps.... I had to think a few seconds and all I could really come up with is they are such a pretty red!

I know of bottom feeder in fishing terms which one is a catfish. RJF

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7 minutes ago, teachnlearn said:

Spent some years of my life designing. Seems odd with technology in this century that there are so many discussions on clamping features on a scrollsaw. They can get a car to drive itself down the road, but were still messing with a little blade on a scrollsaw. RJF

There will always be a better mousetrap.

 

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