Hawk BM-20

I'm leary of straight armed scrollsaws.

I've messed with wood for many years but am new to scrolling.  After reading many reviews I decided on the Hawk.  Main reason was most scrollers complained about the hardship of changing blades or simply getting the blades into their work.  Well the little I've used my machine I can tell you changing, adjusting, tensioning the blades is a snap.  The only thing I added was a foot switch to assist me in my work.  Bottom line, I love it and am glad I spent the extra dollars.  Russ

Chiloquinruss,

The promotional videos don't show the arm going up very far.  If you were sawing 1 or two inch thick material, would the arm go up far enough to thread the blade right back down through the wood without bending the blade?  

From what I can tell, this seems to be an awesome saw.  One day I hope to take one for a drive.

-----Randy

I am almost embarrassed to post this reply but here goes.  I haven't used the machine much for traditional scrolling.  I make signs on my CNC machine and use the scroll saw for final cutting of some letters.  However most materials are at least 1 inch thick or better.  In my usage of the machine I can't remember any issues with getting the stock into the machine or in changing blade positions.  See pix below:

1. is the final tension blade top release.  It works really easily.  2. Is the piece hold down, that is removable, I find it works really well so I have not removed mine.  3.  Is the major arm tension release on the very back of the arm.  Again very easy to adjust and or release.  As I said I have NOT used the machine in the traditional sense where one must reinsert the blade into pre-drilled holes in the work piece.  But I can see no issues with doing that.  I hope this long winded answer helps answer your original question.  Russ

This is cut and pasted from a response to Randy in another part of the forum and refers to the Hawk BM 220 and the Excalibur 21 and has not been edited to apply only to the Hawk:

My experience and opinion only.  Both machines have their advantages.  The BM is made in America - I actually drove down to Bushton, KS to pick mine up.  It is solidly but simply engineered.  A reasonably talented handy person could probably do most repairs.  It has fewer moving parts and fewer bearings and most of it is easily accessible.  The EX has more bearings, more moving parts, and some parts are not very accessible.  When the EX arm is fully up you have a solid 10 inches between the bottom of the top clamp and the table top.  When the BM arm is fully up you have 5 inches between the bottom of the top clamp and the table top.  Also on the BM there is an arm extending along side and below the saw arm which ends just before the top clamp and the height between the bottom of that arm and the table top is 4 inches.  However the BM does have a blade slot which is elongated to the front and with the way the lower clamping mechanism is attached it will let the blade swivel to the front to give some relief to bottom feeders.  The top clamp is also mounted in that manner but will not give as much relief to top feeders.  I think the clamping mechanism is more awkward on the BM than it is on the EX.  On the BM you generally will slip one of the clamps out of its holding mechanism, insert the blade and tighten the thumb screw, and then reinsert the clamp in its holding mechanism.  You will then feed the blade through your work piece to the other clamp - this only has to occur when you change blades.  If I had used the BM more I do think I would have gotten more used to the procedure and been able to do it almost subconsciously but I did not use it enough to get to that point.  The BM clamps themselves are somewhat similar to the EX and DW clamps in that they have a set screw on one side and a thumb screw on the other side.  The BM screws are a smaller diameter than the EX and DW which are interchangeable.  I have also had to replace clamps on my EX - I am a bottom feeder so it is my top clamp which gets used the most on fret work.  After I learned that I do not have to tighten the thumb screw as hard as I can, I have not really experienced a problem with threads although I am sure it will happen again.  I doubt there would be that problem with the BM.  I do prefer the thumb screws on the EX and DW over those on the BM.  The BM is just a solid thumb screw and as you know the EX and DW thumb screws each have an end which swivels and will stop twisting when contacting the blade and while you are continuing to tighten the thumb screw.  I think this design probably relieves some blade stress when you put it under tension and start sawing and that you may be more likely to break blades with a BM whereas with an EX and DW you are likely to be able to run the blade until dull; all other factors being equal.

Both are excellent machines.  I love the solid but simple engineering of the BM and if I could change anything it would be the size and configuration of the table top and the thumb screws.  If you recall from postings on another forum, I had a machine shop friend do a new EX table top for me which is four inches wider and four inches deeper to the front of the blade.  I do not care for the EX dust collection so it did not bother me to take that table top off when I got a newer EX and put the larger table top on.  I think my under table dust collection is just as good or better than what EX has attached to its table top.  Biggest disadvantage of the EX is a lot more moving parts to go bad and more difficult and costly to repair even if you can do it yourself.  At full throttle the BM probably has a little less vibration and the BM is a little less noisy.  I do have my machines mounted on the EX stand (separate stands for each) which is bolted to 3/4 plywood and 4 inch locking swivel casters and a bag of water softner salt on the plywood.  I also have 3/4 plywood between the top of the stand and the machine so I could make an extra work surface right beside the machine.  I really do not have a serious vibration issue with these machines.

For manuals of older Hawk Models (Single Models, Hawk 216, Hawk 220, and Hawk 226) see Bushton Manufacturing Website here:

http://www.bushtonmanufacturing.com/WebsitePages/Scroll-Saw-Manuals.html