Please note. Within these pages I only discuss two powered machines being the Hegner and Diamond makes, this is because I own machines of these makes, I have little knowledge of other makes so I am unable to comment on them but there are many other good saws available from other manufacturers.
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The heyday for fretwork as a hobby was from the 1890's to the early 1930's, the Hobbies company continued offering fretwork plans until the late 1950's but after this date there was little interest in the art of fretwork, these were the days when people wanted plain stuff - who covered lovely panel doors with sheets of hardboard to make them flat and plain.
Most of the fretwork done in those days was done by either a hand-frame and table or a treadle machine such as the Hobbies A1. However Hobbies did offer some powered machines from the 1930's onwards You can read about them here. Hobbies did offer a simple powered saw until 1964 it was called the Marvel it was very light duty and I doubt they sold many. There were also some industrial scale heavy duty machines available but little for hobby use.
The fretworking hobby -certainly in Great Britain was by 1960 mostly over and done with, that is until 1974 when Helmut Abel produced the first modern powered saw that we know today as the Hegner.
Hegner Fretsaws/Scrollsaws
In 1974 Helmut Abel patented a powered fretsaw in Germany which he named the Hegner Fretsaw. It was this machine that was largely responsible for the resurgence of the fretwork/scroll-sawing hobby.
The Hegner is considered to be one of the finest quality saws that one can buy, incorporating many innovative features. One of the most important features of the Hegner saw is the blade suspension system which consists of triangular blade clamps which locate in v shaped openings on the arms of the machine, this keeps the arms parallel and the blade as square as possible to the work table.
Please note that I have no connection with Hegner other than owning one of their saws.
Comments and views here are entirely my own opinions and do not represent those of HegnerUK.
Hegner, a Black forest company, was founded in 1938. It is still managed by the founding family - now in their third generation.
The factory uses the latest CNC machines alongside traditional craftsmanship, with most work being carried out in their own factory producing some 15,000 machines per year. The machines are quality built and offer a three year guarantee.
Three of the machines from the Hegner range are shown here, all are manufactured in the factory in Germany. The machines are built to a very high standard from the entry level Multicut 1 to the top of the range industrial quality Polycut 3. Machines are available with electronic variable speed control, allowing speeds continuously variable from 400-1400rpm. The Polycut 3 model also has a 4 speed pulley system.
Hegner saws feature the following:
Precise parallelogram action
Heavy duty induction motor
Tilting table
V blade clamping system
Precision arms and bearings
Cast construction
Low vibration and smooth cutting
Three year guarantee
Full spare parts service
Factory fitted speed control unit offers continuously variable speeds from 400-1400rpm.
Variable Speed Control
I would recommend buying a machine that has variable speed. This is especially useful when cutting other materials such as plastics and metals, or cutting thin wood of any kind. It is also better for those to using a scrollsaw for the first time - slowing the cutting rate gives one time concentrate on the work.
Hegner saws are fitted with high quality induction motors that are very smooth running, quiet and reliable. However, unlike less reliable carbon brush type motors, you cannot add a standard speed control after purchase - it requires a special motor speed control unit that has to be factory fitted at the outset; an upgrade would the require the changing of the entire motor unit.
The Polycut 3 machine does not have an electronic variable speed control, instead it has a four stage pulley system with a belt drive offering four fixed speeds of 700rpm,1100rpm,1270rpm and 1600rpm.
Hegner Machine Stand & Hold down
Machine Stand Hegner offer a purpose built stand for their saws, but they are rather expensive and most users will either make their own wooden stand or simply use a bench or table. An advantage of a metal stand is that it offers less vibration than wood, however Hegner saws are so smooth that vibration is not an issue.
Hold Down Arm The arm is designed to keep the work firmly down on the table to stop it jumping about. Most people find they get in the way and remove them; you soon get used to holding the work with your hands.
Hegner offers three knife edge standard blade clamps for their machines, shown above. The 1.00mm version is suitable for thicker fretsaw blades, whilst the others are for thinner blades. The size refers to the gap where the blade fits, but in practice any clamp will cope with most normal fretsaw blades - the size difference being insignificant.
One thing to note is that as the bolt is tightened to hold the blade the clamp itself is 'closed' up, this is quite different to how the blade is held when using the quick blade clamp where the gap in the clamp remains the same and the end of the clamp bolt/knob presses on the blade itself.
Two of the best features of the Hegner saws are the quick tension release lever and the the quick release blade clamp.
If you are doing fine fretwork with lots of internal cuts and many blade changes these two features are invaluable and once you have tried them you would never wish to use any other system.
The blade clamp can be fitted to an existing machine but the tension lever is best purchased factory fitted.
The images above show the quick clamp in use. You will notice that I have modified my clamp by fitting a small lever to it. You will find that using the knob when continually refitting the blade for lots of internal work it does become quite hard on ones hands - the lever makes it a lot easier to work with. I simply drilled a small hole and tapped a thread in it then fitted a small rod with a thread and nut to keep it in place, I used a Meccano part 115a but any other rod would do the job.
One thing to note about the quick clamp is that unlike the standard clamps the blade is held in place by the clamp bolt itself rather than tightening the clamp around the blade. The clamp bolt has a special rotating end to prevent the blade from moving out of place as it is tightened.
Older Hegner machines without the Quick clamp or Quick tension release
As I discuss above, the quick blade clamp and quick tension release make a huge difference to your working with the saw. If you own an older Hegner fretsaw which did not have either of these features it is possible to address the issue - see below.
Quick release blade clamp
In the case of the quick clamp, it is simply a matter of purchasing one from Hegner UK (or any Hegner retailer) they are quite expensive at around £36 (GBP-2025), but once you try it you'll find it well worth the cost. You could of course make one up yourself with a knob rather than the standard small screw/bolt in the standard clamp. However it won't be as versatile as the Hegner one, which features rotating surfaces inside to keep the blade from twisting when tightening the knob onto the blade. (Part is HM0450)
Quick release blade tension.
Having a quick blade tension release mechanism is, in my opinion, even more important than the quick release blade clamp. This is because on machines without the feature, you have to reach to the back of the saw each time you change or refit the blade then make several turns on the tension release rod. This may not be a problem for the user who only intends to do basic cutting- however if you intend doing more intricate work with a lot of internal cutting such as shown in the image (right) which has over eighty internal cuts you will soon find constantly re-tensioning the blade frustrating.
The only way to convert most* Hegner saws with the factory fitted quick tension release would be to replace the entire top arm - which is quite an expensive option.
However, there is another way - Hegner have made available a revised rear quick release tension rod as shown to the right. This costs around £51 (GBP 2025) and is used in place of the originally fitted turn knob release. Whilst not as convenient as the factory fitted front mounted release, it means that you have a quick release blade tension available at the flick of a lever avoiding the constant resetting of tension. The rod is sold by Hegner UK under part number HM2012QR.
*Please note that on some early machines, such as the smaller Multicut 1, you are not able to fit a complete quick release top arm - but you can retrofit the new quick release tension rod as shown above. (Most new models are now sold with the quick tension release already fitted)
Stroke Adjustment
Hegner saws are equipped with stroke adjustment. This can be helpful when cutting thin or delicate materials. Generally the factory set long stroke is best. but using a short stroke means less teeth are in contact with the work meaning a smoother cut and less blade breakages.
To utilise short stroke it is simply a matter of removing the bolt on the connecting rod and refitting the rod via the second threaded hole as shown left. Hole 4 is normal whilst using hole 3 is for the short stroke option.
It is fair to say that Hegner machines are not cheap to buy - but quality never is cheap and it is fair to say that once you have used the machine you will find it such a delight that you will soon forget how much you paid.
The little verse to the left written by philosopher and writer John Ruskin sums up my thoughts on buying a Top Quality machine rather than a cheap poor quality one that you will soon wish you had not purchased.
Please note that I have no connection with Hegner other than owning one of their saws.
Comments and views here are entirely my own opinions and do not represent those of HegnerUK.
My personal view on the Hegner Fretsaw/Scrollsaw
I bought my Hegner multicut 2S in Dec 1999 so think I am qualified to give my own personal view on the machine. I have to say that not for one moment since I bought the saw have I been disappointed with it, from the moment I first switched it on I have been delighted with it and in the early days I could not walk past without having a 'go' with it. I think I can honestly say that it would be impossible to buy a better machine - it is a joy to use. Hegner saws are still made of the same high quality that they were when introduced by Helmut Abel some fifty years ago. There are many other good saws available that work well but in my opinion none are made to the quality of the Hegner. These are machines built to last for a lifetime.
If you would like to find out more about the Hegner machines perhaps you would like to watch my full Hegner review on YouTube, which covers the saw in detail.
I also cover the Hegner saws in my video entitled "Scroll-Saw Hints and Tips", also available on my YouTube channel.
I feel it is only fair to point out that spare parts for Hegner machines are what many users consider very expensive to buy, however on the other hand they are so well made that they very rarely give any trouble. My Hegner, which I purchased over 25 years ago, has been used extensively and only two small parts have failed. One was the on/off switch which are obtainable at most electronic suppliers for around £2 and the Blower bellows which split after 20 years use. Both items were readily available and easy to fit by any person with practical experience.
If you are considering buying a Fretsaw/Scroll-saw perhaps you would like to watch my two part YouTube videos on the subject.
In the videos I discuss the various types of machine and give my reasons why you should buy a quality machine rather than a cheap low quality made model
Next page. Diamond Saws
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