Tweet
Hey there. A local trade school had a fire a while ago and they sold all the damaged equipment at auction some time later. I went and when they came down the line to this forlorn looking saw nobody bid,…the auctioneer was about to move on and I blurted out “five bucks”. The auctioneer turned, pointed, and said “Sold!”. I knew nothing about scroll saws although I’ve been a hobbiest woodworker for years. Never needed a scroll saw,…my jig saw was able to do what i wanted up till now. But I thought…five bucks?,…can’t go wrong. And boy was I right.
The saw had seen heat, and a fair amount of it,…and smoke,..and likely halon fire suppressant. The dust tube was melted onto the saw frame in a long flat puddle. The thing was covered in soot and grime. It really looked bad. All the aluminum surfaces, work table, arms, etc. were fuzzy with corrosion. I think maybe the fire suppressant was corrosive, and also it had been outside for a while….every conceivable hole was filled with insect nests. But when I got it home I noticed that the underside frame shielded the heat and the motor, wires, and controller were all ok. It had shielded the heat. I then looked at the data plate and found it was a Hawk/RBI 226VS Ultra. Serial number 15631 which puts it in the early 2000’s near as I can tell.
A little internet work and I realized i had a really good saw. Sooo,..I went to “restoring” it. All the aluminum came off and was sanded down and polished. It had the accessory bar and the articulating lamp/magnifying glass….which was rough, but needed just the transformer replaced. Everything else was saveable. Every bolt was seriously stuck,…it took some real effort to get most of the bolts and nuts off. Solvent, heat, hammer taps etc….I took everything apart, cleaned every bearing internally, relubed and reassembled. (I am a licensed aircraft mechanic so this part was fun.)
This thing works like a brand new saw. I doubt it had been used much at all. All I’ll have to buy is the lamp transformer, a dust tube and director, and blades. Not bad for five bucks eh? Sometimes it’s good to take a chance.
One thing I have as a question,…the blade that was in it, although heat had detempered it, worked long enough to test the saw before it broke. The blade measured 5 and 13/16 inches overall length. Is this what they call a “five inch blade”. ? I wonder because I’m going to buy some blades and want to get the right length. My guess is the Five Inch Blade designation means it’s five inches of exposed teeth when mounted, but the blade is actually longer for mounting. Is this right? Thanks. Steve
The saw had seen heat, and a fair amount of it,…and smoke,..and likely halon fire suppressant. The dust tube was melted onto the saw frame in a long flat puddle. The thing was covered in soot and grime. It really looked bad. All the aluminum surfaces, work table, arms, etc. were fuzzy with corrosion. I think maybe the fire suppressant was corrosive, and also it had been outside for a while….every conceivable hole was filled with insect nests. But when I got it home I noticed that the underside frame shielded the heat and the motor, wires, and controller were all ok. It had shielded the heat. I then looked at the data plate and found it was a Hawk/RBI 226VS Ultra. Serial number 15631 which puts it in the early 2000’s near as I can tell.
A little internet work and I realized i had a really good saw. Sooo,..I went to “restoring” it. All the aluminum came off and was sanded down and polished. It had the accessory bar and the articulating lamp/magnifying glass….which was rough, but needed just the transformer replaced. Everything else was saveable. Every bolt was seriously stuck,…it took some real effort to get most of the bolts and nuts off. Solvent, heat, hammer taps etc….I took everything apart, cleaned every bearing internally, relubed and reassembled. (I am a licensed aircraft mechanic so this part was fun.)
This thing works like a brand new saw. I doubt it had been used much at all. All I’ll have to buy is the lamp transformer, a dust tube and director, and blades. Not bad for five bucks eh? Sometimes it’s good to take a chance.
One thing I have as a question,…the blade that was in it, although heat had detempered it, worked long enough to test the saw before it broke. The blade measured 5 and 13/16 inches overall length. Is this what they call a “five inch blade”. ? I wonder because I’m going to buy some blades and want to get the right length. My guess is the Five Inch Blade designation means it’s five inches of exposed teeth when mounted, but the blade is actually longer for mounting. Is this right? Thanks. Steve
Comment