What makes...................

[goobydoosdad]

changing blades different from one saw to another? It seems like the biggest complaint so far is blade changing and noise. I have a Dremel and since I am a newbie in this world of scrolling, I do not know the difference. I have tried playing with mine and I have changed the blade to create an inside pattern of my own. I had some difficulty changing the blade but more so to get it "threaded" through the hold I drilled. Could some of the veterans of the "sport" give me some explanation as to how they change the blade in their Hegner or RBI?

On mine I loosen the tensioner on the top back of the saw. I then open the door under the table on the right side. At this point I have the hold down foot up all the way. I then loosen the top blade clamp or knob. I tried to slide my "work" down over the blade leaving the lower clamp or knob in place. To me it doesn't seem like there is enough room to put my "piece" down over the blade without flexing the blade some to get it through the hole. Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal???

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

changing blades

and noise and vibration.....those are all reasons why my dremel sits unused and I am now the proud owner of a DeWalt 788....I bought an after market bar that goes on the side of the DeWalt, I loosen the blade and I can lift the blade with one finger and move the arm up out of the way, change the blade of insert into the wood and move the arm back down, put the blade in the slot and tighten the knob....could't be easier.....

[goobydoosdad]

My Dremel model 1680 does not vibrate at all. Actually pretty quiet. I mounted it on a solid bench with a peice of carpet under it to dampen sound, noise and vibration.

Why did you get an aftermarket arm? I am not sure what you mean by mounted on the side. I cannot picture that.

[will8989]

Ok, Gooby, here goes, just bear in mind I am not a "technical term" person. My hegner has a slit from the front to where the blade fits in. I just reach under, release the blade holder, take out the holder & blade, slide in a new holder with blade, thread up through the hole in the wood and press the arm down onto the blade and tighten the top holder. When I put my blade into the top holder, I press the holder all the way down until the blade top hits the bottom of the top part of the holder and tighten. Clear as mud, right? I "twing" the blade listening for the bflat sound or whatever it is. If I need to adjust after I start sawing I can adjust while sawing, I don't have to start and stop. I have 2 extra blade holders with blades in them in the size I am currently using all set to go. The whole process takes about 30 seconds. Easy, right? Sometimes the holes are sssoooo small that it is a problem getting the blade through the hole, but if you just file the side of the blade top into a point it will then thread through the tinest of holes. But mostly I found that if I use the proper blade for the hole size there is no problem. A flying dutchman #3 slides into a 1/64 drilled hole without too much of a problem. A #7 wouldn't go through if you used a hammer to pound it through. The thinner the wood is the smaller the blade the smaller the hole. Is that clear as mud also? I also read somewhere and it USUALLY works for me the thinner the wood the SLOWER the speed to cut with and the thicker the wood the FASTER the speed to cut with. I also found out that I did my trial and error on wood that I would be cutting, like cherry, walnut, etc. You get a different reaction from cutting on different woods and it's no sense figuring something out on pine when you will be using cherry to cut as it probably won't work! Now does that make any sense? Mostly it is just trial and error and alot of fun figuring it all out! GOOD LUCK! AND HAPPY SCROLL SAWING!!

[goobydoosdad]

I Think I got it will. SOOOOOOOOO..................Saws like the Hegner have blade holders that come out and go in WITH the blade. I can see where that would be nice. I do not believe my saw has that ability. Does the Dewalt load blades this way?

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Changing blades on an RBI. Flip the blade tension lever to release tension on the blade. Loosen thumb screw holding top of blade. Slide blade holder out of lower arm. If you have more than one holder you just reverse the process. If not. Loosen thumb screw on blade holder, remove old blade, put in new one, then reverse the process. If you need to adjust the blade tension, just dial it in, on my 220, a 2/0 is 1:00 o'clock and 2 is 12:30 and 5 is 12:00 etc. all printed on the stand by the tension adjustment. No plucking or anything required. To do inside cuts, release the blade tension, loosen top thumb screw releasiiing the blade, pivot the blade forward (the construction of the lower blade holder alows this, kind of like the blade is mounted on a hinge), slide it through the hole in your work piece, insert it back in the upper blade holder, tighten thumb screw, and flip the tension lever, start sawing. The two really neat features are the ability to pivot the blade forward or back and the super simple tension adjustment. The bad features are the cost and if you don't have much room, the size and weight (about 80 pounds).

[goobydoosdad]

Looks like the holders are the way to go, huh?

I am going to play some more before I make a judgment on mine.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

scrollsaw arm

My Dremel model 1680 does not vibrate at all. Actually pretty quiet. I mounted it on a solid bench with a peice of carpet under it to dampen sound, noise and vibration.

Why did you get an aftermarket arm? I am not sure what you mean by mounted on the side. I cannot picture that.

Its called an EZ lift....take a look http://www.bgartforms.com/Scroll_Saw...tm#Jim%20Dandy

[goobydoosdad]

I see......................my saw doesn't do that with the arm. The arm is more fixed. Besides my warranty would be void if I added anything but recommended or original parts and I needed warranty work. I re-read my manual and tried the blade switch by the book and it actually isn't that bad. It may not be as good as some other saws but it wasn't bad.