Hegner and Diamond

[afshin]

Hi !

Is there anyone who has tried both Hegner and Diamond fretsaws, and has experienced differences between their results?

Thanks

Afshin

[Gill]

Yes - me! My signature block's a bit of a give-away on this .

Both are very good saws but I think the Hegner 2 shades it over the Diamond for sheer speed of blade changing (so long as you use the quick-release clamp). The choice is a no brainer if you're going to be making lots of piercing cuts.

I also think the Hegner has slightly less vibration.

However, the Diamond is a wonderfully powerful saw, capable of cutting hard wood which the Hegner can't cope with. It also a number of accessories such as a flexible drive shaft which can run off it, a circle cutting jig, and the capacity to use non-standard scrollsaw blades. The Diamond blade holder can also be rotated through 360 degrees, a great boon when working on large projects. Moreover, Doug Woodward (the manufacturer) gives excellent customer service and takes great pride in his machines; as far as he's concerned, they're guaranteed for life.

I consider myself fortunate to have room for both machines in my workshop .

Gill

[workin for wood]

Now that's a feature I wish I had. I want to be able to turn the blade in different directions for oversize or extra long cutting. I also want a dust chute down under the blade with a net inside it to catch them little eyeballs and fingernails that sometimes fall through and get lost.