Thread: Makita SJ401

Mate I had one until I got my hegner. Its a good saw but a bit fiddly with pierced work. Other than that its a good machine. I gave mine to my brother and its still going great guns.
Pete

Thanks fxst for the feedback. Could you ellaborate on pierced work problems please.

not so much problems as fiddlly.
One of the reasons I went to the hegner but then I tend to do a lot of fretwork (pierced work) but easy to overcome with patience
Pete

"how some ladies are" ??????????? lol
ok... here's input from a "lady" ...... if you guys buy tools for yourselves you buy the best you can get/afford, right? So why not do the same for your wife?
No you don't need the most expensive saw, but get one that makes things easy. If all she wants to do is cut simple puzzles with little or no inside cuts by all means get her a cheap one, but if there is any chance at all she'd want to do fretwork with lots of inside cuts..... come on.... get her somethign that won't frustrate her and make her give up before she's had a chance to fall in love with scrolling.

If they'd still sell the Delta I'd recommend it ... used to be the cheapest of the good saws... but sine they don't next one up price wise I'd think would be the Trupro/WMS after that you get into the professional ones with big price tags. ( I'm still drooling over the Excalibur..... you just sold one to Bob , didn't you Jim? lol)

Anyway... guess what I'm saying is.... don't skip , get something good... good tools make life easier and also give you much better results

Juvy

I had a Makita and although it worked quite well but the clamps wouldn't hold. I sent it back under waranty and bought a Delta. I have since sold that.

Makita are off the market now as I understand but there is one at Mitre 10 in Bathurst.

I have just bought a Trupro and couldn't be more pleased with it.

I consider it a must to have the Hegna clamps with it. They cost an arm and a leg but while I was waiting for them to be delivered I battled with the clamps supplied and found them to be frustrating as in getting them lined up.

Carrolls are exelent people to do bussiness with if you decide on Trupro

Red Gum

I've just been told that it does take a little longer to change blades with the trupro... (even with the Hegner clamps) then with the Delta.... don't think I'd like that....
Always thought those would be even faster?

Juvy

Thanks for the input keju and Red Gum, I want to buy the best I can afford beleive me lol I am just trying to convince my better half of that is all. I think I may have seen a delta at Glenfords or whatever their new name is and yes to the other question there will be a lot of inside cutting done. There isnt much to choose from up here, the nearest decent place is MIK in townsville and hegner..sheesh nice but exxy.

Look Jenno,
as much as I love my Delta, knowing there won't be any support I can't really recommend buying one, unless of course you are good at fixing things yourself.
If I'd start out now I'd go with the Truepro/WMF because several guys have it and give it good marks...... I'd get the variable speed one tho.
If you want to go real good ..... go Excalibur ( just call it Valentine/Easter/Birthday/Anniversary/Christmas gift)

Juvy

I bought my Trupro from Carrolls. They are down near Geelong Vic and I am in Central NSW. I think the saw was on three diferent trucks before it got to me. Distance didn't get in the way.

Delivery was only about three days. I then had Hegna clamps sent and they arrived by mail in acouple of days indicating that spares are quickly delivered.

The same story aplies to scroll saws. You get what you pay for. I did it the hard way at five saws later. I looked very hard at the Trupro before deciding. Fortunately I was able to use warranty to return the duds.

Why buy something that has been taken off the market? (Makita & Delta)

Red Gum

Very good points there keju and Red Gum. We will save up and buy a trupro or another hegner copy when we are able to. My better half like your first reply juvy(what ladies are like????lol), thought that was good. Thanks for the advice in such a short time. I have read some forums over the last year or so when buying gear but never patricipated, but then again scrolling is something new to me/us altogether so I couldn't just go on what info I could dig up. Thanks again.

Forums are great places to find out about anything .....

This one of course is great for anything to do with scrolling... including where to buy stuff, how to make patterns, new scrolling ideas...... anything at all.. and you get to show off your stuff too!

Now as far as I know the only Hegner look alike is the Trupro.... which is identical to the WMS.. actually I had seen the WMS first.... not sure what happened there...

Juvy

What about the carbatec version keju? I thought it looked like a copy. I could be wrong tho.

Darren.

I just checked Carrolls, WMS and Carba-tec site.. only difference I can see is that the Carba-tec saw has a white and blue arm... the other once orange and blue.... everything else sure looks the same to me.

Juvy

lol your quick. Allan from Mik in townsville says he can get machines from carbatec brisbane, I have paid less freight from him up there then from carbatec in brissy. I recently bought a D4R Leigh Dovetail Jig from him, but thats another thread..lol