Thread: Rockwell RT7346

You only get whatn you pay for

Red Gum

Good point Red Gum.
I think I'll save my money.

Grant.

I hope I wasn't abrupt with my reply to you but I fell into the elcheapo bracket and ended up buying six saws before I was happy. LucklyI I was able to return all but one so it didn't cost me an arm and a leg.

When I started woodturning and searching for any information I could get my hands on I came acreoss something that said. "Many people loose heart in turning because they have tried to do it with poor quality tools." That is so right and aplys to most things in life.

Good luck as you enter into a very rewarding hobby and lets face it $1000 isn't all that much in comparison to say playing golf or many other activities

Red Gum

No offence taken Red Gum.
"You only get what you paid for " is so true for many things.
When I statrted learning the bagpipes a few years back all I could afford was a cheap set made in Pakistan and oh boy, the trouble I had getting any sort of decent sound out of them.So I saved and saved until I could eventually afford a decent set made in Scotland. My playing improved out of sight literally overnight.

I will stick with this lesson and your advice and save my money for a saw that will see me proud in years to come rather than possibly packing it in in the short term.

Thanks again,
Grant.

Hi Brigalow

I'm with Red Gum on the subject of equipment. When you are new to something, I believe you should always buy the best you can afford.

If you have good equipment, and are coming up short in what you achieve, at least you know that it's probably that your skill level needs improvement, and not the equipment that's to blame.

It's too easy to become disheartened and give up, if you keep getting poor results. And, of course, I love the scrollsaw, but it can do so many more things than I knew about when I bought David's scrollsaw.

It's only once you start to work on your machine that you can really decide how you want to use it. Some people do complex fretwork and portraits, some do sophisticated compound objects, some do intarsia, some do toys.

These things will all require slightly different qualities in the machine you use. So get the most versatile and easy to operate machine that you can.

The biggest problem is not being able to try to machine before you buy. This is where woodworking shows, and even some kind woodworking club members come in. If you can have a go at using a variety of machines, you'll soon get a feel of what you want.

Especially consider the throat size (gives you flexibility in how big you work), the mechanism for holding and adjusting the blade, the ease of changing the blade, the vibration level of the motor and just how 'friendly' the machine feels to use.

LOML said some years ago that he would love to try the scrollsaw some time, and when I decided to buy him one, I went straight for a Hegner. I didn't realize at the time, but it was a very good buying decision, because it is so well engineered and gave him plenty of scope to grow with his scrollsawing.

I did lots of reading before buying the Hegner, and felt that the engineering was considerably better than some others at half the price. But as to whether it's worth $1000 or so more than say an Excalibur, only you can say.

I now know that he will not have to upgrade to a better machine as his skill level and interests grow. But $2000 for a Hegner is a big investment, so it's best to consider all options carefully.

But on the plus side of things, you'll always get a good price for selling a quality piece of engineering, if you ever get sick of using it, so even consider re-sale value.

Cheers
LiliB

Don't loose sight of the fact that sales of what you make will soon pay for the saw plus other bits an pieces you will start looking at buying

Red Gum

Dear LiliB and Red Gum,
Thank you both. You certainly have given me a lot to consider.
Take care and happy scrollsawing.

Grant.