Axminster AWFS18

[chrispuzzle]

Yay!

Axminster delivered a nice new AWFS18 to me today, after I finally got some cash together. It looks real nice sitting on its stand. And I like that the manual has a full exploded diagram of all the parts of this supposed Hegner clone. I can use that to help with the Meccano Mk III...

First question...how should I get rid of all the greasy gunk on the saw table? I have never had a tool that came covered in golden syrup before. What's the solvent of choice for these things?

Chris

[BobD]

Mineral spirits should remove it...or Goo Gone...

Bob

[Gill]

You should also be able to remove the gunk with methylated spirits, Chris.

I'm dying to hear how you get on with your new saw - you're the first person I know who's got one and they look to be an absolute bargain.

Gill

[garyloos]

Kerosene will also remove it.

[chrispuzzle]

White spirit did the job, thanks guys.

Gill - thought you might be interested First impressions are that it is very solid, very heavy, the arms as well as the base. The instructions are in oriental-english which are hard to puzzle out but I have it set up now and cutting.

The clamping seems complex, I'll post close-up photographs of the clamping system later if you like. I have left the starter blade in it for now - the instructions for changing a blade are in Taiwenglish and not exactly easy to follow. In fact it was hard enough working out how to switch it on - there is a circuit breaker unit which has to be opened and switched on first. ("Switch on the machine with the power switch M by the switch jack down" is the inscrutable instruction).

I am not accustomed to listening to scrollsaws humming, but my impression is that it is a pretty quiet machine. The manual suggests 73dB which is about conversation level. My partner could not hear it downstairs while watching TV.

Very little vibration at all from 400-800spm and then I began to feel a tingle in my legs from the floorboards. I guess the sense of vibration peaked about 1200spm and then lessened at 1400spm. The machine itself was vibrating but hardly moving at all, nearly all the vibration seemed to be transmitting to the floor. I have the machine bolted to the Axminster stand (it doesn't quite fit, you can't use the holes in the stand both fore and aft) which seems a very basic stand.

Some of the peripheral facilities are plasticky. The tilt is basic, with a sticker (position out by 2 degrees) to show the angle. ("Turn knob S approx 1 revolution against the clockwise direction. Bend the working table into the desired angle...") - in other words the knob loosens the table tilt and then you move the table with your hands, rather than using a lever or a geared movement to a precise angle. So if you wanted to repeat angles you had better be very precise and make notes.

However the saw itself seems very solid, very quiet, and with little vibration - at least, I don't know how much vibration other saws have, but I think when you feel it in your thighs before you see the table move it is probably a good sign?

Chris

[Gill]

Originally Posted by chrispuzzle

I think when you feel it in your thighs before you see the table move it is probably a good sign?

I'd say so, especially if you're operating a fret saw at the time .

Seriously, it sounds as if the stand you've got your saw mounted on might not be up to the task and that's why you can feel vibration. I usually find the best test of a saw for vibration is to plonk it on a concrete floor and operate it there for a few seconds. You might find that adding Carl's sandbox will do a lot to reduce vibration, or if you've got a marble slab lying around you could mount the saw on that. The trick is to add as much mass as possible to the saw. Just don't use so-called anti-vibration matting.

When this saw first appeared I expressed reservations about the blade changing mechanism so I'm not surprised you've identified this early on as a weakness. Have you considered fitting a proper Hegner Quick Release blade clamp? They don't cost much and looking at the manual they should fit the Axminster...

Repeat angles can be a problem. Probably the best bet here is to make a cut into a block of wood at least 18mm thick whenever you set your table at an angle. Then you can refer to it if you ever need to repeat the angle.

Thanks for the report - it sounds as if AWFS18 is very good value for money .

Gill

[chrispuzzle]

Originally Posted by Gill

Have you considered fitting a proper Hegner Quick Release blade clamp? They don't cost much and looking at the manual they should fit the Axminster...

Yes, they look like a good idea as long as they fit. Do you know what the dimensions of Hegner clamps are? I don't see why they wouldn't work if they are the same size. The Axminster clamps look very like standard Hegner clamps. I wonder how well they will cope with 2/0 blades. I assume the Hegner Quick Release clamps have no problem with very thin blades?

The clamping instructions in the manual have some wonderful phrases. "Removing your cuts if necessary and remainder stucco from the protection hood" is very expressive.

Chris

[Gill]

Originally Posted by chrispuzzle

Do you know what the dimensions of Hegner clamps are?

Not off the top of my head. I'm about to go out for the evening but I'll measure mine tomorrow and let you know. If I forget, give me a nudge.

Gill

[chrispuzzle]

Gill - Have a great evening. There's no hurry on the clamp data, since I'll want to be giving these ones a thorough workout before I go and splash out on Hegners.

Chris

[chrispuzzle]

The blade change, once I figured it out, isn't as bad as I had thought it might be. Don't know if other saws do this, but the Axminster 18" has a jig at the side of the table where you can lay the V-clamps to get the correct spacing for the blade.

I did have trouble putting the blade in "perfectly centrically" at first - partly because my eyesight is not so hot - but a bit of lateral thinking (put it in the first clamp approximately, then do the second clamp, then loosen and adjust the first clamp) turned what had been several minutes fiddling and squinting into a much quicker process.

Chris