# Heigner Multimax-18 Foot Pedal



## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

[BACKGROUND]

1) Bought a single speed Heigner for two hundred twelve year ago. Used it a little here, a little there.

2) Sold it a few months ago for four hundred, after finding the deal in "3," below.

3) Bought an RBI for one hundred. Liked it, but, almost immediately, missed features of the Heigner, like not having the table angle adjustment in front of the lower blade change mechanism. However, like the cheaper blade holder and the variable speed (great for a beginner).

4) Found a front tension, variable speed Hegner. Bought it.

5) Not disclosed in the ad was, the idiots who stored the Hegner for the teacher lost the bag of things with the saw, which included a foot pedal, the piano tuner, etc. We won't get into that the asses "storing it for her put it outside, in the Eastern Washington winters of Yakima (fortunately, the damage done was easily address, once I got it home).

Now to that latter problem, which foot pedal best serves a Hegner Multimax-18? I love that the RBI lets me ramp in to whatever speed I set on the dial, but I don't know what the Hegner wants.

Anyone got tips on other than on/off foot switches in the ten amp world? For that matter, any tips in general for parts. Been to https://advanced-machinery.com, but not having a lot of luck around their site.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

Call advanced, they can hook you up if the parts are still available.

https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/pages/hegner-home


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

That, certainly, couldn't hurt.

Meanwhile, I'm a "wanna know what and why" guy, so was wondering if any Hegner owners with variable speed machines are on this site and, if they are, can they tell me if their pedals variable speed or dead-man?

Just called my friend, who I sold the RBI to and asked and he said the foot pedal on it varied the speed of the saw up to the speed the dial was set to.

Liked that foot pedal (he offered to give it back, since I gave him the machine, but the poor devil is hooked now, and I don't want to give him the Jonesies), so was hoping the Hegner approach was similar.

If the Hegners are just deadman switches, no use paying a fortune for one. So to it goes if they use pedals like the RBI or my Foredom foot pedals.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

Mine is just a deadman (on/off only) foot pedal. Speed is varied at the machine with the dial. I have the 22", although I don't think that matters.


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

I have a deadman switch on mine, the one Advance Machinery has. Any 110V foot pedal will work, Harbor Freight has one. I've been using it on my Seyco Saw, works fine. Like TungOil stated, the speed is varied by the knob on the scroll saw. Most scrollers prefer the deadman switch.

https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/products/footswitch

Another must have for a Hegner, in my opinion is their "Quick Clamp"

https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/products/hegner-quickclamp


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Seems, between the answers here, the not too clear info on the Net, and my friend calling back and saying the RBI also uses a off/on switch, the dead-man switch is the one I need.

Thanks for all the help, one and all.

As to the quick clamps, what is the difference between it and just pulling the piano like bolt and replacing it with an M4 Thumb screw from my jig drawer, if any?

The normal clam is twenty-four and the one with the know is another ten. That's a lot of nickles for a simple metric (M4) thumb screw.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

Try it to see if it fits. If not, you know you need to buy the factory one….


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I'm thinking it's a kind of cake walk thing. Every pedal I've played with, from my Foredom to the RBI, just plugs into the wall and then the tool into the item.

Now that I know which they use, it's silly to spend eighty or more dollars on a pedal, since it's just a simple switch wired to one side of a cord and that line feeding to an outlet, to which are also attached a neutral and ground lines. As long as it can handle around ten amps, any dead-man foot switch should do.



> Try it to see if it fits. If not, you know you need to buy the factory one….
> 
> - TungOil


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

Sorry, should have been more clear. I was talking about the blade clamps….


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

I'm not sure what a piano screw looks like. The Quick Clamp has a rotating end that helps keep from the clamped end of the blade from breaking or bending to look like a hockey stick, also in addition to the nice knob. See photo. If you piano screw has that it will work if it fits. Also the Quick Clamp can be used on all size blades where there are 3 sizes of the regular clamps
to use depending on the size of blade you are using:

Choose 0.5mm (small - .020") for sawblade sizes 4 or smaller.
Choose 0.7mm (medium - .028") for sawblade sizes 5 thru 9.
Choose 1.0mm (large - .040") for sawblade sizes 10 or larger.

But yes Hegner parts are somewhat expensive. But, you will rarely need to buy any once you have things as you want them to be.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

The end similar to a bar clamp makes sense, if the screw presses against the side of the blade. I presume it must, and that the holder is designed different to reflect that.

I just pulled the upper screw off my stock upper holder, which requires a key, like we used to tighten skates or to wind clocks. It looked like my piano pin wrenches would fit, but they are too small.

The stock, threaded screw, with a square end that appeared would work with either a piano or clock key, does not have the same feature as the one above.

The stock tightening screw must go through the slit and pull it together to pinch the blade. The screw, I suspect, without having verified the assumption, must run just behind the blade and work as a stop for them.

From this, it would seem safe to swap the stock screw, for which you need a key, for a M4 thumb screw. I did the same on the RBI and it made it more pleasant to use.

I mention piano keys because the end is just like a piano pin, for tuning a piano. As an aside, it turns out my piano pin wrenches don't fit, so I may have to go rob one of my old clocks for a test drive


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

These work also:
https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/products/blade-clamp-wing-nut

When you mentioned piano screw I was thinking some kind of screw with threads. I understand the key concept.

I also have one of the blade clamp wing nuts (link above). It just wasn't as comfortable for me as the Quick clamp


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

If you have not read it already, I think most of your questions will be answer by reading the Hegner manual.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1188/6562/files/Hegner_Scroll_Saw_manual.pdf?3248921969229599006


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

Oh, this is what the Hegner key looks like, in case you didn't find it on the site:

https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/products/tuffwrench


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Thanks, Paul, for the picture of the key. Wish the picture was bit more clear on the size. May put the calipers on the screw and look for the mm equivalent from there, if only because it's good information to have on hand.

The thumb screw is, exactly, what I was describing. I have a literal drawer full of male and female versions for my jigs and things.

TungOil, went through the manual, but it was not at all clear on the type of pedal used. However, I've been known to read so fast I missed details [like the end of the earth is coming and will be here in three days].


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

Here's an inexpensive foot pedal option:

https://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/ec190816.html?utm_campaign=EC190816&utm_source=cc&utm_medium=email&utm_term=shopnow-btn


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

HF sells both a momentary 'dead-man' as well as a maintained 'push-on/push-off' switch… either can be had for around $11. I have the maintained switch on my Delta scroll saw, however if you just tap it twice, it behaves exactly like the momentary switch - so you get your choice of operation in a single switch.

Yes, this is an old thread  But I ran across it because I picked up a pristine Multimax 18v today (1991 model) and was looking for info. It came with the momentary dead-man switch that I will most likely swap out with the HF one on my Delta, as I've got used to not keeping my foot in the same place as I work 

As for the clamp bolt thing… here is what the older 'piano tuner' key looks like;










I measured the square bolt part with my cheap calipers and it appears to be 5mm square, or approx. 0.19". Can't find my good calipers at the moment :-O

Cheers,
Brad


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I ended up getting a dead-man-foot switch and it appears, as others said, it is what I needed for the Hegner. Elsewhere, I note my Foredom foot switch is a a variable switch and perfect for that function.

Thanks each and all for the help and direction.

AND

I swapped out the key upper key lock for the knurled knob and there is no looking back, based on the little I've used it.

I did go with the high end, bright red key and it's a "ouch once" thing.

I'll try to remember to give the key details later.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Now that I've played with this puppy with both the stock locking system and the quick clamp, I believe you can just install a set screw from the left side and stop it so that a blade, with a knurled knob, coming in from the right, would lock the blade at center.

One day I'll pick up the knurled knob and give it a whirl, just because I can. That approach would be pretty inexpensive.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> ... I believe you can just install a set screw from the left side and stop it so that a blade, with a knurled knob, coming in from the right, would lock the blade at center.
> - Kelly


I'm completely new to the Hegner clamps, but are you saying that you want to try and modify a standard blade clamp to function like a quick clamp (ie: w/set screw on one side and special knurled one on the other)? I took a look at this video that shows the differences between them and it doesn't look possible. Am I missing something?

Cheers,
Brad


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Brad, I have other tools that use the method I described - a set screw on one side and a knob from the other, so the two meet and anything between them gets caught in the middle, if that's where you stopped the set screw.

After having the Quick Clamp, I like it, but that is, exactly, what it does, except with a head like those found on our F-clamps.

Sorry, the macro photography stinks. That said, the first photo shows the set screw. The last shows the quick clamp, which, when I removed it, left the swivel part behind. That's it on the desk, between the holder and knob. In other words, they just drilled a hole and installed the little doohickey on the end and it just lifts out.

IF one wanted to, they could add a shim to the back side, to stop the blade from pushing beyond the set screw and quick clamp. It wouldn't affect the operation of the combination of the set screw and the quick clamp.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

I guess I was questioning if you wanted to retro-fit the *stock* blade clamps with the knob/set screw setup, or fabricate *new* blocks. I understand how the quick clamp works, and it would just push the standard block apart without providing any pressure against the blade - which is why the quick clamp uses a solid block.

Cheers,
Brad


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Went back and looked. I stand corrected.

I still might experiment to see how much actual pressure I need to exert to hold a blade.

That aside, this sparked an old interest: I went to my aluminum scrap drawer and found pieces that would be perfect for experiments making a few of the rather spendy blade holders.

I plan on cutting them to size, drilling a hole for the blades to come up through, and one for a set screw and knob.

The nice thing about this is, I can use one of the fifty or so knobs from my jig part collection, rather than pain in the butt metric thumb screws that are far more difficult to find.

Putting the bevel on these little pieces of aluminum should be a quick process on the big belt.

It would be only a bit more effort to make several, rather than just one.


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