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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I find your products at my local tool dealer?

Regrettably, many of today's tool dealers are all about easy volume and high margins. They rely on big advertising campaigns by manufacturers to bring in buyers, but offer little in added value to either the manufacturer or the customer. We have found that direct contact is the best way to provide the level of professional, expert service you deserve. Plus we can save you money by not having to allow for dealer markups.

But won't I miss out on local parts and service availability?

Just visit your local tool dealer and find out how much he really knows about the specifics of a product, or about repairs. Chances are he'll have to refer you to a toll-free number, send away for parts, or even send your machine back to the manufacturer, or send you to an "authorized service center" thirty miles away (if you're lucky). You'll have none of that with Advanced Machinery.

What are the Warranties on your Products?

Click here to go to our Warranties Page.

If Advanced Machinery’s brands are so good why haven’t I heard of them before?

Quite simply, we are a small, family-owned business quite unlike a company like Delta or Dremel. We are not mass marketers with huge advertising budgets focused on marketing. Instead we are tool aficionados who appreciate the highest levels of quality even when the mass market may not. Thus we are willing to accept a smaller number of customers, and to take care of them in ways large companies simply can’t.

Ask an industry professional or insider about our brands, and they’ll respond like a car collector to a vintage Ferrari or AC Cobra. These cars are some of the most desirable and valuable on the planet, yet you’ve probably never seen one on the road or at a local car dealer. It’s no different with Advanced Machinery products: even though they have a low profile in the marketplace, any knowledgeable insider would be happy to own our entire catalog of products if money were no object.

Try an Advanced Machinery product and “Discover the Difference” for yourself!

Why are there different HEGNER blade clamp sizes but only one QuickClamp?

Other than their similar external appearance and dimensions, and the fact that they both hold blades in HEGNER saws, the Standard HEGNER Blade Clamps and the HEGNER QuickClamp are ENTIRELY different in both their design and function. As a result there is no basis for comparing their characteristics or specifications.

The QuickClamp has a rigid body with a slot machined vertically from the front, leaving a rear "wall" against which the blade is positioned for clamping. It uses a floating tip on the end of a specially designed machine screw (with an aluminum knob) to clamp the blade against the hollowed-out end of a "locktited" set screw. The QuickClamp has a sufficiently large slot to accommodate any standard scroll saw blade, so adapting to different blade thickness is merely a matter of sufficiently backing off, or sufficiently tightening, the machine screw.

In total contrast, Standard Clamps have a flexible body with a horizontally machined slot. They flex inward to grip the blade between the two inner clamp surfaces. Since proper gripping of the blade can only be achieved within a certain convergence angle range, each slot width can only be used for a limited range of blade thicknesses.

The medium (0.7mm) clamp size (supplied with our machines) is compatible with most common blades, and is ideal for sizes 5-9.

For larger blades, gripping efficacy is reduced even if the blade still physically fits in to the standard clamp, so the larger slot (1.0mm) clamps are recommended.

In order to avoid an excessively steep convergence angle (which creates performance and blade life issues), the smaller slot clamp (0.5mm) is recommended for blade sizes 4 and below, and is typically essential for satisfactory performance in sizes 2 and below.

Since the standard clamp is most difficult to distinguish based on slot size, it is made with a small dimple on its back (the face opposite the knife edge). Both the large and small clamps, which are much easier to distinguish since the difference in slot size between them is more significant, have no dimple.

Therefore, if you have multiple unmarked clamp sizes, you can determine which is which simply by first separating out those with a dimple and then easily comparing the remainder based on their slot size, either to one another or to those with dimples.

Can I come and visit your premises?

Absolutely! We welcome visitors, even though we do not have a storefront. All we ask is that you let us know a day in advance if you would like to look at specific machinery, or would like a demonstration. This is because we do not always keep everything set up in our showroom, and we want to make sure you don’t make a wasted trip.

If you just want to pick up some of our products, please stop in at our front desk any time weekdays between 9 and 4, and we’ll be glad to take care of you.

Do you make your own products, and if not, where do they come from?

We do no manufacturing of our own, although we do have exclusive manufacturing contracts with some of our suppliers.

Our sources are located all over the globe, with our primary foreign products sourced in Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland, while our major US goods come from California and Pennsylvania.

How long has Advanced Machinery existed?

We were founded in 1975, when we first operated out of a private home. After several moves and product line expansions, we arrived at our present 20,000 sqft facility in 1983.



We welcome your feedback on our company, our products, and on this site. Please e-mail any comments directly to us.