Excalibur saws - help for a newbie

[Mister S]

Hello all.

I've been reading through a lot of the previous posts looking for opinions on which saw might be the best for me to buy. I had sort of come to the conclusion that an Excalibur 21 would probably suit me the best.

But I noticed a couple of reviews on the Axminster website from people who weren't 100% happy with theirs. One even had to bend one of the arms to get them to line up! Coupled with a couple of posts on this forum about poor wiring and one person who said about half of the people he knew had experienced problems with theirs, it's put me off a bit.

I know no make is perfect and there will always be "Friday afternoon" ones around, but it sounds like these are great when they work well, but that isn't all the time.

Has anyone here had any bad experiences with Excaliburs? Or am I being over sensitive?

Steve

 

[Chippygeoff]

Hi Steve.

I am going through the same dilemma as you at the moment and that is the choice of scroll saw to get. I need to get going in about three weeks time and the days are slipping past quite fast. I am waiting to hear from a friend who has a DeWalt 788 and if he is going to sell it to me. I have looked at the Hegner clone from Axy and this is still a possibility and I am also looking at the excalibur which is a very serious contender. apart from these saws mentioned all the others available here in the UK leave a lot to be desired, especially when it comes to blade changing and the other issue is vibration.

I have talked to a couple of people that have recently bought the excalibur and they have said it is like changing from driving a ford escort to a rolls royce. They are over the moon with them. Like you I have done a lot of research on these machines and have come up with the same as you. One chap on this site even had the special coating on the table start to break up and resorted to covering it with a piece of formica but I think this is a very rare problem and if it should happen the supplier would address the situation. Yes, there have been problems with the excalibur, mainly electrics and the blower but I have heard in the grapevine that these problems have been looked into and rectified and if i end up buying one, probably from Axy, then I am sure they will put right any problems encountered. I am not 100% but I think it comes with a 5 year guarantee.

 

[Blister]

Hi

As with most things in life

" You get what you pay for "

You will get better value when buying quality second hand

However if its for long time use and you want to invest in quality buy the best you can from a reputable dealer like Axminster

They are very customer focused and give great support

Enjoy


:wink:

 

[Nick.]

I am going through the same dilemma as you at the moment and that is the choice of scroll saw to get. I need to get going in about three weeks time

Hi Chippygeoff, it it helps the EX21 will be up and running up at the timberman show 28 & 29 Oct - I'll be just around the corner from you, feel free to call in and have a go on it yourself and by all means bring along any timber/patterns etc you want to test on it too.

Cheers
Nick
Brimarc/Jet/Excalibur

 

[Chippygeoff]

Hi Nick. Yes, I am going to Timberman on the 29th, a load of the lads from the wood turning section will be there as well. I would love to have a go on the excalibur 21 and will bring something along to cut out. Thanks Nick.

Geoff

 

[Chippygeoff]

Hi Nick. It's me again. We have e-mailed each other before. I forgot to mention. I bought a Jet 14Q from Timberman a few weeks ago and the fence will not work. I slide it along and the clamp just flops down to the locked position and still slides freely along. Any suggestions. Cheers.

 

[Mister S]

Thanks for your advice and thoughts Chippygeoff and Blister.

Like many others I learned the hard way (a long time ago) that cheaper machines of any kind that you intend to use frequently either don't last or you are disappointed with their performance. I've used Axminster a lot in the past and always been impressed with their service.

Chippygeoff - if you do get the chance to use the EX-21, would you reply to this post or create a new topic to share your thoughts on how you find it? It would be really helpful.

I have read elsewhere that the (very) slight forwards/backwards motion of the blade that is a consequence of the way the rod system on the Excalibur works can be an issue for some people. A movement of 0.5mm (which I've seen quoted) probably wouldn't matter on thin material, but maybe it would if cutting up to 3/4" thick wood as I plan to do.

thanks

Steve

 

[fellop]

Hello to all,

I am a new user here, have been lurking for a while before dipping in. Due to retire next year and I am planning to get back to one of my main interests, woodworking, and I have an interest in buying a scroll saw and learning to teach myself, just for fun, I have no intention about selling items.

After a lot of research I too have almost settled on the Excalibur 21 from Axminster.

I have tickets for the North of England Show at Harrogate on the 18 November and I hope that there may be some more information or displays there.

May I also request that if Chippygeoff, or anyone else, buys the Excalibur could they post an update and quick review.

Regards to all
Peter

 

[Nick.]

hi chippygeoff, did you turn up at the timberman show? I had the ex-21 saw up and running but I don't know if i spoke to you or not? You didn't say who you were if so.

A few people had a go, but I'm not sure if you were one of them?

thanks
nick

 

[Chippygeoff]

Hi Nick.

I did not go to the Timberman show, my grandson got taken into hospital and I went and brought him and the family back on Saturday. I am still going ahead with buying the excalibur 21 as it is just about the best machine out there. Yes, there are problems with the saw and it is like any machine we buy we have to tune it to a certain extent to get the best out of it. I feel I have been misled with a lot of reports and like me it is easy to assume that the ex-21 is flawed with problems when in fact it is just the odd one here and there. I have been in touch with people that have had them for a while and the problems are very few. I was a bit concerned about the blade clamps being aluminium with a steel thumb bolt as the two materials do not go together but a guy I spoke to who has had a Dewalt 788 for 12 years has replaced the blade clamps twice and that is not too bad considering they are cheap enough to replace, The arms on the Dewalt are exactly the same as the ex-r1, both designed by the same guy.

What I would urge everyone to do as a matter of the greatest importance is to type into the search engine "Excalibur tune up." This will take you to www.scrollsaws.com and there you will read an article on what to do BEFORE you start using your ex-21. There are a few things you can do to greatly improve the quality of cut and help to ensure that your ex-21 stays trouble free. I shall post this on the main forum as well so everyone can see it.