Xcalibur 806 specification query

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chris_d

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Dear all,

Does anyone know the stroke length of the Xcalibur 806 when fitted with the sliding carriage ie what is the amount of material that can be supported in front of the blade during a cross-cut? The marketing information at Woodfords is sparse to say the least.

Cheers,
Chris
 
Welcome to the forum Chris.

The sliding table illustrated here
http://www.europac.tw/01_Woodworking_Ma ... saw_11.htm
is similar, if not in fact the same one repainted. They do two options, the one woodford choose to stock I don't know. Hopefully that'll give you some idea. I think you are looking at 3ft on the 806 or 4ft on the bigger saw, according to the blurb further down the page, after the blade.

Alan
 
Thank you very much Alan!

That documentation is much better, and now that I can see a decent photo of the sliding carriage I'm rather concerned about tripping over the ridiculous scaffolding pole. Although it almost certainly guarantees the stability.

Thanks again,
Chris
 
Chris,

You are quite right to be wary of the support system for that slider, its not a good design and thas because the saw was not designed as a sliding table saw so the whole apparatus is a bolt on, which makes it nigh on impossible for it to be a "walkthrough" type.
I had a link a week or so ago that went into depth about different sliding tables/carriages, and the Excalibur rated very low, especially when compared to machines designed specifically to have a sliding table, say for example a format type with a telescopic folding rigger, which is a joy to use compared to most offerings.
I will try to find the link again and forward it to you, because there are other aftermarket sliders ( which is all the Excalibur one is ) that will do the job better on that saw.
 
Thank you both for replying.

Andypo: Woodfords offer the saw itself for £998 and either a 3' or 4' sliding carriage for an additional £418, both prices exclude VAT.

Streepips: I'd really appreciate the comparison article that you mention - are you also looking to buy a similarly specified saw? My other current favourite is the Record Power TS315, can you remember whether that was mentioned in the comparison article?

Either way, do you or anyone else have any feedback about the TS315? There is very little mentioned about it within these forums although its smaller siblings (TS200C, TS250SB and TSPP250) are discussed - the TS200C and TSPP250 have been slated but the TS315 seems to be in a different class in terms of build quality.

Any feedback greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Chris
 
What sort of work will you be doing? The Record seem expensive.

Have you considered the DEFT saw? If I was buying another TS it'd be one of those.
 
Hi wizer,

I'll be doing a combination of fine cabinetry (kitchens & bedrooms) and rougher large panel work (packaging / crates / concrete form-work).

I had looked at the DEFT saw following some strong comments elsewhere on this site but neither the gold or silver T50 models come with sliding carriages which I desire for the panel work (their cheaper sliding model is tiny - 630mm max rip width and no option for additional width extensions or squaring supports).

Granted the TS315 is the most expensive model that Record Power do but it is the only one that can rip a 4' panel at any dimension ie 1250mm max rip width. I don't need its scoring blade either although the option to fit a 12" blade appeals for breaking down larger stock. If their TS250SB could rip to 4' (limited to 915mm with extension table) then I'd probably go for that given is £850 price tag. What I haven't mentioned is that the strongest feature on the Record Power saws is their sliding carriage which abutts the blade making fine cross-cutting much easier - although I assume this to be so, does anyone disagree?

Cheers,
Chris
 
I'm personally not a fan of sliding tables that go right up to the blade, but granted the larger commercial saws do this.

DEFT\Lydnhurst do do a sliding table saw. What about Axminster's range?

It sounds like your doing the sort of work that justifies this price range, but there's something about Record machinery that leaves me cold. Make sure you can see one up close before you buy.

Also consider buying a 2nd hand Altendorf or similar. 2k will get you a whole lot of saw if you look in the right places.
 
Thanks again wizer,

I'd looked at the Axminster AW12BSB2 which has everything bar the carriage that abutts the blade although having not seen it in the metal, the photos suggest that the support for a 4' wide panel wouldn't be as good as the large squaring mitre on the Record Power TS315.

However, the AW12BSB2 does have mitre slots on both sides of the blade unlike the TS315. I'm surprised that you say the RP kit leaves you cold - just look at the substantial internals on the following photo:
TS315-5.jpg
.

The AW12BSB2 seems good for the price ~£1K versus the £1.75K for the TS315 but what have Axminster scrimped on to get this low?

Could you suggest any particular Altendorf model?

Cheers,
Chris[/img]
 
Chris,
Yes I will dig out the article and post the link here when I find it.

Wizer, I know you have said before how you are not keen on this type of sliding carriage ( format type to give it its proper title) that has no fixed surface to the left of the blade, and I gave a full explanation of why this type is superior to the add on type in a previous thread. It may be prudent to paste that here so that Chris can consider the pros and cons of both types, but frankly from what he says he needs the machine to do I doubt he is going to meet those needs with a full top saw with an aftermarket slider, as most of the usual semi-pro machines are.
The Record TS315 is a decent piece of kit for the price but you can get the same machine with a different badge a good few hundred pound cheaper, but with one years warranty as opposed to Records admirable 5 year deal. As for the scoring blade on that machine , just take it off. If you remove the scoring drive gear you can fit a 12" blade if you want to, although I prefer 10" but only because the dozen different blades I have are all 10"
I also looked at the Deft, and it looks a fine piece for the money apart from as you say the lack of a sliding table. If this ever gets one it will be a bolt on and an afterthought, unless the machine is redesigned from scratch, and then the price will be edging towards a felder.
So its a question of getting the most for your money. and the nearest saw mentioned so far is the Record, but be prepared for lots of flack on here or any other woodworking site if you speak kindly of Record, because there is a tendency for people to condemn these machines because of a few negative reports or comments both from users and from those who are prepared to make a judgement without actually having any direct experience of the machine.........They heard it "somewhere" so it must be right.., and the fact that they are built in China. You would do best to ignore the prejudice and look at the specifications and speak to users who are happy with them.
Until last year I used a Scheppach 2500, which is a decent machine , but somewhat dainty, the sliding carriage on Scheppachs is great for trimming but hopeless for panel work. and the engineering is not that great. adequate yes, but after using Scheppach for 15 years I can tell you its not the bees knees its cracked up to be.
and there is one thing common to all these machines: They ALL require fettling, tweaking, setting up, call it what you will but none are great when first built out of the crate. So you might as well fettle something that will have the capacity to do the work you want it to when its up and running,
Forget gimmicks like magnifying lens on the rip fence, I could quite happily do without a rule stuck on the rip fence rail, I always use a tape measure to set up and final adjust and its right. and ignore folk that inspect a table top and comment that its a 5000th of an inch hollow in a certain spot , but they could just about live with it. That is nonsense. Its NOT engineering spec, its wood that we are dealing with and you should always finish apiece on the bench anyway for final fit if its finer work, if its framing or shuttering it hardly matters if its a touch out, if you cant deal with that with then you wont make a living out of woodworking. Or even get any joy or happiness out of it either, which for me is more the point.
The only aspects of a machine that are really important are the robustness of the whole assembly, the consistency of the squareness of its fencing and blades and blade holding mechanism and that it has the capacity to take the size of work you require it to. The rest is up to operator skill.
In fact most European machines especially those that depend an any substantial castings for their production are manufactured in China......Thats where the foundries are now.
I considered the TS315 until I found it under a different brand and cheaper, and this year will probably buy a Record PT300 planer thicknesser and retire the Scheppach PT.
Its always worth bearing in mind that Record are teamed up with Startrite, who really do have a tradition and know a thing or two about woodworking machines, even though the foundry work is done overseas now..............
 
Hi Streepips,

Your honesty and scientific approach is greatly appreciated and refreshing given the doom and gloom I've read over the last few weeks whilst surfing this site!

I had my eye on the Scheppach TS2500ci but ruled it out for its excessive price in a like-for-like comparison with the Jet, Xcal, Record, Axmin etc.

I'm guessing that you are referring to the Fox F36-541 12" saw as the cheaper re-badged RP TS315 clone? I must say that the Fox appears to be the outright winner for my personal requirements and ideal budget; whilst I'd love a second hand Altendorf, a 16 year old F-90 still costs £2.5K+ and requires a three phase supply!

Confusingly the Fox P/Ts seem very different (lower quality) to the RP P/T units, I guess that Fox are selective over what they re-badge?

I look forward to reading your comparison article to mix things up some more!

Thanks again,
Chris
 

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