Who likes/has which saw?

[heppnerguy]

I started with a one speed Delta and I never liked it. I purchased a Ryobi variable speed saw and enjoyed it a lot more. I used it about 18  moths and found the tension rod stripped our on a regular basis. Other parts had to be replaced but the parts were very inexpensive and easy to get. I got really tired of buying and replacing parts when I saw a DeWalt on sale for under 350 dollars and free shipping so I  purchased that.I really enjoyed that saw and put a bunch of hours on it. I went to an estate sale and found a Hawk for $65 and I could not pass that up. I never really liked the saw because of the blade changing process on it. One of our members here sent me some really nice blade holders that he made that changed that problem. My daughter started making intarsia and I gave her my Hawk as a gift, as I wanted her to start with a good saw. Just before my move from Oregon to Arizona, I purchased Scrappile's Ex 21 and I fell in love with is. Because the EX is no longer in production, I would recommend the DeWalt as the best saw for those who just can not put out more than $500 for a scroll saw. 

Dick

heppnerguy

[WayneG]

https://www.feldercanada.com/product/excelsior-21-professional-scroll-saw-with-foot-switch

so federal canadas website is stating the following bolded right on there webpage;

The new Excelsior 21" Scroll Saw is our replacement for the almost impossible to find Excalibur 21" Scroll Saw.

This saw is not a knock off, as it is being manufactured to the same specifications by the same factory that was manufacturing the Excalibur Scroll Saw line.

I wonder why I have not been able to find a single review of the excelsior....kinda frustrating actually...

 

EDIT; I decided to write an email to King canada suggesting that I review the saw... I hope they bite....

Edited August 29, 2017 by WayneG

[wombatie]

I started off with a 16" Delta, I used it so much I literally killed it.  Then I got a DeWalt about 11 / 12 years ago, man I love that saw.  And Finally my husband got me a Ex21.  So now I use both the DeWalt and the Ex, but the love of my life is my DeWalt.  The DeWalt is easier for blade changing and that is number one in my book.

Marg

[lawson56]

I started with a Craftsman,no blower.took only one type of blade,pined.Have had three type since then (17yrs ago).Now I am using a Porter Cable,I have had it for over a year and no problems.

[stoney]

Like most others I started with a cheap scroll saw, a Craftsman 16 inch.   It sort of did the job.   Once I decided I liked the craft I went to a Delta    P20 a much better product.   I was happy with the Delta until the bean counters decided to no longer support it.   I now have a Hegner Multi-Max 22v.   When I read of the issues encountered with some of the other saws from a reliability stand point I am quite happy with it.    I have had the Hegner for 9 years with no mechanical issues.   If I were in the market for a new saw I would definitely consider other higher end saws but it would be strictly from a convenience of use standpoint.     

[Rolf]

Hawk G4-26 purchased new May 2005.  I had a yard sale Dremel with the disc on the side, used maybe once. Then inherited my dad's Craftsman, I cut some gingerbread for my shed with it fell in love with scrolling Hated the saw, blade changes for fretwork was a royal pain. My wife bought me a Delta SS350 with stand at one of our clubs shows. Used it for about a year, a great saw with the best clamps ever. It was just too aggressive for the delicate stuff I was cutting. (still have it) I got to try a Hegner and an older Hawk at one of our club shows. I liked the room under the upper arm on the Hawk and then saw an add for the New G4 with the adjustable aggressiveness and its 26 inch throat. I like simple mechanical stuff. So the Hawk it was.

It almost paid for itself my first Christmas with ornament sales, and has since paid for almost all of my workshop tools. I did put the Delta clamps on the top arm. 

[Denny Knappen]

I bought a DeWalt  788 about 10 years ago and still have it and use it, especially for compound cutting.  About three years ago I bought an Excalibur EX21.  It is my go to saw for almost everything, especially angle cuts such as bowls.

[OCtoolguy]

14 hours ago, heppnerguy said:

I started with a one speed Delta and I never liked it. I purchased a Ryobi variable speed saw and enjoyed it a lot more. I used it about 18  moths and found the tension rod stripped our on a regular basis. Other parts had to be replaced but the parts were very inexpensive and easy to get. I got really tired of buying and replacing parts when I saw a DeWalt on sale for under 350 dollars and free shipping so I  purchased that.I really enjoyed that saw and put a bunch of hours on it. I went to an estate sale and found a Hawk for $65 and I could not pass that up. I never really liked the saw because of the blade changing process on it. One of our members here sent me some really nice blade holders that he made that changed that problem. My daughter started making intarsia and I gave her my Hawk as a gift, as I wanted her to start with a good saw. Just before my move from Oregon to Arizona, I purchased Scrappile's Ex 21 and I fell in love with is. Because the EX is no longer in production, I would recommend the DeWalt as the best saw for those who just can not put out more than $500 for a scroll saw. 

Dick

heppnerguy

Has anybody picked up manufacture of the Excaliber at this point? Is there another saw as good as it was? I'm just asking these questions for possible future purchases. Right now, I'm so new to this that my DW788 is just fine but if I get more into the hobby, I may want to upgrade.

 

[Scrappile]

Go. Back 5 or 6 post and read about the "Excelsior".   Unfortunately it doesn't look like they ship out of Canada.  I think my new Seyco is as good as my Excalibur was.

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, Scrappile said:

Go. Back 5 or 6 post and read about the "Excelsior".   Unfortunately it doesn't look like they ship out of Canada.  I think my new Seyco is as good as my Excalibur was.

You can buy the same saw in the USA at woodcraft.. called the King scroll saw.. Though they do not have the 21" model.. which I personally believe was the most popular one sold.. only the 16 and 30 inch saws are available under the King name.. 

[OCtoolguy]

3 hours ago, Scrappile said:

Go. Back 5 or 6 post and read about the "Excelsior".   Unfortunately it doesn't look like they ship out of Canada.  I think my new Seyco is as good as my Excalibur was.

You are so right. I posted before reading your post. I did some investigation and it does look like they won't be exporting any time soon. Oh well..................

 

Ray

 

[OCtoolguy]

After reading this morning, I decided to go to Craigslist in my area to see what was out there for sale. There are 3 Hawks for sale. But they are all old ones that are single speed. More like the one I had back in the mid 80's. But, the first one I came across looked pretty good. It's a 26" for $115. I don't know if they can be updated or not. But, it's quite close to where I live. Does anybody know about factory upgrades?

Ray

 

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, octoolguy said:

After reading this morning, I decided to go to Craigslist in my area to see what was out there for sale. There are 3 Hawks for sale. But they are all old ones that are single speed. More like the one I had back in the mid 80's. But, the first one I came across looked pretty good. It's a 26" for $115. I don't know if they can be updated or not. But, it's quite close to where I live. Does anybody know about factory upgrades?

Ray

 

Depends I suppose on what you want or mean by upgrades... You can send your saw to Hawk ( Bushton ) and they will upgrade the motor, speed controller and rebuild whatever is worn.. so you basically get a new (old) saw... however in my opinion.. you'd be far better ahead to just get a new Hawk with the whole new design.. I don't think they can upgrade the arms as the newer saws arms I believe are longer because the newer models the arm comes out past the angle adjustment... I think the cost for a rebuild etc.. is right around $350 - 400.. well I know the motor and controller is 350+ labor not sure about the shipping cost to ship to them and if the price include them shipping it back.. I looked into this because I found an old Hawk that had a older style motor.. with issues... many older ones did have some motor / controller issues.. Best advise is to get theserial numbers and call Bushton.. they can tell you the year of the saw and what motor it has etc.. while on the phone ask about upgrades.. but I don't think they do much for upgrades.. just basically replace motors and worn parts..   

[OCtoolguy]

Just a thought on this one. Thanks. I just saw a price of $115 and thought it had to be a deal. It's essentially the same saw I had back in 85. I always hated that it only had two speeds and changing blades was a hassle.

 Ray

 

[amazingkevin]

With my budjet i'll stay with uesed Dewalts

On 8/27/2017 at 3:54 PM, octoolguy said:

I know this has been haggled over and over but I would like some definitive answers. Who owns which brand of saw, why do you like it better than others and what type of sawing do you do the most of? I am very new to this hobby and did a little bit of research before buying my saw. I got lucky and found a Type 1 DeWalt 788 in excellent condition and after tweaking a few things on it, I'm happy with it so far. But, I would really like some answers as to why you have the saw you have and if you have more than one, why? I was just reading IguanaDon's post regarding his R-B saw but when I watched his videos, he was using a DW like mine. So, now he's gonna change saws? Why? Just want to find out. Am I missing something?

 

Ray

With my budjet i'll stay with uesed Dewalts

 

[UncleApple]

I'm late in my reply, but I use a DW788 that I bought new last year.  It was "right" for me because of price and the fact that I purchased it from Lowes...so I knew I could return it if I hated it.  I thought about waiting and saving up more money to buy an Excalibur or Jet model, but then decided against it after reading a number of posts like this thread.  It wasn't that they were portrayed poorly or anything...I just figured that I wasn't ready to invest that much money.

All in all I am pleased enough with my saw.  I did struggle with tensioning for about 5 months, but I think I have that under control now.  I had to work up the nerve to take my saw apart and make some adjustments.  Anyway, there's my 2-cents...no refunds

[WayneG]

I should be able to provide some reviews on the excelsior in the near future via a blog. stay tuned for further details.