Delta 18" Q3 or Excalibur-II 19" ?

[Jules]

Hello everyone,

I have found this wonderful forum very recently from doing a web search on scroll saws. I am a beginner. I am looking at getting a used good one -- so far, I have seen a Delta 18" variable speed and an Excalibur-II 19 inches. I understand the EX-II is an old saw but well-built. I contacted the Delta seller and was told it's a Q3. My biggest concern is not being able to find parts when I need to. I am in Ontario, Canada.

I have attached two pictures of the saws (one of each).

If you were in my shoes, which of the two would you get, assuming they're both working perfectly (Both claimed they're in excellent condition)? The Delta is $100, while the EX-II is $280. Both are about 1-2 hours away.

I am also open to recommendations on a new scroll saw, if it's better than the two I mentioned AND it's within $250. 

I wish I could get a Dewalt straight away, but the price range is too high for me at this point. My plan is to get a decent one to practice on, and then get a much better one when the right time comes.

Thank you so much for your time. I greatly appreciate any advice.

[kmmcrafts]

You’ll get a lot of opinions on this. Parts for either saw will be hard to find as Excalibur doesn’t support those old saws anymore either. 

If it were me and I wasn’t sure if I’d like scroll sawing, I’d go with the Delta. But I might also wait a bit for a better more modern saw too. 

While the one saw is $280 and you mentioned $250 plus fuel and a road trip. I’m guessing you’d be able to pay more for another saw that could show up closer to home?

If both saws are somewhat close to each other make arrangements to go look at both in the one trip and see what one looks / works best then make a decision 

[WayneMahler]

Welcome to the village and scrolling. First off it is very addicting. The old Ex's are no longer supported for parts so finding a needed part may prove to be difficult. I'm not sure about the Delta so I can't answer on that one. As Kevin mentioned seeing and trying is the way to go. Checking craigslist is another place to look if you haven't already. Make sure you know what to look for in the saw you want. Lots of good information on the site about that. Wouldn't want to see anyone get burned on lack of knowledge and experience by someone not so honest. What you may think s a minor vibration could be a major problem. I will say that I love my EX-21 and it gets used for 6 - 10 hours a day most days and just waits for the next project. 

[hotshot]

Both of these saws were great in their day.   I would never pay more than a few dollars for a saw that parts will become an issue.  Not used to looking at Kijiji, but didn't see that much there that was a good deal.  Also checked the Craigslist for Ontario, not much better.  The Dewalts listed were stupid high (600 Canadian translates to 475 U.S), we can often find it new for close to that price here.  

With the options available to you on Kijiji, I would go for the cheapest delta (like $150 Canadian) and see if you can get the seller to come way down on that price, then save for the Excelsior which is one of your better options in Canada.  

Edited February 13, 2018 by hotshot

[Scrappile]

If you can look for a wood working/scrolling club in your area.  If you find one go, ask questions, try saws.  There are people from that area on this forum I believe, they may have helpful info for your area.  Do not be in a rush.  I personally would pass on those two unsupported saws.  But that is me. 

[Rob]

Hi Jules,

I have no knowledge of the EX-II but myself and CharleyL (another forum member) own Delta Q3's.  Personally, I think it is a great saw but it is quite old now and not all parts are available.  Mine has been very reliable though in all the years I have owned it. The only problems I have had is snapping the tension lever which is made of brass and the flexible air hose splitting.  The Tension lever is available from Ereplacementparts.com for $4.74 USD.   For the air hose, I simply use a piece of clear hose with some soft aluminium wire inserted into it so I can position it where I want.  

It is a "C" arm saw that pivots on a single point.  That gives it an arcing cut which is quite aggressive which some people do not like.  It may not be the easiest saw to learn on because of that aggressive cut but it is capable of fine work.  Most of what you see in my gallery was cut on the Q3.  I bought a second hand DeWalt DW788 as a back up saw but the motor died within three months.  I now have a Hegner but the Q3 is still going strong.

Rick Hutcheson has some info on the Q3 and a review at http://www.scrollsaws.com/

Let me know if you have any questions and good luck,

Rob

Edited February 14, 2018 by Rob

[dgman]

Welcome to the forum. You have been given some good advise so far.  The one thing I see in the photos is the table on the Delta is rusty. Rust is easily removed with steel wool and mineral spirits. But, if the table is rusty, what is the condition inside the saw? Something I would be worried about.

[Jules]

Wow, thank you so much, everyone! I knew it was the right move to ask you. You have been quite helpful, and I hope you know how much I appreciate your time and advice.

You all made a good point. Not knowing whether I could find parts in the future is going to be a concern when that happens. I probably would be willing to pay more if it's closer to home or if it is a better saw. The presence of rust should be worrisome as well. Thank you -- it's so good to hear about these from people who have extensive knowledge of scroll saws. 

I will not take either of these saws then. I will not be in a rush... I shall be patient....  

I do have a Dremel Moto-saw, but I don't like the blades (and the very limited selection of blades). I was hoping I could try using spiral blades, but they won't fit. So this afternoon (before I saw your replies), I bought some finer Bosch blades with a higher TPI for my ordinary jigsaw and use that AND the moto-saw to cut a project. I haven't gone very far and broke a piece of the wood -- I think it was because when I was using my jigsaw, I may have pressed on my project piece a bit too hard. 

For now, I think I'm going to keep trying alternating those two. I'm sure it's going to be a good practice for both my scrolling skill and patience.

Thank you once again, everyone. I look forward to learning a whole lot from you.

Jules

[Lucky2]

Hello Jules,welcome to the Village, it's great to have you as a member. I think you made the right decision on not buying either of these saws, you cannot get replacement parts for both of them. You will find a good buy on a descent saw, just bide your time and keep an eye out for a deal. And just like you did this time, check in with us and we will let you know what we think of the saw. And sometimes you might even find someone on here, posting about a saw that they know of for sale. Something will eventually show up, you'll just have to be a bit more patient.

Len 

[KurtP]

Jules, welcome and great to have another one from Ontario, where in Ontario are you?. Just keep checking Kijiji every day. I've gotten some good deals for scroll saws on there. 

I have found 2 DW788 type1 for $150(or $125 sorry can't remember the exact price) and I found an EX21 for $300.

I will keep an eye out for any good deals.

Kurt

[Jules]

Thank you, Len and Kurt.

Wow, Kurt, those are great deals indeed! I will keep looking for sure.

The used Dewalt saws on Kijiji right now are at least CAD$500. If you're spending that much money, might as well go for a NEW one over at Busy Bee Tools for CAD$599 - with stand and light. So far, that's the best deal I've seen on a new one, at least here in Canada.... in case anyone is interested.

Also, I found two saws that Canadian members may be interested in: 

(1) a used RBI Hawk (Model 226M; 26-inch) in "excellent" condition selling for CAD$695. 

(2) a used EX-24 listed as "very good" condition. Also $695.

They're in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Unfortunately, they're over my budget (for now). I'm sure I'm being dumb for not grabbing either one of these.  

Hope everyone is having a great day,

Jules

[Jules]

Oh, sorry, I forgot to reply to your question, Kurt. I am in Newmarket, Ontario. 

[KurtP]

1 hour ago, Jules said:

Oh, sorry, I forgot to reply to your question, Kurt. I am in Newmarket, Ontario. 

Very good I am just west of Barrie so I will keep an eye out for you.

[Jules]

2 hours ago, KurtP said:

Very good I am just west of Barrie so I will keep an eye out for you.

Great - thank you!