baggetta Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 (edited) Actually it's probably not the saws fault, but over the years I've kept wearing out the Excalibur tension knob because I have the bad habit of pressing it down when inserting the top of the blade. Not sure if there has always been this much play in the forearm, but it seems so. Well I came up with a fix in the form of a lever that will hold the forearm down while I insert the blade allowing my knob to go untouched. If you have this problem you might want to take a look. I've done a YouTube video showing the problem and my fix for it. If you have any thoughts on this I'd like to hear them. You can also download the pattern for the lever if you have need of it from the link in the video description. Edited March 30, 2019 by baggetta OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 13 minutes ago, baggetta said: Actually it's probably not the saws fault, but over the years I've kept wearing out the Excalibur tension knob because I have the bad habit of pressing it down when inserting the top of the blade. Not sure if there has always been this much play in the forearm, but it seems so. Well I came up with a fix in the form of a lever that will hold the forearm down while I insert the blade allowing my knob to go untouched. If you have this problem you might want to take a look. I've done a YouTube video showing the problem and my fix for it. If you have any thoughts on this I'd like to hear them. You can also download the pattern for the lever if you have need of it from the link in the video description. I like your fix for that problem. But, and I don't say this lightly, a set of the new Pegas clamps for the EX style saws will eliminate all that. I also don't recall my EX having that much play in the upper blade clamp arms. Realizing you are not a novice, do you have the arm adjusted level to the table? And leave it there? I have mine adjusted level and never have to tough the knob in the rear. And I don't have any looseness in the arm mechanism. Maybe my saw is just not "broken in" as yours must be. By the looks of your saw table, your saw has seen a lot of cutting. Mine is very new looking. I bought it used but obviously it was not TOO used. Thanks for the great idea for a fix though. kmmcrafts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockytime Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 I don't have an EX so the repair means little to me. I do, however, enjoy seeing things out of the box. You have done great in that area. Also you made an excellent video. I am hearing impaired but the audio was clear and your photography is excellent. I enjoyed watching it. kmmcrafts and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggetta Posted March 30, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 Thanks for the comments. I do use the saw a lot. I've adjusted the arm but to no avail. Still gives me a problem. I do have a set of the new Pegas clamps and plan on installing when I get the most out of what I've got. Over the 8 or 9 years that I've had the saw I think I changed the tension knob assemble about 4 times. Thanks for the comments on the video. I'm new at making videos, but I hope to get better with practice. One thing I can't stand in most videos is the loud music that often accompanies the work being demonstrated. Thanks again for your input. I appreciate it. Al B. OCtoolguy and John B 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackman Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 That is a good fix for you but I think you have a worn bushing in one or both ends of the arms. My EX 21 is 10 years old and has no movement in that area at all. Be good to hear from others. Maybe it is time for a tuneup. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimErn Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, trackman said: That is a good fix for you but I think you have a worn bushing in one or both ends of the arms. My EX 21 is 10 years old and has no movement in that area at all. Be good to hear from others. Maybe it is time for a tuneup. Ditto, I have no idea how old my used one is, but there is no movement at all in what they call the rocker arm (item 27, highlighted, in the attached pic_. Edited March 31, 2019 by JimErn WayneMahler and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 7 hours ago, JimErn said: Ditto, I have no idea how old my used one is, but there is no movement at all in what they call the rocker arm (item 27, highlighted, in the attached pic_. I agree. What I saw in the video is a saw with multiple problems. Time for a tear down/tune up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgiro Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 Why are you pushing down on the knob? When I sat in a session with Ray Seymore, he had us pushing down on the top of the arms with our left hand, while our left thumb hooked under and held the blade in the clamp. Then we tighten the knob with the right hand. That provides a straight down gentle pressure (you don't have to jam it down). I can see how pushing down with the knob may provide some twist to the arms and throw something out of alignment over a period of time. I've had my EX-21 for 7 years. I've used Ray's method when I had the OEM clamps and after I installed the Pegas Clamps. while there is a little play in the arms with no tension, they work fine once I lock the blade in place. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 I have had that problem and still do to a minor degree. Part number (64) on the schematic that Jim posted is in two sections on my machine with and adjustment bolt holding the two together. By moving the bolt you can elongate or shorten the top arm. The important thing is to make sure that when it is adjusted the bolts must be tightened so there is no flex in the joint. flex allows the top rocker arm to move like in video. JimErn and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC Scroller Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 Bad habits yield bad results. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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