Excalibur 16 new for me review.

[Rolf]

I have been wanting a more portable saw to take to shows and demonstrations. Through a series of events a 16" Excalibur with the Pegas clamps already installed came to my attention. For $275 I had to buy it.
The saw was manufactured in Taiwan and with the exception of some table coating wear is in pristine condition.
For those that know me know that I am a loyal proponent of Hawk having my G4 26 since 2005. The Hawk has paid for almost all of my tools in the workshop. 

Modified an old Delta SS350 stand with a piece of 3/4 ply and some left over Formica. The Ex is bolted to the plywood and I have three fixed studs on the stand to hold the plywood using Wing nuts for easy disassembly and transport. 
1, Clamps I never liked the EX clamps, I am heavy handed and the probability of stripping the threads and or spreading the clamp arms on the stock Ex clamps was a real concern. The Pegas clamp upgrade is a significant improvement. Putting the blade in and clamping it is a breeze no fiddling. I do like the removable clamps that the Hawk uses. I usually have several pre-loaded when working on a project.
2. Table Vs blade tilt. This is the reason for me wanting an EX type of saw as a second saw. The fact that the table stays level while the arm / blade angle changes, makes inlays and any bevel cutting, scroll saw bowls come to mind, much more controllable. No fighting the tendency to push your wood downhill. 
3. Front -back blade movement. The Hawk has the ability to adjust this to almost perfectly vertical, crucial for my fine fretwork. This EX has been adjusted to almost zero front back motion. I am not sure if that was from the factory or the prior owner. 
4. Vibration, All saws have some in different speed areas. My Hawk has these massive long arms going up and down so there is some minimal vibration. This EX sitting on the same concrete floor has none worth mentioning.
5. Reliability, Time will tell, hard to beat the Hawk in that area. 
6. Blade tension. Simple up front cam and you can tweak it at the back if needed. 
7. Guards. I removed the bottom guard as it was in the way of the bottom blade clamp.
8. Dust collection. It does have the membrane and a 2 inch hose connection for a shop vac.That is not going to work for me way too noisy. I will probably set something up like what I have on my Hawk connected to the Festool vac. (much quieter)


The only con I see is that the Hawk has a huge amount of room under the arm just behind the blade. I put my finger there when cutting 3d Compound cut work.
The EX does not have that much room so for compound cuts I will have to change how I work.

Overall impression. I am very pleased with what I have experienced so far. I am kicking into my Christmas ornament season so that will really show me the saws capability.
I will also be cutting for two straight days at our clubs woodworking show Nov 9-10.
This may be a bit premature but If I were in the market for a new saw, and based on Hawks current delivery delays I would probably buy the Pegas 21 inch saw. Why Pegas over the other similarly designed saws. The clamps, full 45 deg both left and right, rack and pinion adjustment with pinned main angles, and silly me I love the color.

These are my opinions, 

[OCtoolguy]

Thanks Rolf for the great review. I'm sure many folks will benefit from it. On a separate subject, your stand, I'm curious as to why you or others don't mount the saw with the single leg closest to the operator so you can "straddle" it. I find it much more comfortable that way and there is more room for your foot switch. 

 

[Bill WIlson]

Glad you like the EX Rolf.  Looks like it's in great shape.  You got a killer deal!

What is it specifically about the Pegas clamps that makes them significantly better than your initial impression of the DeWalt style clamps.  I do remember that the pot metal clamp bodies on my DeWalt left something to be desired.  The clamp bodies on my EX are machined from solid aluminum.  I'm just wondering how much of an upgrade these really are from OEM EX clamps.

[trackman]

Don’t understand what you mean about not much room behind the blade on the EX. Should be 16” but I am sure I am missing something here lol. 

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Bill WIlson said:

Glad you like the EX Rolf.  Looks like it's in great shape.  You got a killer deal!

What is it specifically about the Pegas clamps that makes them significantly better than your initial impression of the DeWalt style clamps.  I do remember that the pot metal clamp bodies on my DeWalt left something to be desired.  The clamp bodies on my EX are machined from solid aluminum.  I'm just wondering how much of an upgrade these really are from OEM EX clamps.

Bill, I had the original EX clamps and they had a few miles on them when I bought my saw. I managed to cobble a piece of nylon screw to fix the worn out one that was in it. I got it all working fine but it still had a bit of vibration. Not much, just a little. I did the motor/aggression adjustment and got some of it out but it was still there. Anyway, I bought the Pegas clamps and once installed and adjusted I found that almost all of the vibration was gone. At least at the speed that I enjoy cutting. Also, the whole mechanism has been "re-engineered" to eliminate the nylon screw adjuster. It is just a much better piece of equipment. If I still had my Dewalt, I would have installed the Pegas/EX clamps on it. Not the ones designed for the Dewalt. I like the lever over the tension wheel and figured that becoming used to just one would be better in the long run. But, I sold it so it's a moot point now.

 

[Rolf]

1 hour ago, trackman said:

Don’t understand what you mean about not much room behind the blade on the EX. Should be 16” but I am sure I am missing something here lol. 

I am not talking about the throat, it is 16". When I scroll thick wood such as compound cuts for better control I like to put my finger on top of the wood directly behind the blade.  I will try to take a couple of pictures to clarify what I mean. 

Bill, Regarding the Pegas clamps they are made from a better grade of aluminum and the blade slot in the front is not very deep so it would be pretty much impossible to spread the clamps by over tightening them. This article gives a good description;

http://scrollsawer.com/2018/09/07/product-review-pegas-blade-chuck-heads/

 

[Bill WIlson]

Thanks for the link to the review, Rolf.  I had not seen that before.  That is the most comprehensive review I've read.  I can certainly see the benefits of the Pegas clamp over the DeWalt clamp.  I never had any trouble with mine spreading , but I did strip out a few sets over the years I owned it.  I think people often tend to apply too much torque to the DeWalt style thumb screws in order to get them to hold.  As long as I roughed up the end of the blade, kept the clamp screws dressed and positioned the blade correctly in the clamp, I could get it to hold consistently by just snugging the screw.  I actually have a little more trouble keeping the blade in the top clamp of my EX than I did the DeWalt.  I may need to dress the clamp screws, but it has gotten me to wondering if an upgrade to the Pegas clamps would really benefit the saw.  I don't notice much, if any vibration now, on my EX, so that isn't a big factor for me.

 

[Rolf]

5 hours ago, trackman said:

Don’t understand what you mean about not much room behind the blade on the EX. Should be 16” but I am sure I am missing something here lol. 

I took a couple of pictures of my Hawk and the EX, looking from then side. the block of wood is about 1.5 inches

[OCtoolguy]

7 minutes ago, Rolf said:

I took a couple of pictures of my Hawk and the EX, looking from then side. the block of wood is about 1.5 inches

Rolf, I have done a couple of compound projects using 1 1/2" stock and really never noticed a problem at that point. I don't recall putting my fingers under those arms but if I did, I had no problems with it. I think it's just what you have gotten used to doing. JMHO!

[trackman]

Thanks for the pictures. Makes sense now.  I do compound cuts also with my EX21 but can’t say I ever put my fingers in that area. 

[kmmcrafts]

Be careful about turning that knob at the back of the saw for adjusting blade tension... turning that messes with the blade aggression and the upper arm height.. That said.. you really shouldn't ever have the "need" to adjust that for tension.. Maybe.. and a big maybe is possibly when you use those supper small blades.. I've used 2/0 with no issues but that's about the smallest blade I've ever had or used  

[Rolf]

20 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Thanks Rolf for the great review. I'm sure many folks will benefit from it. On a separate subject, your stand, I'm curious as to why you or others don't mount the saw with the single leg closest to the operator so you can "straddle" it. I find it much more comfortable that way and there is more room for your foot switch. 

 

DUH, I never thought to turn it around. This is the way the Delta was mounted with the third leg pointing back, so I just duplicated it.

It was real easy to reverse it, so I did, that third leg sticks out a bit further and I am not sure I like it that way.  By turning it around I ended up with a bit more of a shelf under the front saw.

This is why I like these forums many minds with lots of ideas. Thanks to all of you.

I have never seen anyone else put their finger behind the blade to hold down the work, It is one of the many reasons I bought the Hawk instead of the Hegner.  That extra space under the arm also made bottom feeding easier. Which is a non issue on the EX as the arm can be raised easily with out additional gadgets to hold it up. 

 

[Rolf]

Kevin , a blade tension ?  on the EX

I understand using the back knob to set the upper arm parallel to the table. 

Even if your blade, say 2/0, which is a heavily used blade by me, is too tight and you tweak the back know to relieve the tension. As soon as you release the blade and put it back in it will will be set back to the original too tight condition. And you would have to keep tweaking the back knob eventualy putting your upper arm out of adjustment.

I say that because, from what I see the blade tension is set by the distance that the tension cam travels, and that never changes. Correct me if I am wrong. 

[JimErn]

45 minutes ago, Rolf said:

I say that because, from what I see the blade tension is set by the distance that the tension cam travels, and that never changes. Correct me if I am wrong. 

Yep I agree with that

[kmmcrafts]

26 minutes ago, Rolf said:

Kevin , a blade tension ?  on the EX

I understand using the back knob to set the upper arm parallel to the table. 

Even if your blade, say 2/0, which is a heavily used blade by me, is too tight and you tweak the back know to relieve the tension. As soon as you release the blade and put it back in it will will be set back to the original too tight condition. And you would have to keep tweaking the back knob eventualy putting your upper arm out of adjustment.

I say that because, from what I see the blade tension is set by the distance that the tension cam travels, and that never changes. Correct me if I am wrong. 

You are correct.. and that was the point I was trying to say.. By keep having to adjust that knob at the back to release the tension you'll soon have the upper arm out of wack.. BUT also doing that changes the aggression of the cut too.. at least to an extent.. might be minimal but.. your best bet is to not touch that knob at all if possible..  Also make note of where it's positioned because some of these saws ( actually many of them ) will turn on their own over time.. Mine was so bad it turned a half turn or more just doing one small fretwork cutout.. I ended up taking it apart and using blue loc-tite on the threaded shaft.. No issues with that at all now.. Some of the saws have a line marked on the knob and some do not. Mine did not.. so I took a paint marker and made one for a reference point to be sure it's where it should be.. Piece of tape or something would work as well if you have no paint markers.. 

Hope you enjoy the saw for many years.. Had I had a good experience with my China made EX and had I known the Pegas was coming out last year.. I'd have bought a new Pegas instead of the Hawk.. But i am happy with my Hawk and I'm still questionable on this China made EX.. I've basically rebuilt that saw and it was running awesome for about 30-40 hours use but i feel like something is messing up again.. Believe I just need to bite the bullet and replace all the moving parts OR.. sell it and a Hawk or two and buy a Pegas.. Been really thinking about selling some of the saws and getting a Pegas I'll always keep one of the 26" Hawks for the larger projects..  

[Woodrush]

21 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Bill, I had the original EX clamps and they had a few miles on them when I bought my saw. I managed to cobble a piece of nylon screw to fix the worn out one that was in it. I got it all working fine but it still had a bit of vibration. Not much, just a little. I did the motor/aggression adjustment and got some of it out but it was still there. Anyway, I bought the Pegas clamps and once installed and adjusted I found that almost all of the vibration was gone. At least at the speed that I enjoy cutting. Also, the whole mechanism has been "re-engineered" to eliminate the nylon screw adjuster. It is just a much better piece of equipment. If I still had my Dewalt, I would have installed the Pegas/EX clamps on it. Not the ones designed for the Dewalt. I like the lever over the tension wheel and figured that becoming used to just one would be better in the long run. But, I sold it so it's a moot point now.

i put the lever style on my dewalt about a year ago and i love them. i have not touched the factory tension since installing them.

 

[Rolf]

I just adapted my Hawk dust collection to the EX. When I made my Hawks system I used Mag Switches to hold it to the steel top of the Hawk. That allows me to remove it by just turning a couple of knobs.
I mounted a steel strip to the top of my EX  stand. Now I just put he collector on that strip and turn the knobs. My festool vac has an outlet that I plug my foot pedal into, the saw is plugged into the foot pedal. When I step on the pedal the saw starts along with the Vac. works great. Those yellow and black knobs are the mag switches.

The knob at the back of machine has a white mark on it. It also has a lock nut under the Knob.  It does not seem to drift. I will find out when I go into Christmas production.

Edited October 26, 2019 by Rolf

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Rolf said:

I just adapted my Hawk dust collection to the EX. When I made my Hawks system I used Mag Switches to hold it to the steel top of the Hawk. That allows me to remove it by just turning a couple of knobs.
I mounted a steel strip to the top of my EX  stand. Now I just put he collector on that strip and turn the knobs. My festool vac has an outlet that I plug my foot pedal into, the saw is plugged into the foot pedal. When I step on the pedal the saw starts along with the Vac. works great. Those yellow and black knobs are the mag switches.

The knob at the back of machine has a white mark on it. It also has a lock nut under the Knob.  It does not seem to drift. I will find out when I go into Christmas production.

Rolf, I looked around at those switches and found them to be pretty pricey. Do you have a source that might be better? I like your setup and I might just have to rip it off. Ooops! Did I just say that?

 

[kmmcrafts]

It is a great looking set up.. hope to add something to my saws after the holidays.. hoping to have a new Vac too.. But depends on the funds if I do well or not.. Oct. been kinda slow for me until yesterday anyway, LOL

Ray if you rip it off.. make sure you turn the switches first, LOL

[Rockytime]

2 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Rolf, I looked around at those switches and found them to be pretty pricey. Do you have a source that might be better? I like your setup and I might just have to rip it off. Ooops! Did I just say that?

 

I've checked them out also. $35 each is way out of my budget but they are great. I use a lot of neodymium magnets for holding things.

[OCtoolguy]

4 hours ago, Rockytime said:

I've checked them out also. $35 each is way out of my budget but they are great. I use a lot of neodymium magnets for holding things.

There has to be a cheaper source.

[Rolf]

Kevin, I am very much flattered when someone is helped or uses any of my ideas. That is what these forums are about, I have learned a great deal from many of you. It would have been nice to have this access when I first started scrolling.

For me to duplicate what I had on the Hawk for the Ex did not make sense to me and would not be cheap. I would be switching the vac back and forth anyway and moving the manifold literally takes a few seconds now.  It takes me longer to plug the vacuum in.

If there is a cheaper source I , I never found it.  We have a raffle at each of our meetings and lucky for us we have member with a tool supply business. So he supplies the prizes and gets reimbursed, the left over money goes into the clubs kitty. A win for all.  The club members also get a 10% discount from him.

A mag switch was one of the choices at one meeting  so I got it for $5, I liked it so much that I bought another for this project.

They are very well made! 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Rolf

[Rolf]

Just did a Google search on Mag switches and came up with these.

https://www.zoro.com/magswitch-fixturing-jig-60-lb-max-pull-steel-8100818/i/G3898437/feature-product?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgNXtBRC6ARIsAIPP7Rup7-RdWzb90S3DQJbqFD2hD41s7z6uL2MJ6vfK1Ydn-9GkrxO0TVAaAv_AEALw_wcB

I think it is smaller than the ones I used but should be strong enough for what I did.  60 lb pull is a lot.

Edited October 27, 2019 by Rolf

[Rockytime]

That indeed is reasonable. Unfortunately the places I'd like to use it, my table saw and 9" band saw have aluminum tables.

[OCtoolguy]

4 hours ago, Rolf said:

Just did a Google search on Mag switches and came up with these.

https://www.zoro.com/magswitch-fixturing-jig-60-lb-max-pull-steel-8100818/i/G3898437/feature-product?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgNXtBRC6ARIsAIPP7Rup7-RdWzb90S3DQJbqFD2hD41s7z6uL2MJ6vfK1Ydn-9GkrxO0TVAaAv_AEALw_wcB

I think it is smaller than the ones I used but should be strong enough for what I did.  60 lb pull is a lot.

Thanks for that link Rolf. I did check it out and they also have these for a couple bucks less. Not sure whether they would work like yours or not.

https://www.zoro.com/magswitch-keychain-magnet-60-lb-max-pull-steel-8100514/i/G3898382/