DeWalt question

[annis]

I am assuming the Dewalt saw I'm looking at is the newer ones made in China and all that. I am looking for a smooth, quite saw. Can these pass the nickle test?

Thanks.

[NC Scroller]

My two cents is to save a little more money and get a Pegas or King. Dewalts are not as good as they once were.

[ike]

I have had 2 dewalts and each one is worse than the oone befor it .nMy funds are limited and I couldn't afford the higher priced saws. I bought a Delta, and it is dtwice the saw of the dewalt's. I have had it for 3 years with no probllem. I would like to have a dtop of the line saws but I just can't afford them.

IKE

[Crosstimbers]

DeWalts are hit and miss. You may get a quiet, smooth saw or you may not. I was unhappy with mine but many others are happy with theirs. A DeWalt is certainly better than an “entry level” saw, and it will get the job done, but don't expect it to perform like a high-end saw because it can't. It wasn't made to. That  doesn't mean it's a bad saw, but if you buy it with expectations that it will be as good as a more expensive saw then you will be disappointed. If you buy it with the knowledge that it's a mid-range, made in China saw, then you will probably be happy with it. I'm not saying that you shouldn't but one, I'm just  saying know what you're buying.

[DME72]

if you watch craigslist or facebook marketplace you could get a deal on a higher end saw. i see hawks and hegners all the time. just depends on what your budget is.avoid the older style hawks with the ac motor and round barrel clamps on the bottom arm. it also depends on where you live as to what is available on the used market.the new dewalts are not as good as the older type 1 saws that were made by excalibur in canada. you might be able to break the saw down and repack all the bearings in it if you buy a new dewalt 788.not that difficult to do. great video from gwinnett woodworkers on you tube about this, several hours long.

doug

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, DME72 said:

if you watch craigslist or facebook marketplace you could get a deal on a higher end saw. i see hawks and hegners all the time. just depends on what your budget is.avoid the older style hawks with the ac motor and round barrel clamps on the bottom arm. it also depends on where you live as to what is available on the used market.the new dewalts are not as good as the older type 1 saws that were made by excalibur in canada. you might be able to break the saw down and repack all the bearings in it if you buy a new dewalt 788.not that difficult to do. great video from gwinnett woodworkers on you tube about this, several hours long.

doug

Wow Doug, you said everything that I would have said. I started with a used Dewalt type 1 and did the bearings. It ran almost as smooth and quiet as my Ex. The Hawk are great saws but you must acquaint yourself with their weak spots. Same for the Hegners. But with that said, I would still go the used route because so many people buy scroll saws and rapidly lose interest due to the learning curve required and the quality of the saw they started with. All of my saws had very little usage. And after all the buying/selling I have very little invested. 

[Fedido]

7 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Wow Doug, you said everything that I would have said. I started with a used Dewalt type 1 and did the bearings. It ran almost as smooth and quiet as my Ex. The Hawk are great saws but you must acquaint yourself with their weak spots. Same for the Hegners. But with that said, I would still go the used route because so many people buy scroll saws and rapidly lose interest due to the learning curve required and the quality of the saw they started with. All of my saws had very little usage. And after all the buying/selling I have very little invested. 

@octoolguy brings up a great point in that people lose interest fast. Like you, I did not want to have a type 2 Dewalt, so I searched high and low and was able to find a type 1 Dewalt. Granted, it is 20 years old. I upgraded from a 40 year old 13 in craftsman. I live in a rural area, so I had to look far and after all was said and done, I spent almost as much for a brand new saw to be delivered to a big box store and hour away, and the one I received had a Dewalt stand and light mounted. So I kinda made out ahead, but when I plugged in the saw and turned it on, it began singing a sweet hum. I am so glad I found the one I did. If you go this route, be careful and listen to these guys on here. They guided me. 

[OCtoolguy]

33 minutes ago, Fedido said:

@octoolguy brings up a great point in that people lose interest fast. Like you, I did not want to have a type 2 Dewalt, so I searched high and low and was able to find a type 1 Dewalt. Granted, it is 20 years old. I upgraded from a 40 year old 13 in craftsman. I live in a rural area, so I had to look far and after all was said and done, I spent almost as much for a brand new saw to be delivered to a big box store and hour away, and the one I received had a Dewalt stand and light mounted. So I kinda made out ahead, but when I plugged in the saw and turned it on, it began singing a sweet hum. I am so glad I found the one I did. If you go this route, be careful and listen to these guys on here. They guided me. 

I bought my used Dewalt before I even knew there was a type 1 or type 2. I just thought in my mind that Dewalt would HAVE to be a good saw.

 

[DME72]

they have gone downhill since going over seas IMO. the saws dont seen to be as well made as they were. i guess they had to cut costs somehow. in the $500 range of saws it is still one of the ok ones. if i had to get a type 2 i would totally strip it down and grease ALL the bearings with really good grease and check the fit on everything.no you should not have to do that on a $500 saw or any new tool for that matter, but if you want it to last as long as possible you do want some PM work on it first.dont know where annis is located but i would look for a second hand saw and save some money. do a little research and see what used saws are selling for in your area.hegner, dewalt, hawk, pegas, delta, excalibur/ king are all good saws if they work properly. you will see alot of the cast iron tables rusted from sitting in a damp basement or garage, cleans up easy if not all pitted. 

doug

Edited April 28, 2020 by DME72

[amazingkevin]

I over work dewalts and when they needed work I,d just buy another used one.more fun than spending 3 or more hours just to regrease them.but they last then !!!

[Crosstimbers]

When I bought my DeWalt, I stripped it down and greased it well. But it also had a lot of slop in the rocker arms. I made shims for it from an aluminum can. It worked much better after that. Later on, it developed an electrical problem so I gave it to my son. He's good at fixing electrical stuff.

It would have been nice to find an older type 1 saw.

[annis]

Thanks for all the replies in such a short time! The people here are truly out to help! 

So much for the deWalt! I am not going to spend all that time correcting Black and Decker mistakes! I have my eye on a 10 year old RBI Hawk. The posters says he has only used it twice and the pictures show that. It looks in good shape. Is this on a level with Excalibur? What would a used 10 year old Hawk cost?

thanks

[NC Scroller]

7 hours ago, annis said:

Thanks for all the replies in such a short time! The people here are truly out to help! 

So much for the deWalt! I am not going to spend all that time correcting Black and Decker mistakes! I have my eye on a 10 year old RBI Hawk. The posters says he has only used it twice and the pictures show that. It looks in good shape. Is this on a level with Excalibur? What would a used 10 year old Hawk cost?

thanks

If the Hawk is a G4 model then it would be good to consider.  If not pass it by.  Don't buy unless you can test it.

[LarryEA]

I like Ike's. I have two (2) Deltas a 20-690 I've had for ages and a 20-694

that is afew years old. Really enjoy and would buy them again.

 

[OCtoolguy]

13 hours ago, annis said:

Thanks for all the replies in such a short time! The people here are truly out to help! 

So much for the deWalt! I am not going to spend all that time correcting Black and Decker mistakes! I have my eye on a 10 year old RBI Hawk. The posters says he has only used it twice and the pictures show that. It looks in good shape. Is this on a level with Excalibur? What would a used 10 year old Hawk cost?

thanks

There is a lot to know regarding the Hawks and their history. They have gone through many owners and design changes. The blade holders, the arms and most importantly the motors. There are a few folks on here that can give you all the info you need to be an educated buyer on Hawk saws. Any of their older saws that have a very large motor with the name Fasco are saws to be leery of. They may or may not give you problems. My Hawk is a 226VS Ultra made in 2001. It has pretty much all the important updates on it. There are some that have come about since then but in my estimation none of them would have been a deal breaker. Ask questions and you will get your answers right here on SSV. Just don't jump in until you have become familiar with what to look for on Hawks. One of the important things to look at is at the rear of the saw where the tension adjustment is. There is a "V" shape machined into the lower are and a pivoting "V" block that rides in the spot. If the saw was not lubricated often, that becomes a wear point and would require sending the arm to Hawk for re-machining. That's just one thing to look for.  Best of luck in your search.

 

[DME72]

if the hawk saw is true at 10 years old it will be made by bushton manufacturing. if it says RBI it is at least 12 years old.RBI closed down early 2008 and then bushton bought them. does he have a serial # and model number as well. you can also ask what brand of motor is on it and date it with in a few years. fell free to ask any questions. was the hawk saw reasonably priced?

doug

[OCtoolguy]

48 minutes ago, DME72 said:

if the hawk saw is true at 10 years old it will be made by bushton manufacturing. if it says RBI it is at least 12 years old.RBI closed down early 2008 and then bushton bought them. does he have a serial # and model number as well. you can also ask what brand of motor is on it and date it with in a few years. fell free to ask any questions. was the hawk saw reasonably priced?

doug

The Fasco motors are very easily spotted without having to look underneath. You can see them from the side. They are much larger in circumference than the other motors. 

[annis]

Ok all  this is making me nervous about buying used. The pictures of the RBI he posted include everything but the serial plate, which I see but can't read. Makes me suspicious. He want $425.

What can y'all tell me about a new Excalibur 16 or new Jet® JWSS-18B 18'' Scroll Saw The Jet resembles the Ex ; Is that a coincidence ? are these reliable AND can you get replacement parts?

Thanks

[Fedido]

@annis, I bought my Dewalt type 1 in Jan of this year. I asked here and had a ton of insight. Like you, I started to become nervous about buying an old saw, but what I received is an absolute dream. I fall in love with it every time I cut in it. Just remember to take into consideration of all these great comments and use them for an informed decision. In the end, it is up to what you decide. Each person has their own experiences, some good, some not so good. I hope this helps.

[DME72]

dont buy an new excalibur! they are now made in china and not the quality of the ones from 5-6 years ago. king scroll saws are made in taiwan by the company that used to make the excalibur. older excalibur made in taiwan are good saws. 

doug

[OCtoolguy]

@Annis, this is why I asked a long time ago for folks to add their location to their signature. It would make it so much easier for all of us to help folks if we knew where they are located. Unless I missed something above, I don't know where you are. I am in Southern California and if you want to buy a Hawk saw, I have a VERY good clean one that I will sell you for that same $475 that you mentioned. It has less than 25 hours on it and has all the good stuff on it. It shines like a brand new one. I would not be selling it but it is just too big for my little shop. It is a 226VS Ultra in MINT condition. I would go so far as to put a 1 year warranty on it. But, I don't know where you are.

 

[Rockytime]

I don't intend to be rude but sometimes I tend to ignore people who appear to be too private.

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Rockytime said:

I don't intend to be rude but sometimes I tend to ignore people who appear to be too private.

Me too Les but here on SSV it's like family and it just makes things so much easier. Somebody asks where to buy wood. That is no different than asking "how high is up?" 

[Woodrush]

On 4/28/2020 at 6:31 PM, DME72 said:

dont buy an new excalibur! they are now made in china and not the quality of the ones from 5-6 years ago. king scroll saws are made in taiwan by the company that used to make the excalibur. older excalibur made in taiwan are good saws. 

doug

This is the King Canada excelsior.  It's a great saw

[crupiea]

I love my dewalt but i dont use it like most people do. I only use it on the very slowest speed. Rarely do I get it going faster unless I am cutting a frame piece or something.  

With that I dont even having it anchored down to the stand.  Dont have a stand for that matter. I use an old shop mate vise stand thing.  

The only issue I ever had was once it scooted of the stand almost. Saw dust built up and made a nice slick surface so guess that was the time to actually clean the stand. 

I do think that it is more designed for heavier use and have always felt that way.  My stuff is pretty intricate so not sure if I had unlimited funds that i would select it. I make do with it with tiny blades and slow speed but I would honestly like something that feels a bit more delicate.