How to tension blade of Ex 21

[ThomH]

Since I've gotten alot of support from the village, I want to say thanks and play it forward by sharing a bit of know how. 

Thanks to Ray over at Seyco. The man has a heart of gold. I reached out to him and he took time to explain to me over the phone exactly what I needed to do. Also thanks to octoolguy (Ray) from the village. Without your suggestion, I don't think I would be owning this awesome saw.

So I got an Ex 21 and the only issue I had was the inability to tighten the wobbly blade. I tried Steve Goode's suggestion, adjusting the motor but that wasn't enough to resolved the issue.

I called Ray at Seyco but he wasn't in at the time. He called me back the same day told me what needed to be done and offered to walk me through it, once I removed the back cover. The next day, he did just that.  Mind you,  I didn't purchase this saw from him nor have I ever bought anything from him. This is unheard of. I'm flabbergasted!!

So to anyone who needs to know how to tension your Ex 21 blade, here's how.

1) Loosen the tension off the blade
2) Loosen the blade from the top clamp. I had a pinless blade inserted. Ez peezy!
3) Lower the back cover by removing the 4 bolts. See bolts in photo. Once bolts are removed, you now have access to bolt and screw used to raise saw arm. 2nd photo is top view of the grey bolt with hex screw inside. Loosen the grey bolt a little. Insert correct size hex key in center of bolt and give half turn towards you. The arm should lift as you are turning. Test the blade tension. For me, that did it.
4) Tighten the grey bolt and close it up. Now, get to scrolling.

I hope this helps someone out there.

[Scrappile]

Glad you got it fix and yes Ray Seyco, is a great guy.... I have purchased two saws from him over the years because of it... Advanced Machinery that sell Hegner are equal in their customer service...  Thanks for posting what you found out.. It will help someone else along the way.

[Seeseasaw]

Wow! What was the symptoms of your wobbly blade? I just picked up a used Purple Ex19.. it was a complete dream - some really nice old timer retiring his hobby, and threw in a full carload of all his exotic wood, magazines, blades, intarsia patterns (I’m happy to give these away actually as, respectfully, intarsia is nice but not my thing).

I’ve been having some issues of losing tension while scrolling, as though the lever doesn’t lock into place. Maybe it’s just about me getting to know the saw better. 

[ThomH]

During my conversation with Ray he asked if I was losing tension. My response was no. In my case, I was not able to get the strong note sound as stringing a guitar. Losing tension may indicate a warn tension arm as a result of over use, according to Ray. If that was the case, I would have to replace the tension arm and that could run about $125 bucks.

To answer your question, I was getting lots of side to side movement in the blade. Cutting clean circles was difficult, the blade would wonder. I hope that's your case and you are not in need of a replacement part.

[kmmcrafts]

8 hours ago, Seeseasaw said:

Wow! What was the symptoms of your wobbly blade? I just picked up a used Purple Ex19.. it was a complete dream - some really nice old timer retiring his hobby, and threw in a full carload of all his exotic wood, magazines, blades, intarsia patterns (I’m happy to give these away actually as, respectfully, intarsia is nice but not my thing).

I’ve been having some issues of losing tension while scrolling, as though the lever doesn’t lock into place. Maybe it’s just about me getting to know the saw better. 

I'd make sure your blade isn't slipping from worn thumb screw / set screw or the clamping point for a better explanation.. The set screw and thumb screw tips can get worn.. and eventually either need to be replaced or ground down flat again.. Also a good idea to clean / sand the ends of the blades, the blades have a light oil applied to them to prevent rusting and that oil over time can also build up on the clamping points ( thumb screw / set screw ) and cause slipping blades.. These are common issues..

[OCtoolguy]

Glad to hear your experience with Ray was positive and got your problem resolved. You will be happy with that saw. I'd still add the Pegas clamps though and if you do, buy the set with the tension lever. Then you can set the tension slider once and not have to touch it again. Great improvement.

[kmmcrafts]

4 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

Glad to hear your experience with Ray was positive and got your problem resolved. You will be happy with that saw. I'd still add the Pegas clamps though and if you do, buy the set with the tension lever. Then you can set the tension slider once and not have to touch it again. Great improvement.

I think you're thinking of a DeWalt since you mentioned tension slider? He bought a Excalibur was my understanding. Or was you replying to Seeseasaw? as some of those old EX saws had a slider similar to the DW. I'm confused, LOL

[OCtoolguy]

40 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

I think you're thinking of a DeWalt since you mentioned tension slider? He bought a Excalibur was my understanding. Or was you replying to Seeseasaw? as some of those old EX saws had a slider similar to the DW. I'm confused, LOL

You are partly right Kevin. He bought an older Ex with the slider tension lever. It's the one that Dewalt was a clone of.