Thread: excalibur help please

I've done some further testing today, and although the saw doesn't vibrate (as in it would move across the workbench if let loose) you do feel it on the table.
So I've secured the front leg using some clamps to test it, and that has reduced the vibration. I can't get clamps on the back where it sits, to see if that will fix the whole problem and I don't really want to fix the saw on the bench, I need to put it away sometimes.

Does anyone out there use the Excalibur stand ? if so does it reduce the vibration ?

The vibration is really noticeable after coming from a big heavy steel Dewalt, that didn't seem to have any vibration, probably because of its weight.

So does the stand reduce the vibration or am I better off fixing it to the bench ?

Not familiar with your particular machine, Howie, but in general it helps to secure a scrollsaw to something solid like a stand or benchtop to absorb any vibration & stop any movement.

Is your saw new or secondhand? It could need a bit of TLC, ie. clean & regrease all the pivots, check that everything is moving smoothly & as it should, that nothing is bent, etc.

Try to track down a manual for your specific saw.

cws, a supplier down here in vic & a member of these forums are now a supplier of Excalibur saws, maybe send Jim a PM or give him a ring for some advice, he's very approachable & would help if he can I'm sure.

Not sure what you mean about the saw wanting to rip out weak areas. If the blades you are using are good quality (ie. Flying Dutchman, Pegasus, Olsen, etc) & inserted the correct way round, and you are an experienced scrollsawyer, the only other thing I can think of is the blade not running true. By this I mean, is there excessive movement of the blade front-to-back and/or moving side-to-side, & if so, is something out of place that is causing this?


Good luck & cheers.....................Sean

Of the two guys I know who bought the Excalibur one loved it straight out of the box, the other said the manual wasn't good for anything and he needed to fix a few things - now he's happy with it too... so whatever isn't right... there's hope that talking to Jim will get you going.

I can't imagine the Excalibur to cause break outs on what you're cutting tho.... that usually is the wrong blade.... is your blade too big? Are you using reverse teeth?

Are you trying to cut cheap ply?
How thick is your wood, how dense?

Juvy

I have contacted Jim, as I'm looking at buying the stand, I'm hoping he can help me with the answers.
As for the blade's I've been using Olsen's, Crown Tooth's, and I suspect the ripping out of fine/weak parts of the project, may now be a problem I have adjusting to a slower feed speed, which seems to fix this problem. Just my old Dewalt was a lot more forgiving and I Suppose I developed some bad habit's because it allowed me to.
The Excalibur is brand new only picked it up four days ago, and it came with a manual that is typical of modern day manuals. How to plug it in, safety tips, and a bit of info on blade types. It has pages glued in over the originals, and often refers to a what must be a different model.
I have looked at the blade in motion and checked it for vertical alignment which seems fine, but I admit I never thought of checking the front to rear alignment
It may well be a case of if I can't adjust the saw then maybe I have to adjust me, as well as bolting it down till I can get a stand.

Thanks for the feed back, I suppose I'm just disappointed it doesn't perform the same as the old big yellow monster Dewalt.

Howie

Be great if anything we buy would work well right out of the box, but think those days are gone.
I do believe tho that once you get it all fixed up you'll like your Excalibur, too many scrolling friends overseas love it for it to be a bad saw.

Not sure about the crown tooth blades.... I only tried them one time and never bought them again... couldn't figure out which way to put them in.... doesn't matter for the direction of the teeth, but they still have that little burr on the back and if it's upside down all of a sudden you have to go to the right instead of usual left to cut straight... requires thinking..... lol

I still think most of the tear/ break out comes from the wrong size/type blade and not the saw. I have a very bad habit of leaving my Delta on full speed.... seems to me there's much less vibratioin that way.... I'm also pushing too much..... still no tear out with the right blade! I never use ply wood tho.... that might help....

Good luck... and don't give up

Juvy

Have just, today, seen and heard an Excalibur. It seemed a very professional machine and the new owner was pleased EXCEPT that the top arm, which folds up, couldn't be 'locked' in the up position and the owner has resorted to using a block of wood to hold it in the up position. He didn't have the instructions with him but a few of us looked all over and couldn't work out how it could be 'locked'. For a $1000+ purchase (includes freight) a bit 'iffy'.

Bob H.

I am pleased I bought a Tru Pro. It worked straight out of the box. It did have poor instructions or should I say none of any use. It is sitting on a a three point home made stand and just purs it's head off. The table is large and has plenty of room in front of the blade. I am now sawing to my hearts content and at a lower price.

I did buy Hegna clamps that I consider a must.

Red Gum

Does anyone out there use the Excalibur stand ? if so does it reduce the vibration ?

The vibration is really noticeable after coming from a big heavy steel Dewalt, that didn't seem to have any vibration, probably because of its weight.

So does the stand reduce the vibration or am I better off fixing it to the bench ?

Hi !

I haven't been here for a while, so I couldn't read your question.

I have this saw for over one month and I am very happy with it. I think your problem is clear for me.

When I installed this saw on my workbench, I clamped it but it didn’t help at all. The saw moved around and it was very annoying. Then next day I found the original stand for this saw at the local Carba Tec. It cost under $100 and I bought it straight away.

It took me around 30 minutes to assemble it and then I placed the saw on it and bolted it. The floor in my workshop is quite bumpy but it was quite easy to level the stand. From now on the saw doesn’t vibrate at all.
I am a bit surprised that you need more space in front of the blade. I prefer to have a longer throat which is huge. The saw is ready to work straight out of the box, so I hardly used the rear handle to adjust anything.

I played with different kind of wood and used different saws and the saw works better them my wife’s sawing machine. <o></o><o></o><o></o><o>Also I can’t see any visible damages of the surfaces and absolutely nothing comes off. Can you take a few pictures and place them here ? Maybe you have a factory
defect.

Actually last year they had the last display model of Dewalt scroll saw at Bunnings for around $500. I played with it for a while but I didn’t like that huge piece of metal even for that twice as less price. I value my Delta much higher. You simply get used to that particular Dewalt model but your new saw is much smarter !<o></o>

If you have a local Carba Tec, just buy a stand and then let me know if you feel any differance. Acctually they also sell this saw and they placed it on the stand in their shop. So you can try it on the stand before you buy.

Best regards,

Anatoli
</o>

Originally Posted by hawkinob

Have just, today, seen and heard an Excalibur. It seemed a very professional machine and the new owner was pleased EXCEPT that the top arm, which folds up, couldn't be 'locked' in the up position and the owner has resorted to using a block of wood to hold it in the up position. He didn't have the instructions with him but a few of us looked all over and couldn't work out how it could be 'locked'. For a $1000+ purchase (includes freight) a bit 'iffy'.

Bob H.

Bob, I just want to state that it is not true !
Just treval to your local Carba Tec and play with that top arm yourself. If you do not believe me, I can make a picture of the top arm in the up postion without any block of wood underneath.

Originally Posted by AnatoliSirota

Bob, I just want to state that it is not true !
Just treval to your local Carba Tec and play with that top arm yourself. If you do not believe me, I can make a picture of the top arm in the up postion without any block of wood underneath.

I too have to use a block of wood to keep the arm up, so would love to see something especially if it shows us something we are missing in the process.

As for my original problems:
I have fully bolted the saw to the desk while I await a stand from CWS. I have also added an extra support for the workbench (underneath) and it has made a huge difference.

I think the ripping of fragile parts of the projects has also been solved, now I don't have the vibration to contend with I concentrate on feed speeds more and the problem has gone away.

I will see if I can get a picture of the table surface lifting off over the next day or two.

In short I'm happier with the saw now, I'm just amazed at the difference from the Dewalt.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and info, it all lead to better experience.

Howie

[quote=howiefc;708220]I too have to use a block of wood to keep the arm up, so would love to see something especially if it shows us something we are missing in the process.


I can't understand what for do you need to use a block ? Just look at the pictures and you can see and the arm doesn't fall down.

Is there something you had to adjust to get it to do this ?
I've researched it after reading your original post and yes it's supposed to do this, but I can't find anyway to make mine stay up there. If I lift the arm it just fall's straight down again.

For those who wanted to see the damage on my table here is a shot taken with the mobile so its not too big. (just in case the attachment doesn't work http://www.chitticks.net/images/Image005.jpg ).

I've also taken a quick video of the vibration on the saw, http://www.chitticks.net/images/Video001.avihttp://www.chitticks.net/images/Video001.avi for anyone interested. This starts with the saw at slow and goes to full speed, the saw is bolted to the workbench which had no troubles with my old Dewalt.

Here is a quick short AVI that show the saw arm not staying up. http://www.chitticks.net/images/lockarm.avihttp://www.chitticks.net/images/lockarm.avi

Bob, I’ve watched your videos and looked at the picture with the damaged table. Of course it is a bit annoying when we paid a thousand dollars for this toy.

You used your saw for a week. What sort of materials have you cut to make such scratches ? The table indeed has a sort of an antirust cover but it will definitely come off in a while. Delta and Dewalt do not have it and both tables shine with their original metal look. I used my saw for over a month and I found just a few small scratches next to the blade.

The vibration is indeed terrible but you will easily solve this problem when you install you saw on the original stand. When I collected my saw from Jim’s shop he didn’t have the right stand for it. But I bought it next day at Carba Tec for $99 and now the level of vibration is next to nothing. I would advise you to buy the original stand and do not go for a custom made one.

Now I see the real problem with the arm. In one of your massages you mentioned that you tried to adjust the rear handle. Have you played with it somehow ? I didn’t touch that handle at all because the front little lever makes an appropriate tension of the blade. I also investigated the saw and couldn’t find any other handle , a bolt or a knob which could control the position of the arm. It simply doesn’t fall down.

My strong feeling is that the problem is around that rear handle and probably you can tighten it somehow. But first I would ask this Jim. I definitely know that the arm shouldn’t fall down under any circumstances. Jim defenately reads this thread and he probably knows about your problem. Please let us know about his answer.

This might be a silly question..... I noticed the saw on the picture is greenish..... the one sold here is blue..... are they maybe different models and have a different way to keep that arm up?

Juvy