Help to deciede on which ss

[RJweb]

Good evening,
I am going to buy my first ss, my plan is to do puzzels, some fretwork, and then get into intarsia. Looking at either the excalibur 16", or the delta 40-695 20". Any opinions or suggestions would be a great help, thx

[Prale]

I have never owned the Delta, But I do have the Excalibur-21 it is the same saw exactly as the EX-16 except the throat is a bit smaller on the 16. I can tell you it is the 3rd saw I have owned and it is by far my best saw. (I own the dewalt 788 I think its close to the Delta). I can say that the Excalibur saw's are (not perfect) but very very good. One thing and I think this is important, if you decide to go with the Excalibur buy it from Seyco, if you do have a problem later you will be glad you did.

[Ghornet54]

I have the Ex-16 and really like it. I've owned several cheaper ones and this is by far the best. I haven't done anything that needed the larger throat. The only thing I don't like about the Ex-16 is there isn't a way to connect a dust vacuum. I also Ray at Seyco.

Charles

[areynoldsre]

I've heard that the delta and dewalts are basically the same saw (delta owns DeWalt or DeWalt owns delta - away their made by the same people). I got the DeWalt 788 as my first scroll saw and am liking it. But I know a couple of folks that have the Excalibur and love that. If I had to buy again I think I'd lean more towards the Excalibur but it would be hard for me to chose.

[Jan]

My vote is for the Excalibur. I have the EX-21 and, unlike the other folks, wish it was the EX-30. I primarily do intarsia, never do fretwork, but play with some of the other items like the puzzles and compound cutting. I admit that for cutting anything except backers for intarsia, the 16 in. or the 21 in. saws are more than adequate. However, when I have to cut a backer for a large intarsia piece, the really big worktable and throat would help a lot.

I agree with the others that, if you choose the Excalibur, buy it from Seyco. Ray Seymore has the best customer service on the planet. If you have questions or problems, Ray will work with you, answer all your questions and make sure you are happy with your saw, or any other tool you purchase from him.

Jan

[Powakee]

I had my first saw for about 7 years and only replaced it because they started changing from the old 'clunky' AC motors to the smaller DC motors. What I found at that time was that with the smaller (less vibrations) motor I started doing different kinds of cuts. After I used my 2nd saw for about 3 or 4 years I was getting really burned out about the issue w/ the upper arm not lifting. So, about 2005 I was able to buy a Dewalt 788. I have been using it since then. I am starting to have some 'vibration' issues and I may be going into do some 'overhaul' work soon to get the saw back to a 'tighter' feel.

I guess I am saying that I would ask how much you may really be using the saw? You can find plenty of used DeWalt 788s for between $200 to $400. The EX is going to cost you $700 + to get into your workplace. If you turn out to not cut so much then you are going to have a very nice, but expensive, saw sitting on the floor of your workshop. So, in the end, I suggest more 'self examination' about doing this kind of work as opposed to looking for the best saw that other people like. If you are the kind of person who will follow through and you know you will be doing this for many years then gauge accordingly how much you will spend on the saw.

Hope this helps.

John

[tgiro]

Having just "upgraded" from the DW788 (the 40-690 of a different color), to an EX-21 - I vote for the EX. The 40-690 is a newer version of the DW788.

Mine was an older Canadian made saw, but the EX is a smoother running saw.

I, also, strongly recommend Ray Seymore, of Seyco for your purchase. You may find the saw cheaper at one of the other wood working stores, but if there are problems with it, you'll be going to Ray anyway. Ray is the goto Excalibur guy, here in the US.

Tony

[longrifle]

I have a Dewalt 788 that has been a good saw. Last winter I ordered the
EX 21 from Ray. I was going to Craigs List the Dewalt but I found
that mine does better on thicker wood than the EX does. There is more
forward action on the Dewalt and I think that is what makes it more
aggressive. I make a lot of scroll saw boxes so I kept the Dewalt to
cut the drawers with. I love them both but the EX is a lot better for close
cuts and sharp points that you get into with fretwork. Good luck.
Enjoy which ever one you buy
Rick

[rbpuzzles]

I can't comment on most of the newer brands of saws as I've only owned a Hawk 226 and a few older brands. My one comment would be no matter what brand you decide on, try to get the maximum throat capacity you can afford, especially if you are wanting to do jigsaw puzzles, even more so if you want to do large ones.

[hotshot]

I paid a lot for the EX-21, and that saw is indeed very nice. However, knowing what I know now, I would have probably been a little more patient and went the craigslist/ebay route, looking for either a Hegner, DW-788/Delta, Hawk G4, or EX. I've seen many of the name saws for less than $300. Many folks buy, but find scrolling is not their thing, so they sell saws with very little use.

One other thing to consider . . . if your primary interest is with puzzles and intarsia (non-fretwork), top feeding won't be as important for you, so even a older model Hawk (not G4) could work well for you. Hegners have smaller tables, so if you are doing larger puzzles, that might not be your best bet.

------Randy

[rbpuzzles]

Don't forget to check local listings for auctions as well. I've seen a couple DeWalt's go for as little as $150. You never know what you might find at them.

[Toneman]

I purchased the EX 21 from Ray @ Seyco and love it! Ray is old school........help the customer and the customer will help you!

Tony,akaToneman

[RJweb]

I want to thank all that help me out on my purchase. Next week my woodcraft store where I shop is having a 10% off power tools, but I am taking under your advisement, will buy from Seyco, customer service is worth more than 57.00. When I get it and need help will shout again. Thx RJ

[Arcy]

I have the EX-21 and, unlike the other folks, wish it was the EX-30.

What Jan said, especially if you plan to cut picture puzzles. It is easy for them to get large enough to run into throat size issues.

I love my Excalibur, but I would choose the Delta 20" over the EX-16 if I had to choose between them.

--Rob