New Workshop

[Fretnot]

I have got my new work shop up and running which is a spare bedroom I sort of converted. I still have a few things to get but basically I am up and running. I have been using the new Excalibur for a couple of days now. I had to do a little bit of fine tuning and at first I just used the rubber feet that came with the saw but yesterday I firmly bolted it to the bench and this has made things a lot better and I get no vibration at all, even at high speeds.

I have one small problem and I don't know if you get this as well. I get on the Dewalt and I have it on the Ex-21. I am using Mikes scroll reverse blades, mainly 3s and 5s and I should be getting 4 gross of ultra reverse blades in a couple of days time. Quite often I cut to where the pattern comes back on itself or there is a sharp corner so I cut up to the line and then back the blade up the cut and turn the workpiece around then I back the blade back up to where I finished the cut so I can start the new cut, when it is all finished i have nice sharp corners but very often when i back the blade up to start the new cut I cannot seem to get the blade to go back far enough so I can do the new cut on the line of the pattern, it is so annoying. I even push as hard as I can. I even take the cut almost past the new line I need to follow and it still happens. Would you good people have any idea why this should happen and do other people have the same problem. Many thanks.

[oldvaxguy]

What does your wife say about saw dust?
How do you control saw dust?

[KarlB]

Nice looking set up. The only problem I see is interference with the adjacent saw if you are cutting bigger projects. If all you cut are smaller ones, then no problem.

As for cutting into sharp corners I will usually put a starter hole near such a corner. I then go from hole to one side of the point then back out to the hole and do the same to the other side of the point. I then start out from this point along side the line till it starts into the pattern line again. If this creates too much of a bump when I finish the cut I'll go back and use the teeth of the blade to "sand" away the bump.

I will also say I also do what you describe and I don't worry too much about getting right to the line as most of the patterns I cut I don't have to be dead on.

Don't push too hard as you can bend the blade, possibly break it.

Karl

[ubgoofy2003]

Nice shop setup fretnot. Must be nice having a DeWalt & a EX-21. Your problem cutting into sharp corners is mine too. I cut to the end of the line & back up & cut over to the other exit line & cut down into the corner where I just cut. If that's clear or maybe someone else has a better solution than my way. I do use a lot of spiral blades & don't have the problem unless it is a very sharp point. Your shop looks real nice. As long as it serves the purpose, that's what you need. Good Luck

[Carter-Johnson]

I guess I really don't understand. I cut some puzzle pieces that have almost 180-degree turns and I never back up. I just spin the wood and keep cutting. One hint I give people who are having trouble with corners is to go us right to where you need to turn and then let go of the wood. Maybe you keep a finger on it, but just let go. Then turn it and start anew. If your table is level it shouldn't go anywhere when you release the wood and you learn how to turn without cutting - or panicking!

Good luck..... Carter

[Fretnot]

Glad you all like the set up. I don't have a wife Oldvax guy but I have a girlfriend but she lives 120 miles away, she comes some weekend but I make sure its clean of sawdust before she gets here. I have a new shop vac and its real quiet and half way to making an air filter so use mask as i keep the door shut when I am on the saw.

Theres no real problem with the saw Karl, I put it near the door so if I cut anything big or long I can have the door open but most things are on the small side. I tend to cut the birch ply in batches and then put the patterns on and have a sort of stock pile of various patterns. Thats a real good idea of having a starter hole, I never thought of that, it will make things a lot easier.

Yes Perk. Its quite nice having two good saws. If one should let me down I can still carry on but hopefully that wont happen. I am disabled and this is the only work I do and I really do love it so I wanted to invest in some good equipment. I got the dewalt 788 for the equivalent of $100 and I have had the Ex-21 for three days now, its a real good saw, blade changing takes some getting used to as the clamps are different to the 788 but like all things it takes a while to get used to them.

Thanks guys for the tips regarding the cut and the blade. I forgot to mention I am cutting 3/4 hardwood for some signs I am making, I don't get the problem so much on the thinner stuff and the 1/4 ply I use.

[sawdust11703]

If I'm understanding your problem correctly, you're trying to back the blade on a line that you already cut but a lot of times you cant get it to back up or back up enough. Sounds to me that maybe when you are cutting, you tend to push the wood too much thereby bending the angle of the blade as it cuts. If you cut a line and want to back up, it should generally be able to do so. You could quickly spin the wood rather than back up as someone mentioned, but that doesn't give you the sharpest corners and the larger the blade you use doing that, the less sharp they will be. It all depends on how sharp you want or need those corners to be.

[oldvaxguy]

What brand of shop vac?

[wood-n-things]

One other tip you may like. Take a small file and turn on your saw with a tensioned blade in it. Hold the file to the rear edges of the saw for a moment to round over the back side of the blade. This will allow the blade to spin easier as it relieves the sharp corners on the back side of the blade. Clear as mud? Give it a try and let me know haw that works for you...

[Fretnot]

Hi Oldvaxguy. The shop vac is by a company called Numatic, not sure if you have this brand there, Here in the UK it is distributed through a company called Axminster tools, you can see their site on the web. I still cannot believe how quiet it is. It stated 70 decibels in the catalogue but I don't know how loud that is but I can hold a normal conversation when it is switched on and it has an amazing amount of suction.

Sawdust. I understand what you are saying. I let the blade do the work and I don't push, just sort of guide it. You are right, sometimes you can spin the wood and that is fine but there are times when you need a sharp corner. With an external corner I go past the end then spin the work piece and come back onto the new line and this again gives me a sharp corner. I have enclosed a piece I did which illustrates some of the tight corners I am doing.

Thanks for the tip Mike. I would never have thought of that, it is a brilliant idea.

[Fretnot]

Back again. I have just discovered why, when I back the saw blade into a corner, it does not go all the way back to where I finished the cut in order for me to start cutting on the new line of the pattern. It is the fore and aft movement of the blade. It is worse on my dewalt and cannot be adjusted but it can be adjusted on the ex-21 by turning the motor but I am not quite sure if this can be done while the saw is running. I will obviously have to loosen the bolts holding the motor so do I tun it a little bit and then switch the saw on and keep doing this until I eliminate the fore and aft movement. I would be grateful for any advice.

I apologise for the photo of the love angel, I did not realise i had taken a photo of this fresh from the saw, it is covered in fuzzies on the back, hopefully the ultra reverse blades i have coming from Mike will reduce this a lot.

[lucky2]

Fretnot, I don't know if I would start adjusting the motor or not, didn't you say that the saw is new? If so, and the problem is a big enough one, I'd take it back to where it came from and let them get me another one or let them adjust this one. Afterall, it should be covered by warranty and you might void the warranty by taking matters into your own hands, check first before you do anything yourself.
Len

[Trackman]

My ex21 needed to be adjusted also. There is no problem moving the motor. The manual tells you how and that is way it is made so you can adjust it. I had to move into a new set of holes to get it right. Now there isn't any front to back movement at all.

[PatteM]

When you cut up to the end of a line then turn the work around and back up to what you just cut, keep in mind that the back of your blade can only go as far back as your original cut -- if you try to turn your work then to start the return cut, your cut starts too far out by the front-to-back width of your blade. I deal with this by "nibbling" from the corner, down the line for the return cut by just a bit so that the cutting edge of the blade immediately lays right along the new line. Wish I could draw a picture of that, but maybe someone else could describe "nibbling" a bit better.