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General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: rteubner on March 07, 2013, 11:58:28 am
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I know the subject has been talked about numerous times but I am looking for opinions. My trusty Craftsman saw is slowly seeing its last cuts I'm afraid so its time to start shopping for a new saw, even though my wife thinks I'm making excuses to buy a new tool. ;D haha I have acquired way too much vibration and now last night the motor has started speeding up and slowing down on its own. I am undecided on going with the DeWalt or else try to get by for a little bit longer with my saw and save up for Excalibur. So anyway, after all this babbling, my question is about going with a 16 or 21. Most of my work I do is with 8X10 portraits and have just started trying intarsia. Has anyone bought the 16 and kicking themselves now for not spending the extra money on a 21? For what I do I'm just not sure if the extra money is necessary.
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If you get the 21" you won't have to say later " I wish I had bought the larger capacity saw, then you'll only have to say I wish I had bought brand X instead of brand Y.
I had a 16" saw and it was good for what I was using it for but soon discovered I was a little cramped in the saws capacity so I went with a 21" delta and I'm glad I did. The saw has more weight and mass that dampens any vibration.
How much more expense is the 21" saw?
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We have pondered that same question. I really don't LIKE doing large pieces, so 16" really probably would have been big enough for me. However, being a designer, I never really know what the future will bring and what I may be required to do to make a living, so I opted for the 21 inch Excalibur. I never really thought about the mass thing that Coastie brought up, but that is a good point. But I would rather have a 16 inch Excalibur than a 21 inch Delta or DeWalt. If the price really is what you need to base your decision on, I would go with the smaller Ex. They do after all, retain their value pretty well and if you ever decided to move up, as long as your saw was in good shape you would probably be able to sell it for a decent price. Just my thoughts on it . . . :)
Let us know what you decide to do!
Sheila
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That is something I never considered, the 21 may have extra weight and mass. Coastie,it is almost $250 more for the 21. Just think how many FD blades I could buy from Mike with that ;D Part of me is leaning to the fact that if I'm going to spend that much on a saw I should just spend the extra and get the best.
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My EX-21 was delivered in February. It is a pleasure to work on. I've experimented with bowl making and the ability to tilt the head rather than the table makes the work much easier to control. Having a resource like Ray Seymore may be the best reason to get the EX. He is very knowledgeable and will return an email or call quickly with a solution.
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You should buy the best you can afford; that way you won't be sorry Six months down the road, when you wan to cut something larger than you do now and If you really get into making Intarsias you'll need the extra depth for cutting the backers. (Something to think about)
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I used to have 16" and now I have the EX-21 and believe me I ummed and rrrr about the EX-30 because one time or other your going to want to cut something bigger, so if you have the readies available go for bigger because bigger is better. lol ;D
Roly
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I have the EX 21 and glad I paid the extra. At first, I was going over to Seyco to buy the Ex16. After sitting down at both saws and talking to Ray about what I was wanting to cut on the saws, I decided on the Ex21 because if I was going to make items to sell, and I saw a pattern that I just had to make and it was over 16", wellllll. A lady recently wanted me to make her some 17" crosses for her retail store (12 @$20.00 ea), so, there is the extra money for the extra 5"
Tony,aka,Toneman
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Funny you mention doing portraits. I'm presently cutting a 16x20 portrait of my son. Wouldn't be able to do it using a 16". Better give this one some real good thought. My advice, save a few bucks more and buy the 21". Better to be safe now instead of sorry later.
Mike
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You may be able to replace the brushes in the motor on your current saw to help you get a little more out of it till you save up for a new one.
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My Ex21 is over 10 years old and I would replace it in a heartbeat. I will probably buy the EX30 next time. I started with an 18" Dremel and never regretted my purchase of the EX21. I have found a few patterns that the EX21 is not big enough for and have had to resort to spiral blades to finish it off. In short, go for the 21 if it is in your ability.
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Everybodies ,correct in thier situation and thier choice for them and with good reasoning,now it's your turn ,having a COMPUTORIZED POST HOLE DIGGER you rarely use ,except for" show and tell" is not a good investment ,I know ,I HAVE A COUPLE ,Make your best guess as to your future use ,thats all you can do ,With all this input ,It will be right for YOU !!SCROLL ON!!
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i had a 16"craftsman and went with the EX-21 that was one of my better decisions i made when it comes to some of my woodworking tools.
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I started with the EX16 and had loads of problems with vibration on it, after changing the machine 5 times Axminster Power tools upgraded me free of charge to the EX21 - what a difference, there was virtually no vibration whatsoever. I don't know if it was a batch of faulty EX16's or whether the 21" version is a better balanced machine because of the extra size and weight, but I wouldn't change my EX21 for anything now, it's a lovely machine to use.
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Thank you for all the advice. It looks like the answer is to try and make it by with mine. Seems like the EX21 is what would be the best. I have also done some research on the 788 also and it looks like with the DeWalt you need to find a Type 1 which was made in Canada but they seem to be few and far between. Do they not make them there anymore?
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I have had a Craftsman 16 inch Scroll Saw for about 10 years. I use it a lot. Good saw for my use. I think I paid about 150 USD back then. About a year ago it was not performing well. Lots of slop, vibration, blade tensioner wouldn't hold, etc. Since it is a Craftsman I received with the saw new, a parts list and diagrams.
Being an adventerous sole I decided to dismantal the saw with the goal of replacing the defective parts, replacing wear parts and lubricating strategic positons. Long story short, I got it all apart, found the defective parts, ordered the new parts online thru Sears Parts Customer dialogue page. I got the parts within three days of ordering them and put it all back together. It now works beautifully. The total cost of all replacement parts ran about 40 USD. A year later the machine is working like a charm.
I've always liked taking things apart and trying to fix them or improve them. Saves much dinero and I get the satisfaction of doing it myself. If I screw up, I still have the knowledge and techniques I learned taking it apart and trying to fix it. I salvage what I think I might be able to use down the road.
OBTW, I'm a 74 year old retiree who drives a 1993 Ford Escort that was my daughter's college and grad school car. I would rather take something apart and fix it for x dollars than spend 10x dollars for a new one. However, I know my limitations after a lifetime of doing this so I am not adverse to hiring Professionals to do something I can't or don't want to do. Money is dear now that my wife and I are retired and the grand children keep being born.
Walt in CT
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Thank you for all the advice. It looks like the answer is to try and make it by with mine. Seems like the EX21 is what would be the best. I have also done some research on the 788 also and it looks like with the DeWalt you need to find a Type 1 which was made in Canada but they seem to be few and far between. Do they not make them there anymore?
No. The type I is the saw that was made in Canada. It has been over ten years since they chanced manufacturing to Taiwan. That means if you do find a type I, it will be over ten years old, and they do wear out. I had a type I that was new when I bought it and I wore it out! I replaced it with a new type II, and it is just as good as my old type I!
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Thats good to know dgman. Seemed like quite a few had problems with their type 2 but then again if there was that many problems I guess they wouldnt be selling any now would they? :D
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I had a type 2 (I think) that lasted less than two years. My good friend has had his about ten and has replaced the motor FOUR times at $400 each time. Other folks have had this saw for as long with zero problems. I wonder if it may be the difference in usage that causes this. My friend and I both cut thick woods in making toys and doing compound cutting and no fretwork. (1 3/4" Thick) We both cut with these saws 5-8 hours a day every day. It may be that those having long life with their machines are only doing fretwork on thin stock. DeWalt is a great cutting saw but maybe it is best used for lighter cutting than we are doing. I now have a Hegner (Since 2008) that seems to have no trouble with cutting this thicker wood.
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Everybody is different ,Most change blades more often ,don't force feel ,keep correct tention ,and do a little maintainance ,others ,Don't ,I'm sure if I cut 5 hrs a day everyday ,I would notice a lot of differences,and would get my money's worth out of spending that kind of money ,HD production is not in my future ,It's all in what you plan to do and how much it's worth to you ! IMHO
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Those with not enough room for larger projects than their saw allows - have you thought of turning the blade around to cut the back half? Works for me!
Puzzelmaker (Pat)