Ex-21 clamping adjustments

[spartanscroller]

Ahoy scroll saw gurus. I need your help.  Finally took the plunge and bought a new Excalibur 21 inch scroll saw at a woodworking expo here in Michigan. Got it set up. Retired the Dewalt 788 type 2 and began using the new one. My impressions are that it is a good quality made saw. Very quiet and vibrations are minimal. Cuts are smooth. Miss my mounted light on the side though. Two big disappointments so far. One was the words "Made in Taiwan" on the box and the other is the blade clamping system. The slot is so deep that I cannot see the set screw and thumb screw so I am having a terrible time loading the blade into the top clamp. I am able to load the bottom clamp just fine but after a few minutes the bottom of the blade begins to bend and it makes it hard to get the blade though a 16th inch hole. What is causing this and how do I solve it. I want to love this saw. I have heard so many good things about it but so far these blade clamping problems are daunting. Also what is the going price on a good used DW788 type 2 these days.

Regards
Terry

[Wooden Lace]

Congrats on the new saw.  As another former DeWalt 788 user, I know what you mean about the top blade clamps.  I've thought of trying to get some light colored paint in the slot so I could see it easier. Maybe on something thin, like a sheet of paper, I could get enough in there to see. You'll eventually get used to it, but sure not as easy to see.

In regards to the bottom clamp bending the blade, the only time I've had that problem, with either the DeWalt or the Ex was when the set screw had worked part way out and wasn't sticking into the groove.  Simply move it into the slot, and you shouldn't have any more problems with that....until it moves again.   I've thought about putting some Lock Tite on mine, but not sure if I could get them out when they need replaced, so I just put up with it and move it over about every 20 cuts.  Mine is the top blade holder, but the same would apply to either one.

Hope this helps.
Nancy

[newfie]

Well not to a downer. but if where you i hald on the dewalt i have an Excalibur 21" scrollsaw its a good saw but with a few issues that are pretty common I'm finding out as of late.i only had the saw for little over to years and only use it for hobbie not for business and i had to replace several parts on it all ready including the motor cam and bearing.there still a knocking in the saw and found out the bearing and the arms for the blade clamps are worn as well.call the canadian office to get the price on the compleat blade clamp holder including the bearing there $115 each ip this way.i found a video on YouTube with someone showing some of the problems with it.its worth watching.heres a link to it hope it works.


https://youtu.be/FfEg7uL2SVM

[kardar2]

I had the same trouble you will learn to feed it in the bottom clamp by feel  and tight in it at the same time. Yep put some lock tie on  your a just mentioned screw. Make sure you use the lock tie that only snug it not the one that cement it in. They make different  strength on lock tight. Also the is a couple of things you  should  do. Take a finger nail  file like the woman  use a and rough up the end of the set screw.  The lock tight them in place.  Then head over to Steve Good place and watch some video on how to make some nice adjustment. Witch I did and  made a big differnce.  Loosen the motor and turn is was a good adjustment for me. Once you get use to it you will love it. Especially  angle cuts. As for lighting I use a garage halogen  light.  Good luck.

[EIEIO]

Use Loctite Blue on the set screws. It will hold them from moving but is soft enough to let you back the screw out when needed.
I bought a small LED clamp-on light with a gooseneck. The clamp came off, leaving a 1/2" male thread end. I removed the workpiece hold-down from the saw arm (never used it anyway) and put the light mount into that hole and it works great.

If you don't already have one, get a foot switch for the saw. It is much easier to control and start/stop with your foot.

[PigsFly]

Get a small piece of metal that will fit between the jaws of the clamp.  Take out the set screw, insert the metal between the clamp jaws, tighten the thumb screw to hold the piece of metal in place, put blue Loctite (as others suggested) on the set screw, tighten the set screw against the piece of metal.  You now have the set screw flush with the inside of the clamp.  Repeat procedure on the other clamp.  Now you should have no bending of blades from clamping.  The bends from clamping are generally called hockey stick bends.

The other place you can get bent blades (and this sounds like where your problem is) occurs when you insert the top of the blade to high in the upper clamp.  When you do this and then flip the tension adjustment lever it can bend the top of the blade.  To get the right blade placement - you may need to experiment some - you should first clamp the top by inserting the top of the blade around 2/3s to 3/4s of the way into the clamp channel.  This is enough to clamp the blade and you do not get blade bend from flipping the tension adjustment lever.  You do not have the same issue on the bottom clamp.  You can appreciate why this happens on the top clamp if you watch what the top clamp does when you flip the tension adjustment lever.

Since learning these techniques I have not had problems with blades bending/kinking.  You will love your saw more when you solve this issue.  The DW788 tension adjustment is different so even though the clamping systems are nearly identical you do not have the problem if the blade is high in the upper clamp.

[jerry1939]

I have a brand new Delta 40-694.  I will echo "whenpigsfly."  Today I was getting the bend on the bottom of the blade, just as he described.  Turns out I was not mounting the top of the blade high enough.  This caused the tightening screw to put a horrible bend in the bottom of the blade.  "Hockey Stick" as he so accurately described it.

Turns out I was too cautious about not leaving enough blade on the bottom.  Problem solved.

jerry

[spartanscroller]

Thank you all very much for your help. I am taking the saw back to where I bought it Friday. 100 mile trek but they offered me a full refund.
Despite everything I tried nothing seemed to work. The top blade clamp assembly is still impossible to deal with as far as seating the blade. When I finally do get it seated the clamp doesn't hold. I've already stripped out the threads on the clamp assembly trying to get it to hold and I did not even twist it down very hard. I am very disappointed. I was looking forward to using and loving this saw for many years to come. Now I am very glad I did not get rid of ole yeller. I am going back to the old friend that has served me faithfully for so many years.

Regards,
Terry

[Toninho]

@EIEIO  My friend, will soon need to use a foot switch in my EX 21. Where I turn on the switch? There are two cables Thanks.

Toninho.

Regards.

[EIEIO]

If you're still out there, please excuse my absence. I've been buried in "real work" and got away from the scroll site.

IF YOU"RE IN THE US: The foot switch just acts like an on/off switch. One end will plug into the wall outlet, and then the power cable of the saw plugs into an outlet on the foot switch (or maybe the foot switch has a 2nd cable with a female outlet that the saw plugs into). The foot switch does not control motor speed - only on/off of the power to the saw. So turn on the saw, press the foot switch, the blade will move. Set the speed, then cut wood, using the foot switch to turn on/off rather than taking one hand and both eyes off the workpiece to hit the power switch. 

We saw someone from GB post a foot switch that has screw terminals to switch the 240VAC used in England. This type requires you to wire the switching terminals in line with one leg of the 240 volt source. If this is what you have, I might be able to help if you send more detail.

[jimbo]

I have had no trouble with saw clams on the Ex it has been the main bearings that have been the problem, I use a tool to tighten the clamp

[dirtrider73068]

Contact Ray at seyco he can help with your issues on the ex saw. Its where I bought mine. He takes them out of the box checks them sets the saw up reboxes and ships them back out.

I had some new parts shipped to me for that knocking sound Ray said there was a defect in manufacturing. I have never had issues with the blade clamps I have gotten use to feeling when the blade is all the way back and flat on the clamp I can feel if its not. I love my ex saw never had big issues with it.