Looking for a new saw - (Excalibur 16" at Home Depot for $519?)

[Scott]

I'm looking for a new saw and thinking about the Dewalt that everyone seems to love, vs the Jet line and the king / Excalibur / seyco style. Saw that there is a special buy on the 16" Excalibur for what looks like a great price of $519. Any thoughts on this?

Honestly, I am not sure what to buy. I hope to move into the craft fair / retail market and build a business to supplement retirement income, so I don't want to have to buy a new saw every five years. But my Sears 16" is not very good, and think an upgrade to an Excalibur would be a good choice.

Any thoughts / help is appreciated.

[don in brooklin on]

I have the EX-21 now for 7-8 years and it is great.  I teach at our club on DW788's and they are fine but I prefer the EX as to how the blade clamps. tilting table, and the arm stays up on its own.  You can get around these issues with add-ons but I want it standard.

Steve did a great write-up on the King 16" which I think is the same as the Excalibur.

http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/2017_12_05_archive.html


In this blog he also explains 16" versus 21".  I can count on 2 hands the number of times I required more that 16 and then with some planning I could of figure out how to cut.


If you are thinking about going in to the craft sale business their is a interesting thread on SSV where Scott about craft sale selling.  He has written a free book about it.  http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums/topic/27688-craft-event-selling/


There are a couple of guys who have bought patterns from Scott and have duplicated his products in other markets.  He is a great guy.


There are some interesting ideas on SSV about going into business. 


One of my friends did the circuit in Ontario before he passed and one word of wisdom that stuck with me is that "you have to have an item that pays your table".  He had little cars he sold for $2 that brought the parents into look at stuff.  He later made gift card holders and sold out at his first show he did with them.   

Good luck

[Scott]

Thanks for the information. It sounds like the EX is made in China now with the KING being made in Taiwan. So I would probably go with the King. If I start with a tilting arm vs a tilting table, then I guess that rules out the Dewalt 788.

I would favor the tilt arm. The Jet 18" looks intriguing. I have read SG's review on the Jet 21, and his comments on the 18. Price wise there isn't much difference and the Jet comes with a 5 yr warranty.

Guess it's down to the Jet vs the King.

[Scott]

Has anyone purchased a JET and absolutely hated it?

Seems like the tilting head machines are relatively the same, and you just have to get used to each machine's quirks. Looking for some advice here.

Also, are the new Dewalts really that bad? From what I have read it sounds like you should tear it apart before using to check for loose bolts and to lube the bearings. Is that about right?
Thanks!

[bccdavid]

I don’t have any experience with the Jet. I purchase the DW about 3 months ago and love it.  I’m not having any of these issues others have mentioned.

I purchased the saw, table and light (as a package). The light is a joke. It’s a warm yellow that doesn’ t help. You definitely need a different bulb or an entirely different light. I purchased a magnifying glass with light to replace it.  The stand is good.