Help needed installing blades on Excalibur

[dianetha]

thank you! That was a wealth of information!!

[ripchief]

The table is out of alignment...I just got an Excalibur EX-21, and had the same situation shown in your picture (in fact, when I received my saw, the table bolts/nuts were loose)...My blade clamps were in perfect alignment, but as you can see from the picture that you posted, the blade is offset from the center of the hole in the table  (my first test with a blade hitting the plastic shroud made the saw sound like a bicycle with a playing card in the spokes)...Loosen all four nuts/bolts that hold the table to the trunnions...The table mounting holes on the trunnions are slotted, which allows the table to be adjusted...With a blade inserted and tensioned, position the table so that there is equal distance on both sides of the blade...Now, re-tighten the nuts/bolts that hold the table to the trunnions...Sometimes it's simply a matter of how you look at it...In this case, the blade IS NOT in the wrong position with reference to the table...Instead, the table is in the wrong position in reference to the blade.

As a side note, I removed the plastic shroud and the dust chute...I don't use dust collection, and removing these items allows the sawdust to simply fall below the table...With the dust chute out of the way, you have more room to maneuver under the the table while changing blades (for my hands at least).

[jacques45]

Although this is an old topic, I wonder how efforts with the Excalibur turned out for the original poster.  I  have had my EX-30 for nearly a year, and despite trying the various fixes I have read her and on other sites, I am still fighting the blade installation/tensioning problem.   I do not believe that any expensive saw like this should have the continuing problems that have been reported.   My cheap Sears saw never gave me any trouble.   I am ready to get rid of my Excalibur and go with something less troublesome.

[julief]

My EX is so old it does not have that rear adjustment on it.  I highly recommend you contact Ray at Seyco.  He is the leading authority on any EX saw.  Whether you bought it from him or not, he will talk you through any adjustment or fix that is necessary.

[spartanscroller]

Well Diane you have touched a nerve with me. I purchased an Excalibur 21 at a woodworking show and have never been so disappointed with a product in my life. I too removed the dust collection and had many problems with setting the blade in the clamps. Took it back to the store and they agreed to help me with it and showed me how to adjust the set screw in the top clamp. They told be the screw has to just barely protrude into the inside of the clamp assembly. Tried some test cuts and it worked fine so I took it back home and set it up in my shop. After a few hours of cutting the blade clamps absolutely refused to hold. After taking two and a half hours to finish an ornament that usually takes less than an hour, I removed the saw from my shop and set up my old faithful Dewalt 788 type two. I am very frustrated and disappointed after all the hype and great things I have heard about the Excalibur I feel like I got an $850 education. Don't know where to go from here but feel the factory adjustments on these saws are not done properly. So what is your natural instincts when the clams don't hold? Even though you know better, you over tighten them. They still slip and my top clamp holder is just about stripped out. I'll never recommend Excalibur to anyone.

Regards,
Terry