Found an older RBI 220 from the 90's

[puzzleguy]

I was at one of our art shows , and a fellow woodworker i know
told me he had an older RBI from the early 1990's that only had about 30 hours
of cut time on it - very reasonably - checked it out and it had very little or no wear on it -
not crazy about the nylon gears on the bottom side -but they looked perfect .
I hot rodded it a bit with a very thin plexiglass top cover ( attached it with clear carpet tape )
Runs nice - i borrowed a 220 from RBI years ago when i was working on one of our books , but returned it
and was considering another as a back up saw -it cuts great -thou a bit more vibration than i like -
Nice to finally add one to my collection !
Been thinking about an excalibur in the near future - but im not a guy who buys made in China stuff -
hoping they come back to Canada -where they belong
( have heard the Newer Dewalts are not as good as the US made ones are ) a friend who has had a few over the past few years
told me to stay away from them- especially if you do alot of cutting like i do --

The RBI is going to be alot of fun -its a nice saw !

[herrwood]

A new old tool  is always a fun project. Glad you rescued it.

[Wooden Lace]

Just a quick correction...De Walts weren't made in the US before moving to Taiwan.  They were made by Sommerville, in Canada, just as the Excaliburs were.  You're right that they are not the same quality as before.

Last week I picked up a Type 1 De Walt that looks brand new, and has has had almost no use.  Paid $200 for it, so I'm a happy camper.  Now maybe I can cut something without all the aggravation of the 2 Excaliburs I own....and wish I didn't.  Life would be good if I could find someone who could fix my two other Type 1 De Walts, 'cause try as I might, I just plain don't like the way the Ex's cut.  I'm falling behind on orders 'cause using them is like cutting in slow motion, and I have to re-position the set screw about every 5 cuts.  This hobby is supposed to be fun!

Sure wish the De Walt service center in Seattle would have done the complete tear-down, inspection, cleaning and parts replacement that they advertise on the website.  I wouldn't have to keep searching for a saw that I love, since I have 3 of them already!

Well, back to work.
Nancy

[puzzleguy]

Just a quick correction...De Walts weren't made in the US before moving to Taiwan.  They were made by Sommerville, in Canada, just as the Excaliburs were.  You're right that they are not the same quality as before.

Last week I picked up a Type 1 De Walt that looks brand new, and has has had almost no use.  Paid $200 for it, so I'm a happy camper.  Now maybe I can cut something without all the aggravation of the 2 Excaliburs I own....and wish I didn't.  Life would be good if I could find someone who could fix my two other Type 1 De Walts, 'cause try as I might, I just plain don't like the way the Ex's cut.  I'm falling behind on orders 'cause using them is like cutting in slow motion, and I have to re-position the set screw about every 5 cuts.  This hobby is supposed to be fun!

Sure wish the De Walt service center in Seattle would have done the complete tear-down, inspection, cleaning and parts replacement that they advertise on the website.  I wouldn't have to keep searching for a saw that I love, since I have 3 of them already!

Well, back to work.
Nancy

Thanks -i mention Canada and US -im aware they were made by sommerville in Canada -
Growing up just outside of Buffalo , Ive always considered Canada almost a part of the USA -
before all that Passport stuff prior to 9-11 - We could enter Canada freely without passports ( I miss that ) So i slipped .

Sorry if my post seems negative to Modern Excalibur's and Dewalts - think the older ones are a tad better
guess at my age Im kinda hooked on US made machinery -( Thou im fond of Hegners ) -
Also being a Full time Puzzle guy Im hard on stuff ( basically have worn out saws in the past -seriously )

[tbolt]

Upgraded to ex from dw type 1 not happy so found good used G4 hawk best thing I ever did