# Reposting From My Regular Blog to Review the EX-21 Scroll Saw



## Hacksaw007

Wonderful, looks like you will have a lot of fun with this work horse! Love your work and reviews. Can't wait to see your video.


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## jbertelson

Thanks for the review…......I don't do much scroll work, but the day may come. Stefang (Mike) has one of these saws as well, since he does a lot of scroll work.

Looking forward to the next installment…................


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## bigike

good review I just wish I had the $$$ to get one!


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## Dennisgrosen

great you got it here too Sheila 
thank´s

Dennis


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## SteveMI

For the blade being 90 degrees, ask any friends that are machinists about a 1", 2" 3" setup block. I picked one up and it really makes it easier. It stays in place without having to balance the combination square. You can move the table with one hand and keep your other hand on the tightening knob.

I have a 788 and tuned all of the vibration and front/aft motion from it.

Steve.


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## scrollgirl

Thank you Steve. That is a great idea. 

Sheila


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## jbertelson

*Steve*
I own one of those blocks, and it sits right under my nose on my measurement tote….....and I always forget to use it.

Gonna put it on top of the tote…....maybe I will remember….......

Thanks Steve…........(-:


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## RandyMorter

Great review Sheila, thanks!


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## michelletwo

Hey SG,glad you upgraded to the saw of your dreams. You were great with the Dewalt..I can't wait to see you skyrocket with this beauty! Congrats.


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## scrollgirl

Thanks, Michelle! I am quite a fan of your work. Your new piece is truly incredible! It is fun to play with nice tools, isn't it?? 

Sheila


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## michelletwo

Well you know, Sg how girls love their toys! Lathes, tablesaws, jointers, planers. Oh Joy!


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## swamps42

Thanks for this wonderful review! I'm trying to get started in designing and also want to make a ton of scroll saw yarn bowls for my local fiber arts group. I'd gotten to the point where my first scroll saw, a Harbor Freight special, just couldn't quite keep up with me anymore.

Talk about a leap. I just ordered my saw from the local Woodcraft store. It should show up on Friday. I'm absurdly excited. I can't wait to get cutting with it. I have to admit, I'm also a bit excited that one of my good friends is buying my old saw. Now he and I can scroll together and both make toys for his kids. His wife and I are always sewing and knitting toys for their 3 boys, and now I can scroll toys with the husband too!

As if all this weren't great enough, I found out we have a local scroll saw club in my town when I was putting the down payment down on my saw. I can't wait to meet new friends.


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## scrollgirl

You sound like you are really on your way, Sawmps. That is great news about the club too. I hope you enjoy your Excalibur as much as I am mine. I feel like my cutting went up to another level with this great machine. The more I use it, the more I like it. Keep me posted!

Sheila


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## Steeler

Hi Sheila,

great review  Still happy with the saw?


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## scrollgirl

I am really quite pleased with the overall performance of the saw. While I still have my DeWalt for when Keith and I both do production cutting (many, many pieces at a time for kits) I only use it for than. The precision and smoothness of the Excalibur is unsurpassed, and both my partner Keith and I feel that it has brought up our level of cutting considerably.

In the time since we had it, we had a problem with the linkage in the arm. I blogged about it here: http://lumberjocks.com/scrollgirl/blog/29821. But Ray at Seyco (www.seyco.com) took care of us quickly and sent the new piece for us to install. He did offer to get the saw replaced, but since we had it all apart already, we chose to keep it and just do the repair ourselves. He sent us the part, and all went well. We understand that the new assembly replaced the type that we had problems with, so the new saws all come with the improved set up.

The only other issue I have had with it is sometimes the blade slips a bit. This also happened with my DeWalt, as the blade holders are nearly identical. We use very small blades typically and I like them tensioned extremely tight. I feel that gives me the most control and precision. Because of that, we do tend to wear down the faces of the tensioning screws. We just received replacement screws in the mail and installed them yesterday. While it wasn't always a problem, it was something that happened every now and then and replacing the screws after the hundreds of hours of cutting and changing blades was probably warranted.

Overall, both Keith and I feel that this saw is superior to our DeWalt by far. While it is not as aggressive in cutting as the DeWalt (slightly slower) it more than makes up for it in the precision department. We are able to slightly turn the motor to achieve a bit greater front to back motion which is desired in production cutting when you are aiming for speed. By doing that you are making the cuts a bit more aggressive and the wood moves through the blade quicker. However, we always return it to its original position and adjust it for minimal front to back movement when we are doing our regular cutting. This allows for much greater detail and far more control.

Bottom line - we love the saw. It is smooth and much quieter than the DeWalt, and a good, solid machine. Well worth the extra money if you are into doing anything with precision. It is truly a pleasure to cut with it.

Sheila


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## Steeler

Thanx for your thorough answer


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## doordude

Thanks Sheila for the great review! I'm just learning marquetry, and need to buy a saw.
question is 30 inch vs. 21 inch? I plan to do marquetry on a cabinet door that is about 24 inches long, by 12 inches wide. could I get by with the 21 inch; or should I be looking at the 30 inch?
thanks in advance for your response, and expertise.


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## scrollgirl

That is a bit of a tough call. For myself, I don't enjoy cutting large pieces and the 21" was more than enough saw for me. The 30 inch is a monster and I couldn't see myself cutting anything that was that large.

However, with marquetry, you need to be precise and something that requires over 21" would be impossible to do with something like a spiral blade (which many sawyers use for larger pieces) because the edges would be ratty and you would not achieve the clean cuts you desire.

Something to consider - the frame of the door will not be cut so the inside cutting area may be smaller than the 24" overall measurement. If that is the case and you typically don't do pieces that large, I would say 100% to go for the 21" saw. But if you see yourself migrating to larger pieces, you may want to invest in the larger saw.

I know people who have both sizes and they are equally happy with them.

I don't feel I have helped you very much, but I hope I did at least a little bit. Good luck with your choice. Please let me know how you do. 

Sheila


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