Scroll Saw owners....Dewalt or straight to Excalibur

[Scott Brandstetter]

Been looking into both of these and wondering if you have a strong opinion one way or the other

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Scott,

When I bought mine, my wife showed an interest in scroll sawing. Thus, the one major reason I chose Excalibur was the table remains flat while the blade tilts. To me, it makes scroll sawing easier. There are many satisfied users of both saws.

[Mike Henderson]

Also, there are a number of good scroll saws. The Hawk is one.

The DeWalt is a good scroll saw if the throat is big enough for you. I haven't used the Excalibur but it gets good reviews. I think it's more expensive than the DeWalt.

Scroll saws come available on Craigslist fairly often in this area. I think a lot of people start scroll sawing and then give it up. Then the saw goes on Craigslist at a good price.

Mike

[Ben Rivel]

Also if you go for the DeWalt, there are a couple times a year deals from various resellers in which the stand and light are thrown in for free.

[Rich Riddle]

I have had the opportunity to use both from various members of our woodworking club but can't justify one in the shop for it's infrequent use. That said, the Excalibur seems much better for the novice to use. You don't usually see them for sale on the used market like you do the DeWalt models. Aren't they a bit pricey though?

[Lori Kleinberg]

The Dewalt is the only scroll saw I have used and I have been very happy with it.

[jerry cousins]

i've been using the 30" excalibur for several years - it is a good saw - have had no problems - dependable - and as ken said - the feature of the table staying flat and the blade arm tilting is a real plus for larger pieces. i cannot compare it to the delta - - but before this one i used a hegner which i feel is a slightly better quality machine, but i like the extra depth of the excalibur
jerry

[david minnery]

I have both. The dewalt does a better job at dampening the vibration and it has a higher rpm. The excaliber table is large, but the coated table flakes off. My excaliber needed repair at 6 months, my dewalt lasted about a year before breaking down. Overall, I prefer the dewalt, but my nest one will be a Hegner. Personally, I don't think the excaliber is worth the money over the dewalt.

[Larry Frank]

So much depends on if you are just starting or upgrading and what kind of projects you want to do. If you are just starting you can get a used one to work with for awhile. The Excalibur is a great machine...it would be my choice.

I have a Hegner that is 19 years old and never needed a repair. But, parts are still available. I do Intarsia and cut thicker woods. If i did fret work, I would get something different.


Like other tools, everyone has their personal favorite.

[Charles Lent]

The Excalibur is a very nice saw, but pricey. If just starting in scroll sawing I think a DeWalt is the minimum priced saw that you should get. My best saw is a DeWalt type 1 and it is serving me well. I also have a Delta Q3 that I'm happy with, but the blade grips and tension adjustments are better on the DeWalt saw, so I tend to use the DeWalt more. My next saw will be an Excalibur, because I'm now scrolling about 5 hours a day. The RBI Hawk and Hegner saws are supposed to be good too, but I have no experience with them. If you buy a lesser model saw than these you likely will not enjoy scroll sawing and will give it up.

I'm doing Compound Cut Christmas Ornaments and Reindeer right now. Two photos are attached. I'm really hooked on doing compound cutting.

Charley

[Anthony Whitesell]

Scrollsaw magazine did a review of scrollsaws a few months (or a year or so ago) that seemed fairly comprehensive. Best was that it was grouped into three price ranges.

[Jim Colombo]

Charlie;
Great job. I love doing compound figures also. Where did you get the patterns for the ones in the photos?

Jim

[David Tolsky]

Also, there are a number of good scroll saws. The Hawk is one.

The DeWalt is a good scroll saw if the throat is big enough for you. I haven't used the Excalibur but it gets good reviews. I think it's more expensive than the DeWalt.

Scroll saws come available on Craigslist fairly often in this area. I think a lot of people start scroll sawing and then give it up. Then the saw goes on Craigslist at a good price.

Mike

That's how I got my DeWalt Type 1 in pristine condition!

[mark kosse]

My students abuse the dewalts and they still keep on going. I think there great machines. That said, I have a powermatic 95 for my personal use, but id have no problem owning a dewalt at home too.

[Charles Lent]

That's how I got my DeWalt Type 1 in pristine condition!

My DeWalt is also a Type 1 and it was in excellent condition when I bought it, but I went through and tightened up a few things and replaced a few bearings with better quality tighter tolerance bearings. The result was worth it for me. I've now had the saw for about a year and have used it a lot. I'm scrolling about 5 hours a day doing Christmas work right now.

I recently bought two LED goose neck lamps with spring clip bases from Lowes for about $20 each. I had originally just clamped them to the rear of the table, one on each side. Using two lamps made a huge difference in being able to eliminate the blade shadows and the strobe like flicker of the moving upper blade clamp, but I kept hitting the light clamps with my work. I made a bracket to fit on the upper arm just forward of the DeWalt label that extends out from each side of the upper saw arm. I removed the clamps from the lights and attached one light to each side of this bracket. These lights made a huge improvement in my cutting accuracy, because I could see so much better and there were no more moving shadows for my eyes to deal with. It made scroll sawing a real pleasure.

Charley