hotshot

I afraid I took away more than I brought to the table. Don has the most thoughtful shop (and clean) I've ever seen and is interested in a variety of woodworking beyond just the scroll saw. I got to use a scraper for the first time and see a variety of cool tools and that was pretty neat. Don is very talented in woodworking overall, and has made some really neat stuff. It's amazing what you can learn from a fellow woodworker in just a few hours. Thanks for the visit Don, we will do it again some time.

Hey Iggy, let me clarify. Per the manual, I'm using the 5/32 inch hex is that front hole on the bottom arm to adjust blade travel. In theory, adjusting the bottom clamp all the way back will put the blade at a slightly forward leaning angle, and give the most aggressive cut. So some where further out, there should be a sweet spot where the blade has the least aggressive action/motion. There is a marker that shows position, and I'm assuming when that mark matches up with the end of the arm, it should be about at zero travel/agression. Anyway, I'm trying to get blade travel as close to zero as I can, here is a video showing the most aggressive setting, and what I think is getting close to minimal travel setting. What I don't know is if this is about as good as I can get, or if I need to keep tweaking. https://youtu.be/u5Bctsc394s

Yes, thank you. That is what how I set up mine. My table tilt is a little stiff, so just making sure I got that right. I have one more thing for you to sanity check if you have the time. My blade travel is near zero at table level. I would consider that setting is for zero aggressiveness. About 2 inches up on the blade, I seem to have a little more travel. If you get a chance, can you see how your saw does at that height?

Iggy, on the back of the table where the bolt the table to the rear of the saw, there are nylon washers. My table was not on the saw as shipped, so I just want to sanity check how the rear connects. My saw came with one thick, one thin washer, but I'm not sure I have them on in the right combination yet (or if those are the right two washers. Can you take a quick pict of the rear of the table there it is attached to the saw. I want to sanity check my assumptions about this.

Just a few points of clarification. EX was not made in China, they were made in Taiwan. The same Taiwanese factory is still making the same saw, but now selling it under different brands, so, the same parts are available under Pegas, Excelsior, Axminster, Carbatec, and etc. Seems like the original EX design is alive and well, and available about everywhere except in the U.S. I suspect, the same factory is also making the new Seyco.

PM me and we can find a good time meet up tune it up.

Hawkeye, if you reset the set screws, and this is still happening, I can come by to put a second set of eyes on it. I've been using the Ex for years, but have only had this issue when something was off with the set screw or Clamp Knob. I can also show you how to tweak the saw for minimal blade travel if you haven't already made that adjustment. If you bought from Seyco, they usually make that tweak before shipping. If you mess with that back knob, you will introduce blade travel, so in that case, you need to get that top arm level with the table again, then leave that knob alone. I think sometimes vibration may cause the knob to turn and lower the arm. If that bend is where your bottom clamp is attached to the blade, that would indicate your arm is way too low. One quick thing you might try is to switch the top and bottom knobs. If the issue is with the clamp knob itself, and you switch those, you should see the problem follow the knob to the other side. If you knob has gone bad for some reason, I can loan you one of mine until you get a replacement. -----Randy

I think you will find the blades much much easier to change on the 788. An you can top feed if you have problems bending over to look under the workpiece to thread the blade. If you need a little extra help getting the clamp tight enough, Steve Good has a pattern for a tool that will give you a little more leverage on the clamp knob. Anyway, you are moving way way up in quality of saws, and the biggest difference is the ease in changing blades. I think you will like it. -------Randy

For anyone else that is wondering about that set screw adjustment, here is an easy way to do it perfectly, and ensure you are exactly the same for the top and bottom clamps. You can almost do this with your eyes closed. Works on Ex, DW788, and Seyco clamps. 1. Unscrew the set screw from the clamp (doesn't have to be all the way removed, but it should be backed into the clamp so nothing is protruding) 2. Put coin or flat piece of metal in the clamp, then tighten the clamp knob so that the piece of metal is pushed against the far side of the clamp. 3. Now if you screw the set screw back into the clamp until it "hits" that piece of metal, then you know the set screw is perfectly flush. Loosen the clamp, and turn the set screw one half a turn further into the clamp, and you have a perfect, repeatable setting for both the top and bottom clamps.

Called Bushton for the first time, wow wow wow. Talked to Nicole and that was one of the best customer service experiences ever. Goodness, they should give that girl a raise. Very nice, very sharp, and best of all, she takes her own medicine. She has been scrolling 5 years and has pretty good general industry knowledge, and is more than willing to chat about it. Unbelievable.Bought the long leg kit, a new bottom and top clamp. Evidently the bottom clamp is the same as the G4 bottom clamp, and the top clamp is a little different. Sound like their scroll saw business is doing pretty good with orders coming in fast and furious. (Fast for a very small business, not compared to Dewalts I'm sure)

Record power sold Rebranded Hawks in Europe when RBI was still in business. Having never seen anything but red Hawks, I just thought this was cool, anyone else?

Many DW788s on Craigslist will have the surface rust. The lady who wrote the article finished cleaning it up with the orbital sander. She should have skipped all the other steps and started there. My 788 was found with surface rust as well, and after a few minutes with the oribital, the table looked awesome.

If I was trying to encourage someone to become interested in the hobby, I would not send them down the HF path because I love this hobby and I would want to give them the best chance at enjoying the hobby as I do. I will not recommend a tool I would refuse to use myself. Isn't that the golden rule? Maybe I should call it the Gloden rule. I understand that great things have been made with the HF scroll saw, and for those of you that started there, you have my utmost respect, but I have used that style saw, and I can say without a doubt, I would not have continued with this hobby had I started there. Others have gone this path, and succeeded, but I would not have. I would rather buy a used $100 saw on craigslist and give it away than see someone excited about our Hobby get deflated by the experience of the HF saw. Not meaning to offend anyone that has a special place in their heart of the HF saw, this is just one man's opinion. -------Randy Gloden

Believe me, unless someone was using an accessory table, the tables on the Excaliburs do not lie. If there are not gouges on the edges of the hole, and scratches around the blade hole, it hasn't been used. I appreciate seeing an EX with the paint wore off, let's me know the saw is more than a passing fad with the owner. Dewalts don't have the paint to indicate usage, so you just have to try them out to see how loose they are.

If there is someone in the Nashville area that has gotten into scrolling with a Harbor Freight, Ryobi, Wen, Shopfox, Skil, Rockwell, or equally sucky saw, but can't afford to upgrade, I have one like this with your name on it. -----Randy

Key concept here is to experiment before you commit. I would suggest trying a glossy inkjet paper which should not wrinkle, but will give you very brilliant colors.

I love the idea that Hawks are built by farmers so that adds to the appeal for me. I grew up on a farm in the middle of the Oklahoma Panhandle, and harvest time was always very exciting for me as a kid. I miss the smell of fresh cut wheat and all that goes with it. So, extra brownie points to farmers of Bushton Mfg.

You might have to come help me teach (along with your EX)!

The G4 is a good deal as well, and very rarely come up for sale. As far as having a Spare . . . I'm adding the Hawk to my Ex 21, Two Hegners, and a DW788 Type I. Yep, I'm think I'm good on spares. I'm thinking about starting up free classes at our local craft store to promote this hobby, so if that ends up happening, having all those saws will come in handy.

Well, I can't believe I did it, but this was steal, and I just couldn't hold myself back. Hope UPS comes while the wife is at work :-) ---------Randy

This is a deal, I'll give you all a few hours first, and if no one jumps, I'll probably have to buy it myself. I would love to do a review on a Hawk!

For me personally, my problem with Mikes' chucks was that they didn't seems to self center the bits, if that makes sense. I didn't have any problem with the chuck wobbling, but if the bit wasn't set just right, the bit itself would wobble bad. I could fiddle with it for a few minutes and eventually get bits set so that they were wobble free, but I despised the process and never found a sure fire technique to get it adjusted without the fiddle process. I'm sure this arrangement is fine for many folks, but patience isn't a strength of mine. When I got the Dremel, and the Dremel chuck, I was relieved beyond measure. These chucks seem to draw the bit to the center and line it up.

The lead article is "Puzzles Gone Wild" and features what I think is a pattern out of the "Animal Puzzles" book by the Peterson's.

I don't always find projects that I would want to do, but there is something about getting the new mag in the mail and flipping through it for the first time, looking for treasures, seeing if anyone I know has an article (or did the cutting), or if there is a new designer I need to google. I even like to see what advertisers come and go. In this latest issue, I saw an article by Carole Rothman where she does a Vase that is quite the departure from the normal scrolled bowl as it has steep sides, pin lines, and if freaking awesome. Pretty advanced I would say. And, Carole frequents the other forum and I consider her a friend, so that adds interest for me. The same for Dave Van Ess and his bowl article. Two of the most prominent designers in their specialties, Kathy Wise and Janette Square, both have articles, one advanced, one for learning Intarsia. That Pheasant, oh my, though way way outside my abilities, I love seeing what is possible. Judy and Dave Peterson are well known designers, and they are also featured. This issue must have cost Fox a fortune. Then there is "Lathing" which I've never heard of. Not my kind of project per se, but I was intrigued by the techniques. If you follow what I actually cut, you know my focus is on designs that can be cut into coins, so that said, what did I get out of this issue that I can leverage? The Hawk I might be able to shrink and make work. The earrings are easy, and are sort of down my alley, but I might just do those in wood as I like the effect. I also found a usable cat should I need to incorporate that element into a design, and there are some interesting chess patterns the would translate to 2-D. Then again, I might just do the chess pieces in wood in full 3-D as they look pretty doable. In Any case, I understand the "different strokes" for different folks thing, but all I can do is speak for my self when I say, "I totally enjoy the Mag" ------Randy

Leshko, are there repair shops for any of those brands in Russia? You have a lot of good choices. I would take the Multicut 1 off you list. If you don't like a small table, you might remove the Multimax 18 as well. My personal opinion is that the Dewalt/Delta would be my choice if it were serviceable where you are because they are an absolute joy to use. If not, I would have to go with the Hegner as those are pretty solid, and you could work on those easy enough yourself. I had the plastic connection rod break on mine, and it was trivial to replace.