Excalibur Scrollsaws

[Alexam]

I think that the switch could be by-passed, but if you do that and have a problem, it may 'blow' your guarantee. I have asked again about foot switches and await replies. However, just to let everyone know what these ne machines look like, here are the actual photos of the new machines.

Looks good and the NVR switch seems to be nicely situated.

Malcolm

 

[tomasgursky]

I think that the switch could be by-passed, but if you do that and have a problem, it may 'blow' your guarantee. I have asked again about foot switches and await replies. However, just to let everyopne know what these ne machines look like, here are the actual photos of the new machines.








Looks good and the NVR switch seems to be nicely situated.

Malcolm

Thanks for that Malcolm. I will buy one in a few weeks (I hope). Just need to sell my fisht tank first as there is no time for both hobbies
It looks good and the price is good too.

 

[jasdon79]

Just had an email mine is on its way and will be here tomorrow

 

[tomasgursky]

Just had an email mine is on its way and will be here tomorrow

Lucky you. I'm so jealous

Let us know your first impression then

 

[AES]

Good info there Malcolm, thanks. From what I can see, apart from the colour it looks exactly the same as mine. I'm sure it'll be a good'un.

Re NVR, I can't understand the need for one either, and as I said in an earlier post, mine hasn't got one at all, just the little (rubber booted) toggle switch on top of the arm at the front, just below the speed control knob. And mine is fully EU/CE approved (would have to be for the German market, where I bought it)! Maybe it's a UK-only thing?

Re a foot switch, I'm really surprised about this too. From an earlier post I made on the subject, I got caught in this "trap" and ended up buying the (rather expensive) device through the official Excalibur (General International) dealer here in Switzerland.

I posted all the details of that foot switch back last year, including the original manufacturer details. It was expensive (I seem to recall about 70 Euros - I can look it up on the post if you like) but just like you I was scared about voiding the Warranty so went with the "official" unit. I was told (by the Swiss dealer) that the expensive foot switch they sold was necessary because "of all the complicated electronics inside" and also "because it doesn't have a NVR switch"! BUT, OTOH, when I contacted Axi about their foot switch they told me that their foot switch wouldn't be suitable for my machine because my machine did NOT have an NVR!!!

About the only thing I can see that's in any way "different" about my machine to any other "normal" machine is that the motor is 60 Volts DC (so I suppose it's got some electronic 230 Volt AC to DC rectification inside it) - I wonder what type of motor the Axi machine has?

But note BTW that there is NO speed control within the foot switch I now have, like there is in, say, my wife's sewing machine, so I really can't understand all the hassle. Also, BTW, when I was researching all this last year I found posts in various scroll sawing Forums from Australian Excalibur users having exactly the same problems. I just don't understand it.

But as said, having paid all that money for the saw I didn't want to have a potential Warranty problem, so in the end I just gave up and bought the "official" switch, just to be sure.

I think the real answer is for GI to supply all their machines with a foot switch, ideally as standard, but even as an extra cost option would be OK. They do this actually, but only for machines for the US & Canadian market, which of course is 110 Volts mains supply. When I contacted them in Canada they had no interest at all in providing any details of a foot switch suitable for European mains supply - on the phone their Export Sales Manager asked me (rather sarcastically I thought) if I wanted him to do an internet search for me. His excuse was that the foot switch they supply for the N American market is not CE approved.

So I for one will be interested to hear what Axi say to you about a foot switch for your new machine.

Keep us posted please.

Krgds
AES

 

[Aggrajag]

Re NVR, I can't understand the need for one either, and as I said in an earlier post, mine hasn't got one at all, just the little (rubber booted) toggle switch on top of the arm at the front, just below the speed control knob. And mine is fully EU/CE approved (would have to be for the German market, where I bought it)! Maybe it's a UK-only thing?

i bought my EX16 direct from Axminster UK last month, for UK use, and it doesn't have the NVR switch and I've tested switching it off/on at the mains and the blade starts up again so I know a "cheap" footswitch would work for me. Anyway, I was just saying this as it can't be a UK thing. The mind boggles. Perhaps they're trying to get into the school market which I read somewhere was why Hegner have them??

 

[Alexam]

Axminster are already in the school market, but as long as machines do have an NVR switch, this gives them another opportunity with these machines to offer something else.

The new EX scrollsaws are totally owned by Axminster rather than them acting as an agent for Excalibur, but since they have now sorted out the previous problems that the Excalibur had, they are rather excited at the possibilities of this new Ex range.

I personally think it will out run the Hegner clone and probably give Hegner a run for their money.

I'm looking forward to getting one soon

 

[jasdon79]

Great news my new ex21 has just arrived. Right iam off down the workshop

 

[AES]

Great jasdon 79. Don't forget "pictures"!!!!

AES

 

[Dominik Pierog]

Remove blade guards.
That make only noise.
download/file.php?id=44956&mode=view
download/file.php?id=44957&mode=view

 

[Alexam]

I think that this is more aplicable to experianced scrollers, but anyone new to scrolling should keep them in place until they feeel confident in handling ther work without the guard.

 

[Claymore]

.........

 

[AES]

A couple of points if it helps:

Dominik you're obviously an experienced scroller (one can see that from the work you've posted) but I agree with Alexam (Malcolm) that at least to start with, a new scroller should not remove the upper blade guard/hold down. I can't see how it would add any noise, and when I've been "teaching" my wife's girlfriend to scroll saw (talk about the blind leading the blind!) I've found that when making sharp and 90 degree turns she tends to relax her downward pressure on the work piece a little. If the work piece is thick/the blade is coarse, this tends to allow the work piece to jump up off the table - no harm done, but the resulting big bang is a shock to a nervous beginner which is not helpful. It's only a question of adjusting the guard downwards on to the job so that it holds it down against the table without increasing drag. In fact I still use the hold down myself sometimes when cutting thick hard wood.

I was surprised to see the lower blade guard. I missed that in the pix originally posted and am now wondering why it's there. I can't see any reason at all why fingers should be anywhere near that area when actually cutting and agree with you Dominik, it's probably best removed. Mine doesn't actually have that guard at all and I certainly don't miss it. Perhaps it's got something to do with Axi wanting to get into the schools market? But again I can't see what noise leaving it there would add.

Re DE Claymore, it's a bit hard to see in the pix posted, but to me it looks just like my own saw, which works very well indeed when coupled to my shop vac (which sucks like a good 'un but makes much more noise than the saw itself)! The centre hole in the table is big enough to allow for all blade sizes and types of blade movement, including head tilt, and on mine at least, the ring of outer holes align directly with a thin plastic "plate", and via that through a slot under the table, couples directly to that big black plastic boss at the front RH side of the table. About the only thing the DE misses is the small pile of dust that slowly builds up under the table, just around that big table tilt adjusting knob. But this is a small amount of dust and only requires a quick suck with the vac after a lot of cutting. About the only "problem" I have with my DE port is that it's a bit big, but this is easily overcome by making an adaptor. As I say, all that's on my machine, but from the pix posted, it looks exactly the same on the new Axi machine.

I take your point about spares being hard to get Claymore (Brian) but I would guess that with the sort of positive reputation that Axi has, they'll make sure they have the necessary on the shelf. In the Manual that came with my machine there is a small section listing the spares you're likely to need (basically the blade tensioning lever plus blade clamps) and they even recommend that if you use the saw a lot you buy a spare set of those for a stand by. I haven't done that myself yet but don't anticipate any problems when I do order them from the seller.

Beyond those, I really do have the feeling that my machine anyway is built to last, and shouldn't need any other spares for yonks. From the pix posted so far, the Axi version looks just as good.

HTH

AES

 

[Claymore]

.........

 

[AES]

@Claymore:
Yes, I think you're right about no more Axi printed paper catalogues, and I agree with you 110% about their "useless, new" website.

That latter was discussed on this Forum at some length a time back, but at least one member here who is obviously some sort of IT professional spent a long time saying that the "new" Axi website is not useless, we (the users) just aren't using it properly - i.e. as ever, the vast majority of the IT profession just will NOT listen to anything except "the fact" that if a user has any difficulties using a particular program or application, that's only because the user is just a dummy - that's my experience of 99% of IT people anyway!

But yes, the Axi catalogue does not apparently exist any more and you and I are not alone in agreeing that the "new" Axi web site, if not completely useless, is at least significantly worse now than before they "improved" it.

Despite all that personally I do like Axi (but I'm even further away from one of their shops than you are Claymore!) and hope that (IMHO) poor decision will not adversely affect their business.

AES

 

[Valld]

If someone is interested, just got a reply from Axi for my enquiry regarding the new Axi EX-16 scroll saw spare parts. Prices also look quite reasonable, I just don't understand the 'Ordering over the phone' part and why they don't list them on their website for normal ordering??:

""
Thank you for your recent enquiry [ID#152996] dated 29/02/2016.
The following parts are available in stock
C-38 thumb screw - ELT003537 - £2.73ex
Carbon brushes - ELT004871 - £8.21ex
C36ASSY lower clamp complete - 950293 - £9.88ex
C-46A upper clamp assembly - 950294 - £16ex
These will all need ordering over the phone.
Kind regards
Simon Ayers
Specialist After Sales ""

 

[Alexam]

Probably because of the chang over from Excalibur to Axminster even though the parts are the same, the numbering may be different. If you look for the same part on the Excalibur and then phone them, they should have a quick way to convert? Worth a try?
Malcolm

 

[Aggrajag]

Probably because of the chang over from Excalibur to Axminster even though the parts are the same, the numbering may be different. If you look for the same part on the Excalibur and then phone them, they should have a quick way to convert? Worth a try?
Malcolm

Yeah they must have a quick conversion chart (unless they've kept the same part numbers) as they still need to supply parts for Excalibur branded saws.

 

[tomasgursky]

A new Axi Ex-21 ordered. Can't wait now. So excited. =D>

Any updates re foot switch?

 

[AES]

If it's of any help to anyone I'll glad scan the remaining 2 pages of P/Nos & descriptions for my EX 21 (I've already scanned 1 page for Valld - posted above somewhere - there are 3 pages total, plus 3 pages of diagrams).

Then at least you'll have a starting point to "convert" P/Nos from the original Excali to the new Axi version.

Having posted 1 page here for Valld I have seen how small they appear on the Forum pages, so if anyone does want this I suggest you send me an E-mail with your own E-mail address in it. Then I can send you the pages in their original full size .pdf format (PMs cannot have any attach files as far as I know, and the Forum software will not allow .pdf as attach files).

AES