Zero clearance insert

[Roxie]

Fairly new to this scroll saw lark, but have been in w/s (cooler in there!!) and it occurred to me that the supplied insert has "big" slots and holes and any offcuts disappear through them, so decided to use a false table with just the saw blade slot. Is this ok and if so should I replace the existing insert? If so what would the best material be?
Might start some Intarsia soon, but at the moment getting experience with straight and curved lines!!
Thanks
John

 

[AES]

Yeah, it'll work fine, and best material is MDF, or ply IF it's really SMOOTH (you'd probably be surprised just how much even a little bump on the surface of the table can throw a cut off line if you're not expecting it).

Just FYI, one of the very few "problems" with my Excalibur 21 is that the (grey) paint on the table scratches far too easily. To "cure" that I carefully laid a sheet of self-adhesive plastic film over the table (just supermarket stuff, like kids use for covering their school books). But after a while where I'd made (small) cut outs around the blade hole and DE holes, the film started to lift and roll up slightly. This is a real put-off when cutting, so I'm now in the process of replacing all that and fitting a new "table top" on top of the existing. It will only be about 6 or 8 mm thick, MDF. I shall probably do something to protect the edges all round, then give it a coat (or ten!) of clear varnish to make it an even smoother surface (but God knows how many coats it will actually need before the MDF stops sucking all the varnish up)!

Good luck with yours.

 

[Claymore]

The 2mm alloy plate i used on mine works well Andy but its not exactly a cheap fix but will last aslong as the saw.
Cheers
Ps I haven't forgotten to PM you Andy about your posts but been waiting until my hands are a bit less dithering etc lol I started doing one last week and ended up hitting every key bah the one i wanted ....must put more water in my whisky? lol

 

[novocaine]

AES
Ever watched a baker work on a stone? whats the first thing he does?

Don't bother with the varnish, you'll find it easier to move around on the unfinished surface of a sheet of MDF. all those tiny imperfections reduce the contact between surfaces.

It's why cast Iron or Aluminium tops aren't polished to a high shine, stiction is a pain in the harris. (yes wax will help if you really must go and make a super smooth surface)

As to zero clearance, I found it helps to allow a small amount of movement to the back of the blade, so drill your hole slightly off centre, lets the blade take on a small bow as it cuts without hitting the table.

Happy fretting folks. (really must get mine back out and sat in a place I can use it easily, the bandsaw took it's place on top of the table saw, lol)

 

[aramco]

hi welcome to the forum,the top on my new ex30 started to mark straight away , someone gave me a couple of sheets of 1 mm clear plastic I sellotaped one one the bed the plastic is working the tape is giving out already so will have to get some double sided tape, maybe that will last a bit longer, never be afraid to ask questions on here there is always someone out there who will have a solution, my next post hopefully will clarify this.

take care and above all else have fun

John

 

[AES]

Thanks Brian and novocaine. The thought about bakers hadn't occurred to me, a good point novocaine, but the bakers (at the supermarket here) seem to bash the dough onto a wooden "bench"! I must look closer next time.

Aramco, be careful with the plastic covering, 'cos as described, I found the self-adhesive stuff I used gradually worked up into little "rolls" around every cut out, severely interfering with the cut.

I've had another thought, specifically for my Ex 21. The paint on the table itself marks easily, as already said. As it's only held on to the machine with 4 bolts, and seems to be pretty heavy metal plate (possibly thin cast iron?) I was wondering about removing the table altogether, stripping the paint completely, then replacing the table in it's bare metal state. Any comments?

It should be easy enough to keep clean (e.g. like my drill press table) and not suffer with cutting "interruptions" from the plastic film. NOT an urgent job though, the paint coming off the table is unsightly rather than important.

@ claymore. Noted mate, no probs, take yet time. "Gute Besserung".

 

[aramco]

hi aes it is a solid piece of plastic sheet non stick I put sellotape over to hold it not an Ideal solution

John

 

[novocaine]

the table on mine is cast and unpainted. it gets left for months at a time with a bit of wax on for protection. normally a quick rub over with 00 and it's ready to cut again. Is the table ribbed for strength (not her pleasure)? if so it's most likely cast iron or aluminium (but going by the weight I'd aim for iron) if not, then it's possibly just steel plate. neither of which makes any difference to removing the paint.

 

[AES]

Yeah, there are cast-in strengthening ribs under, and from the overall weight of the machine, I'm inclined to think the table is indeed cast iron (though it's quite thin).

Just as you say, I have no problems with bare metal table (I use just a squirt of WD 40 carefully rubbed off afterwards - no problems with rust in my cellar) and think this may well be the answer to solving this. It's not a terribly important but annoyingly unsightly problem.

Actually there are some videos on the net showing Excalibur scroll saws in use, and all seem to suffer from this same "problem"- makes you wonder why GI have not latched on to this by now.

Anyway, no rush, though my self-adhesive plastic "cure" is becoming more of a problem with its "rolling up/off", so I'll have to do something soon (-ish)!

 

[brianhabby]

Steve Good has a video showing how he used a piece of Plexiglas (acrylic sheet) to solve a similar problem he was encountering with a Jet saw. If it's any use the video can be found here.

regards

Brian

 

[aramco]

hi there Brian thanks for the link to Steve Goods video, just watched it through ,I would want it to be fixed up permanently, but will look into a piece of plexi glass .

take care
John

 

[Alkeen]

Why are any of you guys mentioning MDF it is banned in USA and should be banned over here. It gives off toxic dust fumes and is even worse when under friction heat when being cut. I hope you wear a mask

 

[AES]

MDF may well be banned in the USA, I wouldn't know, BUT there are a lot of mythical "facts" around about MDF. I'm NOT pretending that MDF is harmless, it isn't, particularly not the dust from cutting it, but you should consider it not much worse than any other wood dust (or indeed, dust from anything else), and just as you say, use a mask - just as you should with just about any other dust.

A member of this Forum, Peter Millard, has a regular channel on Youtube, in which MDF in all its aspects is regularly discussed. Peter earns his living from making all sorts of custom built-ins (wardrobes, bookcases, etc, etc), mainly from MDF (the MR type). A while back he discussed some newspaper stuff in which a client (not one of his if I recall) had problems with an MDF built-in "gassing off" after installation. It turned out to be a load of exaggerated nonsense (as so many newspaper articles turn out to be when looked at closely), and Peter's channel at the time looked at the whole subject in great detail - from the viewpoint of an interested, experienced, but not directly involved bystander. Well worth a look IMO.

MDF has the advantage of having very smooth faces and comes in sheets of VERY uniform thickness, so is, IMO, ideal for a zero clearance scroll saw insert. The surfaces take just about any finish very well indeed, and just about the only faff with it is getting cut edges sealed (again check Peter Millard's excellent Youtube channel for lots of hints and tips on that aspect - and do a search on this Forum because the subject is fairly often covered here too.

In short, both my own opinion and my own experience, PLUS lots of information here all suggest that provided "sensible precautions" are taken (mainly using a mask, just as you say) using MDF in certain situations has a lot of advantages and very few down sides.

As said, I neither know (nor do I particularly care) if MDF is banned in the USA or not, but you shouldn't let that sort of scare-mongering drive you away from a material which has definite benefits - especially if used with care for a small component such as a zero-clearance insert.

And NO, MDF shouldn't be banned over here!