Woodworker's Journal 1985-9-6, страница 77
unnecessary. Experienced scroll-sawyers generally consider ihe hold-downs a nuisance and remove them altogether. On the Excaliber, Hegner. and RBI 220VS. you can easily swing ihe hold-down oul of the way w iihout having to remove ihe Made. On most saws, you need io remove the hold-down to achieve the full depth of cut specified by Ihe saw manufacturer (see chart on page 73.} do this. In addition to a dust blower, ihe Hegner has a dust port attachment beneath the table, which you can connect to a vacuum, h flips down to access ihe Dust Blowers The dusi blowers on all the saws I tested work as advertised: they blow the sawdust away from ihe cut line so you can see what you're doing. Hegner has the cleanest arrangement: ihe blower nozzle is built into the upper arm. allow ing clear v ision of the blade. On the Delta, the nozzle is attached to a cumbersome hold-down/finger guard assembly, Tlie plastic blower tubes on the RBI saw> require a slight adjustment each time you reposition the hold down fool, in order lo direct the air stream directly al the cul line. The metal blower tube attachment on ihe Shopsmilh is a complicated-looking affair, most likely designed lo double as a finger guard. Unfortunately, ihe nozzle makes it difficult to install the upper blade clamp when changing blades. Tlie metal blower lube on ihe Excaliber comes mounted 011 the top of the upper arm. To increase the blower's efficiency, you can easily reposition ii 011 the bottom side of ihe arm and adjusi the blower lube slightly lo direct the airflow. The blower produced enough wind, however, that I didn't find it necessarv to SOURCES - SlIK-.V - AMT Fourth Ave & Spring Si. P.O. Box 70 Royersford, PA 19468 Tel. 1-800-435-8665 Delta International 24ft Alpha Drive Pittsburgh. P<\ 15238 Tel. 1-800-438-24X6 Excaliber 21(1 81 h St. South Lewision. NY 14091 Tel. I -800-387-4789 Hegner: Advanced Machinery Imports Ltd. P.O. Bov 312 New Castle. DE 19720 Tel. I-WX)-64X-4264 R B Industries 1 KKh 1801 Vine, P.O. Box 369 Harrisonvitle. MO 64701 Tel. 1-800-487-2623 Trend-lines (Reliuun 375 Beacliam St. Chelsea, MA 02150 Tel. 1-800-767-99W Sears Sears Tower Chicago, IL 60684 Tel. i-800-366-3000 Shopsmilh 3931 Image Drive Day ton. OH 45414-2591 Tel. I-800-543-75X6 — Quick Clamps - Seyco Sales 1414 Cranlord Drive Garland. TX 75047 Tel. 1 -800-462-3353 lower blade clamp The Shopsmilh has a dust evacuation pori built into ihe stand beneath the saw. The Final Analysis In ihis review, I've pointed oul what to look lot in ,1 quality stroll saw, and cited some examples ol which tools were belter than others 111 each rcspecl. If you have a chance lo try out any of ihe saws featured in this article, you may agree or disagree with my observations. After all. we all have our own expectations of a tool. based on how we'll be using it. l or example, if 1 needed a scroll saw 10 finesse precise, intricate cuts in thin materials, the Hegner IXV would win. hands-dow n. The Delta, on the other hand, is a durable, fast-cutting workhorse, perfect for mass-producing dozens of cutouts in thick or large work pieces. Compared lo the Hegner. though, it's a bit too rough and aggressive for super-fine detail work. My favorite of ihe lol has lo be the Excaliber EX II because it's a smooth-running, precision machine wilh a good combination of features, not the least of which are its quick clamps. And. ihe Excaliber simply felt ihe most comfortable while cutting on ii. The RBI saws didn't fare as well in my tests as ihe above three, bul they're still good enough lo be considered precision saws. AikI keep in mind lhal the main reason ihe RBI 220VS saw that I tested didn't measure up 10 the lop performers was the tendency to bum on thick stock when making tight inside cuts, a situation lhal should he eliminated with the redesign of ihe upper arm and ihe switch 10 a more rigid ihrust bearing. The Shopsmilh was the most problematic of llie lol. bul il's also one of ihe least expensive. But don'l lake my word for 11 lest hop all ihe machines you're interested in. if you can. While doing so. lake the weight of the saw into consideration—if you want to haul il around 10 cral't shows, choose one that won't break your back. THE WOODWORKER S MAR Woodworkers - Hobbyists America's Most Unique CATALOG of Hard-To-Find SUPPLIES New 1993 Catalog ol WMdworkei Supplies >1 money saving prices! Whirligigs Ooor Harps. Clocks and Clock Parts. Chair Dane. Wooden Toy Paris lamp Parts. Lary Susan Bearings. Tools. Patterns Dowels. Spindles. 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