Woodworker's Journal 1992-16-6, страница 74

Sears: A Decent Saw for a Decent Price

This ( .inii iv|k :?(> in saw, is similar in many ways io the Delta 40-601, although n<>[ ,|in[ i uimni While manufactured in Taiwan, the Sears Craftsman ( onti.nint v V in saw was designed by Emerson Electric in the U.S.; it's bv no means .1 laiw.incM.* ■'copy " of the Delta.

When I 11" ted this saw at a recent Sears conference. I was impressed by how i.m-tills it mii. .11 least in comparison lo the oilier two Taiwanese-made saws I t. i ii hist in make sure the demo machine 1 tried wasn't "tweaked" to improve I s iii K m.mce. 1 called a saw in for the review—it operated just as well as the demo model s.iw vibration was minor. Surprisingly, the Scars has one of the smoother table till mechanisms of (he saws I iried. The table rides on two sturdy cast-iron trunnions, and locks securely in place with a large, easy-io-acccss knob. Like ihe

Delta, the variable-speed control is readily v isible to the operator

The cumbersome blade-guard/hold dow n/dust blower assembly is virtually the sunie as the one on llie Delia, wiih minor design differences. On both machines, I'd be tempted to remove ii and simply tape the blower tube lo the upper arm. Two separate tools -a hex wrench and clevis pin—are required to change blades on the Sears' permanently-mounted blade clamps. (Delta uses a 2-in-l tool for this purpose.) On the Sears, you can siore ihe tools and extra blades in a plastic accessory box mounted on the saw stand.

If you can't afford one of the pricier saws reviewed in this article, ihe Sears is worth investigating.

down the speed and feed rale lo put less slress on ihe smaller. blade, however, since il will be more prone lo breaking.

As mentioned, the double parallel link design of ihe Excaliber culs about as aggressively as the parallel arm saws. Bui. unlike oiher saws, the forward motion of the blade can be altered io give a more or less aggressive cui. To do this, you adjust (he length of the lower arm by means of two bolts that secure ihe arm to the back casting. Extending ihe arm results in a more aggressive cui. and vice-versa. If you're mechanically inclined, you may be able to make this adjustment yourself: otherw ise, you can ship the saw back to the distributor, to have the change made for you.

('limiting Blades: Mow Easy? Ilea', two factors come into play: the amount of time il takes lo secure the blade in the upper and lower blade clamps, and the amount of time it lakes io release and rc-iighien ihe blade ten-

74

sion. Because scroll-saw blades are linv and delicate, ihe teeth wear out quickly I generally a blade is good for aboul 20-30 minutes of culling before the teeth get loo dull to cut efficiently). Also, you can expect some blade breakage, even on ihe best saws. And. because scroll saws are designed for making inside culouts (something you can'i do on the band saw ). you'll want a saw that makes ii easy to deiach the blade from Ihe upper blade clamp and thread it through holes drilled in ihe workpiece. A quick-tension release on the upper arm and a clamp knob on the upper blade holder will save time doing this procedure.

Blade Clamps—To change the blade on all scroll saws, you fit ihe blade ends into small, pivoting blade clamps mourned on ihe top and bottom arms, then tighten down ihe clamps. However, each saw has a slightly different clamp design, resuiiing in a different procedure for changing the blades. On the Delta and Excaliber. both the upper and lower

clamps are permanently mounted on the machine. The RBI saws have a fixed upper clamp and a barrel-type removable lower clamp. On the Hegner and Shopsmith, both upper and lower clamps must be detached from the arms to replace the blades. Even though I found ihe latter two saws lo be ihe most difficult lo change blades on. the Hegner does have an advantage: you can buy extra clamp seis and mount blades in litem, then simply switch clamp assemblies when you break a blade. A slot in ihe table enables you lo do this in a few seconds without having io stoop under the table lo see what you're doing.

The RBI 220VS and Excaliber II are the only two machines that don't require tools io change blades. Instead, they have finger-iighiened knobs on the upper and lower clamps. The RBI 216VS comes wiih a finger-tightened knob on ihe botlom clamp only—the upper clamp requires an Allen wrench and H-wrench. However, you can buy a knob-operated upper clamp as an accessory for the 216VS. On both RBI saws, you musi still remove the bottom clamp to change blades. The rest of llie saws require an Allen wrench io loosen and tighten ihe clamps, or in the case ol the Hegner. a square-drive "clock key." w hich makes beiier sense lhan an easily strippable Allen screw.

I could spend several pages explaining (he blade-changing procedures for each sjyy: Suffice lo say, one saw siood heads and shoulders above the resl in ease of blade change: the Excaliber EX II. Bolh permanently mounted finger-release quick clamps have large knurled knobs connected by a threaded rod lo a pivoting fool lhai holds the blade. The foot grips the blade much like a C-clamp. You simply loosen the knob, msen ihe blade end, tighten the knob, and the blade is perfectly centered in ihe clamp. I found that after practicing the procedure several times. I could replace a broken blade in about 20 seconds (Photo M). The clamp knobs on the RBI saws don't operate nearly as well, bul ! still found them far more convenient than using wrenches.

Rarely do 1 rave aboul new innovations in tool design, but ihe Excaliber's finger-release quick clamps add a whole new dimension lo production scroll-sawing. The good news is that the originator of the clamps—Seyco Sales The Wood worker's Journal