Woodworker's Journal 1992-16-6, страница 76

Big Cuts for Low Bucks: How About Those Taiwanese Imports?

Thumbing through my catalogs. 1 noticed that several importers of Taiwanese machinery were offering large-capacity scroll saws (23 to 26 in.) at attractive prices ($250-5350). While (his article has largely focused on the IS-in. to 20-in "high end" saws, 1 was curious to see il these Taiwanese giants might he a viable alternative to their SI-200-plus counterparts (for budget-minded woodworkers who need a big-capacity saw; SI.21NI is about the minimum price you'd en peel to pay for non-Taiwanese saws in ihis size i I called in I wo; the 23-in. AMT 4671 and the 26-in. Reliant DD26.

Like most Taiwanese woodworking

WIT 4671

Reliant 1>1)26

machines, these two saws boast heavy dhough somewhat rough) cast-iron construction. While the cutting action on both saws isn't as smooth us tha! of the Sears (or the pricier saws in this article), they're a good siep above the "under $200'' Taiwanese saws tested in my last review, t hey make a reasonably smooth cut. but with more vibration than you'd get with a high-end saw. On both, the lables till 45 degrees lo the left only. The AMT doesn't come with a stand, nor is there one available for it. To minimize vibration, you'll want to make sure the saw is mounted on a sturdy benchtop. The 3-legged siand supplied with the Reliant is similar to the one on ihe Delta, and provides good support.

Both saws have hold-down foot pivots lo match the table lilt. While ihe Reliant offers 3 inches more throat depth and a leg siand. the AMT has a 2-speed switch and runs slightly more smoothly. The motors themselves look identical.

Delta does get an A+ for sw itch location; ihe front-mounted PULL-ON/PUSH-OFF speed conlrol knob is much more visible and accessible from the normal operating position than those on Ihe Excaliber. llegner. RBI, and Shopsmith saws. The Sears has a similar switch setup to ihe Delta, sans LED readout.

Table Talk

When it comes to tables, you'll want to look al several things. While the table shape is largely a mailer of personal preference, shape and size in tandem determine how well ihe table supports the stock. Try to visualize if the shape and size of the table will provide adequate suppori for the type of work you do. The tables on the Delta. RBI 220VS and Shopsmith provide more suppori in front of ihe blade ihan ihose on Ihe Hegner and Excaliber saws. The table on the Hegner is also much smaller llian those on the other saw s. The lables on all saws except the Hegner and Delta till 45 degrees left and righl. Due lo ihe position of the molor and front lable-mounling bracket on the Hegner. its table nits only 38 degrees left and 15 degrees right. The Delta tills 30 degrees left and 45 degrees right. (The Delta table can also be rotated 90 degrees io nit 15 degrees up and 30 degrees down). Not having a full 45-degrec till in both 76

directions isn't a major problem unless you do work lhai requires it.

More important is how smoothly and easily the lablc lilts, and how accurate the settings are The Delta and Hegner lables had the smoothest lilt action, followed by ihe RBI and Excaliber. All locked firmly in place and the scales were accurate, llie Shopsmith table was difficult to tilt because, in addition lo ihe from table lock, you need to loosen an Allen screw at the back of the table lo till it. The operation of the till was somewhat sloppy and the table lended io hang up when lilting, due io a small hold-down pin that clamps ihe back of Ihe (able lo the rear trunnion.

Photo 12: Delta speed control and LED readout are readily accessible {and visible) from normal operating position.

Stands

Unless you can mount the saw to a rock-solid workbench, all of the saws tested operate with less vibration when mounted on their respective factory stands. The Excaliber, RBI. and Shopsmith come with four-legged stands; the Delta and Hegner have ihree-legged (tripod) stands. While three-legged stands usually don't require leveling on uneven floors, the one on the Hegner seemed io make the saw a bii lipsy. even though it provided rigid support. Conversely, the Delia stand seemed to be the most substantial, lollowed by Shopsmith. Excaliber and RBI. I'll give Hegner credit for a couple of things about their siand—it comes completely assembled in the box. which meani I was able to sel up ihe saw in about 15 minutes.

Hold-Downs

The material hold-downs on all the saw s worked equally well at what they're supposed io do—hold thinner stock securely against ihe table to prevent material lifting or chattering. To some extent, the hold-downs also serve as a finger guard. When culling stock Vc in. or thicker, once you learn how io apply ihe correct downward pressure on the stock as you move it through the blade, you'll find the hold-downs are usually The Woodworker's Journal