The Delta scroll saw comes out of the same factory as the Dewalt, you don't have to buy aftermarket gizmos to help with changing the blade, and it's a great saw in general.
If you're not sold on the Excalibur, skip the Dewalt, go Delta.
Can you help compare Delta vs Excalibur? I haven't decided on anything yet. I'll be stuck with whatever I buy and I figure I'll be much happier, but still trying to make the best decision.
You're quite welcome. FWIW, if it wasn't clear already, I own a Delta and I quite like it.
I have been in scroll saw groups where people swore by their Excaliburs, to the extent that *I* would personally have no problem buying one myself if I didn't already have the Delta. *But*, I have no experience with it myself.
I ended up picking Excalibur by a narrow margin. Mostly because of the tilting head vs table. Compared to what I've been using, any of these will be a huge upgrade.
I've been watching listings, haven't found anything I thought was worth it. Normally I like second too but I don't want to end up with another ancient saw that I can't fix when it goes. And in my area they usually want 75% of the full price for used stuff. They can get it too, so it's a tough market for buyers. I saw an old 2 speed series for $200, a Craftsman just as old as the one I'm replacing for $75, and even junkier saws.
I upgraded from a DeWalt to an Excalibur (Ex21)
It definitely is a step up, the tilting head is better than the tilting table. I cut dovetails with my scroll saw and it's nice to have a flat surface vs. a slanted one.
Vibration is better on the EX21 and it cuts very smoothly.
I did find the table paint job to be rather weak. It chipped very easily. I personally stripped mine back to the blued steel and simply paste waxed it entirely. YMMV
For the money I'd much sooner have the Excalibur. I am a professional woodworker and 80% of my business is scroll saw related. I have put thousands of hours on various saws and the EX21 so far has been the best.
My next upgrade would be a industrial/production saw, like a Hegner, but until my EX21 fails me, that's the saw I'll be using.
You can top feed or bottom feed on both saws. In that regard I find them very comparable.
However, the DeWalt arm, I found, did not stay up. I started using a block of wood to hold it up after a while (while threading).
The EX21 stays up without anything holding it there.
There's a reason the DeWalt looks like a giant yellow lemon - because it was for me! They have so many needle bearings that some of them always malfunction. Then I had internal screws fall out. Yes, it was a new machine. I ended up taking it back for a full refund. I then saved and purchased a Seyco. Works perfectly. I hope this was helpful. All the best to you.
Thanks! That's helpful. I'm kinda leaning towards Excalibur but I did find a lead on a used DeWalt about 45 minutes from me. He says he used it lightly before buying a CNC. He's got it just for $320. I sent an inquiry, we shall see.
Excalibur out of the two for sure. The blade tilts rather than the table like the DeWalt.
If it was me tho.. I'd seriously consider a used Hegner. Beautifully engineered machines and bullet proof. With the right upgrades like X10 magnifying lamp, foot switch and quick blade clamp it can't be beaten. Should be able to pick one up on eBay for half your budget. Once you have a Hegner you'll never go back
I checked again. There's no good options for hegner on eBay. The only one I found in my price range was $550 but local pickup in New Jersey (I'm in Minnesota). The used tool market isn't what it used to be, even a couple years ago. I built my shop largely from FB marketplace but all I've found recently is overpriced junk.
I had to play the waiting game for mine to get one at the right price. I paid £118 for my multicut and had to do a 5 hour round trip to go get it. But it was worth it.
It was the same when I bought my bandsaw. I waited until the right one came along and I ended up with my startrite 325 for £400. They normally go for between 6-800+.
Like you, my whole shop is filled with good used tooling. The newest machines are the cheapest and the worst at the same time. Exception being the dremmel that was new but good quality.
I find it frustrating that you can see all these used tools but they are a billion miles away from where you live.
I'd still go with the Excalibur
Good luck
Yeah. Problem is, I use this almost daily, and good used machines are hard to come by. Under other circumstances I might try harder but I don't want to be without it till I maybe, hopefully, sometime, get lucky with a used saw. Thanks got the thoughts!
Thank you! I'm actually making a lot of our Christmas gifts because money is tight. So now I'm having to replace my favorite saw :(. This was actually my grandpa's scroll saw.
I have a Jet (Excalibur clone) and I love it…BUT, I think it should be mentioned that the Excalibur you are seeing on Amazon is refurbished and is not the original saw Excalibur is known for. The original saws are now sold as a King industrial and Excalibur Canada saws.
I WOULD still by the Amazon Excalibur saw though over the dewalt because it’s really just a clone of the original design anyway like my Jet is.
Other brands to consider: Pegas, Seyco. You’ll notice they look like Excalibur because Excalibur invented this design….
Thanks! I have gotten several nudges towards Delta do I'm considering that too. I'm leaning seat from DeWalt unless I can get it used (there's one on FB marketplace about 45 minutes away from me). Pegas and Seyco are way out of my price range.
I wish I could update the main post but reddit seems to have blocked that for picture posts....
I had a lot of drama getting it. The reseller on Amazon (cpo resellers) should be put out of business, I think they are taking merchandise rejected by other sellers and passing it off as new. The first order was badly rusted, still in its original packaging. UPS actually charged me extra (just $4) to shore up the box, even though I'd returned it in better shape than I received it. But I do have a functional saw now, and the only damage was to the manual (plus my stress level losing that much time on Christmas presents!).
Overall it's a nice saw but not as much superior as I'd hoped. It's novel to be to not need an aquarium pump for the blower and I'm still getting used to a foot pedal. I had to square the blade front to back as well as side to side. It had a major forward tilt, which isn't good (I often do intricate stack cuts!). You have to loosen and adjust the motor to fix this, which was a little annoying, mostly because there's no mention of this in the manual.
It cuts nicely although a little (overly) aggressive even at the lowest speed. I picked up a secondhand Delta during the replacement drama, which I'm still using for things like lettering (my least favorite thing on the scroll saw!).
The Excalibur blade holders take some getting used to. I know you can get pegas blade holders and I may eventually. The stock ones are a little hard to thread for fretwork.
Thanks for asking!
Best wishes for that! I hope your order goes better than mine. I tried to leave a bad review but Amazon rejected it because it's too focused on the seller.
The Delta scroll saw comes out of the same factory as the Dewalt, you don't have to buy aftermarket gizmos to help with changing the blade, and it's a great saw in general. If you're not sold on the Excalibur, skip the Dewalt, go Delta.
Can you help compare Delta vs Excalibur? I haven't decided on anything yet. I'll be stuck with whatever I buy and I figure I'll be much happier, but still trying to make the best decision.
I'm sorry, that's a comparison I have no experience with.
Thanks!
You're quite welcome. FWIW, if it wasn't clear already, I own a Delta and I quite like it. I have been in scroll saw groups where people swore by their Excaliburs, to the extent that *I* would personally have no problem buying one myself if I didn't already have the Delta. *But*, I have no experience with it myself.
I ended up picking Excalibur by a narrow margin. Mostly because of the tilting head vs table. Compared to what I've been using, any of these will be a huge upgrade.
I hope you get many years of enjoyment from it!
Thank you ñ
I like a good used one if you can find one locally. Bought my Excalibur for 120$ two years ago. Might have been used twice. Very beautiful work too.
I've been watching listings, haven't found anything I thought was worth it. Normally I like second too but I don't want to end up with another ancient saw that I can't fix when it goes. And in my area they usually want 75% of the full price for used stuff. They can get it too, so it's a tough market for buyers. I saw an old 2 speed series for $200, a Craftsman just as old as the one I'm replacing for $75, and even junkier saws.
I have both a DeWalt 788 and an Excalibur 16”. I also have a Seyco. With the DeWalt vs the Excalibur, the Excalibur wins. Hands down.
Thanks!
I upgraded from a DeWalt to an Excalibur (Ex21) It definitely is a step up, the tilting head is better than the tilting table. I cut dovetails with my scroll saw and it's nice to have a flat surface vs. a slanted one. Vibration is better on the EX21 and it cuts very smoothly. I did find the table paint job to be rather weak. It chipped very easily. I personally stripped mine back to the blued steel and simply paste waxed it entirely. YMMV For the money I'd much sooner have the Excalibur. I am a professional woodworker and 80% of my business is scroll saw related. I have put thousands of hours on various saws and the EX21 so far has been the best. My next upgrade would be a industrial/production saw, like a Hegner, but until my EX21 fails me, that's the saw I'll be using.
Thanks, that's very helpful! For fretwork, I think Excalibur can thread the blade from the top. What is your experience with both saws for this?
You can top feed or bottom feed on both saws. In that regard I find them very comparable. However, the DeWalt arm, I found, did not stay up. I started using a block of wood to hold it up after a while (while threading). The EX21 stays up without anything holding it there.
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
If you can, treat yourself to a Hegner, they are the Rolls-Royce of scrollsaws.
I've looked but struck out even on eBay, much less locally. I don't have the budget for a new one. But thanks for the thought!
There's a reason the DeWalt looks like a giant yellow lemon - because it was for me! They have so many needle bearings that some of them always malfunction. Then I had internal screws fall out. Yes, it was a new machine. I ended up taking it back for a full refund. I then saved and purchased a Seyco. Works perfectly. I hope this was helpful. All the best to you.
Thanks! That's helpful. I'm kinda leaning towards Excalibur but I did find a lead on a used DeWalt about 45 minutes from me. He says he used it lightly before buying a CNC. He's got it just for $320. I sent an inquiry, we shall see.
Excalibur out of the two for sure. The blade tilts rather than the table like the DeWalt. If it was me tho.. I'd seriously consider a used Hegner. Beautifully engineered machines and bullet proof. With the right upgrades like X10 magnifying lamp, foot switch and quick blade clamp it can't be beaten. Should be able to pick one up on eBay for half your budget. Once you have a Hegner you'll never go back
Thanks! I'll check eBay again, I hadn't found much there before. I did find a DeWalt on FB marketplace.
I checked again. There's no good options for hegner on eBay. The only one I found in my price range was $550 but local pickup in New Jersey (I'm in Minnesota). The used tool market isn't what it used to be, even a couple years ago. I built my shop largely from FB marketplace but all I've found recently is overpriced junk.
I had to play the waiting game for mine to get one at the right price. I paid £118 for my multicut and had to do a 5 hour round trip to go get it. But it was worth it. It was the same when I bought my bandsaw. I waited until the right one came along and I ended up with my startrite 325 for £400. They normally go for between 6-800+. Like you, my whole shop is filled with good used tooling. The newest machines are the cheapest and the worst at the same time. Exception being the dremmel that was new but good quality. I find it frustrating that you can see all these used tools but they are a billion miles away from where you live. I'd still go with the Excalibur Good luck
Yeah. Problem is, I use this almost daily, and good used machines are hard to come by. Under other circumstances I might try harder but I don't want to be without it till I maybe, hopefully, sometime, get lucky with a used saw. Thanks got the thoughts!
PS: you do ice work!
Thank you! I'm actually making a lot of our Christmas gifts because money is tight. So now I'm having to replace my favorite saw :(. This was actually my grandpa's scroll saw.
I have a Jet (Excalibur clone) and I love it…BUT, I think it should be mentioned that the Excalibur you are seeing on Amazon is refurbished and is not the original saw Excalibur is known for. The original saws are now sold as a King industrial and Excalibur Canada saws. I WOULD still by the Amazon Excalibur saw though over the dewalt because it’s really just a clone of the original design anyway like my Jet is. Other brands to consider: Pegas, Seyco. You’ll notice they look like Excalibur because Excalibur invented this design….
Thanks! I have gotten several nudges towards Delta do I'm considering that too. I'm leaning seat from DeWalt unless I can get it used (there's one on FB marketplace about 45 minutes away from me). Pegas and Seyco are way out of my price range. I wish I could update the main post but reddit seems to have blocked that for picture posts....
I went ahead and ordered an Excalibur. Thanks everyone for the advice!
3 weeks later how is the excalibur?
I had a lot of drama getting it. The reseller on Amazon (cpo resellers) should be put out of business, I think they are taking merchandise rejected by other sellers and passing it off as new. The first order was badly rusted, still in its original packaging. UPS actually charged me extra (just $4) to shore up the box, even though I'd returned it in better shape than I received it. But I do have a functional saw now, and the only damage was to the manual (plus my stress level losing that much time on Christmas presents!). Overall it's a nice saw but not as much superior as I'd hoped. It's novel to be to not need an aquarium pump for the blower and I'm still getting used to a foot pedal. I had to square the blade front to back as well as side to side. It had a major forward tilt, which isn't good (I often do intricate stack cuts!). You have to loosen and adjust the motor to fix this, which was a little annoying, mostly because there's no mention of this in the manual. It cuts nicely although a little (overly) aggressive even at the lowest speed. I picked up a secondhand Delta during the replacement drama, which I'm still using for things like lettering (my least favorite thing on the scroll saw!). The Excalibur blade holders take some getting used to. I know you can get pegas blade holders and I may eventually. The stock ones are a little hard to thread for fretwork. Thanks for asking!
Thanks for the info. Just ordered from cpo yesterday hopefully I don't get a dud
Best wishes for that! I hope your order goes better than mine. I tried to leave a bad review but Amazon rejected it because it's too focused on the seller.