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Thread: Scroll saws question
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4th March 2016, 07:35 AM #1Intermediate Member
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Scroll saws question
Hi everyone !
My old Delta scroll saw has broken after 15 years of heavy duty sage. I found that sazw very relaible but unfortunately they do not sell it here in Australia anymore.
Also I have another Delta 16" in good condition and Carbatec 18" scroll saw. I am looking for another scroll saw but can't make a decision yet. I have run an experiment with my Delta and Carbatec saws. I drew the same designs on about 20 mm thick plywood and scrolled it on both saws and checked the time. It is very important for my business to scroll as fast as possible as I need to cut out thousands and thousands different templates and parts.
I found that Delta does the job nearly twice as faster then Carbatec. Carbatec makes a very nice and neat cut if I scroll just 3-5 mm ply. But if the sheet twice or three times thicker it became very slow even on a maximum speed.
I compared a few different saws, prices and their motors:
Delta has 1/4 HP motor; not for sale in Australia
Carbatec - 120 W; - $699
Jet 16" - 90W; - $199
General 16" - 50W - $999
My feeling that Carbatech saw has a weaker torque then Delta because of less powerful motor. Jet is not suitable for commercial usage but who knows ? General ( Excalibur )just has 50W motor and I have no idea about its torque. Would this 50W motor survive after, let's say, 30-60+ minutes of continuous work ? Can anyone tell anything about cutting thick wood with General 16" ? I do not want to spend a thousand dollar and have a saw with the same torque as Carbatec has.
Could someone share your experience with those saws ? I bought the best possible blades from Helen for cutting thick wood. They last quite long but Carbatec saws is nearly useless for my job and I do not know how to make it work faster !?
Thanks !
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4th March 2016, 08:05 AM #2Senior Member
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Can't tell you a great deal but I just purchased a General 21" & have only cut 6mm ply on it so far ,it does seem to have plenty of power & from what I read that 50 watt motor is a dc type & so the torque is constant throughout the speed range.Don't think you can go far wrong with this very robust looking saw. A final thought you can also adjust the forward & backward movement of the blade to give a more aggressive cut By turning the motor clockwise or anti clockwise by backing off the motor mounting screws.Hope this helps you Cheers Peter
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4th March 2016, 01:43 PM #3Intermediate Member
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I had exactly the same Excalibur 19" saw for 3 years and 5 days. Maybe I had a lemon but when the warranty has gone it had a faulty motor. They gave me a crazy quote at Carba-Tec to for the new motor, so I had to dispose the unlucky saw. After that 50W motor looks very suspiciously.
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4th March 2016, 05:19 PM #4Senior Member
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what happened to the lifetime warranty offered I know if you talk to Crabatec you will get no satisfaction but if you go direct to General in the states you will get a different answer from Carbatec .
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4th March 2016, 05:54 PM #5
I have also got a General 21 and regularly cut 19mm pine for puzzles etc for lengthy periods 2-4 hours and I'm very happy with the General and class it is my work horse.
My other saw is a Hegner knock-off (TruPro/Carbatec). It does give a better cut finish, however I feel a little under powered for 19mm boards. I think the cut difference is in the length of the blade stroke, but I stand to be corrected.Russell (aka Mulgabill)
"It is as it is"
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4th March 2016, 07:46 PM #6Senior Member
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I thought the General scrollsaw's were supposed to be pretty good - I have had one on my wish list for a while now (as Hegner's are way too expensive - could get a decent table saw for that price).
At the moment i have an old Proxxon 2 speed that was my Grandfather's before he passed - must be like 16 years old now (i've had it for near 4yrs). Great little machine - never missed a beat - easily cutting through thin to thick pieces (i.e. stack cutting two 19mm boards at once). Only downside is that it only takes Pin End blades - so no fine work for me. I thought of getting a conversion kit - but having to loosen/tighten an allen screw for every internal cut would drive me batty!!!
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4th March 2016, 07:48 PM #7Senior Member
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4th March 2016, 10:49 PM #8Senior Member
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I have found the new General to be so much easier ,I had purchased a quick change blade holder for the carbatec but still had to use the alan key for the bottom holder,The General has a no tool change system & also gives me the option of top feeding the blade through the work piece ,no more trying to feed the blade up from the bottom which was very awkward at times .Cheers Peter
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5th March 2016, 06:27 AM #9Intermediate Member
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Thanks for sharing your experience with both saws. I have never used my old Excalibur 21" for so long period of time but anyway it finished with the broken motor. Does it mean that 50W DC motor of Excalibur as reliable as 120W motor of Carbatec saw or 90W motor of Jet ? To be honest I am a bit confused with these numbers. According to my understanding the more powerful motor can run longer and it wolud stronger and more reliable. Or the criteria of reliability depends on something else ?! I am after a scroll saw with a strong and aggressive torque. Maybe $199 Jet can do the job ?! I have checked the specifications of all available saws but they never mentioned the torque level.
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5th March 2016, 11:00 AM #10
Before you buy a new saw, make sure you can run it as some of the less expensive units do not run as smoothly as the more expensive.....
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5th March 2016, 07:14 PM #11Intermediate Member
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6th March 2016, 08:01 AM #12Senior Member
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I have used my ex 21 for over three years very day and since the initial break of linkage after maybe 2 hours it goes like a bomb. Blade changing on ex21 is a breeze no comparison to any other I know of. Back to the motor have you attempted to get yours repaired or contacted General in America to get a price for replacement?
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6th March 2016, 09:14 AM #13
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6th March 2016, 11:53 AM #14Intermediate Member
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7th March 2016, 03:53 PM #15
so from your perspective, the Carbatech (China?) and Hegner (Germany?) saws are one and the same, especially in respect to things like bearings where friction loss from a small motor might be most noticeable.
regards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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