conundrum with Excalibur sliding table
Hi all. Just bought a Delta Unisaw and Excalibur sliding table to mount on it. Having assembled the saw, I prepared to attach the sliding table. What I discovered that I hadn’t been told by the retailer is that I have to do some significant cutting of my Biesmeier fence rails, and try to relocate the saw’s power switch to facilitate mounting the slider. Not sure I want to start chopping up my new saw. That’s my first option. The second is to attach the fence without removing the saw’s left wing or cutting the rails, etc. The penalty I’d pay would be reduced support with 45 degree cuts with the slider, and the slider’s measuring device would be inaccurate. The third option is to return the Excalibur sliding table and get a refund. Any comments, suggestions, or experience with this combination would be appreciated. Thanx in advance. .. Ken
Replies
Ken,
I did not like the idea of cutting my fence rails ether. In the end I went ahead & removed the extention & cut the rails. That was over 10 years ago & I never regreted doing it.
Ken,
Many woodworkers seem to have a phobia about cutting metal, I know I had one before I learned the machinist's trade. Now I view metal as just another material to be worked with to achieve some goal.
There is nothing sacred about the rails, if you need them shorter cut them shorter. You may also need to drill a few holes in the saw's cast iron, it's easy and the saw won't feel a thing.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Thanks for your reply, John. As a result of your reply, and those of others, I decided to cut my Beismeyer rails and install my slider, and am pleased with the results. .. Ken
You did the right thing. The rails on my Jet Besmeyer knock-off are a standard structural iron shape. I have bought more steel, and added rails to other tools so I could use my Jet fence there.
Ken,
I've worked on saws fitted with the Excalibur and never really cared for the product. While it is a cheap way to get a slider in your shop, I find that the leg/saw connection assembly is awkward. It prevents you from walking with the stock by the cut as you can with a real slider. If you have the space and the funds, I would return the Excalibur, keep the Delta (install a good rip blade) and buy a low-end or used slider. Then, set the two up facing each other with a common outfeed table between them. Now you're ready to rip or crosscut just about anything. If funds and space are an issue, then I guess you should cut the rails and install the Excalibur as others have recommended and be done with it.
Mike
Mike,I just read a review of the Excalibur and the author raised your very same issues.
I am thinking about a sliding table not to cross cut sheet goods but because I am not satisfied with the accuracy of mitre gauges, I need to cut very precise angles very often.
At a local Woodcraft store I saw the JessEm MastRslide, it looks like just what I need.C.
If you're not going to be doing a ton of large sheet stock, I think a good quality after market mitre gauge would be the way to go, or in your case the Master-R- Slide. I think JessEm designs and manufactures great stuff. I own some of their router table accessories and think the quality is A+. I bought another mitre gauge several years ago, before JessEm introduced theirs, and it's great, but if I were buying today, I'd seriously consider the JessEm -- I have a ton of respect for a company with the engineering and manufacturing skill they seem to have.And, I didn't mean to slam Excalibur earlier. I think their slider is an accurate and reasonably priced alternative to a real sliding panel saw. I just REALLY don't like the leg/table connection assembly. I wish they would take a look at that part of their product's design. If I were in the market for an add-on slider to my table saw, that design would be a deal killer for me -- one man's opinion.
You may consider that it may void the warrantee on your saw. I know of an instance where an institution drilled two little holes in the cabinet of a mainframe computer to mount their identification plate. The manufacturer voided the warrantee. At least that is what I was told.
What about moving the rails to the right, so you get more capacity with your fence? I don't know which rails you have (50" or 7') but most people would really like to be able to use their fence more than 32" to the right of the blade.
It's just steel and you can cut it with a bi-metal blade on a hacksaw or recip saw, or you can use an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. The cutoff wheel may generate enough heat to mess up the paint, though.
If you just don't want to do it, find a machine shop and have them cut it.
I agree with JohnWW. These are tools, and not particularly fancy fine tools. If you need to drill a hole or cut some steel, just do it. Then cut some wood well and safely with your cool new slider, and be happy you're making good stuff and staying safe.
I'll admit I felt a bit of apprehension when started cutting into my extension table to mount my router, but once it was done and it was so handy (and I didn't have to use an extra 10 sq feet for a router table), I decided not to worry about cosmetics and set my shop up for working.
If the day comes you want to sell your saw, the difference in value should be negligible just because of a cut or two, unless you seriously think you'll be selling to a collector. A 2006 saw won't be a collector-level antique for at least 50 years though...
CUT AWAY.. But then again I'm really a metal worker...
I have no idea about your saw because I do not have one.
Can the rails just be moved to the (right?) and let them stick out the end untill you decide what you want? Rails sticking out may give you a bit more width for that 'WIDE' sheet you want to cut?
Just a thought..
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