My last Gloat!!!!!

[Terry Hatfield]

OK...I lied....

My last gloat for now. :D

I have been trying to decide for months on a sliding table. I looked at the Grizzly, which is the exact same thing as the Delta, the Dewalt, the Mule and both the Excalibur and the Exaktor. I decided on the Exaktor.

I chose the Exaktor over the very similar Excalibur because of the stainless rails and Exaktor had a inbetween size table that fit my needs perfectly. The EX26X. It's the small 18" table with the long rails. It does not take up so much width in the shop, but still allows a full sheet of plywood to be crosscut. It has 24" of crosscut with the fence at the front and 49" with the fence at the rear.

I spent about 4 hours getting it put together and aligned. It seems very well built and after it was all aligned it produced perfectly square cuts. The bearings are on ecentrics kind of like on band saw guides. That allows for very easy adjustment and there is ZERO slop, and I mean ZERO!! I am impressed as I can be with the unit and with Exaktor in general.

When I originally recieved the unit, they shipped the short rails by mistake. Phil (the owner) got the long rails right out to me and they arrived in 3 days. One other thing I liked about dealing with Exaktor is that Phil answers the phone. When I discovered the rail mix up, I decided I would call and leave a message. Even though it was almost 9 p.m. he answered the phone. Cool!!!! I like a hands on owner and Phil certainly is.

I would highly recommend the Exaktor to any of you looking for a sliding table. I am currently working on a complete review of the assembly process and of the unit itself for the new website. I'll have it up in a few days.

Terry

[Mark Hulette]

Nice looking setup, Terry. Looking forward to the review, too.

Will there be any in-use pics? I'd really like to see that thing at work cutting down a 4x8 sheet of ply (not really sure how it will support a full sheet if you just cut a little off)

Thanks for posting and I can't imagine you would have enough room in there for a full sheet of PW- it's so cramped and dark! :D :D

[Todd Burch]

Nice fence!

Terry,

Your Grizzly TS is the obvious subject here, but there's a benchtop TS (Craftsman?) in the background, with side tables built around it too - obviously a permanent fixture. What do you typically use the smaller saw for?

Todd.

[Terry Hatfield]

Nice looking setup, Terry. Looking forward to the review, too.

Will there be any in-use pics? I'd really like to see that thing at work cutting down a 4x8 sheet of ply (not really sure how it will support a full sheet if you just cut a little off)

Thanks for posting and I can't imagine you would have enough room in there for a full sheet of PW- it's so cramped and dark! :D :D

Here you go Mark....

The Exaktor has supports that slide out of the fence and the miter bar. I made an additional support that attached under the fence slide out. That additional support is attached with a t bolt and knob. It holds the end of the sheet being cut. The one in the miter bar just slides out and the sheet sets on it.

I didn't have a full sheet of anything in the shop except 1/4" hardboard. You can see that the system even suppports the flimsy hardboard pretty well all by itself.

Terry

[Terry Hatfield]

Nice fence!

Terry,

Your Grizzly TS is the obvious subject here, but there's a benchtop TS (Craftsman?) in the background, with side tables built around it too - obviously a permanent fixture. What do you typically use the smaller saw for?

Todd.

Todd...you are kidding...right???? :D

LOL.....

The bench top saw is a Skil. My mother gave it to me for Christmas 2000. It was the first woodworking tool I ever owned. The bench has my router table in one end and my planer sets on the other. I have sanders and paper and such stored in the bench also. The base is made from recycled kitchen cabinets. At one time that one bench was the extent of my tools!!! I thought that would be all I would ever need. I guess I was wrong. :D

I really don't use the saw much at all now except for some occasional sanding. It is equipped with a 10" disc. I couldn't even tell you the last time I actually cut something with it.

Terry

[Mac McAtee]

There aught to be some kind of law or rule about posting pictures of woodworking shops that are so neat and clean. I am going to feel depressed for the next few weeks until I forget I saw these photos. Terry, you make me look like a slob! :p

[Terry Hatfield]

Mac,

Not to worry...everything around the shop is not that squeaky clean. Here is what greets you if you go out the back door. :D Besides, if I posted pics with the shop cluttered I would never hear the end of it.

Don't you feel better now?????

Terry

[Mark Hulette]

Terry-

Thanks for clearing that up for me- I didn't realize the fence actually went on that side of the stock being cut. Makes perfect sense when I can see it!

I thought the same thing Todd did about the "other" saw. Again, I really appreciate you posting pictures of your shop- it's very inspiring to see a shop that is that "together" and it pushes me to get mine in order although I don't think it'll ever look that good! :o

I'm also impressed that you have come so far since 2000 in your wwing and tool acquisition skills!

[Terry Hatfield]

Mark,

My tool acquisition skills are very good....woodworking skills are still a work in progress. :)

I'm working on the "gallery" for my web site right now. Hopefully when you see my work it will at least come close to the tools and the shop.

Terry

[David Rose]

You gotta be kidding! Your scrap pile looks better than the inside of my shop.

Will you PLEASE save room for the BBQ attenders??? You should only have about 1/2 of that nice shop left now. ;)

I do agree with you about one thing, Terry. If the operating room is allowed to become "normal" in debris condition, you won't live it down! :D

David


Mark,

My tool acquisition skills are very good....woodworking skills are still a work in progress. :)

I'm working on the "gallery" for my web site right now. Hopefully when you see my work it will at least come close to the tools and the shop.

Terry

[Terry Hatfield]

You gotta be kidding! Your scrap pile looks better than the inside of my shop.

Will you PLEASE save room for the BBQ attenders??? You should only have about 1/2 of that nice shop left now. ;)

I do agree with you about one thing, Terry. If the operating room is allowed to become "normal" in debris condition, you won't live it down! :D

David

David,

It gets it's plenty messed up....it just doesn't stay that way. :D You can ask Dennis and Bob. They actually saw it messy first hand.

BTW....I'm sure we will still be able to fit a couple of people in the shop for the BBq. Your skinny right???? :rolleyes:

Terry

[David Rose]

Whether I'm skinny or not is determined by *where* I eat the brisket! After that I may not be so...

David


David,

It gets it's plenty messed up....it just doesn't stay that way. :D You can ask Dennis and Bob. They actually saw it messy first hand.

BTW....I'm sure we will still be able to fit a couple of people in the shop for the BBq. Your skinny right???? :rolleyes:

Terry

[Bob Lasley]

David,

It gets it's plenty messed up....it just doesn't stay that way. :D You can ask Dennis and Bob. They actually saw it messy first hand.

BTW....I'm sure we will still be able to fit a couple of people in the shop for the BBq. Your skinny right???? :rolleyes:

Terry


Terry,

You mean after you swore me to secrecy and threatened my life, you are now actually telling people your shop has been messy? :eek:

I'm looking forward to seeing the new slider up close and personal.

Bob

[Terry Hatfield]

Bob,

Don't mind telling everybody it's been messy, just not going to let everybody see it messy. :D Like I said, I would NEVER here the end of it!!

You just caught me in a weak moment or you would not have seen it that way either. :eek:

I give you official permission to say you saw crap piled every where and the floor so cluttered that you had to be careful where you stepped.

Terry

P.S.....the slider is awsome!!! Can't wait to show it to you.