OldMech, your explanation for the way you use excluders makes sense to me. I didn't even consider the use of an entrance for returning bees above the excluder. (I don't use a top entrance, but maybe I should.) For those who say that a queen excluder slows the speed at which bees fill supers, I wonder if this solves that problem. If nearly all returning bees go through a top entrance, an excluder should be a non issue in regard to the amount of honey produced. I suppose, if you have a colony at full strength and want to keep them from adding to the size of the brood chamber, this use of an excluder would be a good idea.
Right now, my colonies are young/small. Next season, the brood chambers should fill one deep and at least one medium(Hopefully two.) After that, I may look into top entrances and queen excluders in the few weeks before harvest. Thanks to all for this discussion.