Liz Weir Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 I just got a scroll saw (RBI Hawk 226) and have barely had a chance to turn it on as yet. I've been doing creative stuff all my life - sewing, drafting sewing patterns, I am a master level costumer (historical), I've been doing commercial embroidery digitizing for 25 years, and more. If I'm not learning, I'm bored, so I keep picking up new hobbies to learn. Looking forward to this new adventure! homebru, Rolf and OCtoolguy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak0ta52 Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 Welcome to the Village, Liz. This is a great hobby and I believe you'll find very addictive. OCtoolguy and Liz Weir 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preprius Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 (edited) Welcome to the village. I am Mark from California. I too have the 26" Hawk. Nice choice. With your introduction, you will pick up scrollsaw fast. Then we can see some of your ideas. It is always fun to learn from masters Feel free to ask dumb questions. I did a lot. I still do. But this village likes to help. Edited December 12, 2023 by preprius Liz Weir and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wichman Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 Welcome to the Village For one of your first project may I suggest..... A lucet. It should check a lot of boxes. Scroll saw sewing historical cordage For a free pattern got to: https://www.stevedgood.com/catalog/index.php search for lucet Liz Weir, JJB and OCtoolguy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 Glad you have moved into the village. Hope you enjoy it, Not many get to start out with a top of the line scroll saw. OCtoolguy, Liz Weir and JJB 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barb.j.enders Posted December 12, 2023 Report Share Posted December 12, 2023 2 hours ago, preprius said: Feel free to ask dumb questions. There are no dumb questions, just unasked questions. Welcome, @Liz Weir to the village. JackJones, Liz Weir, OCtoolguy and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe W. Posted December 13, 2023 Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 Welcome from the land of tax-free shopping. You are so in trouble. Get out now. Save yourself. Once you have sawdust under your fingernails and in your hair, there is not turning back. But seriously, this is a great place. You are gonna like it here. JJB, Liz Weir, OCtoolguy and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meflick Posted December 13, 2023 Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 Welcome Liz to the Village. From what I hear, you have a great saw. Like you, I’ve done a variety of different crafting and learning over the years. While I do have embroidery machines, I have stayed away from learning the digitizing my own patterns. As far as sewing, I’ve done some basic stuff, but left the real sewing to my mom who was the expert. It was when I lost her to Alzheimer’s that I turned to the scroll saw. That was soon to be 8 years ago. Liz Weir and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryon c Posted December 13, 2023 Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 Welcome from Oklahoma. Lots to learn on here. Liz Weir, JJB and OCtoolguy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry walters Posted December 13, 2023 Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 Liz, I'm Jerry from Colorado. No kidding, you have come to the right place. Lot of help here and you will keep learing. With your background you will have no trouble with the scroll saw. From what I hear seamtreesses make great scrollers. I used to watch my wife sew and picked up a few tricks I could do with the scroll saw. One other thing, scrolling is verrrrry addictive as others have said. You will find that with other chores you have to do, you can hardly wait so you can get to scrolling. There is always something to learn, something new. Welcome to the Village, you will be happy here and you will not get bored. Jerry Liz Weir and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted December 13, 2023 Report Share Posted December 13, 2023 Welcome to the Village forum from Tennessee. Liz Weir and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Hotchkiss Posted December 14, 2023 Report Share Posted December 14, 2023 Liz, Welcome from Ashland, Virginia. Everyone on here is very helpful and they have a wealth of knowledge. Just ask anything, everyone is willing to help out the all they can. OCtoolguy and Liz Weir 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted December 14, 2023 Report Share Posted December 14, 2023 Welcome Liz from So. California. I look forward to seeing what you find to make with that saw. It's a great saw if it's of the newer vintage. If you have time, post a couple of pics of it. Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw81 Posted December 14, 2023 Report Share Posted December 14, 2023 Welcome from Pennsylvania. I have been at this hobby for many years but still learn a lot from the others here. Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafairchild2 Posted December 14, 2023 Report Share Posted December 14, 2023 Welcome aboard the SSV Express... Be happy... Make sawdust daily! Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 17, 2023 Report Share Posted December 17, 2023 Welcome to The Village from Ohio. Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted December 18, 2023 Report Share Posted December 18, 2023 Welcome to the Village Liz. Marg Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Weir Posted December 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2023 Thank you all for the welcome! Sorry it took me a while to get back here, this is a busy time (which I'm sure you all know). Update: I now have two Hawk 226VS scroll saws. I thought I got a good deal on my first one (obviously very lightly used for $275), but I found an absolute steal! A 226VS still sealed in the original box, never been opened, for $250. I don't "need" a second scroll saw, but I couldn't pass up that deal! I called Bushton this morning to find out how old the machines are and to see if parts are still available - the first one was manufactured in 1996 and the "new" one was manufactured in 2000. The lady I talked to said that I stole both of those machines at the price I paid. Both machines are fully supported, parts easily available. Here is the stand I made for the first machine. It's at a height comfortable to use while sitting, tilted forward to make scrolling less stressful on my neck & shoulders. The saw is not on a shelf, it sits in grooves (dadoes) that I routered into the top of the 2x4's. I'm planning on adding shelves or drawers in the bottom once I figure out what sizes I need. I'm going to make a stand for the second machine and bring that one in the house so I can use it when the shop is too hot (always in Texas summers) or too cold (occasionally in winter, today being one of those cold days). Again, thanks for the welcomes, info, and tips! Wichman, bobscroll and OCtoolguy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted December 27, 2023 Report Share Posted December 27, 2023 Very nicely done. You are one lucky person. Go buy a lottery ticket! Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 glad you have you on board. Whenever someone says something about the difficulty of scrolling, I often tell them that it is a lot like sewing. If one can sew they already possess the skills for scrolling. Welcome to The Village from Southern Arizona. Dick heppnerguy Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Weir Posted January 26 Author Report Share Posted January 26 1 hour ago, heppnerguy said: glad you have you on board. Whenever someone says something about the difficulty of scrolling, I often tell them that it is a lot like sewing. If one can sew they already possess the skills for scrolling. Welcome to The Village from Southern Arizona. Dick heppnerguy Thanks! I've noticed many similarities. The fact that I have to angle the wood somewhat to get a straight cut is driving me crazy, though - when I'm sewing, a straight feed gives me a straight seam! I've tried several different blades and they all do the same. I also need to learn how much pressure to put on the wood to get it to feed properly; I have a tendency to push too hard and that distorts the blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 Try standing or sitting slightly off center to your saw. If the blade drifts away from the line, to the right, then move a little the right and you will trick your brain into thinking that you are cutting straight. Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted January 28 Report Share Posted January 28 On 1/26/2024 at 9:20 AM, Liz Weir said: Thanks! I've noticed many similarities. The fact that I have to angle the wood somewhat to get a straight cut is driving me crazy, though - when I'm sewing, a straight feed gives me a straight seam! I've tried several different blades and they all do the same. I also need to learn how much pressure to put on the wood to get it to feed properly; I have a tendency to push too hard and that distorts the blade. You are not alone with these two problems. I too went through these very things. I may have a couple of solutions for you to try. First of all, about trying to get the blades to travel straight for you.....A solution I have found is using a #3 Pegas blade mgt. This has become my 'go to' blade for a lot of my work. The difference is, as I understand it, most scroll saw blades have the teeth stamped out and this makes one side of the blade's teeth to stand out on one side causing them to cut to that angle. The mgt Pegas blade are machined so that the teeth are in line and they cut on a straight line more like you are used to for the feed of a sewing machine. The Pegas blades are much sharper than most of the other blades so you will need to go slower and be careful not to force the blades but learn to let the blade do the cutting. I recommend that you probably need to cut with you machine running at about medium speed, remembering that the blade cuts nothing until you put pressure to the wood. That brings up the question as to what wood do you do most of the cutting on. Because the Pegas blades are so sharp I can cut almost any thickness and type of wood with ease. As soon as you can start to feel some resistance from the wood, it is time to think about replacing the blade. On a 3 inch thick hardwood board the time I get from my blades is about an hour. If you have any questions about any thing I have said or any other item about scroll sawing, please feel free to ask me. Dick heppnerguy Liz Weir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Weir Posted February 2 Author Report Share Posted February 2 On 1/28/2024 at 11:25 AM, heppnerguy said: You are not alone with these two problems. I too went through these very things. I may have a couple of solutions for you to try. First of all, about trying to get the blades to travel straight for you.....A solution I have found is using a #3 Pegas blade mgt. This has become my 'go to' blade for a lot of my work. The difference is, as I understand it, most scroll saw blades have the teeth stamped out and this makes one side of the blade's teeth to stand out on one side causing them to cut to that angle. The mgt Pegas blade are machined so that the teeth are in line and they cut on a straight line more like you are used to for the feed of a sewing machine. The Pegas blades are much sharper than most of the other blades so you will need to go slower and be careful not to force the blades but learn to let the blade do the cutting. I recommend that you probably need to cut with you machine running at about medium speed, remembering that the blade cuts nothing until you put pressure to the wood. That brings up the question as to what wood do you do most of the cutting on. Because the Pegas blades are so sharp I can cut almost any thickness and type of wood with ease. As soon as you can start to feel some resistance from the wood, it is time to think about replacing the blade. On a 3 inch thick hardwood board the time I get from my blades is about an hour. If you have any questions about any thing I have said or any other item about scroll sawing, please feel free to ask me. Dick heppnerguy I was doing some reading about blades & saw the stamped vs machined info mentioned, but the article didn't say who made which types of blades. I'll definitely order some Pegas blades. Thank you! heppnerguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Weir Posted February 2 Author Report Share Posted February 2 On 1/26/2024 at 11:42 AM, Bill WIlson said: Try standing or sitting slightly off center to your saw. If the blade drifts away from the line, to the right, then move a little the right and you will trick your brain into thinking that you are cutting straight. Good idea! I'll give that a try. Rolf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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