greasemonkeyredneck

Grease is not better. Grease is what I use because I work on the cheap and that's what I have. Now my saws have held up well with grease, but others on SSV have pointed me to the error of my ways. Grease attracts dust like a magnet. I still use grease now, but its not an issue to me because I take my saws apart to grease them. It's easier to clean up the gunk with the saw disassembled. If I understand your post correctly, you will not be disasssembling yours. Without taking them apart, it's going to be difficult to remove all the built up gunk when it's time to regrease it. Someone else may be able to tell you what is best to lubricate the pivots with. I've only been scrolling a little over a year though and am still learning a lot from experience.

My favortie saw for spirals is my cheap Delta. It has the Quickclamp II system. It is not without problems though. For starters, from the factory, you ae correct, it will fly apart on you if you overtighten it. First thing I do to it is to do away with the plastic thumbnut that you get your initial setting with. I drill out the holes on both halves of the chuck. I grind a machine screw head flat so it fits into the left side of the check. On the other side I install a wingnut. I do all tbhis because I do overtighten mine. I run my blade tensio tighter than neccessary. Because of this, the blades have to be chucked VERY tight. If you do happen to loose the chuck spring, which I have on one of my Deltas, you can easily replace it. Take a click type ball point pin. Tkae the sping out of it and chop it about halfway in two with a pair of wirecutters. Use one half of the spring in your blade chuck. It's not as strong as the original spring, but all that spring does is hold the clamp together when the quick clamp lever is open. As for hammering the spirals flat, there are several options for that. One is to order flat end blades. I don't do that myself because I just didn't have good luck with them and I'm sticking with what I know works. Beside my saw I keep a pair of regular pliers and a pair of needlenose pliers. Grasp the blade about three quarters of an inch from the top with the tip of the needlenose. Grasp the very top of the blade with the regular pliers. Now give a firm twist with the regular pliers in the opposite direction of the blade twist. If your eyes are as bad as mine, now you have to hold it towards the light to see if its flat enough now. If not, twist a little more. With very little practice, you can straighten blades without even looking at them. I do this only to the top. I've never had a problem with the bottom slipping out of the clamp. As for oil holes, I agree that most saws are built with maintenance in mind. About once a month, I take my Delta apart to grease the pivot points on my saw arms. Its a pain, but I have to make these saws last as long as possible. I've done it enough now that the whole process takes me about fifteen minutes. On a similar note, I've got to order myself a new aftermarket Quickclamp II upper chuck. I have two Deltas. One I keep back for a backup for when the other one breaks down. Well, the one mounted to the table right now started having problems with the chuck lever staying put. I took it apart. The right side chuck piece has a groove wore into it from so much use tightening the lever. I wound up having to take parts from the two saw's upper clamps to make one good clamp.

My opinion differs than most I guess. I encourage you to learn to use spirals and flats. Then make up your own mind about what is best for you. When I first started scrolling, I messed up. I watched videos on the internet and tried to do things exactly like everyone else. I soon realized that scrolling is a hobby that you can make your own. What I mean by that is you can learn all the techniques. In the end though, you have to do what feels right to you. Lot if video tutorials at http://www.scrollsaws.com/ Lots of free patterns at http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/ The best blades can be bought at http://www.mikesworkshop.com/ Now for myself. I started out running my saw at about half speed until I got used to it. Nowadays, my saw stays on full throttle. I could take off the variable speed knob and be just fine. I used spirals about 90% of the time. The only time I use flats really is for chopping a piece of wood down to workable size or my large projects with nothing but outside cuts. Tension is a tough subject. It's hard to describe. Myself, I say find that "sweet spot". The sweet spot is tight enough to cut straight as you can, but not so tight that the blade breaks. Myself, from talking to others, have found out that I run my blades much tighter than most folks. While some will disagree, I don't think there is no such thing as too tight. The drawback to that is that I do have more problems out of my blade clamps because of me running my blade too tight. I have to keep everything in tip top shape to make the clamps hold without slipping because I have my blade so tight. I have to take the calmps apart overy week or so and clean them. Anyway, I've only been scrolling for a little over a year, and you can see some of my work in my user gallery or my website. Both are linked to after my post.

They had their monthly Kid's Workshop at Home Depot today. This month was fire safety. The kids made a firehouse bank. They had hot dogs, popcorn, and games for the kids. They also had little extras like a table set up with various items for the kids to learn about different items around the house, what was safe and unsafe. The kids have a ball at these little workshops. If you look at the photo, no I didn't grow two more little ones that quick, my niece and nephew were there this time with my brother. After reading about the workshops last month on my website, he decided to start carrying his kids too.

You may remember me making a rifle for a friend of my Dad's during his recent visit. Well, I've been wanting to make one for my Dad too. I finally got around to it. The rifle design is cut in cottonwood. The background on the rifle and the stand is made of mahogany.

I've actually made a few of these long before I got into scrolling. Yes, they have to have good ventilation. I don't like the wire mesh that some people use though. I mark off a grid on the back. I put a line every three inches vertically and horizontally. Then where ech line intestects, I drill a 3/8 hole. I stained this one dark walnut. That's another thing I've learned if anyone plans on making one of these and staining them. You can stain the outside. Try not to get any stain on the inside though. If you do, make sure it is very little. If there is much stain on the inside, no matter how long you allow it to dry, the taste of the stain somehow leaches into the potatoes. The lettering on this is made of oak. The patterns were made using the Scrollsaw Pattern Printer that can be downloaded for free from Steve Goode's Scrollsaw Workshop site.

After first reading Christina's post about these rings, I did a little searching around. These these sell on Ebay for as little as $25 and on specialty sites for around $75. I think the prettiest ones I've seen so far are actaully from several species of wood glued up and then made into a ring. The other advantage to this is that when they are glued up, the grain is aligned across each other so you have something besides just endgrain at points all the way around. I think this would make it much more durable.

This is what I'm working on now. The lady who gave me the table saw kept hinting that she wanted a potato bin. I figured that after her giving me a saw that was practically new and retailed for over $500,a potato bin was the least I could do. I didn't have any plans for this one, so it is being designed in my head as I go. The only thing that makes it scroll saw related I think though is that I'm going to scroll "TATERS" for the top door, and "ONIONS" for the bottom door. I snapped these photos yesterday just before staining. After the stain dries, I'll have to reinstall the hinges and doors, drill holes in the back for vents, and do the words on it.

Thank ya'll very much. I really pushed myself on this one. I woke up this morning and I can barely move. I'm not complaining though. I can't wait to build another one. Better yet, I wish I had the money. I'd order the plans for the chandelier I'm wanting to do. There's a chandelier from Wildwood Designs called the Italiante that's 36" wide and four foot tall. I'd love to do it next. As soon as I give my back a break though, I do have several project lined up. I've got to do the rifle for my Dad. I've got to build a potato bin for the lady that give me the new table saw. Also, I've got to build another Poke Chop pig rocker since that one sold. I've got an idea on Poke Chop. I'm going to hollow out the middle pieces and make it a rocking toy slash giant piggy bank. Question is, although I've done a Poke Chop WIP before, do ya'll want another WIP for this one since it's going to be done a little differently?

UUUUH! I have so many printing problems. I'm not sure about what A4 even means. My problem comes in the fact that (as you know), I like the bigger projects. So I have to print things in pieces and then tape everything back together. The largest printing option locally at print shops is 11x14. I did buy a new printer recently. I found the "fit to page" option really messes thing up on smaller items. It fits to page by reducing some items to a smaller scale than things on other pages. Then when I try to line things back up, thing don't line up, at all. Like I said though, I think my problem comes with the fact that I make larger items. The biggest help I've gotten has actually been from you Travis. I learned how to do my oversized pattern using Inkscape from your videos on Scrollsaw Goodies.

What you see in front of you is an effort of about two weeks of long days work. This is the most detailed piece I have ever done. It is forty inches high at the top of the head. It is fifty two inches long. It is made of cottonwood, oak, and mahogany. There is stain and paint on it. I went through a whole bottle of wood glue, two tubes of Duco Cement, and about a half tube of Quick Grab Cement to complete it. If you are interested in seeing some of the steps in completing it, the wholw thing has been kept track of over in the Works In Progress section. I have not set on a price tag yet. I will probably set it pretty high. If I don't sell it, I don't care. This particular piece has been a labor of love. After starting the project, I have gotten down in my back. I've been popping pain pills like candy. I just couldn't stop though. The further I got, the more deeply I became ingrossed into it. After doing a little touchup work this morning, all I could do was pour a cup of coffee, light up a smoke, and just sit and stare at it a while. I couldn't help it. I'm a perfectionist. Seldom do I please myself as much as I have with the outcome of this project. I hope some of you enjoy the photos. I especially hope some of you truly enjoyed the WIP. While I got engrossed and forgot to snap photos to show a few steps, I did do all I could to follow it closely in photos. Enjoy. I'm going to take a couple of days off now and allow my back to ease up. In about a week, I'll apply a few coats of polycrylic. I'm sorry, I don't post photos after applying the poly. My camera just makes such a glare off the glossy finish it leaves that the photos just turn out like crap anyway. If anyone wants more photos, let me know. I took plenty.

Things have gotten even better now. I went down to their store this morning to deliver my Rocking Iron Horse. They are the one's who own the furniture store where a lot of my work is displayed now. I was told by the lady, "Merry Christmas, you don't owe me anything for the saw". She had talked it over with her husband and decided to just give me the saw. I finally squeezed out a thank you. I was speachless though. I've never had anyone just give me something like this. I couldn't believe it.

I have had a fight with table saw accuracy for years. All I've ever owned were the cheapest entry level starter saws I could find. I did luck up on an old Craftsman saw at a yard sale about a year ago. It was a decent saw, but still left a lot to be desired. I've always dreamed of a good cabinet type saw. It was just a dream. WELL, I got a nice one now. My son's boss lady made a comment to me that she had a good table saw for sale if I knew anyone needing one. After telling me what it was, I commented that I'd love to own it but could not afford it. Right now, $350 may as well be a million for me. Anyway, after she got home and talked it over with her husband, she called back and told me that if I wanted the saw I could go ahead and get it and make notes at fifty a month starting after the first of the year. Its a Rigid ts3650 saw. This thing is GREAT. It has a solid fence that is more accurate than any saw I've ever run in my life, much less owned. The saw is too heavy for me to pick up, but with the Heculelift system under it, a simple puch of the foot is all it takes to let the wheels down and move the saw around if I need it. It actually has a miter fence that is tight and not sloppy so you can cut angles with some hint of repeatability. It has capability on the left side of the blade to lay 36" of material ON the table so I can rip big stuff without having to wait for help to arrive. I LOVE this saw. It literally is a dream come true for me. I moved the old Craftsman and Ryobi out of the way to make room for the Rigid. This will be my only table saw now. I will keep the Craftsman. I'm going to put my dado blades on it and use it excluseively for picture frame slots. The Ryobi has already been donated to a friend who want to do a little woodwork in his shed but can't afford tools.

I sold Poke Chop the pig, but the customer wanted the bow painted pink. Thought you all might like to see Poke Chop in pink.

This month's theme is supposed to be fire safety with the fire truck being there. They'll be cooking hot dogs for the kids and they'll be building a fire house bank. However, here locally, it's been rescheduled for the 17th of this month because of conflicting local events. I'll try to post photos when we go.

Last time I tried resawing with my table saw, the blade caught a knot, and threw the piece of wood back into my stomach. Wasn't any permanent damage, but man did it leave a nasty bruise. That bruise hung around for a while and I had digestive problems for about two weeks. The bad thing is that I knew better than what I was doing. The piece of wood was bigger than the height of the blade. My plan was to rip one side, turn it over to rip the other side, then sand out any imperfections. After that little incident, I NEVER run nothing through my table saw that is thicker than blade height. Also, although I don't really like them, I installed anti-kickback pawls on my saw. They have helped me on several occasions.

I'd definately check to see what it might cost to fix it. A lot of times, with relatively cheap and easy repairs, those old saws will outlast the new ones for years and years.

So you aint going to tell us what the boo boo was? We like to hear the specific to make sure we don't do the same thing. We all get careless sometimes and need little reminders. As for getting help, I had a learning experince one time. Years ago, I worked as an industrial mechanic in a local plant. One day I scratched my elbow on a piece of tin. I call it a scratch because it barely broke the skin. There wasn't even any blood. A few days later I got the sniffles. I didn't think nothing of it. It was the time of year and everyone had been getting the flu. I just figured I was getting a case of it too. Then my arm started getting sore. I should have put two and two together. I just figured I'd been overworking it though. It had been a rough couple of weeks at the plant. Then one morning I wok up with what I'll call Popeye arm. My forearm was about twice the size of my upper arm, and I had quite large upper arms. I went to the doctor. Infection had set up. He said that if I'd waited much longer to go in, I'd have lost my entire forearm. Ever since that day, I don't take wound care lightly. Even a scratch can get infected. If you have ANY doubts, go to the doctor.

You are so right. That adapter went flying. I spent forty minutes finding it. Also, if you aren't absolutely positively certain that adapter is PERFECTLY straight on the blades, which is hard to do on any blade larger than about a #5, the blade will break fairly quickly from the back and forth stress on it while running the saw. Also there is the task of threading the blade from the bottom because of the adapter that gets to be a real pain in the butt. I thought this was going to be a good thing. The reason I wanted to use flat blades is that I have gone almost exclusively to Flying Dutchman blades from Mike's Workshop. On his site, there is no offering for pinned blades. I don't know if Flying Dutchman even makes them. I wanted to be able to use FDs on the Craftsman saw. Anyway, this morning, I finally gave in and installed the original equipment back on the saw. I'm tired of messing with the conversion kit. I'll just have to deal wih buying Olsen pinned blades for that saw. I'd rather have the saw running dependably than to keep dealing with this conversion kit. True,it allows me to use flat blades, but it has turned into more trouble than its worth.

I have a debit card. While I do trust Mike, at Mike's Workshop, I don't trust the internet in general. I have a major hangup about giving out my debit card number over the internet. I've had the same account number with the same bank for many years. I know all my numbers by heart. I'd hate to have some type of virus on my computer, have account problems, and then have to go through the hassle of changing all that. That is actually the great thing about green dot. I only load what moneys I need on there. By the time I pay my bills, which are all paid online these days, there's never no more than a few bucks on there. So, if by some way someone got the info and stole my money, they wouldn't get much. Then I could just get another card and start fresh. No big deal. This whole problem was my own fault. Before I put money on my account each month, I usually check my blade supply to see if I need to load extra money on the card to buy blades. I failed to do so this time. My memory isn't what it used to be. My wife is going to help me in the futue to remember to check my blade supply before I add bill money each month. That way, I can order from Mike. The only catch is, money is also tight lately. Take this month for example. I still need blades. The budget didn't allow for it though. So, I have to deal with what I got till next month. It's OK though. I still have about nine dozen spirals I got from Mike. Because of the great quality he provides, those ought to last me untill next month. I may have to order some flats and spirals after doing all this, but I'm sure Mike won't mind that either. Thanks for the advice. I got the problem worked out though for future reference. For me, the moral of this whole mess is to not order blades from anyone except Mike's Workshop. I should have known that anyway. From my experience, he provides the best blades I've ever used. He's reasonable on his prices. He's quick on shipping. Mike is my one and only blade provider from here on out. I don't care what the circumstances are. As for PayPal, I think I need to find a better way to get my money transfered when people order my stuff online.

I understand your reason for not using PayPal. I wish sometimes there was a better option for me. At this point in time though, no more than I sell on the internet, it's just the best option for me. Unfortunately though, my problem is when I do sell something, the money goes to my PayPal account. I can have it transfered to my bank. That sometimes takes a coupleof days though, especially if its a weekend. So, with it tied up at PayPal, it's hard to do anything with it. Short of Ebay, there really isn't much business I do that I use PayPal on. Then there's green dot. Don't get me wrong. Its been a blessing for me. I have no desire for a regular credit card. I cut one up fifteen years ago and haven't had a credit card since. So, green dot allows me to buy on the internet at places like Mike's Workshop without actually carrying a line of credit. The problem though comes in when there is no money on my card. That means I have to drive to the closest store that does reloads and add money to it. For me, that's about seven miles away. On days when I'm hurting, like the day I ordered those blades, it's hard for me to climb up into my truck, much less drive seven miles. Anyway, for now on, I'll wait until I do have the money on my Green Dot card and order from Mike.

Ok, I screwed up again. It seems I never learn. And I preach to my kids about making the same mistakes over and over. I don't have a credit card. What I do have is a Green Dot pre-pay card. There wasn't enough money on there to order blades I needed. I did however have some money in my PayPal account. And I didn't have the cash to go put money on my Green Dot either. Well, Mike, over at Mike's Workshop, doesn't offer PayPal payments. So, I went with another company (YES, I'm kicking myself now). Anyway, I order six dozen #9 blades. When ordering, I put in the part number (I guess that's what it's called) for six dozen #9 blades. In the notes to the seller section on my PayPal payment page (to be sure), I even made a notation, "SIX DOZEN #9 FD 2-WAY CUT BLADES". Oh boy, this is a disaster. Unlike Mike's Workshop, it took a week and one day for those blades to get here. I was needing them badly. Then they finally arrived. I opened the envelope and laid the six seperate packages on the table. WAIT! Something doesn't exactly look right. Why are some of these #9 blades smaller than others? To answer my own question. I was sent a dozen #9, a dozen #7, a dozen #5 a dozen #3, a dozen #1 and a dozen #2/0 FD 2-Way cut blades. How does my simple instructions, as I stated earlier, turn into a variety pack of blades, I'll never know. Now, I know mistakes happen, but I don't see how when I entered THEIR part number for exactly what I wanted AND made a notation on the payment of what I wanted. WAIT! The problem doesn't end there. I decided that since it was my screwup (for not ordering from Mike), I'd chalk it up and make do with what I had. So, I chucked a #9 in my saw to start cutting detail pieces for my current project. After going through a half dozen of the ONLY dozen #9s I have now, the best blade of the bunch has lasted about thirty seconds in 1/8 cottonwood stacked two high. CONCLUSION: I swapped over to my spirals (that I bought from Mike) and cut the rest of the head detail. After cutting all day, I've used only two of those. I don't care of that other company does send me a "free pattern with every order", I'll NEVER (repeat NEVER) order from anyone else except Mike's Workshop. He has the best blades out there. Everytime I mess up and order blades from anywhere else, I get CRAP. Thanks Mike, and I'm sorry I ordered from someone else. I guarantee it won't happen again. Money is tight right now, but as soon as I can I'll order some blades from you to replace these pieces of crap I got from that other company.

Thanks for the photo advice. That's an ongoing process of improving my photos. I minly want to improve the photos of my finished projects. My in progress photos will just have to do. I'm not taking the time to worry with them. The village is the only ones who see them anyway. I am working on it though, I promise. I do think the photos I posted here are better than my previous ones though.

That is nice. I haven't thought of making rings before. The mahogany may last longer than you think. I use a lot of mahogany and have found it to be a very durable wood. If you wear it regularly, let us know how long it lasts. It may be something worth looking into doing for some people who do craft shows and such.

I'll try to address several questions. I live in Vicksburg, Mississippi. I assume the price question was about my rockers. If you want more prices, I don't mind at all. Rocking Iron Horse (train) $125 Rocking Tractor $100 Rocking Pig (Poke Chop) $125 Rocking Roarer (Motorcycle) $250 Carousel Horse (Wildfower) $400 I wish I was "cranking them out" faster. The average time on the train, for example though, is three days. The motorcycle takes around five days. The carousel horse takes seven to eight minimum. These times though depend on how my back feels. I have had a real good spell where I completed a motorcycle in three days. Then again, I had a bad spell where a train took me ten days. Then there's the problem I have on the backside of these large projects. I get so wrapped up in them that I don't realize the stress I'm putting on my back while doing them. Then after completing them, I hurt so bad that I'm down for days. Sometimes I'm feeling the effects of a project a week later. Which is fine really though. Those bad times is when I fall back and do my smaller projects, like portraits. There are drawbacks though. For example, I finished that train yesterday. I have spent a majority of today in bed. The best I could describe today's pain is excruciating. As for selling these items. I think my prices are more than reasonable. However, selling is hit and miss. The motorcycles for example usually sell quickly. Right now though, my last tow are still sitting at the shop. I have sold one fifty dollar portrait in the last month. I have people all the time that think I make a fortune on my woodwork. It is a hobby. A hobby I love, but that love doesn't exactly put money in my pocket. Now I'm in a pickle. If I don't sell at least the two motorcylces before Christmas, there will be no Christmas at my house this year. I hope that answers the questions. If not, ask away. I'll be glad to answer more. One more thing. I hope you all are being honest when you say you enjoy seeing my work, because I'm soon going to start another work in progress section. You can see the ad photo for my next project at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/armor ... p-186.html