JTTHECLOCKMAN

slower than 400 seems a waste. I would caution of trying to use a speed controller in conjunction with this saw. Not made for that and will burn the electronics. I am talking about a sewing machine foot pedal or even those router speed controllers. If it had pulleys you could change the ratio of the pulley.

Not looking for it to get in fret work. Looking to put a satin feel to top layer. You do not feel the fret work. I wish I could convey the look easier but if you look at the solid wood you will see a warm glow to it and the feel is smooth. I love it. My customers do too. When you use Danish oil it has poly in it so it will leave the fret work with a slight gloss anyway. Especially if you use a blade that cuts smooth and I like to use FD #5 silver penguin reverse for most all my cuts.

I love Danish oil and use Watco all the time on most of my projects. I use the dip method. I have a plastic container that they use for storing things. It depends on the amount of projects that need to get dipped will depend on the size container I use. I have a few different designated for just this. I dip and let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes making sure the piece is submerged or at least turned over occasionally. Take it out and let it drip on the lid of the container. Will eventually dump excess back into the can. After about 1/2 hour I wipe it down with a soft cotton cloth and set off to dry. I try to do this outside on nice days so that the fumes are not bad and drying is quick. After a few hours sitting outside I bring into my basement where I have either a rack set up or a line where I can hang things. I again wipe them down and just let them dry for 4 to 5 days. I make sure things are OK and there is no bleeding of the oils out of the pores. If so just wipe again. After that I take each piece and apply Watco satin polish and the next day buff to a nice soft sheen. To me the key is sanding to 220 grit to give the piece a nice feel. I strictly use red oak so this works for me very very well. To me no need to dip more than once.

Danish oil is a mix of poly, blo, and mineral spirits and driers. Wait 72 hours and no problems. By the way nice job with the sign

If the saw is on a stand then just put a 2X4 under the back legs. Maybe you need a couple. I found that when a saw is tilted like that all the saw dust lands in your lap. Never found a need to tilt the saw. A magnifier light is a plus these days though. I have a very bad back but when sawing I just saw a bit and then get up and walk around and just sit straight up and I can saw for long periods of time. You can always raise the saw but you need to make sure everything is bolted down well. That is what takes the vibration out of those type saws. Good stable foundation.

Sell the magazines and be happy with the money you get and buy more patterns. Too much legal mumble jumble. You bought the magazines and are free to do what you want. That is what I would do and have a bunch to sell myself and do not care who has anything to say about them.

Have to thank all for adding their own highs and lows and boy there are some that just ring true with us all. I do hope there are always more highs than lows and whatever lows happen we learn from them. Continue adding to the list. It makes for a great read. Happy Scrolling.

I just reread your request. Will tell you this it will will will will warp so you are better off using baltic plywood. 1/4" is not thick enough for that unless you are going to encase in a frame to keep it from warping. You will not be able to put biscuits in a 1/4" piece. All these things are factors and if you do not have the tools to mill your own lumber than you are at the mercy of outsourcing and good luck with that. They can not control wood movement as well as you can. I see you mention backer board. Again if the backer is not plywood it too will warp. 2 different woods acting against each other makes for problems when getting into wide widths such as the 8" needed. You may want to step up the outer piece to 3/8" at least. Will help in the warping.

There are a ton of lumber yards in your area. Hardwood dealers too. Look in the yellow pages or do a google search for your area.

What a different world. I may never enter it. I still work off a flip phone and do all work on a home computer. May just have to have a fire sale and get out of this business all together and just make real highend pens. $5000 pens are not out of my realm. Zero my market to highend clients. They are out there for sure. Thinking out loud.

I can see why you did well. Lots of beautiful work there. You need to brag more often. You deserve the recognition. Thanks for showing.

Scott what I would wish you would do is ask the people who paid with credit cards if they would have made the purchase if you did not accept cards??? I hear this alot and I have not run into it as much. people must go to shows with the idea that not all craft vendors do cards. especially when you are talking a small show such as 1000 people or less. They usually stop at the atm machine before or also bring a check book if they are serious shoppers. Taking cards is another added expense that must be passed on to consumer or you are defeating your purpose too. It is a different world we live in and sell in these days that is for sure.

Kevin this is a good idea. Maybe you could do it here so it can be saved and you always can copy and paste to other sites if you find you need to. I was the one who brought up the poor sales returns I am seeing in shows that I use to do tremendous. So I am one who may be making a change and joining the online sales. I have no experience with this because I do not do it but it looks like the time has come to change with the masses. I do strongly believe it is the Amazons and other retail online platforms out there that are destroying the craft show circuit. Nothing much can be done about it. Those that are still seeing decent returns on shows, ride it out and hope it continues. I have done and tried all the tricks in the book because I have been doing this for over 25 years so changing stock, raising and lowering price game, offering deals has been tried. There maybe a trend of east coast VS middle states and even west coast when it comes to sales. So when following everyone who is doing well and who is not, pay close attention to their origin. Makes a difference . Happy Scrolling.

I use a branding iron also. Buy it once and lasts forever.

I was watching a show that I love to watch and is called Handcrafted in America. On there was a gentleman that makes watches by hand. It showed a quick glimpse into what he goes through to make all the components and painstaking labor to put it together and work flawlessly. The (pun) time and effort is tedious to say the least. It got me thinking of what we do here and that is scrolling. Even if you are relatively new at it or an old timer such as myself there always are those highs and lows that come with the artform. The longer you do it the more of these you get to be part of. I thought it would be fun to list some of these highs and lows and I am sure we all will say oh yea I agree with that. What we do is tedious also and time consuming and you grow into the love of it or else we move on. It is a hobby not for all. Patience plays a huge role and at some times it can test our inner selfs. Lets say a high is just like having ******* a candy bar (what did you think I was going to say) and a low is like denting your car. Here are some examples to get things rolling and hope others will jump in. Highs Sawing along and you decide you need to change the blade. The first cut with the new blade is like heaven. Picked out a pattern that had so many cuts you thought you would never finish but you make that final cut and stand back and you are proud. Had someone compliment your work and go on and on about how well it looks and maybe even buys a piece. You find that perfect piece of wood to work with in both looks and in cutting ability. Not all woods cut well. Lows Put hours in on a piece cutting many frets and when done accidently drop it and it breaks into a million pieces. Now that is the low of lows to me. (we all have been there) Spend many hours making things and go to a show and nothing sells. Cutting an intricate pattern and within the board are hard grain lines that constantly throw your blade off course. Had this with oak boards because of the heavy grains. Cutting fine details and suddenly you sneeze and there goes a fine cut. OK that should get things rolling. There are many many more and we all have lived them. Lets see what you come up with. Hopefully all our highs and lows even out and we continue promoting this great hobby. Happy Scrolling.

WE did lose a great one. He was a master at the puzzles and how he can take a Christmas card and turn it into a puzzle. I am sure his puzzles are all over the world. I too have one of his original stamp puzzles. He used to send them as a business card. There was a small group of us that really talked scrolling back in the day and Mike Moorloch of FD blade fame was part of that. He will be missed. Rest in Peace and condolences go out to his family and friends.

LOts of good advice here. First let me say welcome to the scrolling world. You will have to be patient if you want to become an accomplished scroller. Scrolling is slow and is designed to do so because you are cutting intricate work. Yes the blade you are using is probably too course of a blade. The jumping up and down will disappear when you get the feel of how much to hold the wood down and still be able to spin it. Allowing the blade to do the cutting will also help the jumping because if you push too hard you do not allow the blade to clear the kerf of the cut from saw dust. Some woods are more prone to cut tougher and that goes for simple pine too. A good sharp blade will mean a world of difference. As far as the saw jumping you need to secure it to something solid. Some people add a layer of rubber between the saw and table to absorb vibrations. Maybe a photo of your setup would help us to add more comments. But for the most part do not be in a hurry because scrolling is not a fast way to cut wood.

I have not cut copper but have cut my share of brass. Copper could be a bit more gummier when cut. At least that is what I found when I turned it on a lathe as compared to brass. Here is a project that required cutting of brass. I used Jewelers blades to make the cuts and placed blue masking tape on the top and placed a thin wood on the bottom or else the cuts would scratch the table top too much. No need to sandwich it. Good luck.

They all look very nice but I will point something out that has become an interest because of the society we have turned into and that is sue happy. One thing I have always tried to stay away from is items that take some thinking and some common sense to use. Such as toys and puzzles, candle holders, lights weather battery operated or electric, and anything that can become a hazard in some way. I should not have to state the obvious problems that can arise with the use of these items but if misused and unfortunate things happen, people look to pass blame very quickly. Over my lifetime I never wanted to become a target. Yes you can carry insurance but is it worth it. With toys you need to be aware of paints, size of objects so not swallowed, fingers getting injured and so on. Same goes for candles. Have to watch the finish used, proximity of candle to wood and so forth. Batteries can leak. Electric sockets need to be wired correctly following codes and the wires must be UL rated and unable to be easily pulled and the list goes on. Yes people have gone on to make products like those mentioned and never ran into problems but there are cases, some never make the news that have gone the other way. This is not to discourage you but to make you aware of possibilities. Good luck in your ventures. Happy scrolling. My suggestion is to make those into sun catchers with colored plastic behind them.

I could never lock myself into one project. Need to have multiple things going to keep sane. I turn pens and also scroll. When I turn pens I like to make my own blanks so that gets interesting and no two are alike. This winter I do want to try my hand at some record cuttings also. If you take one of those projects on I hope you have a place to put it and make it portable. Good luck we will be watching.

I do the exact thing. Prep ahead of time and save agony latter. I can not figure out how you people use a mop sander on flat finished work and if it has delicate fret work. Never used a mop sander. 220 grit on a palm sander and all fuzzies are gone and any adhesive from tape is gone.

sand with a palm sander

Fein is a very very good brand and is a great dust collector with many features and the turbos are right there with Festool. 67db is quiet for a shop vac. It is designed to come on and off as with sanders and other saws. But with a scrollsaw and the amount of on and off I would choose to leave it run. The electronics in it for the soft start and continuous run could prove to put a burden on it. Would save wear and tear in my opinion.

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Never been accused of using wise words