JTTHECLOCKMAN

Tony, calm down. Not worth getting the blood pressure up. I too turn pens. With pens or any hobby never and I mean never put yourself in a must have to do now situation. It is a hobby and if it is even a business you are in control. It is you selling the finished product. You must explain to customers that your time is valuable and you are in demand. You will get the product to them as soon as humanly possible. If they have a problem with that then they are not a customer I would not want to deal with. With pens you need to try to keep your best sellers in stock and all the side products that go into making them. Yes i know it can be expensive to have much inventory but think of the vendors you are buying from. They are in the same boat. Trying to manage your inventory better. There are various vendors today so you may have to shop around more. May have to go back to the customer and offer an alternative if possible. Remember relax and you are in control. Happy turning.

My memory is not what it use to be so there is alot of gaps missing in this. But I do recall when those type puzzles started coming out and the inventor tried to corner the market on the idea and I am guessing he was unable to patten it. There are now many makers of those patterns out there. But maybe there is someone who could shed some light on this topic and its origin of those type puzzles. Probably someone who does these will have more background. Could be an interesting story to tell. Anyone????

Rolf I believe most magazines are designed to entice the newbies. I remember when I first started woodworking and scrolling I wanted every wood working magazine on the shelf and I purchased them. You are so geeked up and excited with your new found hobby. As I got more skilled I found them to not be challenging and to be of basic nature and full of ads. That is just the way it is and will not change. When you do become more skilled you look for specific patterns or projects to make and it is just much cheaper and simpler to seek them out individually. With todays internet the paper magazine is becoming a dinosaur as well as newspapers. You find this in all hobbies so it is not new. After a while you look at your hobby through different colored glasses and things look different. To find maybe one or two projects in a year's subscription is quite expensive and it just smarter to buy when needed. I believe scrollsaw magazines as well as other woodworking magazines are better suited for the tease or eye candy side of things. I believe people would like to see more crafters finished projects. I get a pen magazine and all it is a magazine with top brand pens photos. But what it does for me is stimulates my brain for ideas to try to replicate or expand. I believe that is what would be beneficial to a scrollers magazine and I have sent that idea in many years ago to both those scrollers magazines and to an extent they did increase the section on showing finished projects but to me not enough. I know space is limited but this is my opinion.

I agree 100% with Hawkeye on that statement. I have just about discontinued all my subscriptions to all wood magazines. I find the scrollsaw magazines to be too beginner oriented and they stopped being any challenging projects years ago. better to buy patterns from pattern makers of the ones that I need. Other wood magazines just promote tools that support them. I am now stuck with 1000's of magazines I hate to throw away. Oh the money spent on all those subscriptions I could buy a few scrollsaws and expensive ones at that.

I would not use walnut. Not stable enough. I would cut out of Baltic Birch or Finnnish or even Apple plywood as long as it has no voids and then stain it brown.

I too use Deft lacquer. I stain with Watco stains and let dry at least 24 hours usually 48. Top coat with about 4 to 6 coats of lacquer. If the project is large or I am doing many items with the same process I will break out the compressor and HVLP gun and spray a water base lacquer. No sanding needed between coats and a beautiful finish every time.

Wide open question. Many variables. Is there a finish on the table already?? If so what is it?? Needs to be sanded if using any poly. Lacquers and poly do not mix. Poly is a strong smell unless using waterbased poly. Usually will dry to touch in 6 hours but cure in 48 to 96 hours in 75 degree nonhumid conditions. The longer the better. I like to let a project stand for a week before buffing out. Problem of dust settling on top for long periods of open time. Poly will stand up to abuse longer than lacquer but lacquer will dry faster and eliminate above problems. Takes more coats of lacquer than poly. It too has bad smells unless using waterbased lacquers. Clearer finish than poly unless using waterbased poly. If table is stained needs to be completely dry and clean before top coating. Some polys require sanding between coats. Need to read instructions and follow. As far as being dry in time is a matter of when you start and the conditions. Both poly and lacquer will dry but cure at different rates. Depends alot on amount of coats. Finishing is not a project you want to rush. All info I can give you without more details and it mostly is general info you can find by visiting the web site of the product being used. Good luck.

Could be a cold solder joint on the circuit board. Or a wire that is not seated all the way or a splice that is loose. That would be where I look first.

This is what I use also on all my projects except for shelves. They are strong. For shelves I will use keyhole system of hanging.

Doug at first you said poster than you call me by name. I said what I said because of your response. I don't get you. As for help I offer alot of help here. Can't help someone who gave up on the saw after a couple hours. As another poster pointed out for every problem you point out on the Hawk you can double it on the Dewalt. I too have a serier#1 Dewalt and do you want me to mention all those problems they had??? There were many. Don't just point me out because others here have told you the same thing as I did. Go back and read the responses. Again I will highlight your own words so do not tell me I won't help. When you got to this post sounded like you did not want help and made up your mind. Glad you found an operator error and maybe you will give the saw a chance to show you what a good saw it really is. It will take more than a couple hours of use to get use to. after only using it for a couple of hours i dont really know that i want to get used to it! other than the usa made motor and electronics and being heavy built i dont think it is all it is cracked up to be. the on/off switch is not in a real handy spot,the blade holders are crap, and the more i use it the less i want to use it. this is supposed to be a enjoyable hobby, not a headache with the saw every time you have to make an inside cut! i also got the manual with it when i bought the saw. i have done what the manual says and i still dont like the clamp system. i am glad i bought this used because i would be upset if i had paid anywhere near the $1200 price tag they want for it new.

The clamps on my Hawks are similar except the bottoms are square and not rounded. So easy to change. Do it without even looking. As others keep a few preloaded if I am doing production work but even that is not necessary. The holder for the clamp is right on the arm and is so easy to change a blade. Pop a clamp in the bottom and swing top of blade into top clamp and swing lever over and the blade is tensioned the same every single time. No guess work as with the Dewalt because the top and bottom part of the blade hits a fixed stop. Could not be more easy in my opinion. It may take some sawing to get the hang of it but to knock it down the way the OP did is not fair. A couple hours is no test run. He is so much better selling the saw and getting a couple Dewalt saws. How many times do you read about Dewalt saws and the problems they have just on this site. Go back and read them all. It is a $500 saw and that is all. A Hawk is a $12000 saw and it is proven. He asked for help and then he snap at when he got it. That was my point about the bashing. Like it or not it is my opinion.

after only using it for a couple of hours i dont really know that i want to get used to it! other than the usa made motor and electronics and being heavy built i dont think it is all it is cracked up to be. the on/off switch is not in a real handy spot,the blade holders are crap, and the more i use it the less i want to use it. this is supposed to be a enjoyable hobby, not a headache with the saw every time you have to make an inside cut! i also got the manual with it when i bought the saw. i have done what the manual says and i still dont like the clamp system. i am glad i bought this used because i would be upset if i had paid anywhere near the $1200 price tag they want for it new. I read it different. sorry. He said he wasn't going to bash it and as he added more posts it got worse. Others will find the blade system works great. It is an opinion. $1200 saw is not a better design, Some disagree as I do. To me and I am entitled to my opinion too that sounds like bashing. As far as trying to buy a saw from reviews especially one of that much money you are kidding yourself. Would you buy a car sight unseen and no test drive?? Everyone is use to the saw they use the most and it is human nature to not like something they are not use to. If he used that saw before he used a Dewalt he may have had a different opinion. Everyone here has a opinion about the saw they use and how much they like it. As far as the switch thing goes, use a foot switch and take the switch out of the equation.

I hate to read this type bashing. You started out saying you were not going to bash it and then here you are. If you do not like the saw sell it plain and simple. Whenever you buy any tool weather it is new or used you take for a test drive, just like a car. You are use to the Dewalt than why not buy another dewalt?? I have an older Hawk 220 and 226 and love them. They are not the barrel clamps but the next generation up from that. I also have a Hegner 18" and a Dewalt 788. I think the Dewalt is a pain in the neck to use with the use of the arm having to lift. The blade tightening system is not the same every time you do fret work. With the hegner and RBI it is one lever that sets the blade tension the same every time. Each of us can tell one another their love of the machine they use the most and try switching and things are different and not as smooth. Sell the saw and get back your money and buy another dewalt saw because you will need more than one. Oh yea oil and grease it to because if you do not it falls apart. China loves this part.

Yes they are one company now.

Why not just email Jim??? Here a thread. www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums/topic/8972-inlay-in-cedar-trunk/

I have been scrolling way longer than you so I will say I need the full size of my saws for what I mentioned with scrolling mirrors, shelves and other projects. I have more than one saw because of the deals I got on them. I have never replaced anything, oiled anything on my RBI saw except the front blade holder which wore out. I would highly highly highly recommend an RBI saw over any other saw on the market. I am a bottom feeder which will also have alot to do with saw choice so take that in your consideration. But to your point put me down for 26" saw and need every inch of it. Just another thought. full capacity can mean alot more than just throat size too.

Again lets go back to what you are asking and who you are asking. It is good that over the years you found your niche and know what size saw fits your needs. But there are many many more scrollers than you. I am sure the makers of saws see what the trend is when it comes to saws and that is what they focus their price range on. Not only you. To make a smaller saw is not going to save much money if you want quality. The tooling to make those saws has to be adjusted in the price. The top makers know that the smaller saw market is well inundated with cheap Chinese saws that basically are all the same but different colors. They probably all come out of the same market and are basically throw away items. I believe the top makers see that the average saw buyer is buying a saw in the 20" range but being there is not many in the larger range they offer those too. That market is not crammed like the smaller market so their profits will justify the making. This is my thought as to why you do not see the top makers joining the crowd on smaller saws. People look at price and would buy the cheaper one before the more expensive especially if just starting out. The top saws are for the serious scrollers. Again the difference between a 20" and 16 or 18" saw is so small in the eyes of the serious scroller and they weigh in on the larger size because of future needs. Buy once.

My take on it what in the world is the difference between 4". It does not take up that much more room. It is the design of the saw that takes up the room. You may only need to cut on a 16" or 18" saw but that first project that is larger than that you wish you had at least a 20" saw. I have a Hegner 18" saw. a Hawk 220 and a Hawk 226. The 220 gets the most use. But I need the 226 for mirrors that I make and a few other larger patterns and I will never ever use spiral blades. The longer you scroll the more you develop your needs. Just starting out you have no idea what your needs are. So ask that question to 100 people and you will get 100 different answers.

Teak is a very hard wood and oily wood. Not sure what type pattern you are cutting but you may have to step up to a #7 skip tooth blade. 3/4" is thick. It will burn and eat many blades. Tough choice of woods.

I assume you are using stickyback felt. I would rough cut the shape with scissors and then stick it to the bottom and take a razor blade and trim the edges following the contour of the base. Do it all the time and it works fine but I am never in a hurry. Bad things happen when in a hurry. Do it right the first time.

It is in the Mahagony family. Can be a number of spieces though

Have to say I learned a lot through books such as Patrick Spielman and John Nelson when I started out. Never had a computer. Now things are much easier to find and to ask a question is so easy and you get immediate responses. Also The Berry Basket was my go to source of patterns. I probably made so many of Rick and Karen's patterns that they are most of my products. I remember the black and white small little catalogs they started with. I bet I still have those somewhere. Scrolling took off and was a popular hobby due to people like that. Still is a relaxing hobby and you canstill make a few $$$ from.

I would use the tape also. Easiest thing to do.

I was just trying to see if there was any old time scroller here that worked on the project.

Do they still have any scrollsaw picnics or get togethers any more. I remember going to a few many many years ago. I remember seeing all the top designers at that time. Such as John Nelson and his wife, Dan and Ray Wilckens, Dirk and Karen Boelman, Rick and Karen Longabaugh, and a few others. I also remember being able to see all the latest saws and scrolling material available all in one spot. There were also a few wood sellers there also. They would have contests for scrolled entries and you got to see so many projects all in one place. It was always a great time. Anyone gone to any???