JTTHECLOCKMAN

No problem. I simply forgot I had to do the same thing that long ago. It was good that I kept my notes on it and also the packing slip. As I recalled the parts were under warrenty. RBI made subtle changes over the years and are still making changes. They looked at some shortcomings of their saws and made improvements. I am sure there will be more. I recommend the RBI saw. I have scrolled on many saws over the years and own a few but my go to saw is my Hawk 220vs. That fix is actually a very easy fix. Push the pin out, install the arm and reinstall a pin.

Trackman Your saw is a little older than mine but is a saw they updated right after the use of the barrel blade holders. It has all the modern tension arms and yes they did not have the set screw and they improved right after that. I found my manual and in it I found my notes. I bought my saw in 1998. I ran into the same problem you have and replaced that pivot arm in 2002. Boy the mind is a terrible thing to waste. I have no recollection of doing this Thanks for keeping records. I bought my 226 a little after that so they already made the change on that arm. But anyway very easy to change and not expensive at all and I bet if you explain they may even send it free or give a discount. The packing slip does not have the price if I paid anything at all. I do not remember. I believe it was under warrenty. I can give you the stock # but they may have changed being a different company. Just tell them what it is and they will know right away. Top blade holder assembly 615-7000 replaces 615-4153 upper blade holder assembly 615-1182 Tension pin or called roll pin 716-0042 Press the roll pin out and the arm comes right out. Put new arm up and insert roll pin and you are scrolling again and yes the setscrew is adjustable so you may need to adjust after getting installed. You do not want the tension too tight or you will wear the screw down. All it does is gives some friction when the tension arm is pushed into position. As I said very easy to fix and takes 10 minutes. Give RBI a call. They will know right away what it is you need. Good luck and it is a great saw. I love mine and have many many many hours on it and many projects came off it.

I have one that I have put off for almost 10 years now. Now that I am back in the shop and full of pep I may just get around to it.

It looks pretty simple. You have the prototype in front of you so you can easily copy the angles and measurements. Just a matter of how fancy you want to get. Pin all the joints with some dark dowels. Make the spokes a different colored wood than the body and the ideas will flow.

I have to say I am impressed that everyone is truly a master scroller here. It takes some adjusting as we cut out our patterns and just that little thing about fragile parts and adjusting thickness is something that is not taught in books that I know of or at least when I started some 35 years ago. But these and a few others mentioned here are things we learn as we grow into the hobby and hope they get passed on to new member who want to learn. I also agree about switching directions at times is necessary but I always like to keep the slant of the teeth to the line so that I can shave some if I need to. One other thing, there was a time or movement by pattern makers to make their patterns in red ink because easier to see. I suppose if you copy a pattern you maybe able to change ink color. But I see most patterns in black and white. Thanks all for posting and happy scrolling.

Lets bring back an age old discussion that probably has been asked since scrolling was invented. It is actually a 2 part question. When you are cutting a project out that has a pattern and you attached to your wood and made all your entry holes. You now get ready to proceed to cut the pattern. When you follow the cut lines of the pattern, do you cut them down the center, stay on the inside of the pattern line or stay on the outside of the pattern line. ??? Second part, do you scroll right or left??? Lets have some fun.

I agree with the others and no that is not normal for it to release like that. But it is an easy fix. I love my Hawk 220 and 226.

I will agree about the dust. That stuff is so fine it gets everywhere. Not good to breath in either.

Have an older Delta model myself. You can easily hone those blades. Many years ago I bought one of those honing devices for jointer and planer blades and it works quite well.

Nothing but flat blades here. I tried spirals and could never get the hang of it. I use to test run blades for Mike Moorloch and had to tell him any of those puzzle blades or spiral blades he would have to find someone else to test. Never could get the hang of them.

Never seen that but my guess would be a hand made blade from a coping saw blade. What happens many times and I am sure we as scrollers all know this by now that blades slip out of the holders. This many is due to the oil that is on the blade when they are made. That is why you need to clean them before use. I always sand all 4 ends of each blade before I go to use it. The screw in the clamp becomes shiny and very slippery from rubbing against the metal of the blade when we tighten. That is why on occassion you need to run a piece of sand paper in those clamps. The person probably did not know how to correct this problem and their solution was to wrap the end so that the screw goes through the hole thus not allowing it to pull out. Even if this is not the answer I think that was a pretty good thought and took some brain cells away. I do not have many to give away any more. I hope you do not have any more surprises for us. Hope you find the answer.

Well Les you have an RBI saw. Now the thing is I have no clue what year or model that is. They do not make 16 saws any more. The very first 16 saw did not come with a VS motor and was belt driven on the side. This model , being my guess would be the next generation. There is no quick release in either the front or the back. You have a thumb screw on the side in the front and you have a knob in the back to release and add tension, much like the early Hegner saws. The next generation had a quick release lever in the back that wore out at times from having to do that every time you want to release the blade. It had a VEE shaped block back there much like what the Hawks have today. It too had no front quick release. With being 16" there should be no problem reaching over but does become one pain in the butt if doing alot of fret work with a lot of holes. You will probably notice vibration on the upper top speeds. The bigger the saw the more mass and wider stance of the table helps eliminate that. If you scroll in those speeds you may need to weight it down. It is a very reliable motor. A little cleaning up and you are good to go. Have fun and happy scrolling. For the price not bad at all.

Thank you. Have been doing this for over 30 years. The wood on that project is RedHeart and the brass is a soild polished brass door guard purchased from home depot. The bottom steps have red stained glass in the openings.

Had a Jim Dandy on it. but took it off. That arm can get a bit heavy if you do a lot of pierce cutting. But I do not use that saw much any more. My go to saw is the RBI Hawk 220 or 226. I am a bottom feeder and it is as most things whatever you learn at the beginning and get use to. I will challenge anyone that I can mount my blade ready for sawing as fast as any top feeder. The thing is the blade is flexible people. I barely tilt the piece and can thread the blade through the hole no problem. I bend the blade over almost 90 degrees. When drilling holes the pattern dictates what size the entry holes can be. I use a rather large bit if allowed and adjust accordingly. It is quite simple and the blade holder right on top is there for the eye to see very easily. I will never switch. I know this has been a long standing debate as to weather top feed or bottom feed. It does not matter. That is why they made those type saws to accommodate either way. Just sit back and enjoy the hobby and turn out some great projects. We all win.

Well Randy, I belong to a pen turning group called IAP. Maybe you have heard of it. There is a fellow there that cut coins also and he too is very good at what he does. He then actually thins the coin and bends it to wrap around a pen tube and then casts in clear resin. He makes some great looking pens. We got into a discussion on how to thin quarters. He would not disclose his secret. So I answered one of the other posters with the 3 ways I know of thinning them. Sanding on a belt sander, turning them down on a lathe or cutting them in half with a scrollsaw. Well as you I got of negative nay sayers on the scrollsaw ideas and even the guy who cuts the coins challenged me to show them. I told him if I did it he would have to make me a NJ quarter pen blank. I told him I would send him one of my copper braided pen tubes and he would add the quarter and I would cast and spin down and finish. He agreed. Well here are the results. It took me 5 #2/0 jewelers blades to cut that quarter and the material is harder than it looks. As mentioned he was a man of his word and here is the pen I wound up with.

Yes those are very good quality blades and are indeed made for a scrollsaw. If you cut quarters have you ever cut a quarter in half?? I bet you have not Slice a quarter in half using a scrollsaw. Now that is a challenge few will accept.

As you may know then jewelers blades are made for cutting metals. The finer the blade the finer the cut. I used Jewelers blades to cut all the brass on this project. 3/0 is what I used.

I too am a turner but stick with small items such as pens, birdhouse ornaments, and clocks. It is all that I want and need to do. I have 2 jet lathes 1014 an 1220 both VS. Fine tools. Yes the lathe is the cheapest part of that hobby because buying all the tools, grinders for sharpening and pen kits it does get costly but it is a hobby and keeps the mind active. I was away from my shop for close to 3 years due to health issues and family issues and just recently got back and I really missed doing what I do. Good to be able to create things again.

I am a bottom feeder and never had a problem. I can do it just as fast and as easy as a top feeder. Just a matter of what you get use to and use every day. I am an RBI man and my go to saw is the RBI Hawk 220. I own a 226, A delta 788. a Hegner16" I believe the Jet will come down in price somewhat and settle in the $700 range. I believe they will run sales on it to promote it more. That lower clamp looks like a problem because it is not something you can do while sitting at the saw very easily. Changing blades should be an easy thing.

I agree that is not cheating at all. If there is perfect circles I will drill them out. If the pattern is an oval or circle or even square. I will use the tool to make the shape the easiest way. If making multiples I will make a jig and then rough cut and then trim with a router. Not cheating at all. That is why you have a shop full of tools. I will ask this then. Is it cheating using a machine as a scroll saw when this hobby was invented with the use of a fret saw and done by hand. ???There are still some purists that still do it that way.

I use painters blue tape and if it is a delicate pattern with alot of fret work I will switch to the purple or sometimes even the green. Less tack and comes off very easily. Alot better than trying to scrub off glue residue from the pattern adhesive. Chance of breaking delicate pieces. Works for me.

This is a good point and I did not even think of that. It is basically because of those type blade clamps used underneath. That was part of the ad that I saw was that video. She was honest.