JTTHECLOCKMAN

I believe it is all in what you learned on. I always learned on bottom feeder saws so I find it very easy to thread blade and install in top clamp in seconds. Being able to se where to place blade in clamp is a huge advantage to me. No older Hawk saws can not be bottom fed. Neither the Hegners. I had a Dewalt for awhile and tried top feeding and that was a disaster. Fiddling under the table to find the clamp and making sure it is all the way in was a pain. I like to see what I am doing. That is why I broke very few blades.

I used clear acrylic and adhered it with double sided tape. Did that many years ago and it stood the test of time. It allows for easy movement of the project and can be waxed if need be. As far as zero clearance. I cut the opening small but it is not exact. No need for that. The blade will enlarge the hole over time because of the flex in it. I made it a little larger than the top to accommodate larger projects so they will not fall off the ends when spinning to cut. I found out right away I need that when I started cutting out my larger mirrors. I did this to both saws. I did not like the metal tables because the wood does not slide well because they way they are finished. I found the acrylic is not too slippery and still allows for good control of the piece but the more experienced you get the faster you turn the pieces and that is what I liked about the material. Got plexiglass from Home Depot in window dept.

That could be someone's homemade version. Easy to do with the right parts and a little knowledge. Just get one of the others making sure you have what you want.

Never ran into that problem. Always something to do in the shop. I am not one for maintenance so that is out. Never touched my scrollsaw for maintenance in my life time. I have run those saws plenty of hours over the years. If you call vac the dust up then yes that is what I do. I do have alot of home projects still going on. Come this winter I will get back into making pens. Love that. Scrollsaw days are just about nonexistent any more.

They do run crazy sales every once in awhile and you just need to be aware or have it bookmarked and watched. That is a good price.

Put me down for light also. The dark stain just drags down the vibrant colors of the glass. Let the glass do the talking. Nice job.

I like the idea of different colored rings. I have this pattern thanks to Denny but have not gotten around to trying it out. I have a few ideas of my own. Nice work.

Just another example of technology that is intended for convivence and more ease of use. But it too has created problems which is in the battery end as far as disposal and wearing down. Yes recharging has its place in total power consumption numbers

Led has definitely helped save energy on the back end. But did they factor in the making of the components. Changing filament and fluorescent lighting is much simpler than installation of solar panels and making of electric cars. No argument there that LED lighting saves energy. It also gives the user many more choices as to where to use and colors and things like that. Fixtures are so much more compact. This technology is still changing though. Went from the curly bulbs to the almost same configuration bulbs as we all grew to know. You see now alot of the what is basically called Jacob Ladder light bulbs or science fiction looking bulbs with the gold filaments. But there are so many other designs too. Compact electronics will continue to save energy. We see it in many things. Nano technology is the future as well as the present.

But you have to remember what the whole idea behind this green technology is. Save the planet from ourselves. Are we actually doing that?

Yes this comes close to running up to the political lines so I will not push it but can tell you as I said before with LED lights. Every new technology comes with its own set of problems. I have installed miles of solar panels on solar panel farms as well as on top of many factory roofs which seem to be a great place because they are out of site and those roofs are dead space anyway. But there are so many problems that come up with the installation no matter where they are put and they still are developing newer versions all the time so the ones installed become outdated and lose percentage of power every year. Electric cars is a joke where they put the horse before the cart. The electric grid can not sustain the totals of those cars they propose in the time limits. As I mentioned every part weather on a solar panel or electric car or wind turbine was made using fossil fuels so the irony is somewhat laughable. Weather it be electric cars or solar panel or other environmentally used projects does not fit all areas of the world. Alternatives are needed for sure but at what cost. I will not be around to see the answers to these things so let me know how it turns out in another decade or two.

I know that is a jab, Ray but that is OK. I just wanted add some knowledge being an electrician for over 50 years and have seen this side of innovation expand over the years. Like I said with new things comes new problems and maybe some are not aware of. Someday I will let you in on the downside of solar panels that everyone likes too. So watch the bowing stuff it hurts the back.

You are proving my point. Not all LED lamps are equal. Many of these coming from China are just cheap garbage. How did we live so long with old fashion incandescent and fluorescents? You learned the hazards and you stayed away from them There are now hazards with new technology also and LEDs are on that list. Do not get me started on Electric cars because that is another fallacy that is suppose to save energy. I will leave this note, stop and think how was each part made for electric cars. How is charging done. Lithium Ion batteries how safe are they? Go to trade in an electric car and see how much value is lost with each year. Alot more than a combustion engine. Are we going in the right direction? depends how you look at things I guess. OK I am off my soap box and happy light shopping. This is for you Kevin. You may not believe this but LED lights degrade faster in warmer temps than in cold and in cold the light output is brighter than warmer temps. You may not notice this but again things that do not get mentioned much when sales are involved. As far as flickering that would make this thread alot longer to give all the reasons LED can flicker as well as stay lit even with the light switch off. You will see lots of this when you are in a power shortage situation like summer times when they drop voltages to save power. This can damage LEDS as well as motors and so many other things. The life expectancy of those LED lights can be compromised and now you are replacing more often. I know this has gone in a different direction and all but it gets overlooked many times with progress.

Again I will make a comment here because of Ray's thoughts. he said better light longer life. That is not always true so please do not say things like this. Again Not all LEDs are made the same I have seen Leds blow out and flicker in 6 months. I have seen Fluorescents last for years. Every time you throw a switch on you jolt electronics or filaments and depending how heavy duty they are they will absorb this. Take a look at your saws. Every time you start and stop the saw you jolt that motor. The better saws have better motors plain and simple. If you are fine with old fluorescents then do not let anyone here talk you out of them. There are still plenty around for replacement. What works for one is not for all.

How do you know if the blue light hasn't effected your eye sight. Everyone can do as they please but my point was to make others aware that it is a thing and a serious thing. We try to improve on things but they can lead to other problems.

This saw is way too new to call a winner. As they get more sold and reviews start coming in the verdict will be more clear. I do not know who is making these but they do look like a clone. Good luck with the saw. Maybe a good idea to make some sort of cover for the switch and control box to keep dirt and dust out.

I would like to just put my 2 cents in here about LED's. They are not for everyone. LED lights can not be compared to Fillament or even fluorescent lamps because of color. It is the BLUE LIGHT effect which all LED lamps put out. Some lights filter it better than others but this effect can damage eyes. So when I read Bad Bob champing LED's I would warn you not all people can handle them and again if buying try to get a LED light with a low blue lighting filtering system and protect your eyes. Many people can not handle the brighter light or the different color of light that is emmitted from LED and no not all Led lights are color controllable especially these desk lamps you are all talking about so be careful what you buy. Yes LED have a plastic covering as opposed to glass because they are cooler in run temp and can allow this. They do make and I have one where I have the old flourescent lamps but it has a plastic cover on the bottom that protects the lamp. Had it for many years. Again buy cheap get cheap. Just wanted to make a point here if it is a mag light we are talking about or just some other external source lighting. Those bright lights are not good for your eyes even when they reflect off the metal table of a saw. So choose wisely the amount of lumens needed when it comes to having lights sit directly on a table like I have seen some people have here. It would be better to look at the room lighting in general and see if that can be upgraded to spread the lighting more evenly. I am not an eye doctor and nor do a want to be but be careful. Yes Led lights save money and power consumption but comes at a cost. You can relate this to computer screens. They have been refined over the years but it was a danger staring at a computer screen for so many hours. Do your homework and take suggestions here but investigate further. I just had to say something as this topic keeps unfolding.

All magnifier lights come like glasses in that they have a rating of magnification. I have and suggest that you look at architects and draftsman mag lights. That is what I got years ago. I had a highend art store that carried things like that. they carried all the paints and canvases and things like that. They had the tables that draftspeople use. It was a nice store. Maybe you have something like that in the area.

Good luck with your new adventures. Have fun.

Good luck with the new hobby. Color sells. People love colors. Basically this is how many pen blanks are made also taking back to my new hobby. Mixing of colored dyes within resins is a timing thing and to get the timing right along with the right heat is tricky. There is a huge market in making pen blanks.

Yea this is a matter of opinion. I do not see why the Hawk clamps are more cumbersome. So simple to take out and replace blade and slap back in with no tools needed. hegner you better not loose that wrench. I had both and when I switched to Hawk it was night and day and love both my Hawks. But again it is what you learned on that we gravitate back to. I bet if you started with a Hawk you would changed your mind. But I could be wrong.

Yes they are great. My brother led me onto those. One year Home Depot was selling the shop vacs for $40 around Christmas time. We each bought 2 and wish i bought a couple more because the price has more than doubled. Then we bought the hoses and a tremendous upgrade. I bought the Hepa filter for them also. Just used it alot this summer for I am doing some sheetrock work on some rooms in the house and after sanding I vac the walls down before I prime and no dust at all and the hose did not fight me either. Just long enough too. Now I have a garage vac set up in my garage for cleaning the cars and other projects I may do out in the garage or in front of it and it too has a hose similar to that but is 25 feet long so I can reach anywhere. It is so flexible and easy to wrap up and hang by the vac. That thing is also a great vac. Wall mounted and always available so I do not have to pull shop vac out every time I need a vac outside.

When I first got started scrolling I had to have the latest greatest inventions. Everyone was making blade holders from PVC pipe and using caps to secure blades. I made a whole rack of them and I colored them with paint because I use to paint the ends of the blades to signify the size of the blade. Still have rack hanging on wall and whatever blades are in them are antiques by now. Then the Berry Basket came out with a small rack that you could stand or hang on the wall with plastic tubes. So I bought a couple of those and that is where I store my FD blades in with the labels attached to the outside. Again I stopped using all those things many years ago because I found I basically was using one blade #5 penquin reverse FD blades which was my go to blade and still is today to cut just about anything. Now I have puzzle blades and a few larger blades and also jewelers blades but I just keep them in the package they came in and they sit next to the saws and when I need a blade I just take out of the package. Nothing fancy and did that for 30 years.

I have a Festool and have to say the hose is a tremendous upgrade to the plastic ones. I have a Ridgid shop vac and the plastic hose is a pain. Thankfully it is not real long because I can see that being a tripping hazard and pain to keep straight. Not sure why they can not make the hose more flexible. Even the upgrade hose for the Ridged vac was a tremendous upgrade. I went with this and thankful I did. https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-1-7-8-in-x-10-ft-Locking-Professional-Vacuum-Hose-Kit-Accessory-Shop-Vac-Attachments-for-RIDGID-Wet-Dry-Vacuums-LA2570/305626336?irgwc=1&cm_mmc=afl-ir-2003851-1420157-EdgeBingFlow&clickid=TKey9q38HxyPRN2yAiQ7G2yKUkCRFVS13xn72A0

Could you modify the holder to accept the larger tubes? To me that would be the easiest answer.