JTTHECLOCKMAN

That is a whole different ballgame. I explained that in my answer above. Now the answer is still NO. Again misinformation being reported. Finishing is a topic that gets thrown around so much and things are just problems waiting to happen. I am no expert so lets get that straight from the getgo. But I have done my share of woodworking and used various products for finishing. You say shellac. There are various types of shellac and you do not say what is being used. Is the piece that is in question something you did?? If so what type shellac did you finish with?? If it is waxed shellac which is a harder shelled finish then the answer is NO. No finish will stick to it including poly. If it is dewaxed shellac than YES you can top coat with anything. If this is flakes and you mixed with alcohol than the answer again is NO. If you do not know what the type finish is that you are trying to use lacquer on then resort back to my original post. Sand the project down and spray or brush on some DEWAXED shellac. This sets up a barrier between products that is safe. Or strip it down entirely and start over but I would still use a dewaxed shellac as the under base or at that time you can go with a sanding sealer. Now if others tell you they have used such and such and had no problems then you decide how you want to approach.

Have fun. This is a great hobby and one you just keep growing into. Good luck with your new toy.

Boy this was my first thought too. My Goodness treat the tools with a little more respect please.

Here is my take. Not all so called top finishes are the same and yet are used basically the same. Some products are used in various places where others can not. But poly and so called varnish are similar in characteristics but used differently. Lacquer is different than polys because with lacquers, the coats melt into each other to form one uniform coat. As with poly and varnish they lay on top of each other forming a thicker coat. Danish oils and tung oils are a totally different category because the get absorbed into the wood fibers as with top coats they lay on top of the wood fibers. Yes Danish oil has poly in it as an ingredient which makes it somewhat a top coat but is not categorized as such. Poly is more plastic and Varnish is more shellac based but with fillers. Anyway no it is not good to apply lacquer over varnish or poly unless you sand the bottom coat and apply a dewaxed shellac to separate the 2 materials or else they will peel. It is also not good to apply poly or varnish over the top of a piece that is already top coated and cured no matter what the finish. You need to sand it to give the new top coat some tooth to adhere or it too will fail and peel. Remember wood is always moving with temps and humidity and thus makes finishing a challenge. Here is an article that can explain the differences of each finish some what. https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/skills-and-know-how/painting/whats-the-difference-between-polyurethane-varnish-shellac-and-lacquer

Lots of times I forget I have a shop full of woodworking tools and can do just about any woodworking project without too much trouble. My mind goes into creative modes many times when I see projects and i start thinking what I would have done. I use patterns many times as ideas and always want to add my touch to them. Cutting a pattern is boring to me. That is why I could not sell ornaments and clocks and things that need to be cut over and over. Do it once and it is time for something new. Only so much time left in my life and want to leave behind many projects. Just my makeup. So good luck with your project and it looks fine. I am sure you are overcoming some problems and limited resources but that will make it even more rewarding when done and I am sure it will be well received.

They come to all the woodworking shows and I have bought many veneers from them and their quality is great.

http://www.whimsie.com/metalcrafttools.html#anchor1270336 I have bought alot of metals from here. They show what tools will work. I think you are wasting your time with a guillotine cutter like that. It will roll the metal. I could not even cut abalone strips with them.

Very easy. I and many others, use the plastic alot when making pens. They use for segmenting because you can get in various layers and colors. I just bought some real thin stuff that I want to try wrapping on pen tubes. It looks alot like the guitar picks. Good luck with your venture.

Jim, not to burst your bubble but there are many vendors out there who do this and CNC them and make them very decorative and cheap. Look at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/wood-pickguard/s?k=wood+pickguard Now people on itsy sell as if it is a hobby so prices are higher. https://www.etsy.com/market/wood_pickguard But if still interested you can buy thin stock from various vendors but you are going to pay premium prices for the milling and if wanted in 12 X 12 you will get spliced boards. Ocooch hardwoods, D&D hardwoods, and I am sure there are moore. Getting that thin you then have to worry about warping. Now another way to go would be to use veneers and lay on plywoods. More stable. I am not into musical instruments so I am looking at this from the outside looking in. Maybe something more here than I know so maybe other have more in depth ideas. Good luck.

Use an exacto knife. I use a utility knife many times and even bought some carbide blades for it and works great. Many times just scoring it will snap it. I cut brass much thicker than that on my scrollsaw but I make sure to use a backer on it because it will scratch the table. I have some copper lightning bolts sandwiched between a couple pieces of BB right now that I want for a pen project and it is about that thin. Should be easy to cut.

The older we get the farther away the floor seems to get.

Ray hard to tell but it looks like the last photo you chamfered the top. If you did that is the right tract but you need to do more. It would flow with the theme of the project. Many times just decorating trim rings or bases makes the project jump. I would definitely chamfer the top ring. Cutting circles can easily be done on a bandsaw with a circle cutting jig. I see the biscuits now so that may make the chamfering thing tough to do. Should not have used biscuits. No need for them in that piece. It is looking good though.

Yea but we can say we are scrollsawing. Using a laser to cut the same pattern there is no way you can say you were scrollsawing. I would not have the patients to do fret work with a fret saw for sure. That was my point. Yea I bet he thinks we are cheating too.

Impressive to say the least but it is time to come over to the dark side and get a scrollsaw. You can do more of that type work and enjoy it. No shame in this. It is when you start using the CNC and laser machines that to me are not scrollsawing and just are cheating. Never was impressed with those using CNC and lasers. Yea those people talk about knowledge to set up machine but what the heck is that when it comes to hand eye coordination. Won't go into that here because no one will ever change my mind on that. Hopefully we can change your mind on a scrollsaw. That still requires hand eye coordination and is scrolling as is what you do. Very well done.

Spiral blades is probably the easiest way around this but if you are not familiar with the way they cut it can ruin the piece in a hurry. I have made large mirrors and other projects that were too big for my saw and I have a 26" RBI, but was able to work the blade in ways to cut the outer edges where need be. It usually just a few cuts that are tough to get at. I would twist the blade 90 degrees if I had to. I always had to stand when cutting those type projects because of the extra wood to spin and the center core of my body got in the way for some reason. It is not bad once you figure things out.

Great minds think alike.

Years ago that was a problem with printers where they would stretch the pattern. I have not run into that any more. At least at the FedX place I go. I hold the original pattern up and overlay a new pattern and if it lines up I am good to go. That is how I check for pattern accuracy. The light will let the pattern shine through easily.

The Master of the inlay. Your work stands out and your talent is unreachable. We all can only dream or at least I can. Another superb example of perfection. Thanks for showing. Always love looking at your work.

Over the years I have done that quite often because it gets costly to have larger patterns printed. I use FedX many times for making patterns. I run so many copies or at least use to that it was just worth using their copiers and I wrote off the cost of patterns on my taxes. But they have large blueprint copiers which I used but as I said they got expensive. What I did was take original pattern and drew matching pattern lines and numbered the patterns so when I tape back together I would have an easier time matching things up. Worked well. I use to make large mirrors and shelves and other large projects and still do a few.

300 hours on the EX and it needs bushings???????? Wow. Even the Dewalts lasted longer than that or at least the type #1 did. The Dewalt type #1 saws were all the rage back in the day. They were the prize mid range saw because all clubs had them and they were sold at Home Depot and easy to get. There were repair stores around to fix Dewalt equipment of all kind. That switch has been a factor ever since they came out and the fix was always just cover it and use a foot switch.

Folks he said The saw is on its way. Do not discourage him. We are here to encourage people.

As I said many people did not mind the aggressive cut and some never knew it was there. May still be on the newer ones too. Who knows. How many people check this on any saw. All the new Pegas saws have the same blade action and all the excaliburs too. Very easy to check. Just take a square and place behind a blade just touching it, and by hand move arm up and down. If the table is true then the distance between the square on the top stroke should match the distance on the down stroke with the blade touching the square in the middle of the stroke. This was the idea behind that system. The rocking motion is less that a longer parallel arm saw . The old "C" arm saws were even more aggressive.

Just so you know there were 2 things with all type #1 Dewalts and it involved the table. Now this saw has been used so maybe the owner addressed them already. But the table was always offcenter and many times had to be moved over or else the blade would cut the side of the hole. The table always rocked because it is tough to tighten the screws that hold the table in place and if you lean on the table one way or other it throws it off 90 degree plane. You will see. And the big one was the table was never level and the blade always cut with an aggresive cut. Many people never noticed and it did not bother them. It did me so I fixed mine and requires a shim in the back of the table as shown here. Depending on the condition of the saw and the hours on it, it could be a worthwhile investment but they are known to knock and need attention. That is how all those videos of tearing the Dewalt apart started. It was on a Type#1 saw. They are not a production saw but are a good mid range saw. Good luck.

One important safety note, wear a good dust mask and safety glasses. That fine material will get in your lungs. I should have mentioned I use newspaper under my projects and then just the crease in the paper makes a nice funnel to pour back in the bag.

Looks good from here. I am sure it will be well received.