JTTHECLOCKMAN

Kevin do not go by what I say. Post videos and I am sure there are people who love seeing them and maybe helpful too. As far as grain goes I said it was a matter of opinion. I just voiced an opinion. All very nice work as usual.

Sure you can double stick tape and you can make any size you want. What I do when routing with it is to use scraps of the same thickness as the piece being drilled or routed and place along side the original piece so it does not tip.

You watch for it then, but it can happen when half the unit is hanging over the edge of a piece and you are pushing down with both hands. If you have holes that need to be drilled close to the edge. That thing is plastic and does not travel all that smooth. At least mine does not. To do it many times a drill press is more accurate in my eyes.

You are talking about stroke length of 3/4" and blade cutting depth of 2" when using a 5" blade. Now I never tried this but I bet it is possible if you took a fret saw blade and cut to any size you can increase the depth of cut. Say make the blade 6" Probably get another 3/4" cutting depth. Now from what I am gathering of your second question or problem is that the blade travel is not true up and down. This has been talked about here before and what you need to do is check the back of the blade and measure at its top stroke and at it bottom stroke. if they are not the same then an adjustment needs to happen. I had shown here that I raised back of my table to compensate for this. Others will chime in as to how they handled it. Good luck.

you have to be careful not to tip when close to edges. I use that for routing more than anything else. Good luck with it.

I skip watching others scroll. They do that alot on FB too. We develop our own style. Just like I would never turn the grain of the wood that way. I would always have it the other way. Just a matter of choice. But the golden rule is the longest size gets the grain running with it. It is an eye thing. Many people just go by the amount of wood they have but little things like that I notice.

I use to point those grass blades but have long since stopped doing that I now spin on the dime and they actually look better with a slight round edge. I sometimes spin inside corners too but probably do a 2 step cut inside if it really needs to be sharp.

As an example it use to say General scroll sawing where it now says go to topic listing. I use to click on that forum I was in not what it says now. This is at the end of the thread when you get done reading the last thread. Maybe I am imaging it but something is different

It is not a case of not behaving just different. I did not see that topic. But shows I am paying attention.

Did Travis do some changing here?? It use to be at the end of the thread the forum name was on the bottom and you would click on it to get back to the top of the list. Now it states something different.

I have that setup and just about every option Dremel offers and use them on occasion for special jobs but they are not smooth and get to be a pain in the butt to drill with. Nothing like a good drill press. A drill press would be a better investment than a laser.

My opinion a Delta table top drill press would be a better way to go.

I never seen BB at my Lowes or HD either. They sell Laun wood that is cheap underlayment basically.

There are people that have Ipads running or things like that. Portable DVD players set up if you have the room. But what that can do is draw a crowd and block the sales table and all people do is watch movies. I have been to shows where there is crafters with their saws but again people stop and watch but does not necessarily mean more sales. You do need more help if you are doing that though. Those things work well if you are selling tools and you are demonstrating the tool. Doing it for a finished product not so much.

I actually had plans on doing that very thing.

Did you wind up making the slots and tabs and are they dismantlable??

My thoughts is people do not read so no matter what you put on there. They do not understand the differences. I have hand made signs on my shows too and still get asked if cut with a laser or overhear conversations where people say that it is. Do not sweat that stuff keep doing what you are doing. It will not mean any more sales.

I guess so.

Kevin what kind of tweaking can you do on this saw beside moving the lower clamp to get a more aggressive cutting action?? What did you do that caused more vibration?? Interesting.

I guess what I am trying to say and did it with way too many words is, we sometimes use the word business to mean something else. There are 2 types of business. One that you make a living from and support a family with all the essentials and then there is the side business and that is where the hobby/ business falls in. When you Ray and others say they could not take a hobby and make it into a business is just not true. It is done all the time and this is my point. I have a business. My hobby is a business. It is a side business. When you collect taxes and deal with the government you are now a business. Not everyone can take it to the level where it is self sustaining. People that try may lose interest because it becomes more like a job and it takes the enjoyment out of it. They tried to grow their business but failed for various reasons that I had mentioned before. My point again is those same people wanted to make their hobby/business into a make a living business they would find the way if they were driven. Just human nature. But if they have other means than excuses are easy to make up such as government interference and so on. I can not explain myself any more and will just have to excuse myself from this conversation.

Kevin all good points and advertising is always a key factor. You see it it at craft shows as well. A show needs to be promoted not only by the people putting the show on but also it helps when vendors themselves promote their appearances. I use to make up cards for where my next show was and left them on the table along with my business card. Putting ads on storefront windows was always a good source of advertising along with the newspaper ads. Some methods of advertising is so simple and free and yes some it does cost money. But the old adage you need to spend money to make money rings through. But one thing is yes a hobby can become a business if you are willing to put the time and effort into it. You do need the business side of knowledge to go along with the skill set. But this is why people hire others to do that end. I agree with Ray when he said that many times people try to make their hobby into a business and get burned out and that is one of the reasons. Because they have no experience setting up a business and doing the leg work to get it started and it burns before it is established. You did not start out making the money you are now and I bet you questioned yourself about another failed business attempt when you first started. But you stuck with it and being you have some background in business you are making it work. It is not for everyone and many times a family comes into play. You probably have a unique setup where you do not have to feed a family, pay all the bills and a mortgage and provide for college educations and things like that. Because if you did a small business as yours will not get it done. When people say they have a business they more than likely have other incomes or other factors such as kids are on their own and house is paid for and other things. But to take a small hobby such as scrollsawing and knitting and pen turning and make a full time living at it for a long time is probably impossible unless you have other income. Just the way of the world today. If you had your business set up 25, 30 years ago and there were the etsy and ebay and power of the net around you would easily tripled what you make now even at the money value back then. Those things were not around. It was the craft shows leading the way. Easier to do than today with all the competition from the web. So yes you have to advertise even more so today to stay ahead of your competition. So make a living at selling crafts as you say can be done but far and few in between. I believe my statement above with family being a key. I too know a husband and wife who gave up their employment to give scrolling a chance at a business and this was at the height of the craft movement and they did well but they were constantly working at it day in and day out. They had to move out of Nj and went to Pennsylvania where things were somewhat cheaper to live but kept the business going. No kids so that helped but could not sustain it as the market and economy started going south. The cry for crafts is not there as it once was. I wish you continued success in this endeavor of yours and hope it stays rewarding for you.

I thought I remembered you getting some print. Great job and keep up the good work. May you keep making the saw dust and making people happy.

I put a piece of 1/4" acrylic on mine to make the surface a little larger and once in a blue mood will hit with some wood polish. But I like to have a little drag to better control the piece. Works for me.

There are always plenty of excuses to buy new toys. Hegner will give you better customer service so order it up.

I can see why that type pattern would be a little bit of a hassle. The one question you did not mention is the notoriety. Did you get a write up one time before by a paper and if not there should be. Would make a fascinating story. The inside story of the Puzzleman.