JTTHECLOCKMAN

Lots of questions come to mind to give you any kind of reasonable answer. Are these signs subject to the elements Are you planning od keeping the oak natural or are you painting Going with a plywood backer is this going to be marine grade or waterproof Are you open to other options

If you are going to frame it maybe a green felt or painted background with some poker chips scattered around it. Either real chips or even scrolled chips would be cool.

I like this project alot. Well done.

Ray yes wetting the cupped side can but not always take some of the warpness out. The thing is to wet the cupped side but let it sit for about 15 minutes or so. Do not put weight on it right away or it will crack. After the water has soaked in then either clamp it flat or add weight so that it sits on something flat. Let it thoroughly dry before using. Now this wood will have a tendency to cup again depending what you are doing with it. If you are cutting fret work from it will help release the inner tension because of the holes. It would be worth the effort to mount on a solid backboard.

Good choices Kevin. You will see the difference. What makes Freud such a good blade company is all the information on their blade and packaging. Tells you everything you want to know about the blade. It shows you the teeth configuration so you know what they refer to when they say triple grind tooth or flat grind or alternating grind. Keep the blade clean and it will last a long time. Just use a blade cleaner or some liquid dish soap. Use to be Simple green was the big cleaner but they have found it is too corrosive and will eat at the welds. I like the Freud line of blades. Reasonable in price, well made and balanced, and carbide can be sharpened many times. There are so many types of blade on the market and if you are into extreme woodworking you can hone in on exact blades to use other than that combination blades get the job done. Have fun and always practice safety when using any tool.

Yes. The owner is in NJ and used it. I have one and it is an excellent production saw that will outlast the owner.

Ray I say this with respect, I would not do it on a constant bases. Certain times when a thinner kerf is needed it will work. But those smaller blades are not designed for the rpms generated by a tablesaw. The carbide is not as good as a full size blade because these are framing blades. Throw a piece of carbide in some hardwood will not be pretty. The flex in those blades is something that needs to be contended with. (heat will build on those small blades because of speed and amount of times the teeth are in contact with the wood) That video is an accident waiting to happen he had a board climb out of the blade depth that could have cause a kick back. I would not show that video to anyone working in the woodworking business. Too many do not dos in there for my viewing. Any tablesaw weather a tabletop or full size would come with a small blade if they were designed for it but they do not. They come with a 10" blade unless it is a smaller saw. Get yourself a nice quality thin kerf blade and be safe.

This is what sucks you in. Price. I live in NJ do know where Hewitt is but if I did not have 4 saws already and a 18" Hegner I would not hesitate. I may put a bid in at $200 and see what happens. Man that is a deal. Surprised no stand if he paid that much. There are 4 saws on that page ranging from $500 to $600 Man today just shop around and you can get a great saw for 1/3 the price.

The difference is the teeth configuration. A normal rip blade has FTG teeth (flat top grind) Designed for easy ripping and removing material. In a glue line blade they are more designed to rip also but with a cleaner edge because they use 3 different teeth FTG and TCG (flat top grind and triple chip grind teeth) Both have deep gullets and more hook than crosscut.

I do not agree with that guy totally on many things but will address the smaller blade. First do not get overconfident of a smaller blade as opposed to a larger one. Any spinning blade will cut you and yes kick back can happen on any saw with any blade. I have used the smaller blade on my saw also but do so because of the thinner kerf I need and nothing more. The blade he kept referencing which was a larger blade was a full size blade made for belt drive saws.Table top saws do well with thin kerf blades. Small blades like the one he shows will wear out faster than a full size because those teeth need to move through the wood more often than a larger blade. A blade does not get raised more than 3 to 4 teeth above work surface you are cutting. Never more than that. (Of course there are some instances that is not the case) A larger blade will have larger carbide teeth than a small blade like that. Larger blades are balanced better than smaller ones like that. Those are designed for skil saws. Skil saws are construct saws and perfection is not a concern. Cutting hard woods you want a solid well tuned blade. Tablesaws are designed for 10" blades.

This is very true and I mentioned it to Kevin in my write up. The trunion set-up on a belt drive saw is much more accurate and allows the blade to be raised higher. Belt drive is so much better in many ways.

Oh Kevin I see you are stepping up to some manly tools. Well I will add my 2 cents worth here. The difference between belt drive and direct drive is simple. The motor!! In a direct drive motor it is a universal motor such as all hand tools have and they have brushes. A belt drive uses an induction motor, no brushes. universal motors are noisy and require maintenance (bearings and brushes) Much lower HP rating (never compare HP rating of universal motor with induction motor, not comparable) Tablesaws with those motors are bench top saws. They are noisy and whinny. They can not handle cuts like a induction motor because of less hp. They get hot when worked hard. The way the blade is attached to the arbor of the motor makes less cutting height and use of a blade. The blade can not protrude through the table as high. Being they are tabletop models, less weight and this means more vibration tranfered through blade from motor. Could cause chatter marks on cuts. Induction motor tablesaws. Higher quality of saw. Belts take out vibration Much quieter. Motors do not run as hot. More working HP. More blade usage because you can raise it higher. Motors last a life time. Only come full size because the way the motor needs to hang. Much more weight with cast iron tables and better inners. Can get these saws in a full Cabinet saw, Contractors saw, or Hybrid saws which is basically a combination of a contractors saw and cabinet saw (smaller footprint than cabinet saw but combines features of both plus cost less) I own a Delta 10" contractors saw and it is and always be my work horse and tool that gets used the most in my shop. Every single project made in my shop has touched the tablesaw in some way. I own a Craftsman table top on a stand saw that I leave out in my shed and use for quick projects that do not require precision. I was forced to buy it because of the price. It was on closeout when sears was closing stores in my area. Built my shed with it but do not use much. Have any specific questions be glad to add my thoughts. I tried to give a general overview as to main differences.

I wish I had a dedicated out building for a shop and space would be no problem. I would have had all the latest and greatest tools. I am a tool junkie.But I work out of a basement shop. I have managed to fit quite abit tools in there and still able to function well. It is nice to have full size toys and walk over and use whenever the need comes up. But they made bench top tools for a reason and yes things can get done using them but there are drawbacks. You make work with what you have. The one thing is not to compromise safety. I have a Delta 6" full size and love it. Use it on every clock I make. We can talk routers when the time comes up.

Why would you need variable speed on a jointer. Only those table top jointers have VS. Any light weight woods just take less of a bite. That is how you control speed when jointing.

I have used it on my jointer many times. I probably use my jointer more than the planer but not by much. I have an old lunch box style Delta planer and the blades have to come out to sharpen. Boy the amount of BF that went through that thing. It owes me absolutely nothing.

Ray I will add my vote for Freud blades as I told Kevin in his thread. The info you posted is all true and there is so much more tech talk to go with the many different style of blades and grades of blades. Specialty blades are necessary for those in the trades and that do fine furniture work. You can not go wrong with the Freud line. If you are are both crosscutting and ripping then a combo blade is a good economical way to go. Anything in the 40 tooth to 60 tooth is a good mid range field and good cut results. Of course you are not building fine furniture with a table top saw so no need to spend huge money on better quality blades. With this all said being you owned a cabinet saw you know the huge difference in saws between a cabinet saw and table top so accuracy is what you can tune it to. Also highly suggest thin kerf blades for that saw. They are well underpowered for cutting thick hard woods. Boy I can get started on so many things when it comes to talking tools but to keep it simple Freud is my choice.

This is what i use Kevin http://woodworker.com/diamond-hone-mate-mssu-880-889.asp I also use and have basically only use now is Trend diamond sharpening system. Here is a file that shows what and how to use. There is differences in diamond sharpeners and the way diamonds pieces are adhered to the tool and also the type diamonds used. Makes a huge difference in quality of sharpening. I now sharpen router bits, saw blades, plane blades, planer and jointer blades, all my turning tools can be touched up, chisels and so on. Here is the link http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/docs/trend_diamond_sharpening.pdf The problem with sandpaper is wood sandpaper is not good for sharpening any blades. The grains are too course even at the finest grits. You scratch the blades with micro scratches that need to be polished out if you want scary sharp results. That is why strops are used in many instances. Takes that burr off. If you are going to use sandpaper then use wet dry metal paper (the black stuff) This subject also applies to grinding wheels and the differences in wheels.

Oh Kevin you do not know how many different saw blades are on the market and the designs. Just the teeth set is a huge deal. Number of teeth. Angles of teeth. Pitch of teeth. Yes different rip blades as opposed to crosscut and that goes for all blades including handsaws. Materials being cut will determine type of blade to choose. This goes for bandsaw blades as well. Scrollsaw blades are in the same category and that is why they make so many different styles. I have tried many blades from different companies but for my money Freud has done and carry any blade I need in whatever configuration I need. The relief cuts in a blade are important too. Much experimenting has been done from each company as to what is their best design. But they will keep the noise level down and tension relieved on the metal of a blade. It is always good to buy good quality blades from a reputable company. Cheep blades can have failing weld spots and one thing you do not want is a carbide tooth flying around the shop. Never lay a blade down flat. Always place back in sleeve or hang from arbor hole. Blades can warp especially thin kerf. Treat a good saw blade well and it will perform just right for you. Keep them clean.

I just read this posts Kevin so I will add a few comments. As Far as the switch goes do yourself favor and buy the correct switch and forget about trying to fix it. Not worth the effort and could become a hazard down the road. If looking to buy new saw you have questions to ask yourself as with all tools. How much room do you have?? How large of work needs to be cut on it (10" vs 12") Do I need a slider or just compound. Always buy a compound cutter instead of a standard chop saw. Any time you start adding moving parts accuracy decreases but will still get decent cuts. The Dewalt line is about the best in that price range with Bosch a close second. Again if you go with a slider then you need more room. The Bosch takes less room and does what a slider will do. I have not used a miter saw in so long it collects dust in the corner of the shop. My go to tool is always the tablesaw. You mentioned sharing blades with your tablesaw. That is a no-no!!! A miter saw requires different blades than a table saw. Do people interchange yes they do but run the risk of injury. A miter saw uses a negative rake blade or a blade with no more than a 3 degree rake on it as opposed to a table saw blade which uses a positive rake. The reason is with a miter saw you are applying the blade to the wood as in a tablesaw you apply the wood to the blade. The wood will have a tendency to climb or jump in a miter saw if using a positive rake blade. Something like when you run a router the wrong direction of the grain when routing. The router will want to pull from your hands. Highly recommend buying a good multi-purpose blade for the mitersaw The teeth count depends on material cutting and smoothness of cut. Miter saws tend to have runout in the arbors but when are new usually does not show up. People lift the saws with the handle and do not lock them down and things get wacky. Thin kerf blades help to not tax the motor so much because it removes less material when cutting. I use thin kerf blades in my tablesaw all the time. As I said the decision of 10" vs 12" is a matter of material size being cut. If you go with a slider then you make up for the size that way or unless you want max depth then 12" slider is the way to go. Handles. Most people do not consider this when buying but comfort is something not to take lightly. "D" handle as opposed to "T" handle. I prefer "T" handle, because I feel more natural pulling down on the handle. Just a matter of feel. But use it for a long time all day long and it does matter. The best miter saw on the market in my opinion is the Festool Kapex saw. It is dead on accurate, quiet, and a precision tool. Over $1200 so not cheap. Many things to consider when buying any tool. But do not skip just because one is cheaper. Buy once and be happy. By the way those lasers are good for close but not dead on so do not use them for real accurate cuts.

Just got my order of 2" inserts in from Cherry tree and sure enough one does not work. Can not change the time on it. They are metal but have a grey plastic back. The past ones had a metal back. But right inside made in China sticker. Have to call on Monday.

Never even heard of that word. I have no problem copying and pasting anything I show on any forum. If I ask a question I will ask on different forums. Who in the world is going to say something. Go for it and have fun. No such thing as cross-posting.

I use to buy the plastic back 1-7/8 inserts with the plastic clips back in the day but now get all metal and glass. Yea these things are all China made. I do not use too many 2" before so I really only need to order small quantities. I am not in that amount of production mode so do not need big numbers any more. Have scaled way back and now scroll for fun. Too old to chase the $$$ any more. Many times I will scale a project to fit certain inserts that I have that I think look good for a particular project. Yea Kevin if you ever do order 2" from sloans I would be interested in seeing them to see why they are so much cheaper than Cherry tree. From what I am reading they look like the old style with the side clips and plastic backs. They have been long gone. Cherry tree does not allow for bulk buying pricing. They told me they averaged the savings and use that to be across the board price.

Thanks John That link shows a nice new style insert that I have to keep in mind. I have ordered many times direct from China. I ordered inserts from around the world and from many different sources to get different styles. I use to have a couple solid vendor places but they have dropped many products so I am always on the lookout for new ones. As far as supplying new batteries as spares I do not. I always put a fresh new battery in the clock when a person buys from me and I show and explain how to replace and tell them where to get new ones. I always include an instruction sheet under the base taped to the bottom for convenience.

This has been my thought lately too about the size. The ones from Cherry tree are metal with glass and are good quality because I bought from them before. I did not need too many so that is the reason I went with them. Now hopefully they did not change vendors on these like they did on some others. What I do not like is they sell their inserts of this size and smaller with batteries because that is the way the come from China, but being they sit on the shelf for long periods of time the battery goes dead. I questioned them and argued with them that they should replace and sell as a complete unit but they do not care. I buy inserts from many places and always get fresh batteries. I have had my problems with them before and I stressed this was their last chance to make good or else they have seen my last $$. Probably means nothing to them. I make many different size clocks but have lately enlarged a few patterns to accommodate the larger inserts. I do not like to make too many wall hung clocks because they do not sell well for me. I like to keep them desk type styles. With the 2" designs they are the only ones I can find that carry a few that is popular with some of my clock designs. But I am willing to go another route if these do not work out. When I asked for these designs I was trying to expand my line of occupational clocks to try to get more people to relate to them. I wrote a couple times to Steve Good to see if he would start a line and he said he liked the idea and would work them in but as far as now he has not. I have taken a few of his plaque patterns and have resized and did some manipulating to get to desk clock size.. Health and family matters have cut into my plan this year and have just recently been able to get in the shop again but hopefully I can get quite a few projects done in time. I usually make multiples of things but many projects I am keeping to one of a kind for now. If I see something go fast I will note it for next year or take orders. Looking to shake up old inventory and present some new items. Kevin question for you. Have you ordered 2" inserts from Sloans before?? I have never ordered that size from them and their price is a bit lower than Cherry tree but what turns me off is the black plastic back they have listed and the clips on the side. . To me that means a lower grade clock even though they claim it is not. The ones I use to get were all metal with stainless backs and glass lens. Now I have not gotten this set yet so as I said hopefully they did not change vendors, I have no problem with the rubber ring to hold them in. Just wondering your thought on the insert and if you have any from sloans could you post a photo of the back?? Thanks.

Kevin they came out well. I too am making a few of these being I requested them. I am right now in bundle project mode. So they are in the que. Probably by Nov first week I should have many patterns done and will show all as a Group. I scroll them then finish them and get ready for my shows in Dec. I too love clocks and always on the lookout for clock patterns. Just ordered some 2" inserts from Cherry Tree this week and boy did the prices go up. I will have to take a serious look at my selling prices this year. People just do not understand this part.