JTTHECLOCKMAN

Hello Jim To answer your question no all golf balls are not the same and in fact they keep changing designs so which ones are which I have no idea. Some have liquid in them so be careful. They are designed according to your game, if you are a slicer or a puller and things like that. They are so scientific now. I have shown the ones I use in that photo. (Spalding) That is a box of them. I look for the solid core ones and Titleist makes them for sure. I do not know about other companies. I do not golf so not much more I can say. The one I shown with the blue inside is solid and the material is some kind of rubber foam or some composite. It is not pure rubber or it would be a pain in the neck to drill. Not sure how you are jigging these up but will tell you I slice the front off before drilling and then center the bit by measurement. I run them through the band saw. If you don't do that the clock will sit proud of the ball all around. Those inserts are just right for the golf ball. I will be making some golf ball displays again this year. They always sold well just that they are time consuming and could be a pain in the butt. Will see.

http://www.toolpartsdirect.com/saw/scroll-saw/delta.html power of the internet

Oh we all have been thereeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

When I started this some 35 years ago the best designer that I followed and used soooooo many of his patterns and still do today was Rick Longabough and his wife Karen from the Berry Basket fame. The next would be Dan and Ray Wilckens designs and again still use many of their patterns and always loved their style. Next would be Karen and Dirk Boelman of the Art Factory. We lost 2 of the greatest pattern makers in Dirk and Ray over the years. Last would be John Nelson. I always liked his work and had the pleasure of working with him on a few projects. I have many patterns in my possession from various artists and some have been mentioned already but the top ones are my list.

I did something like this when I was making many many folding baskets / trivits for craft shows. This was for the screws in the side so the basket can pivot when unfolded Mounted drill motor sideways on a board and at the proper height being I always used 3/4" oak which made this easy. I still have that jig floating around the shop somewhere.

I hate HF for anything with a motor. That is just me so you all do what you want. I have 3 dremels and never burnt one up yet and in fact just bought another when they were on sale at Lowes for Christmas sales. You can go with the drill press feature or the plunge router feature with the dremel and yes all today are VS. My drill presses are 16" Delta floor model and I never change speeds with fostner bits for the small inserts up to the 2-3/4" and any drilling with bits. I change speeds when using larger fostner bits such as 4" No need to in my opinion. Look at the recommended speeds on them. I would have to look what it is set on but can tell you it is somewhere in the middle speed range. I also have a Delta 12" table top drill press and really like this one for small work and extremely accurate drilling. It has a zero clearance chuck on it as the 16" does not. That is a factor if using very tiny drill bits. Same thing when buying a hand drill. Not to go into details with the Craftsman that someone mentioned but you really need to check the quill on them and make sure the chuck is sitting in properly. The chuck itself could have runout in it so an easy fix. Having 2 drill presses comes in handy many times if you have a couple different operations going at the same time. Both drill presses have depth setting capabilities which is a must. Ease of table raising is also key along with the ability to tilt table at times. Love to own a radial drill press but no room for it.

There is no right or wrong way of doing things just many ways to do it. I would cut the rabbit ears off and let the inlay sit within the front piece and then cut a backer piece just about 1/8" to 1/4" larger that the front piece so that it shadows the piece and you can paint the center a different color or just stain it all a different color than the front piece. Next one I would make the front piece thicker than the inlay. You can make the front and back piece the same size and just router the edges to relieve the thickness look somewhat. You can rabbit around the opening on the back side and inlay the colored piece and just add a backer Layers do not mean anything. Also on something like that I would give the customer an option as to hang on the wall with a saw tooth hanger in the back or other type hanger and also use a photo easel. I do this with my claddagh clocks. They have the option to hang on wall or I make a stand for them to display and is included. You can buy the stands.

Very tough to do like this because the lighting and angle hitting each piece. The domestics look easier to tell. My guesses #1- poplar #4 aromatic cedar (should smell) #6-white oak or ash #8-maple (soft maple) #7- cherry Others I can not see well. Exotics #2-purpleheart all others the light is off.

A+ Kevin

You too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is just another "Which Saw Would You Buy" thread. Ask 50 people and you will get 50 different answers with 100 different reasons. Unless you scroll for some time on a saw you will not get the feel for it. Iggy has a hangup that is all and his is speed. Some day that will all come crashing to an end. His report on a RBI is his opinion and mine is there is no better saw on the market. I am speaking from some experience. I own a Hegner, A dewalt and 2 RBIs They have different cutting mechanisms which make them unique to themselves. Basically all other saws on the market are clones of the 3 big names and they use the mechanisms for cutting within their saws. For a few different amenities they are all the same. I leave out the lower end saws because they too are nothing but clones coming off the same assembly line with different coats of paint on them. As they say you get what you pay for. My suggestions is if you have an opportunity to try and scroll on different saws and if buying a higher end saw look for deals. They are out there ans we see here many times. Do not let one person's review sway you one way or other.

Ray I suggest you call Hegner and get their opinion.

I hit the lathe

Kevin I understand but those batteries last for over a year and by the time they have to reset or change a battery they forgot anyway. I have a few inserts that did not work from the get go. The flag ones are some of the worst. I can only find them through Wildwood and I use many of these. Can not find the blue flag ones any more. Only the white background. I ordered some of the 2-3/4" from Wildwood and the whole desig was changed and do not fit in my projects like the others use to. I buy 2" also. I use so many in my military clocks. I have asked here as well as other forums as to a source for some of the inserts I use but have come up empty. getting tougher to find my inserts.

Not sure why you want to send unset. You need to at least try the insert to make sure it keeps good time in my opinion. At least set it to your time and if they live in a different time zone then they can adjust. The insert is the whole clock. That is what they are buying mainly. I have had bad inserts and as I mentioned today they are not as reliable as they once were. especially the China ones.

Sit, want to be comfortable when cutting. Only stand when cutting a large piece and need to maneuver it around some.

Kevin just about all my projects are dipped in Watco Danish oil and let dry then I buff with Watco satin polish. This gives them a nice warm glow and feel as these that I have show were. I have been sticking those things on with scotch tape and never had a problem. Being on the bottom they do not get played with or touched much at all. As you see I also place felt dots to keep the clock bases from scratching furniture or anything and also helps keep that paper off the base to prevent from rubbing. As you said the instructions probably will get tossed but that is why I try to keep with the clock. If they are small clocks and people have a hard time getting them out they could take to a watch dealer and have them change the battery or ask a younger person to do them. The 2-3/4" inserts are also push in inserts. I do not like leaving a hole in the back if the project can accept the full depth of a clock insert. Sometimes you have no choice. Here is an example of that. The billiard ball clocks and also the golf ball for this golfer's clock. You do not want holes in the back of these.

Not sure what you are cutting but will say Laun is not the best material to work with. It is substandard for scrolling in. Maybe good for backerboards but I would think about Baltic or Finnish Birch plywood. Will also warn you thay plywood dulls blades faster than hardwoods because of the glue to hold the layers together and when stack cutting you are now fighting grain directions. I only scroll hard woods but have used Baltic Birch plywoods also. To your question many ways to do this. I have used a few. Hot glue the ends, brad nails in waste areas, double sided tape (always use blue painters tape between layers though if doing this method). No right or wrong way just a way.

Thank you sir. I wish I had taken photos of all the clocks I have made over the years and been able to show them all. I use to work for Steebar the clock insert business, scrollsawing and pen making (was not when I did work for them) supplier back in the day when the original owner had the business. His main business at that time was clock inserts and motors and he sold the best of the best. I use to design projects for displaying his inserts so many of the patterns that are still there are mine. I sold him the rights to them. I also use to work with John Nelson the pattern designer. He would design patterns and I would do the test run and tweak if need be. The owner passed away and the new owner really did not keep up in good graces with the business so I left and he has had many complaints over the years. It is too bad because it was a good company to buy from.

Kevin you know this is one of my primary forms of scrolling and selling and I make hundreds of different clocks over the years and still do. When I do a craft show it is alot easier to deal with what you are asking because the person is in front of you. I always change the battery right there for them to a fresh battery. These are so cheap it is a no brainer. When you buy in bulk and from China such as you did they usually send batteries separately or have the plastic tab to keep the stem out so the clock is not running. They use to include a small piece of paper for each clock insert that had instructions on it to change the time. I always attach that along with a short message as to how to get the insert out of the clock on the bottom of each base and if the clock has no base I include it attached to my business card. I have shown a photo of this set-up. At the show I show the person what I am doing so they have an idea and if it is a gift I also tell them of the instructions. Now when at a show I can see a clock is running when I installed but things do happen and I give all customers a lifetime guarantee for replacement if it stops working. I do this also when sending clocks. These instructions are included on the sales receipt I send with them. Not sure if dealers are still sending those pieces of paper but I just make copies if I do not have them. I always set the time for what time zone if sending and if selling at show. Now for larger clocks I also include a battery because these are just alkaline batteries and there is no law against sending them in the mail (that I am aware of). I wrap the battery in bubble wrap separately and do not install it because you do not want the hands moving and probably the battery will fall out anyway. But if need be I again include instructions on installing battery and what type is needed. Again on sales receipt or on base. I always ship fresh batteries. Again small expense. Been doing this for over 35 years since I got into this. I do not sell on line so I do not do that volume of sales as you do. My sales are mainly at shows. But always have gotten custom orders and still do. But one thing I do is when I get a sale to send, I right away pull an insert or clock motor and run it for a few days to make sure it keeps time before sending. In your case you do not use as many different inserts as I do so it maybe wise to have some running all the time so you can install one that you know is working well. The motors in these clocks are not as reliable as they once were. Better to know a motor is running well before shipping. Simple things like that can hurt a business.

Better saw. Many times the saw will be the key to enjoyment. The easier it is to do and undo a blade will be a factor. This is one of the reasons that top end saws are pushed so much. When you start getting into production work all aspects of cutting and working with the saw come into play. We do not push those saws because we have interests in the companies. The amount of room under the saw is also important especially if you have large hands. You are doing fine and the more you do this the more little tricks you will learn on your own. Hopefully someday you can step up to a better saw and really enjoy the fun. For now take your time and keep having fun.

Where are the blades breaking can be an indication of your problem. Are they breaking in the same place?? Is it different materials that they are breaking in?? I do not know who makes those blades for them but Flying Dutchman and Pegus blades are the best on the market for wood cutting. Prices are about the same wherever you buy. There are many specialty blades so matching the right blade to the work is important. You may want to get a starters package to try different blades and get the feel for them. You touched on a few things that cause blade breakage so you are on the right path. Good luck.

Never did it. I have sanded the ends where the blade touches because sometimes they build up with oil. Even though I sand every end of my blades front and back with the metal on metal action it can become slippery. I suppose it can't hurt to clean. I would use the same stuff I use on my tablesaw, http://boeshield.com/why-boeshield/

Don't you supply a battery with your smaller clocks. I have never had a problem with shipping a battery with. I order batteries through the mail. Never heard of a problem. I do wrap the battery separate. I just got some small turntables from ebay which turns out they came from China where else but they came with batteries AAA Plain white boxes. Batteries did not last long.

Keep fighting and doing what the doctors say. I have recently been down the blood clot path in the lungs too. Not fun. Take one day at a time and rest.