two saws

Check the connecting link bearing between the 2 arms. It resembles a dog bone. The bearings (ball bearings) are very small and the bearings are sealed in with a plastic seal. It is poosable that earther the top or bottom has lost all the balls. That part is no longer available any where but there is a fix. Go to Eagle Router Bits (I believe that is the site but Eagle will get you close) and look for the list of bearing for routers and you can match up the right size for about $5 or so a peice. You can then take the connecting link and 2 new bearing to a machinest and have them replaced. these bearings are meant for high reving tools and are sealed with a steel cover. I have 2 of the links that I bought when the original one failed and one of the newer ones failed and thats when I decided to try the bearings. That was 3 years ago and the one I replaced with the newer bearing is still going strong. I spend a lot of time in the shop using the saw so it does work!! Hope this will help. Ervin

Jeff, if you are looking for thin plywood,Sloans is a good place to find most of the hardwood ply and baltic berch. They used to have differant kinds of hardwoods but for what ever reason they no longer carry any. If you are looking for hard woods you should be able to find a few wood shops located around Raleigh. Here is a good wood site to look on: Woodfinders Marketplace.com. Lots of places listed along with a wood dictionary with a great listing of many kinds of wood and by clicking on the photo it will take you to woodshops in the states that will have or can get that particular type of wood. Hope this will help and also google up wood shops in and around Raleigh, should be a few! Ervin

Welcome to the village and to scrolling!! I am in the lower 48, more presise, New Mexico! You will not find a better blade than the Flying Dutch brand and you will not get any better service than with Mikes workshop!! I hope that scroll sawing will bring you lots of bussiness,but none the less have fun with it!! Ervin

Got a wish list from our daughter for a couple of bird feeders, one from the 2004 summer issue of "Scrollsaw and Crafts mag. the other one is the red,white & blue with stars from the Meslier catalog. Have most of the Victorin bird feeder drawn out on 1/2 in. ext. ply will need to get the sides enlarged at the printers this tuesday. Have a show coming up the last weekend of June need a few more items notably some type of NM plaques since this is the year of the 100th birthday of statehood!! Ervin

I have ordered at differant times,before and after owner changes, and it uselly takes about 2 weeks for delivery. The wood I ordered is the made up wide, 12" x 24" X1/4", so it takes a little longer. I all ways call in and talk to the one that runs the shop and get the price for finished panels and the shipping and send a money order. If you do the plasic money should be a lot quicker. I have always been satisfied with the wood I receive. Ervin

My sentements exactly!! What will sell at one show may or may not sell at the next show. Its a guessing game and I guarantee you will not come out on top!! 6 years ago we did our first craft show and portraite style cutting was what I had the most of along with crosses and ornaments. Before the show even opened, we were still stetting up and one of the vendors purchased a John Wayne, the only one I had. During the show I sold 4 "last Supper" and N.A. in various styles and a Ronold Reagan and took orders for 6 other items. So I figured I would cut 6 John Wayne, 4 "Last Supper" and some differant patterns for framing. Guess what, I finally sold the last John Wayne last year at an out of town show! You never know till you get set up and the "crowds" come in! It makes for an interesting hobby, you will not get rich, at best it will resupply you with wood and blades. Just have fun and talk to the people about what we do and why we do it!!! Ervin

Its to bad that the quick change blade clamps that the Delta saws used can't be adapted to the EX saws. That would solve the problem and be so much faster to do fret work. As long as my P- 20 is still living, can not see getting any other saw. Just my 2 cents worth. Ervin

Well as far as working in the shop in the summer time,I don't!! At least not after 12 noon!! Here in sorthern NM, from late May till mid Sept. the temps run from mid 90's to 104 or more!!! My shop is not air conditioned and a couple of fans just move hot air so my time is late fall through spring time. This summer is going to be miserable and with all of the wild fires in AZ and here in NM and now down in TX and no moisture in site, it is not comfortable by any means!!! Today the temp was 107, the humidity, 6%, and at 11:30 am it was 96 in shop! The shop is only 200 sq. feet and is insulated but just never have tried to cool it. Just don't want to go to the expense of installing a cooler ( a swamp cooler). Guess I am to cheap! lol Ervin

Wolfmoon, you stated in your last post that you got FD blades with the saw you have. Did I miss read this or did you have the blades that you were going to use with that saw? If the blades came with the saw than it is possable that the manafacture coated the blades before shipping with the saw. I know that the Delta saw I bought 5 years ago had their brand of blades and they did have oil on them. I have been ordering blades from Mike for about 6 years and have not had to clean any oil what so ever from them. The problem I had with blades sliping from holders on one saw I have was not from oil, but from misalined and rounded thumb screw. It is possable I suppose, to have received a batch of blades that had a coating of oil on them as anything is possable. I am just saying, I have never received any with oil on them. Ervin

I agree with most every one else about using the FD-UR blades on Baltic Birch ply. I just cannot do anything with them, wether its the #1- 3- 5 -7 -9 when cutting BB ply. Even if I stack 3 or 4 and use a slower speed they just seem to have a mind of their own!! Now for hard wood 1/16 up to 1 inch there is no better blade made!! They will track on the line and go where you want it to and cut smooth with out to much fuzz to get rid of. Shutterbug ,just save those FD-UR blades for hardwoods and try the FD-SR blades and if you do a lot of fret work with small and tight corners you might come over to the dark side and try the FD new spirial blades. Spirial blades take a little time to get use to but once you do you will like them,trust me!!! lololol!! Ervin

Mike, once you get used to not having to shut off the machine with one hand and controlling the cut with the other hand, you will wonder why you never had a foot control before!! I still want to hit the off & on switch still and have been using one for about 6- 8 months now. Ervin

Mike, WAY TO GO!!!! You really hit the jack pot both ways!! A teriffic project and than selling it for that amount and than turning that into an Excaliber saw!!! The best of 2 worlds!! Ervin

If you want to use that thin blade you will have to slow the speed and/or feed rate down and especially when making the tight turns for the nobs. By using 1 inch thick wood I assume the puzzle will be for a child, in which case the larger blade will work much better. Ervin

There is something about that wood that is next to impossable to cut with out burning! The only thing I have found that helps(but not elemenate) is to use a smaller blade #5 or #3 and slow the speed down to about half of what you would nomally use. Use packing tape first than painters tape on top of the clear packing tape. Follow all of the above tips and see if this helps. Also use a skip tooth blade with out the reverse part. The thickness of the wood you are using is going to make this even harder to control the burning! Good luck! Ervin

The cutting boards you mention is what I have used and are about 3/8' thick. Bambo cuts a lot like cherry but seems to be a lot tougher as far as cutting intricate designs. Marg, that is a great idea, should have thought of it myself! Now if I can find the suppliers again and If I do will post on here. Bambo finishes ever bit nice as hardwoods although have not tried to stain it yet. Ervin