kmmcrafts

I've been working on some lanterns for Halloween and the design has I guess you'd call finger joints.. some designs the joints are tight enough they are "friction fit" and no need for glue while others need glue to hold them together. Once I get better with the laser software I'll learn how to change those finger joint sizes to make them friction fit.. It really boils down to the exact thickness of the wood you're using and not all the same thickness from one sheet of ply to the next due to moisture content etc.. I always glue the friction fit ones anyway but they at least fit together and stay unlike some that you need 5 hands and 20 fingers to hold everything... this brings me to the quick drying glue question.. I've heard / seen the term CA Glue..I know nothing about most any glues other than the Titebond 3 and translucent ones I've been using for years. I've been using cheap dollar store super glue but each project takes close to a whole tube and would like to find a bigger better source for a quick drying glue.. Super glue seems to be holding to the wood decent enough but not sure how it will be longer term.. This is why I make this topic... what would be a good quick drying glue that isn't going to break the bank.. I did a little research last night and it looks like some CA glues require a activator? Maybe I just want to use a larger bottle of super glue.. just thought I'd ask some of the more experienced what might be my best options. Also helpful to come with a smaller tipped to get the glue into tight spots.. the little screw on tips on the super glue I've been using work pretty well, could be a tad longer but doable the way they are but that is also something I'm looking at for whatever glue I end up using. I'll load a photo of the lantern I just made shortly as it's on my phone and not on my computer that I'm currently using. LOL

Nice and simple design.. With the technology we have these days you'd think they could come up with a better method for many things like this. You can get frozen chicken in a ziplock style resealable bag but cereal and chips you need to buy clips to seal them back up, and what's up with mayo jars being taller than a butter knife so you get mayo all over the knife handle and your hands etc. when the jar is getting low.. same with peanut butter and many other jars. Some of the ketchup bottles have a seal top that you need to run a car on it to get it to squeeze out then when it does finally come out you get a half bottles worth of it all at once. Edit: The engineers who designed these things clearly never prepared their own food otherwise they'd make it more user friendly. LOL.. Guessing they must not brush their teeth either..

Welcome to the village!! What happen to the hose? I know these have the line-loc hose here in the USA.. when they get older the plastic gets brittle and crack / break. However you can take these apart and just remove the broken one or two pieces and place it back together.They come apart kinda hard and go back together kinda hard too. Soaking the hose in hot water or heat with a heat gun carefully to sort of help expand it enough to help press it on.. adding some soap / water or something will help the pieces slide together too.

Hmm, kinda like the solid back idea and the magnets... I did think about cutting the solid back on a angle so the back could slide in like a slot.. sort of like some of the small box tops Steve Good designed many years ago.. The hinged part as designed is what I also felt to be a weak point.. though those scents that my wife and daughter use last quite a long time, like I think about 6 months or more, so I wouldn't think they'd be opening it a lot but.. also have to consider the heat in the car possibly drying out the wood more or? Not sure how that might affect things too. Just experimenting really but I do think the solid back piece is probably much better way to go. Thank you for the magnet idea I might mess around more with that idea. Also the dowel idea might be considered and experimented with as well.. But thinking that magnet idea might work well for the visor clip too..

Didn’t know you could buy such a thing but this gives me some ideas. Still not sure if there would be enough room around the outside edge to put a screw that would hold the weight etc. But, maybe an option if they want to choose a clip or hang string. If they choose a clip I might could use some sort of fasteners in the hole where the string would go.

I did think of those frame holder tabs, I’m just not sure about putting a screw in the edge of the wood as there isn’t much wood thickness around that outer edge ( between the edge of the door and the outside edge is maybe 1/8 inch at most. ). That is why I was thinking maybe just making a solid removable door rather than the wood slot hinge type door but that is what makes it unique in my opinion too. Plus it’s kinda like a vent to let the scent out.

I made these car air freshener holders the other day and the original pattern calls for a piece glued to the back just in the right spot to put a slight drag on the door so it doesn't just flop open.. I don't like the little 1/8" thick piece sticking out the back.. while the piece is tiny piece it's thick and bulky looking so I didn't glue it on but the door will just open and let the scent pod fall out. Not a lot of wood area around the edge to work with.. I may just have to get a piece of 1/16 ply and make the small part with that to make it not look so bulky. Thought maybe a small metal tab too but not sure how I would attach it.. Also looking for a idea of how I might be able to make something to use as a clip in case someone wanted to clip it to the sun visor rather than hang it.. but since you have to open it on the back to place a refill in I can't really attach a clip of sorts on the back.. Maybe I need to redesign the back to not have that goofy hinged door and just make a solid door that has a clip of sorts on it and can remove the whole back to change out the scent packet? Also I modified the design so there is 4 layers rather than 3 because I wanted to custom size it to hold the scent pods that are available at bath and body works stores and original design had too big a hole as it was designed to put felt in it and put essential oils on the felt and since my daughter and wife like to use those bath & body works things I made it work for those. The original pattern made the piece almost 4" in diameter and I sized it down to about 2.25 - 2.5 ish inch and added that 4th piece for clearance for the scent pod. Shrinking the size down also made for a small spot for the finger grab cutout to pull it open.. I can easily change the size of it though in the future ones I may or may not make, LOL Anyway just looking for some ideas to improve it from its original form and make it more user friendly so open to other suggestions too.

Welcome to the village! Try this guy.. I would send a message first to be sure he is still selling these retrofit holders.. He's been doing this for a lot of years and you just don't see mention of him much anymore. https://pozsgaidesigns.com/page0006.htm

I don't prime wood products typically unless there is a drastic color change in the woods grain or a imperfection that needs some "fill and sand" type primer to smooth the imperfection out or I use primer to get a super smooth surface. I used to use a shellac or sometimes a clear to help in not having to use so much paint as the first coat usually just soaks into the wood.. however for the most part.. the shellac or clear is just as expensive as any of the main colors so unless I'm really low on the prefered color I just use the paint.. because it's not costing any more or less in most cases. Most people aren't using pearl type auto paints on wood but if you were to use these the primer would be a must for color consistency. There may be some craft paints like this too but I think the majority of them cover well enough without having to use a primer.

A lot of CNC router and Laser guys make things out of plastics.. there are many colors to choose from etc. Don't know how well they might work with scroll sawing.. I just bought my first sheet of clear acrylic yesterday to try with my laser... now to figure out what I want to make with it will be another 2-3 years probably, LOL.. Been wanting to pick up a sheet to try for about 2-3 years so I guess I'm giving myself about the same amount of time to actually make something with it, https://www.jpplus.com/rowmark-mattes-engraving-plastic?sku=222402-QTR&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NX_pmax_high_value_exp_feb_2025_control&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17672719614&gbraid=0AAAAADz94a9yIN4BUek5kXNDD8koGM_4-&gclid=CjwKCAjwg7PDBhBxEiwAf1CVu8rKXyWk-Rc6jgKOWaPOHe-CznET9LAKAhXKsxj1a2wvGwbyKbeC8hoC3_sQAvD_BwE

Hmm, that's interesting... I might have to look into this one. Looking like I won't be lasering this for sure.. they bought another mirror but it's the larger than the original one.. I think they're planning to buy vinyl stickers so they can take them back off and use the mirror in their home once they're done with it for the wedding purpose.

Thank you !! I think I'll get this font for future use.. I may not be doing this mirror now.. I just realized tonight after trying to fit the mirror in my laser that it's not going to fit.. Maybe they'll purchase a slightly smaller mirror and still have me do this but the current mirror they gave me to engrave is about 1 -1/2 inch too big to fit in the laser and also have passthrough doors on my laser but also won't fit through either of the passthrough doors, LOL... They did talk about this when they purchased the mirror that if it doesn't fit they'll have to buy some decals to make the text they want.

Small portion of the clocks I used to make.. at one time I had over 200 different models / years and stock or hot rod / lowrider etc.. Tried to put them in order by make.. so if you don't like chevy scroll down, LOL

Oh boy, sooo many to choose from, LOL.. Thanks for making this harder than it should be.. Guess I just need to do some sort of quarter flip on these and choose one.

Thank you Don, I'll look into this and also now remember that Dafont site.. maybe I can find something she'll like.. worst case is I'll have to have her write something and engrave it from her own font, lol

I'm not sure other than to say my daughter has always been into those fancy looking fonts. She used to come out in my shop and take my nice live edge boards and make signs out of them with paint markers doing free handed calligraphy.. she's one of the few younger generations that can actually write nice cursive and can actually read it, . I always tried to get her to do that stuff with my wood burning pens but she preferred the markers. I might have to make her write out what she wants engraved and put that into my software then just engrave her own writing of what she wants, LOL

Daughter is getting married in September and they asked me to laser engrave a mirror similar to photos shown. I’m trying to find a nice font like the word “Love” in the mirror and or the other font in the other photo of an invitation sample. May be the same font and that would be okay as they are close. Anyone know this font or something similar. I’ve never messed with different fonts really and not even quite sure how to get them into my laser software. lol But at least finding something is a starting point. Sorry for the poor quality invite image as they took a picture of the computer screen which is never a good photo but it’s all they sent me. lol Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Yeah basswood cuts very easy.. I haven't messed with it in many years as that was what I made portrait style cut from before I learned about BBply so that was in the beginning of my scrolling days. I remember getting some fuzzys on the back but that may have been blade choice or the cheapy scroll saw that was likely untuned, LOL

I went from many cheapy entree level saws to a DeWalt, and then to Hawk, Excalibur, another Hawk and yet another Hawk, and then picked up a free Hegner... That all said, it sure was a change going from a DeWalt to a Hawk.. and I might have given up and sold the Hawk and gone back to a DeWalt again had I not have kept both saws and used the DeWalt when I needed to get orders made.. but during slower times I would make myself run the Hawk until I finally got used to the different cutting experience.. DeWalts cut quite aggressively and going from a saw that would chew through thick wood in a hurry to a Hawk which was not very aggressive cutting I felt like going 8 hours on the expressway at 70mph to driving in a residential at 30mph.. BUT once you get used to the cutting style and learn to cut sharp turns you can cut just as fast and at times faster on a less aggressive saw. SO, If you have the space and can keep both saws for those "I need to make it quick" jobs to use the DeWalt while taking your time getting used to the Hegner I'd go with the Hegner.. BUT on the flipside if you do a fair amount of angle cutting I like the Pegas style saw way better for that type of stuff. Longevity of the two saws.. Hegner will be around for the rest of your life... not so much with the Pegas style saws.. way too many pivot points that can create wear.. the design is very much the same as the DeWalt.. possibly they use better bearings but you still have many bearings and areas of friction to wear out. Might be in your best interest to search for a used Hegner.. get one new enough that it has the same design as the newest models.. could save you a bundle of money and then you're not spending for a new saw that you'd never get your money investment back out of if you cannot seem to get the hang of the different style cutting, while these are very nice saws they just don't hold a very good resale type value like a Pegas or other lower priced saw does.

I'm not sure what part of the world you live but if you can get your hands on a King, Excalibur, Pegas, Jet, or Excelsior stand they would be the same I believe.. However you would need the one for the 16, or 21 inch saw.. the 30 inch saw uses a different stand. Jet only has a 18 0r 22 inch saw but I'm pretty certain it's the same stand.

Welcome to the village! Basically the same saw as the Excalibur or Pegas. I would mount to a stand made for the saw. Some have made their own stand with good results. I had a cheap generic stand I got at a garage sale and the top was too small for the base of the saw, so I had a piece of scrap plywood and bolted it to the stand and the the saw to the plywood but it vibrated badly. I then found a used stand made for the saw and it worked perfectly. This is why I suggest one made for the saw. The Jet, Excalibur, king, and Pegas saws I believe use the same stand.

I’m no electrician or even know much about it. Kinda sounds like a bad ground connection somewhere. In the back of the saw opposite side of the motor there is a cover plate with 3 screws. If you remove that and look inside there it should have a ground wires on the back side of the motor. Maybe that vibrated loose? Aside from that I’m not sure what to sa other than I wouldn’t be using it until you get it sorted out. Does the I. D. Tag say it’s made in China? I know the China made laser and CNC machines are notorious for bad ground connections. Sometimes they attach poorly crimped connectors or they attach connectors right over a painted surface. Many post about this on laser groups about having to remove the ground and sanding off the paint then reconnect them.

My experience when I was using wood instead of plywood the thin boards were more prone to warping / cupping. Plywood can warp too but much more stable and usually not as bad of warping. Thicker stock also will warp too. They say to look at how tight the grain lines are. If the grain lines are tight together not as much warping as if they are farther apart. So if you’re able to go in person to a lumber store and pick through the boards look for the tighter grain stuff. I am no expert here just saying what I’ve experienced and there are many more people who are more experienced in this than I am.

I did notice there were some lines, or markings going across the strip of lights. There is no instructions that I received with them at all so I wasn't sure if I needed to cut at any particular spot so I just took the chance and cut at the needed length. Now I probably have to cut at one of those marks in order to connect the power source to what is left of the strip. As cheap as these were I'm guessing it's just cheaper to toss out the remainder of strip. I'll hang onto them for a while and see if I come up with something to use them for but like you say.. it's probably cheaper to just toss it out. I'm not planning to sell anything using these at this point just experimenting and making some future gifts.

Just thought I’d update my progress on this project as some showed some interest in the lighted mirror. I made a frame using several layers of bbply to make enough spacing to run the light strip around the outer edge of the box frame. I painted the backer section with white paint to help reflect and brighten it up some. The box part is maybe 1/4 - 3/8 inch smaller so the mirror rest on it and then made a frame around the mirror and a top piece to secure it in place. Haven’t glued it all together yet as I’m going to keep this one all set up so I can test other mirror engravings etc. as it’s easy to just swap out mirrors this way without having to build another frame. I purchased the lights off Amazon and they were 6ft two pack for $18.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086VC3981/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A2W3MWSXDHHF1R&th=1 I ended up only using about 4ft of the strip. Going to do some research to see how I might be able to use the leftover light strips. Seems wasteful to toss out 2 ft of good lights. Anyway here is some pictures of my frame work and how I ran the lights. Lights was on a peel and stick strip so that made it very simple to use. EDIT: Took it in the bathroom where there is no windows and turn off the light so we could see how it looks in the dark.