kmmcrafts

In my case the pins didn't even poke through the back because I was using 4 blanks that are 1/8" thick and was using 1/2" nails.. I checked and there was no pins that came out the back of the stack.. I will always check and use a punch in case one does pop through.. I also have I believe either 5/8 or 3/4 nails for it too incase I need to stack 5 or 6 pieces or 3 pieces of 1/4" etc.. most times I stack 4 at 1/8" thick ply so mostly will use 1/2 nails..

I think when I took my saw apart to rebuild it that when it came to that rod.. I screwed it in as far as I could and have it still reach into the notch / slot that it fits in on the tension lever mechanism.. I know it was much tighter after rebuilding it.. I never did have the nocking noise from it ever before or after the rebuild.. Mine was a type 2 from 2008 on the motor.. Before rebuilding it I'd have to turn the lever to number 3 - 3.5 ish for the blade to be tight.. after the rebuild usually 2 was tight.. sometimes 2.5 on the tension lever dial.. I don't think that rod even has to be in there if you install the pegas clamps on it for the Excalibur style.. If I were to have a DW now days with the Pegas upgraded clamps available.. I'd ditch that DW tension system.. as flipping the lever over is more convenient than turning that lever.. But the nice thing with turning the lever is you can adjust the tension to where you need it easier..

Very nice work!! My experience with spirals is that the Pegas brand are more brittle and break a lot easier than the FD brand.. Also I think the Pegas # system runs a bit smaller than the FD.. ie a #1 Pegas is like a 2/0 FD

After the topic a month or so back I purchased a pin nailer to nail my stacks together rather than just taping around the edges. I bought the Banks brand from HF as it was on sale plus my 25% coupon. I've had the thing for several weeks but have not done any stack cutting until yesterday. I gotta say I love this thing, late last fall I was running low on my BBply and rather than taking a day off of shop time as I was really busy I just ordered BBply from Cherokee. I ordered the 12 x 12 squares which work out real well as my shelf liner is 12" so rolling out the liner to the top layer and nail the other ones and place the pattern on it works really well. 12 x 12 is someone large for blank as I typically always did either 7x7 or 8x8 depending on the ornament patterns at hand.. typically 4-6 ornament stacks cut from those smaller blanks. In the past I was placing the tape around the edge of the 12 x 12 and then placing the patterns out.. then scroll sawing out the blanks to a smaller size around the ornaments and retaping the cut edges.. Now I cut the blank smaller and just shoot a couple nails around those edges.. I've always done either a stack of 4 or 5.. I like 5 but it slows the work down just enough that I really like 4 better. The 1/2" pins held well through the stack of 4 and didn't protrude through the bottom of the stack at all.. Cut a few stacks yesterday and it went real well.. So anyway, just thought I'd say thanks to all those topics about the pin nailers for stack cutting.. It is a time saver and it also holds the stack tighter together.. in some cases on larger projects the center would be bouncing around a bit.. this sure will help in those cases.. Pin nailer I bought https://www.harborfreight.com/23-gauge-pin-nailer-64143.html?_br_psugg_q=pin+nailer

I agree somewhat, and yes as I put in my reply, I think it would look good either way, BUT.. the flat blade will make it have more crisp detail.. If you was to put both side by side I bet another scroll sawer might notice the detail where as an average person may not even notice.. I agree, I hope to see the results if it is cut both ways..

A straight blade for me because the detailed fine points at the ends of some of those cutouts would get lost with a spiral blade.. The spiral blade is basically a round blade and it's difficult to make fine detail points with them.. But I do think a small spiral blade with this cutting would still be a beautiful piece either way.. But I tend to get picky on some of those fine detailed points.. Probably easier to cut with a spiral.. but better detailed with flat blade.. Just my opinion..

Think maybe Ray is right.. If it's a bad bearing or mechanical it seems like it'd knock all the time.. but get louder and faster with higher speeds etc.. and may change with a load on it or different blade tension etc..

Thank you for the advice and tips.. I have a jointer so that part isn't a problem and I think as far as planning that large of a glue up won't be too huge of a problem as I can surface it with my surface bit on the CNC machine.. It might need some light sanding afterwards but I worked in Autobody repair for some years and have big 12" block sanders etc.. so even if I couldn't surface on the CNC I think I can sand it flat enough just using my body sanding equipment.. That all said, I do like the idea of having it grain matched.. I might look more into having a panel made up.. could be a interesting project...

I just wanted to thank everyone for the condolences.. It sure is hard to loose those fur babies.. He sure did give the family a lot of enjoyment and I think we gave just as much back to him since he was a rescue dog and was on his last day at the pound when we took him in.. sure was a trouble maker of dog at first but we worked it all out and gave him lots of love.. in short time he understood what his boundaries were.. though he pushed those boundaries every day throughout all these years to keep us all on our toes.. LOL He had three different homes before we gave him his forever home and he just had a mix of rules he didn't understand. I got him when he was 9 months ( terrible teens maybe LOL ).. He'll be greatly missed for sure..

I've not done much for gluing up boards in the past to get a larger chunk of wood other than just small cutting boards etc.. for the most part I've always used plywood for portraits. I had to put my Grate Dane / Lab mix down yesterday and was thinking about making a large portrait of him. Rather than cut on the scroll saw I want to try to carve a picture on my CNC.. This will be most likely a late spring or summer project as I got a lot of bookkeeping etc. to do and I have to figure out how to make a design file / pattern for the CNC.. Not being in too many groups for the CNC I'm not sure if there is nice folks that will do designs like there is for our wonderful pattern designers here in the scroll saw village. I'm not one that likes to be that new person on a forum and make my first post be a request either, LOL I've been considering buying the laser attachment for my CNC and I may do just that so that designing a carve file wouldn't need to be done.. just do similar to my engraving of the ornament on a much larger scale.. IF I do buy the laser engraving attachment for the CNC then I would probably just use plywood.. Carving looks better on solid wood is the reason I thought I'd need to do a glue up.. Anyway I was thinking of making this portrait about 2 x 2 foot.. from solid wood {probably either Poplar or Cherry ). Is it best to glue up several 3-5 inch slats or just a couple wide boards together work okay? I'm thinking the slats might work better from being prone to cup / warp ? He was 14 years old and we all knew he wouldn't be with us a lot longer so this year I made all the kids a ornament on my laser, I posted this in the other woodworking section here on the village last fall. But here is a picture of him and the laser engraved ornament I made for the kids.

It is possible to get the bolts too tight at the bearing pivot points on some saws.. It's been 8 years ago that I rebuilt my DW so I couldn't tell you which ones or even if that is true on the DW now as I don't really recall what I did etc.. I have rebuilt so many different brands and most was years back so now I can't say for sure.. You just don't want to create a bind or drag down onto the pivot points.. they should move freely but not be so loose that they slop around too.. The ones to make sure are tight are those that bolt to the motor.. Many times with you have a bearing that shouldn't be too tight they use a lock nut on it so it won't vibrate loose over time.. I know there are some lock nuts at the front end of the saw.. I just don't remember about what is inside. Based on what you're saying on the bearing sleeve condition etc.. I feel like maybe you should look at maybe turning that tension rod another turn or so.. If all seems fairly tight etc.. The tension rod could need more tension on it.. I don't know where the tension rod is positioned but when I adjusted mine my blade would be good and tight when moving that lever to apply tension to the blade.. blade would be tight on number 2-3.. most times 2 but sometimes depending on blade maybe 2.5 - 3.. If you're having to push that lever over quite a ways to get the tension applied.. it may need to adjust that rod in another few turns.. I think I would start with that since you don't really have to take the whole saw apart to make this adjustment..

Take a look at MetroVac 500. It's the same thing as the one Seyco uses with their dust collection set up.. I have the Seyco set up but I also built a set-up of my own using a Metro vac that I picked up off eBay as a "new open box unit" I figured for $35 shipped it was worth trying. I also bought a mini cyclone dust separator similar to what Seycos system is but about half or less the size.. Seyco system https://www.seyco.com/dv-10a-cyclonic-action-scroll-saw-dust-collector/ Metro vac Ebay search. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=metrovac+500&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=metrovac

I'm in the same boat.. and I would say number 4 would be my biggest concern.. Though I'm sure many folks would be happy to talk about fret saws here and give advice.. still doesn't seem right, I have those issues with my CNC and Laser.. there are a lot of groups and forums out there.. NOTHING can come close to being as good as the the "Scroll Saw Village and the People of the scroll saw village...

Did the sound get better at all from before and after greasing it? Sound the same? Coming from the same area? Man it's really hard to chase these noises down when you have the saw in front of you.. let alone trying to help someone when you've never seen the saw run. Also really hard to know what your view of a little wear on the sleeves is.. There are a lot of bearings and sleeves in these saws.. a small amount in one or two bearings that is hardly visible to the eye could possibly pass and be okay.. you start getting wear in every sleeve and that adds up to a lot of slop when you add all that slop from each bearing until it gets to the business end of the saw.. Remember, a little visible wear on the sleeve is also wear on the bearing that sleeve came from and it's hard to see wear on those tiny bearings. It also could be something totally different, Motor bolted up tight? Since you say it's noisy at different speeds and quite at others it kinda makes me wonder about "other things" is it bolted to the stand good and tight? Is the stand sitting solid to the floor? Will the knocking change with more or less tension applied to the blade? With no blade in the saw grab the upper and lower blade holders and try moving them against one another sort of wiggling.. should feel a little slop or give but not a excessive amount this could be indication of really worn bearings / sleeves if there is a lot of slop. I have read a few instances where folks greased the saw and even put new bearings in etc. and the issue was the bearing in the connecting rod was good but it's supposed to be a pressed tight fit.. and under power it was slipping / spinning inside the connecting rod.. Sometimes you can get away with using a punch and sort of peening the metal around it in a couple places to make it a tighter fit.. But being made from a soft metal this might only be a temp fix depending how loose fit it was in there. Hope I made some sense with that. The connecting rod is what I call the part at the back of the saw directly bolted to the motor shaft.. has the bigger sealed bearing in it. My gut kind of telling me it's just worn enough in every sleeve / bearing that adding new grease isn't going to do the trick.. But I listed some things above off the top of my head to maybe give you some things to think about and possibly check.. I'm not sure how badly you really want to tear into the saw again.. or how much money you have invested or want to invest in. But I might just run the saw for a little while and see how you like it.. maybe order new bearings and sleeves and have at it again in a few months. The noise isn't going to really hurt the saw if it is just the bearings.. as they are already junk and damaged so running it and giving it more damage isn't really going to break the saw.. so long as it is running fairly smooth and able to use it.. The cheapest and easiest thing to do is keep tinkering and see if you can find the source of the sound.. Check all your scews and bolts etc. tight but not too tight.. some of them are just snug up and others should be tight.. you don't want them so tight that they bind up the bearing.. but not loose to flop around either, LOL Good luck,

I think this takes those oddball 3" fretsaw blades.. Don't think it's considered a scroll saw per say.. I didn't dig too deep but I did find the manual and I also found a new one in the UK? Hegner website.. The date on the tag from the eBay ad shows this model being a 2003.. Don't know how long they was made.. I have seen them pop up on occasion online.. don't think they was a very big hit for Hegner in part because the blade changing looks pretty cumbersome and those oddball blades may be hard to find..IF it does in fact use those odd 3" blades.. Don't take my word on this info as I'm just kinda guessing by the looks of the machine and what I have read in the past.. Before buying it I would contact advancedmachinery and ask some questions.. I seen this on eBay the other day and was going to look into it more.. been occupied by some personal issues the last few days. Edit for manual link I forgot to put in before posting. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1188/6562/files/Hegner_UNIMAX_MANUAL.pdf?3248921969229599006

A quick FB search found this.. but it doesn't appear very active and only just over 130 ish members. Last posting was first part of May 2020.. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EclipseScrollSaw

The Hawk G4 and the newest Hawks you can top feed with.. actually I have top fed my older Ultra style Hawk too.. But the ones with the round barrel style clamp is a definite no for top feeding as there is no way to hold the round clamp from spinning while trying to tighten the screw.. I don't know Hegners.. but I don't think they can top feed at all.. I somewhat agree with you though.. pick a saw and run it.. I think a lot depends on what type of work and how much work one is planning to do would depend on what saw I would recommend.. I believe the Excalibur, Jet, King, Pegas, Seyco, and type saws are the only tilting head design saws out there for doing angle cuts on a straight table rather than the table tilting for your angle cuts..

https://www.facebook.com/HillsideLumber/videos/1044888066030026

I didn't even click the link, but I'll say that if he breaks a blade then he just scraps the whole project.. My CNC's don't backtrack.. maybe some do.. I don't know everything about CNC's and haven't really run mine as much as I would like or thought I would... I know if you loose power or break a bit etc. you have to start at the beginning.. and sometimes doing that can ruin the project at hand. I'll check the link out a little later.

Video played fine for me.. Well it is a possibility that it wont run right after rebuilding it.. I don't know your mechanical skill set.. but you can't over tighten the bolts and screws that hold the bearings and bracket or it won't run right.. you have to tighten them snug and then maybe back it off just slightly.. you don't want it loose but not so tight that it puts some strain on it. If you buy the whole assembly everything is pretty much all assembled other than one bearing at the back of the saw and then the ones at the front where the rocker assemblies connect to the link rods.. so this assembly is really kinda hard to mess up..

I agree 110%.. even a well used Hawk or Hegner at the price of a new DeWalt etc.. way farther ahead in my opinion.. I had a Craftsman for 2 hours.. bought it brand new and it vibrated right off the bench.. took it back within two hours.. Had a Ryobi for 4 weeks while I rebuilt a old Delta.. Used the Delta for a year or so and then bought a Dremel run it 1.5 years.. then the DeWalt for 2 years before rebuilding it.. then bought my first Hawk.. then a second Hawk.. Then the new in box China junk Excalibur that I have fussed with for 3 years now before getting it running right.. Sometime in there I bought that new Hawk.. My first Hawk is a 1993.. I think it outruns the newer ones, LOL but between them all.. I'll never need another saw.. I have all three of these Hawks.. two was bought used.. then the new one.. All those other saws and the repair parts to keep them running cost me more money than all three of those Hawks..

Here is the thread of my rebuild.. you shouldn't have any issues with the front rocker assemblies if your saw is before the China made ones

The problem I ran into with the excalibur was that the bearing sleeves couldn't be sourced.. I found the bearings but not the sleeves.. Putting new bearings with worn old sleeves might make it very short lived.. I also discovered that the whole assembly from Ray is almost the same price as all those bearings.. so even if you could source the sleeves the cost is probably more money than just buying the whole assembly and replace all of it at once. The whole assembly is really quite easy to do.. I took a lot of photos of my process and uploaded a topic about the rebuild on my saw. I'll see if I can find it and link it here. I do have the China made EX-21.. https://www.seyco.com/partspage/

Anything I have that is smaller than 4" square or a 2 inch wide by 6 inch long I use as campfire wood.. and I gotta say.. there isn't very much that does get burned.. Being a seller and just making things to sell I find pretty good ways to just use it up for the most part.. I do have a table that I pile it up on.. once the stack gets kind of large.. I go through it and start making oddball things just to specifically use it up

Yeah there are tons of people including woodworkers that just do not know how things are made.. I kinda took it as a compliment but yet I felt it was missleading to anyone reading my reviews on my " handmade" selling website, LOL To be honest.. most people could care less " how it's made " they just like the design and that it's a wood ornament rather than plastic or other material..