kmmcrafts

I bought a new 14" saw from Grizzly 3-4 years ago.. Not had any issues with it.. My biggest regret is that I didn't get a bigger saw.. By the time I bought the riser block and other things to use as a resaw saw.. I had about as much money invested as a bigger saw would ave cost.. Other than that I've not had any issues.. I've heard a lot of good reviews from all three brands you mentioned.. I bought it specifically to re-saw because the power company came through and took a lot of trees down from around the lines.. I was planning to make myself some free lumber from the 3 foot sections that they left for me.. I quickly found out by the time I cut-dry-plane all this to size.. I had many more hours invested and my time was worth more than the lumber I created.. I did make a lot of board foot with this.. but I also had a whole lot of wood.. and ended up giving most of it to my neighbor to heat his house, LOL From a hobby standpoint it's fun to do and make your own lumber.. but from my business standpoint.. it was cheaper to just buy ready cut lumber and milled close to size..

Back when I first started scrolling I used to flip them to get longer blade life.. They do cut a few degrees off.. they aren't like the Pegas MG blades.. and flipping them gives you the degrees off on the opposite side.. I cut that way with them for a few years.. This was back before they put the indent on the top end.. Maybe that's why I am quite versatile on blades.. I don't pay a lot of attention to the degrees off when i switch out from one type of blade to the next like a lot of folks do. I just watch the line and steer the wood.. They do cut a little slower upside down.. but going from a dull blade to flipping the other end it seemed sharp again, LOL

Don't think that will work with the Ultra Reverse tooth blades as they have a reverse tooth all the way to the top of the blade.. I think it's two cutting teeth then one reverse then two more cutters and one reverse.. it's this way through the whole blade.. I do as you say though on other blades.. especially spirals..

I don't trust a company that isn't consistent.. They need to be either consistently bad or consistently good.. Example if I grab a pack of Vermont blades.. I know when I made that purchase that they're going to be bad blades, FD blades have been sort of hit and miss the last few years that I was using them.. Pegas is always either good or bad.. Most times they're good.. but they did have a bad run of blades a year or so ago.. but the whole package(s) (Gross) was bad.. not just one here or there they were bad everywhere ( Dr Who? ) and they replaced any blades that was bad.. I worked in a factory long enough to see many times.. they'll need numbers on paper of a run and they'll mix in bad parts in order to fill a order or to get those numbers that the big boss wants.. I've often wondered about this with the FD blades.. maybe just me with the last few gross I purchased. but it seemed like I had 1-2 bad blades in every dozen.. Made me sorta think they was purposely mixing in to get their numbers.. Every MFG will probably have a bad run now and then.. but that run should be consistently bad.. Good reason to switch to Pegas.. Look at that sales pitch.. I should become a Pegas distributor or get some sort of discount on their products,

The Ultra Reverse ( UR ) blades used to be my go to blade.. after trying Pegas I kinda slowed up on the use of them.. Have several gross and do use them still but I haven't ordered any new blades since early fall last year.. Starting to get a little low on them and have contemplated just fully switching to the Pegas.. In the past I've gotten some bad batches.. both in FD and Pegas so it's just the luck of the draw sometimes.. but most times they are happy to replace if there is a issue.. You might contact your supplier and ask about it.. maybe a known problem.. and they maybe replacing them for those that call and complain etc.. as it does happen from time to time with all the suppliers.. If there is a known issue.. please report back to inform others.. These companies and distributors do not go calling all their customers etc or it doesn't made the news like with a car recall or food recalls etc.. so it's up to us to spread the word around to the scroll saw clubs groups etc so we all know to be on the lookout of bad blades..

You might try searching for these terms.. "Train laser cut files" or "train dxf files" or vector files.. CNC files etc etc.. Now.. I will say some of these take a program to get them to open.. especially the DXF files.. Many of the car clock and even some of the other items I make and sell are actually CNC dxf type files that I've bought and modified to work for my needs.. Now that I post these tips.. I'm going to go search some of my bookmarked sites for these cnc type files.. In the cnc world we don't call them patterns as they are files that you upload to the cnc or to a thumb drive to the cnc etc.. but if you can get a program to open them ( sometimes just screen shots from your computer screen ) then you can print them out as patterns, LOL

We looked into the online shopping thing.. I'm not sure there is a insta-cart here, maybe look into it.. We have a shipt shoppers program that we thought about looking into.. My wife got a app for sams club because she seen where you can shop online and they'll bring your order out to the pick-up area.. But after shopping realized they don't do anything refrigerated or frozen, LOL.. so we kinda gave up on the programs and just go out..

Looks like a fun project.. and a fun driver.. looks like a real nice body and overall very clean car.. Something like that is hard to find in Michigan.. either rusted bad or came from the south and has burnt up interior, LOL

Probably was too heavy of a spring.. Someday I'm going to have a Hegner to try out.. but the Hawk spring has just enough tension to raise it but not enough that I even notice to bring it back down.. Maybe it's getting worn some.. My older Hawk needs help sometimes for it to go up on its own.. so that shows how weak it is.. The newest Hawk I have not run in 4 months or so.. I do remember it having more tension on it to bring it back down.. but not a lot.. Much easier that the EX as you raise and lower it every time and that upper arm for a weak person could get quite tiring.. Especially someone that had some sort of health issues..

I think the wider spray setting on a good air brush system would spray better than a spray can.. some spray cans these days have a decent spray.. but boy back in the day they was terrible to try to use..LOL.. back then if you wanted a decent finish a spray gun was the way to go.. LOL..

I thought the same thing when I had the Jim Dandy easy lift on my DeWalt.. But then when I got the Hawk.. I realized how much simpler yet that they are.. The EX is better than the DeWalt as you don't have to buy / make things to make it stay up.. But after having used the Hawk with the spring loaded arm.. I just don't think it gets any better than that.. well also the Hegner too I think

Yeah same here Ray.. supplies are short and what is available is the junk that nobody else wants either, LOL,.. As for the spring.. the governor here has us on a strict lock-down.. she shut down garden stores, can't buy paints etc etc.. I'm sure you've seen something on the news.. as there have been protest etc.. I guess I better stop on that topic before I take this post to a political level.. SO.. I'll just say this.. My wife is immune compromised due to immune suppressing meds for her crohn's disease.. and my mother inlaw has nearly end stage COPD and her guy friend was just diagnosed with lung cancer last year and they just found it's now in his brain too.. so these people we take care of are compromised.. so I'm not going out unless I have too anyway.. I'm not afraid of getting it.. but am afraid to pass it onto someone else so.. We live in the boonies.. as you know... and in the winter ( really all the year long but more so in winter ) we bulk buy most everything anyway.. do a lot of shopping at Sams club to bulk buy.. have big chest freezer to keep foods for a long time.. so just going shopping every 3-4 weeks.. We almost always have 2 weeks worth of things still when we go shopping to restock.. Just the way we was raised living out here as kids.. and we still do this ourselves today..LOL I'm not even sure the hardware stores are open the way they locked down our state.. I know that Walmart is not allowed to sell anything non essential.. But who decides whether a spring is essential.. I guess our governor knows what is and isn't and only thing we can buy basically is food.. LOL Anyway, I better quit, probably already too political of a reply..

Well you either had a very old saw or the smaller version.. because all the others have the tension release at the front of the saw.. this tells me you had a Hawk that used the round barrel type clamps.. and a lot of people disliked those.. It was either people loved them or hated them, LOL.. and it was mostly about the round clamps..the tension is really finicky on those.. so that is probably why you didn't like it.. As for the arm not coming up automatically.. may have been it was missing or had a weak spring at the back of the saw.. My older one much like you describe now has a weak spring and sometimes it doesn't come up like it should.. So I need to pick one up at the hardware or order one from Hawk.. I wanted to get one from the hardware store, but this virus stuff prevents me from going out except for groceries and that's only every 3-4 weeks..

I wish they all would design them to be spring loaded like the Hawk and ( I think ) Hegner.. So much nicer not to even have to take the time to raise it up.. once blade is unhooked the arm goes up on it's own and out of the way.. Nice when a blade breaks too.. as the upper arm doesn't keep running..

I have a few higher end spray guns as I used to work the autobody business.. and spraying from the equipment seems like a very good idea IF.. you're able to set up and spray a lot of pieces at once.. Otherwise you'll spend about the same money every time you clean up the spray equipment.. Now.. you did mention water base.. and assuming you can do a good clean-up with just soap and water.. It may very well be worth the effort.. I know there are some folks on here that use spray equipment.. and have much success with it.. It doesn't work well for me as many of my items are "made to order" rather than a built up stock for in person shows.. so many times I'm only putting a finish on 1-2 pieces at a time.. the clean up time to clean the spray equipment would out weigh the cost of just using a spray can.. I don't know how hard it is to clean some of the cheaper spray guns but mine you have many pieces to take out and clean.. so you basically take the gun apart and clean up all the pieces etc.. I suggest a small spray gun rather than the larger ones.. maybe look at touch-up guns with smaller paint cup.. Years ago I bought a quart can of water based poly.. I never did open it up.. and I keep thinking I need to just do the spray gun thing.. a can of the stuff locally is about $8 ( I think 16 oz. can) and a quart is like $12.. so yeah.. If I got a small touch-up gun and could do several pieces at a time.. It's save me a lot of money.. and I probably will do this once I start running my CNC sign making business soon...

Well to be honest I only subscribed to the Scroll Saw magazine by Fox publishing for a couple years.. My favorite one was the Creative Woodworks & Crafts.. I'm guessing it was in one of those.. But I was a subscriber to them from 06 - when they went out of business..

Believe the pattern was in one of the scroll saw magazines too... But which one and what issue.. I couldn't tell you, lol I stopped subscribing in like 2013-14 ish if that helps LOL

That's exactly what I did.. I ended up taking the motor apart to separate and feel the bearing.. I also felt like there was a bad bearing in there.. but I put it back together with new bearings in the pitman arm and it's been running good since.. This was 2 years ago I did this.. I still see no way to actually change that big bearing.. It must be pressed onto the shaft.. as i was never able to separate the motor shaft from the bearing.. I was a little uneasy to get too aggressive with it.. I had the set screw out that was in that hole that you mentioned.. Anyway, glad to hear you was able to get it apart and do a good inspection and that you'll be back up and running soon..

Are you talking about the big bearing inside that big aluminum block on the end of the motor? or the bearings on the flat stock that runs from the motor to the lower arm? I replaced the bearings in that part from the motor to the lower arm on my Ultra.. and i tried to get the block off the end of the motor but I couldn't get it separated and didn't want to break what wasn't yet broke.. I did get the block loose from the motor but I couldn't get it off the motor shaft still.. I had the set screws out.. but I never did figure out how to get to that bearing.. I know in one of the videos on the hawk website that the big bearing or maybe the one inside the motor was getting hot on some saws and was damaging the motor or the bearing and people run it until the motor shaft broke.. Really wanted to check / change mine but not being able to get it apart I figured I'd run it until i had problems.. since the ones that was really the bad ones was the smaller ones in the connecting rod / pitman arm whatever you call it, LOL

Glad to hear another one is getting interested... I had to laugh about the blades though.. My kids have interest but it's like a last resort from boredom before they'll go cut something... I think as they get older they'll at some point pick up more interest.. Now.. my one son that's big on computers and electronic.. he has showed some interest in the CNC.. That'd be nice because I don't seem to have a lot of interest in it like I do with the scroll saw.. but i blame that on the fact I have very little idea of what I'm doing on it too, LOL

Anything against zoo animals? a can of paint can change everything.. Now you have a cat, LOL.. Tell them to stay back as the cat might have the virus cause he makes a moo sound like a cow...

I have several of those style that you mention.. The local Finish Master still stocks them on their shelf.. I have all sorts of sanding blocks with different contours etc for doing bodywork.. Now days though they use a lot of flexible rubber / sponge like sander blocks etc... I have those too and those work awesome for wet sanding etc..

Seems like you’d wear out your shoes really fast doing that. Next time I go jogging before I come back in I’m going to sand the sole’s down .

Good question Ray, I don't have one but used to use them in high school wood shop.. But that was so long ago I can't remember the results of whether they helped at all or not, LOL.. For the past several years I've use the cheap HF sanding belts for my belt sander and the grit wears off long before the paper gets clogged up.. Back in the older days sandpaper used to clog up kinda bad.. maybe it was cheap paper then? Maybe more advancement has been made in sandpaper making.. so it doesn't seem to clog up ( on me anyway ) so I've never really had the need for something like this.. Those cleaning sticks remind me of a bar of beeswax.. maybe it is, LOL Be interested to see what others say about this..

Yeah, being in the autobody business for a lot of years sandpaper is the main thing used for body work.. In that world.. it's important to change up paper often.. I don't think for the most part scroll work is nearly as important to change it often like that.. Time is a huge factor in the body shop business.. You can achieve the same results with 600 grit as you can with 1000 grit.. but with the 1000 you'll be adding an extra hour or more sanding... a lot of the work is done by hand ( no power sanders ) so if you don't change often your arm will feel it by the end of the day, LOL Most people don't go much beyond 400 grit with woodworking.. and actually rarely do I see many going past 220.. I don't "try" to get a lot of miles out of my paper either... But there is a big difference in different types and materials of various sandpapers sold.. sometimes you get what you pay for and other times you just get ripped off.. and not really know it until someone mentions an experience they have.. That Norton brand stuff was good stuff too... In fact.. if I recall correctly.. it's what Kingspor sells and many other places sell it too under various names.. Anyway to my point.. This Diablo paper is really about the same price as the Norton brand that I had been using.. At the end of the day it's cheaper if it's lasting me 2-3 times longer.. I've often thought about ordering Kingspor papers.. But I'm also BIG on supporting my local stores and the price isn't a big enough savings to take the $$ out of my small local family run lumber store.. If I don't support them and they close up.. I'm stuck ordering my supplies online.. I like to sort through my BB ply sheets to "pick" my sheets..