kmmcrafts

As you can see there are a million ways to achieve the same outcome.. Scott mentioned a FD-UR.. Nice blades and is still my go to blade for certain things.. but wouldn't be my choice for some thin stock like this because the reverse teeth can and will grab.. for very fragile cuts I don't even recommend a reverse tooth blade.. A number 1 blade might be a better choice.. I ran out of the little blades years ago and now I just do with what I have. but he is right with a smaller blade maybe more helpful.. Again, everyone has different methods to achieve the same results.. If having to use a sacrificial piece then so be it... just calculate the cost in your prices if selling your work.. there really is no real wrong way to achieve the end result..

Yes I agree, some hardwoods aren't cheap and I totally understand.. It takes a lot of cutting to get comfortable and learn the tricks.. and most folks do not ever get to a point that they can cut without the sacrificial piece.. Mostly because they get to comfy by making scrap without "Trying" to learn to do it without making scrap, If that makes any sense.. In other words most find that comfy spot of just throwing a scrap piece on the back and call it good rather than learning to control just one piece because it's easier to use a scrap than to learn the other way.. When you find some cheap thin material it's a great thing to learn.. You may make a lot of scrap learning but in the end it might be less scrap than you make in a lifetime of using sacrificial pieces all the time..

I cut 1/8 from time to time without a scrap sacrificial.. actually cut thin stock quite often around the holidays doing personalized ornaments.. I also use the #3 MG blades.. The hardest for any scroll sawer to learn is feeding the wood to the blade control.. many people will adjust a saws speed to help them control.. or they'll cut easy to cut areas until a blade starts to dull a bit before doing some delicate works that might go too fast for them with a new blade etc.. I learned to saw on a old two speed saw that low speed didn't work, LOL.. I now like to run my saws speed nearly full speed and I never adjust the speed unless I'm cutting metal or plastic.. My point is.. the saw isn't cutting too fast.. it's you feeding the wood to the blade too fast for you to control.. I think a faster blade speed gives a smoother cut edge and back side of the wood than a slow speed.. Everyone has their way of cutting.. and if you have to use a sacrificial piece or slow the blade down etc.. that's okay.. whatever gets you to a final piece and puts a smile on you is really all that matters..

I'd take it back and tell them it appears your mineral spirits was filled with the Covid-19

Hmm, Just curious where do you buy blades local that are any good? maybe I should ask... what brand blades do you buy local? I have the 14" grizzly.. and before that I had a cheap 9" Ryobi and with the Ryobi I couldn't find a blade worth buying locally.. Someone on a woodworkers forum somewhere turned be onto Timberwolf blades.. I had to custom order them but it was certainly worth it and then some, LOL When I got my grizzly set up the blade it come with was junk as well.. I placed an order for several types and widths of the Timberwolf blades but in the meantime I bought a couple Olsen brand blades at a local supplier.. I wasn't impressed with them either.. and I can't seem to find any "Good" blades locally.. I don't mind ordering... I get more frustrated in spending money on junk blades.. The Timberwolf blades I have been getting at PS Woods

Glad you're caught up.. Looks like that must have taken at least a couple days to cut I wish I could get caught up.. way busier than usual.. I suspect because all the people sitting at home doing nothing has provoked them to do some online shopping, LOL I've been meaning to compile that list of patterns I'd like to order from you.. every time I think okay after this order is complete I'll look at the list.. wham more orders come in..

I just use tape, probably not as fast as a pin nailer.. if the pin nail gun was always hooked up etc.. but I think it's probably faster than the pin nail gun if I need to dig it out and hook it up etc.. When I say tape.. I mean like packing tape.. I just tape around the edges of the stack.. best if all blanks are cut to the same size.. Years ago I used wood screws and a cordless drill with a driver bit.. You could run the screw in until it broke through the bottom and then back it out a little so you're not scratching the table.. That was back when I always used 1/4" thick blanks. but now I use 1/8 and the screws don't hold all that great on the bottom piece..

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..