kmmcrafts

It is going to be busy, but make time to rest, don't want to fall asleep at the shows . I hope it's as busy for everyone else as it's been for me.. I've already sold out of a lot of my inventory that I built up over the summer.. but custom orders keep coming in and have hardly any time to "try" to restock some things.. It's not even my busiest time yet..

I don't have much to add... just wanted to say that the video view is pretty good.. I see a lot of people doing videos and they do not show any details of the cutting action and the lines on the pattern.. I use my cell phone to do my videos.. I tape my phone to the top of the lens of my Magnifier light.. Make for tough cutting for me.. but the view is exactly what I see while sawing.. What makes it a bit harder for me is my phone screen is small.. and I'm covering up my magnifier lens with the phone.. so I'm cutting looking through my small phone screen.. instead of my larger 5" lens.. plus I think my phone screen light isn't nearly as bright.. Anyway.. I've had many many other scroll saw people comment on my video angle.. They like seeing the actual action happening.. You have found a way to keep the camera off to the side.. yet show the blade, cutting lines etc.. so great job with that.. Now I've gotta pick on you a bit.. You seem to struggle with putting your own puzzle together.. You puzzle guys should be charging more... after all you not only spend time cutting it.. you gotta spend 5-10 minutes putting it back together,

I'm not a pro when it comes to glue or finishing.. That said.. I've made sawdust glue as Jim says.. My experience with finishing after a glue & sawdust mix has been applied to a small drill hole.. ( I've been known to drill holes in the wrong side of the line a few times LOL ) is the spot is still there.. just filled in and not a hole anymore.. The glue hole always ends up a shade different.. but in many cases just looks like a spot in the wood grain or a small knot or something.. so I never really thought of it as a known mistake or blemish.. just a natural wood grain color change in that small spot.. You'll want to sand it good so you'll sand most of the glue out in the surrounding areas around the blemished spot.. if possible.. I've tried a few different glues with the basic same results.. a glue just isn't going to absorb the finish in the same manor as the natural wood will.. I have very limited experience in doing this.. less than a handful of times.. There may be some special glues or methods that those Pro's use.. I'm just talking about what I have experience which isn't much. But I look forward to reading this topic as I'd like to know more secret repair methods on this glue paste repairs, LOL

I'm quite certain as I said before.. that it's slop in the bearings.. How about you guys try something.. Put the blade in.. apply tension.. release the tension and clamp the blade again and re tension the blade again before you even run the saw at all.. This is my method and I don't get stretch or whatever you want to call it when I do this.. My hands are already there and it's only a second more to re-do the clamping each time you move the blade.. No need for me to run the saw for a few seconds.. This is why I stand behind my theory of the slop in all of the pivot points on this type of saws.. Used to have to do the same thing on my DeWalt.. Never had to do this on any of the 3 Hawks or any of the older saws I've owned that I believe I mentioned in another replay on this thread.. If you look closely at the upper arm as you apply tension to the blade.. you can see it move / pull down.. I'm not saying it's for sure a bearing slop issue.. It may be the upper arm slop issue and it's not coming all the way down to it's resting point until it is forced to when you initially apply the tension.. Whatever it is.. it only seems to be an issue with these Ex and like saws.. If it were a blade issue.. it'd do it on all saws I would think..

I've done both but actually prefer bottom feeding.. Maybe just because that is the way I started out on the scroll saw... I've had top feed capable saws for 13 years.. can do it both ways.. but always gravitate to bottom feeding. It's just habit and in order to top feed I have to make a mental note in my brain to do it.. There is way to many mental notes in there so this slows down the processor... Probably need more memory, ram, and a faster processor in order to be efficient with the mental notes.. Every time I tell my self I'm going to top feed on a project.. I do so on the first hole... maybe the second one.. then the 3rd one I have it already fed and ready to hit that foot switch when the light bulb goes off that I just bottom fed.. Not taking the blade out now to do a redo.. and that's how it all goes down.. Born a bottom feeder I guess..LOL What made me decide to just stick with bottom feeding was the day I kept getting mixed up and lost several new blades.. You see.. I got all confused about what I was doing and unclamp the lower clamp and then instead of raising up the arm to switch to the next spot I reach up and unhook the top blade from the clamp.. the blade falls on the floor with several hundred of other broken or dull blades around my saw.. after a dozen blades.. I realize that I'm wasting new blades with only getting one or two spots cut per blade..

Nah, I working on putting heat in the shop as we speak.. Had a lot of insulation given to me last week.. so I'm putting it up.. once I run out.. that'll be where I build a temporary wall.. wife told me to buy a furnace for the shop for my birthday.. She never said how big of one to get.. sooo there shouldn't be any snow in west anymore in West Michigan once I get this thing going...

Well.. if you mean George got the stand and you got the saw.. I have a great idea.. that would work out well for all of us.. Since you're in Mid Michigan.. I'm in Southern Michigan.. and George is in Northern Indiana.. You'all could just meet in the middle at my house and set up that saw for me..

You need air movement.. and what I mean by that is.. If you only have exhaust fans the air movement will be minimal... You need a inlet fan on one end and a exhaust on the other end or side wall whatever.. But only having exhaust fans without a source of fresh air intake you're not getting enough air movement.. You also would want your intake air to be filtered clean air.. probably best to have a bigger fan for the exhaust and a smaller one for intake.. this would create a small vacuum type action and would probably be more efficient that having two of the same air flow fans.. Also might help to have inlet down low and exhaust up higher.. or the other way around.. You could get one of those fog machines they use at Halloween time and see what works best for air flow for your type / size / shape of the booth.. Air flow is a funny thing.. with certain sized and shaped rooms.. one corner of the booth could have no air flow and everything gets stuck in that one corner while the flow is good throughout the rest of the room.. experimenting with a fog machine would be a great way to get the best set up for your particular room..

I guess first off my question is.. how large of a booth you looking to build? What kind of budget you looking to spend? Coming from an automotive standpoint I've seen a lot of creative paint booths just built out of plastic sheeting.. .. I've also seen and worked in a one million dollar manufactured booth.. with top of the line ventilation with massive filters to catch the pollutants from going into the air stack, baking oven, lighting.. almost the whole thing was a big light, LOL.. Are you just looking for a spot in your shop where there is no sawdust floating around? In the automotive world.. I've seen paint jobs done right out side that turned out better than the in the million dollar booth.. I've seen fibers from clothing fall into a paint job in that booth.. so as for keeping dust etc. out is tricky to do in a place that makes sawdust, LOL.. You could have the best booth in the world.. but if you walk in the booth after scroll sawing to do a little spraying.. well the dust on your clothing just contaminated the booth..

Very nice display.. and beautiful workmanship as always.

Congrats, I believe you'll love that saw.. looking forward to hear and see some projects from this machine soon, LOL

Guessing he meant 1958..

Welcome to the village.. I used to have a 162VS.. not too bad of a little saw.. I don't think it's a "too aggressive issue unless something is wrong with the saw.. Make sure you have your blade in so the teeth are pointing down.. I suspect maybe the blade is in wrong side up... Also a real dull blade may do this as well.. Maybe some more information as to what your trying to cut.. and what blade you're using could give us a better idea of what's going on..

Thank you to all who have served and all currently serving..

Just gotta be thankful for the 11 sales.. they did put a little money in your pocket.. Wishing you better luck for the up coming shows..

Good question... I thought I seen a G4 20" saw on eBay once a few years back.. but if it really was then it's a rare one.. They are known as a G4 but they do have a model number G426... pretty sure the eBay saw said G420.. but this was back in the days before I had much knowledge on the Hawks.. Wish I had taken better note of what it really was.. because honesty all I've been have been 26" saws.. Going to the manuals section on their site, there is only a manual for a G426 and no mention of a 20" saw..BUT... they never was good about updating their manuals etc either... so maybe the ultra 20" saw was in production all the way up until they designed the newest BM series..

The G4 has the lower arms extended out through the angle mechanism so instead of reaching around behind that to insert the blade holder into the arm you can do it right in front.. The blade holders are different.. and the lower arm on the Ultra has two slots where the blade holder will fit into ( front spot is for cutting thin wood or less aggressive of cut.. and the back spot is for thick wood or a more aggressive cut) The G4 has the whole head of the lower arm that is on a threaded cap screw that you can adjust the position variably.. The G4 and the new BM series saws are almost identical.. The biggest real difference is the motor on the BM series went to a better higher torque motor with a different bearing set up there the motor shaft and the connecting rod hooks up to the lower arm.. This bearing and counter weight deal makes for a smoother running saw with the BM series.. otherwise it's basically the same saw.. The redesigned blade holders with the combination of the lower arm positioned out in front of the angle mechanism allows for these saws to be top or bottom feed saws..

I honestly don't believe it is stretching like you all claim.. Find it hard to believe that they stretch for the Ex type saws but not the Hawks and Hegners.. Seems fishy to me.. I still believe it is something to do with the saw design itself.. Again.. not picking on any type of saw in particular.. but I experience this same thing on my EX.. but not on my Hawk.. What gives? different type of saw mechanisms.. I've never really had a blade run hot on the Ex types of saws to the point that they discolor but have on the Hawks.. yet I still had no issues with loosing tension.. so this really makes me believe it's not a blade issue..

Please let him know my birthday is on the 19th... I know it might be pushing it to get here on time.. so I don't mind if it's a few days late.. Well Happy Birthday! Congrats on the awesome gift.. I suppose it's up to you on the table covering.. I'm kinda funny on taking care of my tools and wax the whole machine, stand and all when i wax the table.. keep them clean as possible etc.. IF I was going to cover the table... I probably would go with the thin magnetic sheets like seyco saws use and cut it to size.. I believe several folks have done that on their Excalibur saws.. not to protect the table but to cover those dust collector holes and seem to get small pieces that drop out of your cut and bind your board up.. watch it with those.. they can really mess you and a project up when that happens..

Yes I agree with that..

Okay the other day I mentioned in one of the Pegas topics about my Excalibur is already making noises and vibrating again after I greased the bearings and all I had it running so smooth.. It turns out it still runs very smooth.. A while back I put a 2 x 4 under the back legs of the stand.. I totally forgot about this.. and it turns out the vibration and the bad knocking sounds was the stand was either knocked off or just over time vibrated enough to have the legs barely on that 2x4.. I took the 2x4 completely out and the saw runs just as I had it tuned to run after putting it back together.. Funny how that sound resonated through the machine and made it sound like it was coming from the back motor linkage area..

Ray do you suppose the blade actually stretched or do you suppose the upper arm etc wasn't completely rested to the lowest point? I asked that because ( mind you I have the cheap China made saw.. but.. I've found that on the Excalibur and even on my old DW788 the upper arm always dropped down more after I tension the blade.. SO what I almost always do now is push down on the upper linkage while tightening the thumb screw..BUT that doesn't always do the trick.. so Now I just do as mentioned but once tension is on I then release it and re-clamp the blade then saw.. It's an extra step.. and kinda in some ways annoying to do.. but.. doing so has always made the blade as tight as it should be.. Not an issue with the Hawk.. and many times I've seen recently that folks talking about the blade stretching.. I don't think it's stretching that much.. especially when I never have the issue with the Hawk.. The Hawk has a bottom out hole for the lower clamp.. put the blade in until it rest on the bottom and tighten the thumb screw.. somewhat the same with the top provided you have it adjusted properly the blade should come up just under the stop pin in the upper clamp.. so there is no fuss with the Hawk.. each blade goes in the same way every time..and one should never need to adjust this unless they swap blades from a large number to a very small number.. Anyway.. My point is.. the blades don't stretch on the Hawk but they do on the EX? I think it's more about putting a load on the upper pivots of the upper arm.. This is the downfall to these types of saws in my opinion.. way too many pivot points and bearings sleeves etc.. But not knocking the saws.. they are awesome to cut on.. until they get some wear.. then you get a little more slop and get the blade stretching issue.. LOL If that's what you want to call it..

Only thing I use the clear tape for now days since I started using the shelf liner is taping around the edges to hold a stack together..which in my case is daily use but still.. I also use it for making my boxes to ship my order in.. I do use the Duck brand "easy peel? I think.. It is a thicker tape and peals off the roll easy.. some of those tapes if you don't leave a tail on it and it gets stuck back to the roll you play heck trying to get it peeled back again without tearing and breaking many little pieces.. and the easy peel or maybe it's called easy start? anyway. it's the easiest best tape I've found..

I don't use patterns anymore.. I've cut these ornaments so many times now I just tape the stack together drill holes and cut it out, When i did use patterns.. I put the tape down first then the pattern.. On a few certain instances I've put tape on top.. but I hate cutting that way.. it seems like the sawdust builds in front of the line and covers it up.. the bellows isn't enough air to blow the sawdust off the line hen it gets trapped under the tape ahead of where I'm cutting..

My Pegas blade will also break on the Hawk... Mostly break right at the top or bottom of the stroke where the teeth are being used.. I run my saw 3/4 - 7/8 of the way up on the dial.. BUT... they aren't breaking prematurely.. but rather because I'm running them longer than I should.. They are so sharp and cut decent even when worn badly.. I don't break FD blades at all but I can't stand running them for very long either..they get dull and just won't cut without forcing them through the wood and flexing the blade ruining the project etc.. Those Pegas will chomp right through until they break... I almost always run them until they do, LOL That all said.. Never broke one on my Excalibur or DeWalt.. But those short arms on those saws I believe are easier on the blades.. Those long arm saws tend to stress blades more.. Especially the long arms on the 26" saws..