kmmcrafts

Spirals do tend to break easier and therefore you do end up with breaking blades.. That said.. probably much more so for the smaller of the spirals.. For some reason I cannot cut on my Hawk with spirals without breaking them often.. But my Dewalt I rarely break them.. But I do remember my first try at spirals.. I broke many of them..( don't remember what saw I used way back then so not sure it was user error or somewhat saw error ) I also flip all over the place with blade styles and brands from FD, Olsen, and Pegas... Don't use the Olsen much any more and almost exclusively use Pegas now... but do keep a gross of FD around..

There are many variables when talking blades.. not only variables with blades but the saws set up too.. But generally speaking.. I use them on most everything i cut anymore.. I still use a lot of other styles of blades and saw set ups.. which is one reason I have several saws.. I mostly use the #3 and 5 for the things I make.. but on occasion I wish I had a few #1 and 7.. That said though... I have plenty of other style blades for those needs.. but when they run out I'll probably order some of the Pegas MG.. My next Pegas order is going to have some samples of their spirals.. Which reminds me.. I need to place an order soon..

Well last week I started putting a few puzzles on my web site.. Just sold this Moose one.. Think I've got a ways to go to catch up with Iggy but the first one is a start.. watch out Iggy.. I'm on a roll now

I have a favorite blade from every manufacture that I've tried ( FD, Olsen, Pegas ).. I think each manufacture has great blades.. I mostly cut 1/2" plus hardwoods ( mostly cherry, but also Oak, walnut, ash, poplar, and Maple )... I also cut quite a lot of stack cutting of 1/2" + or - stacks of BB plywood.. If I couldn't get blades any longer from any one of the manufactures I mentioned above... It wouldn't kill my business / hobby.. I try many manufactures for the simple reason to find what I like / dislike about each manufacture.. I guess I learned this from my father.. Years ago he had a favorite go to blade and all of a sudden he couldn't get them any longer.. He complained about all the other blades.. He finally settled on some type of Olsen blade.. Guess my point is.. I like to keep well rounded in all aspects of scroll sawing ( fretwork style ).. I can use spirals.. or most any other blade configuration.. and I swap blades out all the time just to stay use to that type of blade..

On a plus side.. all but one saw is right next to each other.. I think what I need is some wheels on the one I have.. and a small motor Maybe just make one like this one.. then I just start it up and drive around to each shop tool.. wouldn't need to get up at all

Yeah, my shop doesn't have heat... other than a small propane "buddy heater" radiant heater.. and I work out there pretty much year round.. Not too bad in the shop until mid January once the concrete floor cools off to those cold winter temps.. On a plus side.. if I keep it shut up that cold floor acts as a air conditioner though about mid late summer.... seriously feels like an air-conditioned shop in the summer. and that floor somewhat heats the shop through my busy season... All that said.. I hope to ad heat to at least a portion of the shop in the next year or so.. Maybe this year.. but as usual.. Murphy has been tampering with my cars ( head gaskets ) and it's a big labor intensive job... common problem with this car.. but checking around the cost was $1800 ish to have that done.. I can get a new motor with 100,000 mile warranty for around $2000 LOL.. I'm going to do the job myself and have around $500 in parts.. been there done it a couple times so I know how.. just didn't want to... as making sawdust is much more fun, LOL

I think I could have gotten the vibration to a manageable point with the set-up I had with a lot of tweaking.. But the small stand I had even adjusted out as large as it would go still had quite a small footprint compared to the larger footprint of the saw.. Some of this was where I mounted the saw to the plywood I had.. It ended up being a little too far to the front and to one side of the stand .. which made it not put the weight down onto the 4 legs evenly.. I just did a real quick mounting up to that stand as I was excited to try the saw out.. and it was like 15F out in the shop at that time.. and I wanted to just set it up hassle free.. I think one could get good results off one of those cheaper light weight stands.. I just wasn't in any mood to fuss with it.. and I really wanted the matching stand for the saw... The cheap stand also didn't set up to a comfortable height for my stool I use.. I only have one stool for 5 saws, LOL ..

Just to add, If it has a stand or not would make a difference in the price tag too.. Even if you're not interested in the stand.. Last Nov. I bought a EX-21 still sealed in the box for $350.. came with the foot switch but no stand.. so by the time I got a stand for it I had $450 ish into it.. I had a stand to mount it on ( cheap Harbor Freight ) and the stand was too small.. so I mounted a 3/4" plywood to the stand and then the saw to that.. but it made the saw vibrate quite a lot.. The purchase of the actual EX stand made a night and day difference for me..The stands run $120 ish for a new one.. I was able to find one that someone else had and didn't use.. so I got the stand a little cheaper.. but still around $100 with shipping etc.

Duh, I guess I missed that, LOL

What size you talking about? For me.. I wouldn't go that high on a 16" as in my opinion.. it's worth the extra $100 for the brand new King ( same saw ) with warranty etc.. .. Highly doubt being an Anniversary one really adds any kind of value.. same as any other of the saws other than the paint scheme.. and badges.. Though some may like the cool gold lettering and the scheme and maybe that is worth more to them.. A 21" saw or the 30" yes.. I'd pay that for a nice lightly used one... Anyway.. that's just me.. Some would be happy to get a $500 Ex-16 and save a hundred.. If it was REAL SLIGHTLY used.. Personally I wouldn't buy a brand new boxed EX-16 for any more than $400 unless if was from a store that would back the warranty.. or accept returns for up to 90 days etc.. I might have a different opinion on that is the King saws hadn't came out at a reasonable price..

Love it!! Great job on that one...Thanks for sharing with us..

Thanks Jim, I'll look it over more and see if I find any loose connections.. I think I'll clean up the spade connections.. I didn't notice yesterday but looking in my picture they look like they are rusty.. Doubt that is the issue but either way it should be cleaned up I would think..

I'll have to look closer at it and see.. but I don't see anything on the top side of it.. there is a couple screws holding it down.. was kind of worried about disturbing it more or breaking it, LOL.. as the saw works fine as long as I don't mess with the dial. and keep it off full speed.. on the other hand I don't want the power surge to burn up the motor.. which is why I was messing with it to begin with..

Well the old style controller is in fact different than the new one.. So my guess is Hawk cannot get the parts for the control box since the company that makes the motors are still in business.. Anyone recognize any of the parts inside this thing LOL.. I'd like to learn how to repair the problematic old Hawk motor / controllers.. P.S. I've heard of a few folks that completely bypassed the controller and wired direct.. which gave them full speed... I run this saw on high anyway.. but not sure if directly wired is faster than high speed and would burn it up or not.. I may take this to the small motor shop and see what those folks have to say about it..

If you are looking at them.. another tell tail sign of a old saw is.. Look at the air blower hose.. All the older saws came with just a hose.. the newer saws have the flex ( line lock ) hose.. but.. don't let that trick you as well.. as Hawk sells a upgrade kit to change the old saws into having the new flex hose.. ( one of the upgrades I did on mine )..

I think that was probably a smart choice.. Just my opinion but I don't think I'd ever pay any more than $200 for a saw of that vintage considering the older motor could have issues.. That said.. even a new saw could have motor issues.. I just find it hard to fork out that kind of money knowing it may potentially need a motor / controller at any time and have to pay an additional $400 for that.. then you still have a old potentially worn saw... On a positive note.. parts and upgrades are available for that old saw still... I've done many upgrades to my saw.. so many so that I feel I've actually put too much money into it.. and my issue is.. I have more in it than it's worth.. yet I don't need it either.. but refrain from selling it because I do know they have issues with the motor and mine does jump around with small power surges just touching the VS dial.. so I'd really feel bad to sell it and have it go sour for someone else.. That said, I have my money's worth of learning experience of working / rebuilding the saw.. as it was my first Hawk.. and I think I'm going to put some more money in it and replace the Pot.. if that takes care of the jumpy motor.. I'd be more willing to sell the thing or keep it and sell the new one, LOL Plus.. if fixing the pot takes care of the problems with the saws and their known motor / controller issue.. then I wouldn't mind having to pay a steeper price for another if I know that was what the main issues are.. The Pot is only $5 shipped..

On my Hawk... I can really tell when the blade is dull.. I feel like I have to force the wood through it.. many times not even a few minutes into a cutting... But on my 788 or Ex-21 the blade just chomps the wood away. but the way I can tell on these is.. the blade will get hard to control.. and will start wondering.. as to be quite dull though.. I've had some blades last through a couple of clock cuttings on the 788 / Ex saw.. but have never completed a clock with one blade on my Hawk.. But this blade usage varies on the density of the wood too.. I've cut a lot of cherry.. and have had some cherry that was very hard cutting... and some that cut real nice.. no two pieces of wood cut the same.. sometimes the same piece will have hard cutting sections in it..

I don't really know how many different blades I keep on hand... but I do have a holder that holds ( I think ) 16 tubes.. or maybe it's 24 tubes.. either way. the holder is full.. and I have at least a half dozen more tubes with blades in them... I do a wide variety of cutting.. but not all the time.. Typically use on a regular basis 4 different blades.. .. I could eliminate quite a few of the tubes.. if I'd just use up some of the blades.. as some of these are blades i bought as samples.. I probably should either use them up or give some of them away.. I bought a sample pack a few years back of the Pegas MG blades... liked them so much that I now have a gross or so of FD-UR blades that I haven't touched since finding that I like the Pegas.. I bought several samples of the Pegas.. Ie scroll reverse, MG, skip tooth etc etc... But the MG lades out of all the samples are my favorite.. Sometimes in a very fragile piece I will swap a regular ( non reverse) blade in.. those reverse teeth can mess up a real fragile cut.. so having a wide variety of blades for me is a must have..

Creative Woodworks and Crafts was my favorite one.. too bad they ceased the magazine.. Though I half wonder if even if they didn't stop.. if I'd continue the subscription.. The way they lay out the patterns in the books makes it difficult to scan and print .. without taking the whole magazine apart.. I really wish they'd go digital with many magazines.. simply put.. I can store many magazines on a disc in the amount of space it takes to store only a couple of printed magazines.. Plus side would be they could have a index that would show what designs etc. are in the magazine and easily found patterns, not to mention... easier to print the patterns... Or.. with a yearly subscription they send you a digital version every year as well as the print.. so at the end of the year you'd receive a disc with the years print on digital.. as a bonus to get people to subscribe yearly they could include some extra in the digital version.. ( ie they typically used to send subscribers a holiday special version... maybe not offer that in the print.. so everyone would get a bonus to subscribe.. Maybe I'm just a pack rat.. because I hate to toss out the magazines.. especially hate to toss out the paper patterns.. yet the boxes of magazines I have takes up a large amount of space..

My next order will have this one, I wanted it last time and I thought I had put it in the shopping cart.. but I guess I didn't..

I put this little ad together... thought it was sort of funny so thought you all might like to see it..

That is great to hear, Always good to get back in the shop.. maybe just working in the shop will help the pain and stiffness.. Looking forward to seeing what you make..

Well I thought they was still around... so I'm not sure about that statement.. and I don't know really where I got that info from... for some reason I was thinking that is what Buston told me.. Maybe it's just some of the components that are no longer made.. I would think the pot is actually what goes bad in these saws.. and every once in a blue moon my 220 will jump speed up.. and even just touching the VS dial will make it go crazy.. So I've always done any speed changes with it stopped.. I think I'm going to take it apart and put in a new Pot.. like I did with my newer saw.. because I broke it taking it apart, LOL.. Might save me a burnt up motor..

I'm not certain it's a motor issue, might just be a speed control issue or circuit board issue.. The real issue is that.. the company that made the motor or controller assembly s no longer in business.. so Bushton says if the controller fails.. they cannot get the parts to fix it.. so their fix for you is to replace the whole assembly.. Now.. not to say they a small electric motor shop can't make a repair.. as Bushton isn't a electric motor repair service. they just buy the assemblies and repair what they can.. For instance if the pot meter goes out... their fix is to sell you a whole new control box.. So since the control box is part of the motor assembly I'm guessing they cannot get a control box for these older motors since the company went out of business.. So anything that goes bad in the electronic system on the older hawks... their fix is new motor controller assembly at $300+ .. If I had an issue with mine.. I'd test what I could and then take it to a motor shop to see what can be done... Odds are.. a good motor repair shop could fix what you have much cheaper than the whole replacement.. I happen to have an awesome motor shop about 20 miles away.. those guys have saved me bundles of money on a lot of things from Well pump motor to air compressor to my cheap skil brand table saw motor they fixed last year.. They fix the table saw last year for me for $6.. I almost tossed it out and forked out $500 for a new one.. because when I get a new one.. I'm getting a better quality one.. just didn't have the extra cash when the table saw went out.. and they fixed me up... said it won't last a real long time but probably bought me another couple years he said..

That is one downside to their scroll saw company... They are somewhat difficult to get a hold of.. I'm not sure I've ever received a reply to any emailed questions other than they seemed responsive to questions about my placed orders.. Best to catch them on the phone.. but even as you've figured out..they are hard to catch up with on the phone too.. I sort of believe they may only have the one phone line that is personal and business...