kmmcrafts

Anyone making their own picture frames to frame their portrait style cutting in? What do you use for glass? Buy cut glass? Plexi Glass? No glass? LOL Wouldn't mind seeing some of the frames you make.. if you have any pictures to share.. What's your favorite material for making frames? I made a frame years ago but bought a routed piece of oak molding and just cut the miters on my miter saw.. Thought I was going to save money making my own.. but the material and time involved proved me to just buy cheep frames.. I had a different outlook back then on prices and quality.. Now looking at it.. a nice solid wood frame isn't cheap to buy like the one I made.. Now I own a palm router and think I could probably route some rabbit edges etc.. Not wanting to make something crazy.. just something basic.. After you pro's give me some tips and advice.. I might just decide to buy the frame,

I almost always cut pushing the wood straight toward the back much like I do with the straight blade.. In the video I posted.. I didn't do that simply because I wanted to show how they can cut any direction.. but like you all said.. I don't usually do much side to side cutting..

I showed this to my brother ( also a woodworker and putz around in scroll work ) He said "hey isn't that cheating" LOL... I said depends on how you look at it.. It's nice not to have to spin the wood around.. especially something large.. but those blades like to take the path of least resistance.. and you find the soft spots in the wood real quick.. I'm not certain if it's really easier or not.. just a different method of cutting.. and I like to mix it up now and then.. helps keep my skills up..

1" thick stack is quite a few.. I do not "like" to cut more than 3/4" thick stacks.. and many times only stack 1/2 -5 /8 BB ply.. That BB ply is some tough stuff to cut through.. and the blades dull pretty fast comparing to cutting solid wood.. Really hard to describe how hard to feed the wood in words, LOL My best advice is.. watch the blade.. you don't want to push so hard that you are flexing the blade back.. Maybe watch it and push until you see a slight flex? then back off just a tad? Maybe someone else will be able to describe it better than I can..

Ray, Might also want to look on Steve Good site, believe he did a video on making your own as well. Since you say you have a arbor already.

JT you must have posted while I was typing, LOL.. Yeah that's the plastic he was talking about..

Well they showed up tonight.. He doesn't want Aluminum and actually prefers plywood.. he plans to coat the wood with something to seal it.. Mentioned high temp paint.. I originally thought they wanted a throttle body spacer.. but he actually wants a intake manifold spacer.. These guys build race cars and motors and have done wood spacers before.. he says they work great. Reason they want wood is the heat doesn't transfer the same as aluminum.. If made from aluminum the spacer would end up being the same temp as the head and intake. I have no clue what he is up to but known him for years.. and has been a well known race motor builder with many tricks up his sleeve. This is an experiment for him at this stage, says he has some air temp modals he will be monitoring to record the intake air.. This build is for a Dodge Neon with a single overhead cam. Guess they have after market spacers for the dual overhead cam motor. Anyway.. he also said if this works like he thinks.. Plan on making several of them.. he knows several people that would be wanting to buy them.. I am personally not sold on the wood going between the intake and the head.. those temps get up around 200F.. He did also say that later if it works.. we might make them out of plastic.. forgot now what he called it.. but it's a high temp plastic..

Yeah, I don't use them very much.. and it's takes me a few cuts to get the hang of it after not doing it for a long time.. This was the first time in like 6-8 months that Id used them.. as you can see.. I did a few practice cuts before I put the camera on it, LOL

I couldn't find the link the other day.. but now I've got it.. They have 80, 180, 400 grit.. I have the 180.. and wish it was a little more aggressive but it works, My next one might be a 80 grit.. they tend to not be as aggressive as you think of for flat sanding paper https://www.harborfreight.com/4-in-180-Grit-Abrasive-Ball-61184.html

The ones I buy from Harbor Freight look much like the one in the middle in the back of this picture.. Believe they have two different grits and cost about $9... I've had mine since mid summer last year and its still doing decent job.. Use it on about every clock and clock base I make to knock off the edges..

Well, the guy is finally supposed to come over tonight.. Will see if it really happens.. Thinking I might try buying one of those cutting boards to cut it on.. Anyway, if he actually shows up and I actually get to make this I'll update on how it goes cutting and also will mention whether it actually works on the car..

I recorded this a few days ago, and uploaded it to instagram.. if you're following me on there then don't bother watching it again LOL .. Just thought I'd put it on my youtube channel.. Nothing special.. just a 57 second cutting out one small section.. Was using a FD - NS #1 stack cutting only 2 pieces of 1/8" BB ply..

Yeah, back in the day if the blade got dull on one side I would turn it upside down.. still sharp on the other end.. You've heard it all now..

Just watched the video.. thank you for telling me about it.. Going to purchase a sample pack of pegas.. before I do a larger order..

I guess I am an experimenter LOL I've tied a lot of blades.. styles of cutting. etc.. I enjoy tinkering around during the slow months.. Maybe it's the challenge.. I've even put blades in upside down, backwards etc etc.. just to see if I can cut like that.. LOL

Yeah they are awesome blades.. not sure that would fix the whole straight line issue still.. Might help tremendously though.. Just to get a feel for the straighter cutting blades you could also try Olsen PGT blades.. Many box stores carry Olsen blades and usually have these.. Though I do prefer the Pegas .. especially because the smallest Olsen PGT is a #5.. last I knew anyway.. I think more of this is.. just needing more experience behind a scroll saw.. It can get frustrating.. though especially when you are wanting perfection and not succeeding it.. as I said.. more time / practice.. take it slow.. play with saw speeds and feed rates etc..

I rarely use spirals.. Bought a sample pack about 10 years ago from Mike of the FD blades.. only ones I'd tried.. I like to try several brands to see what one actually works best for me.. Seen the spirals yesterday while cutting some portrait style work and thought I'd try again.. then remembered I bought the Olsens at the Lowes store a year ago to try.. I feel like spiral blades is cheating me out of the challenge for portrait cutting LOL.. Short of doing some veining I really never used them.. The portrait I posted in the works in progress forum I started with flat blades.. then went through the size of blades I have for the FD spirals.. and then the one pack of Olsen blades.. So far.. I like the way the Olsens cut.. but I'm also breaking a lot of them.. trying to get the tension etc right.

Yes, I've been impressed with the Olsen brand.. Used a #0 and cut much cleaner smoother less fuzzies than the New Spiral by FD. Was hoping someone had some experience with the Pegas Spirals.. I may just order a sample pack...

Yes I did ind them on there.. took some searching through the pages but found them, Thank you.. Also found that Sloans has them.. Love doing business with them! Very nice people to deal with..

Way over priced.. had one years ago and it was a nice saw.. just not worth that kind of money these days.. especially when there are plenty of used Hawk and Hegner type saws around for very close to the same money..

Anyone use the Pegas spiral blades? Do they have flat ends? I don't use spirals much.. and have always used FD New spirals.. Tried the flat end ones once and while they wasn't as twisted up as the regular spirals they was still twisted up some.. Quite a while back there was a topic about the flat ends of the FD vrs Olsen.. many people talked up on the Olsen brand so I bought some Olsen brand... however they didn't have any flat end ones.. Today while doing some cutting with spirals I thought I'd try them.. I thought they cut better than the FD ones I'd been using.. Anyway was thinking about trying a pack of the Pegas.. Also who sells the Olsen flat end spirals.. are they essentially the same blade? other than the ends? I see the FD blades have different specs for the same size number of each of their styles of blades.. Really liked the Olsen ones I tried today.. other than the ends seem more twisted up than the FD blades.. On the FD blades I always used 2 needle nose pliers and would untwist the ends.. can't do that with the Olsen without breaking it or at least weakening it :(

You for got to add the business insurance on your auto.. that you use to transport your goods to and from the shows ..

The people I personally know that their garage burnt to the ground wouldn't cover much of anything.. because the business equipment may have cause the fire.. They ( I Think ) thought that it would be covered under their homeowners insurance.. Which could be possible.. If like you say.. insurance company knew about the business.. This is why I brought it up to begin with.. Many people get all wrapped up in the "craft hobby" saying it's only a hobby.. but.. does the IRS and your insurance company going to consider it as a hobby IF you're selling stuff and making a little money should something happen? This is how it all went down for the people I know that the insurance company would not cover.. Many people just don't REALLY THINK about it.. Those that DO Think.. think nothing will happen to them.. or that if they Do let the insurance company know then their rates will be hiked up.. for the extra coverage..

I always make my own.. Many times if I can't find paper so instead of the dog eating my sons homework.. Dad stole the paper to make sandpaper with .. sand is free and everywhere.. little wood glue.. Man just thinking.. Iggy could get all the sand any of us would need right there on the beach

Don't know much about the sanding mops.. I've got a ( not sure what you call it ) arbor with like scotch brite pads on it.. It was purchased at Harbor Freight all assembled.. Don't remember what I paid for it.. Tried to find it online on their site.. but can't find it.. Amazing Kevin is where I originally heard of it.. in one of those post where they was discussing sanding mops etc..