kmmcrafts

What's what you do when you ship them, LOL all the above ? LOL I'm guessing you mean what I mentioned I do in the last sentence?

I guess I don't understand that one.. Noting is broke.. I'm talking about clocks and how to best ship them..

If you was to sell small clocks with the mini insert fit-ups.. Would you? 1) ship them to the customer with the clock inserted into the wood 2) leave the clock loose 3) insert the clock and have it set for the time zone where it's being mailed.. 4) insert the clock without starting it so they need to remove it and set the time etc.. I've contemplated this for years.. and have always just inserted the clock un-started.. send the instruction papers etc with a small set of typed instructions on how to remove the clock and start it etc.. But wonder if I should do one of the other options above..

Awesome.. Thanks for the tip..

No I just have inkscape and gimp is all.. I'm working with amazon on another issue now.. I figured out a fix for the picture sizing I think.. but I uploaded images and did my first listing and images showed up on the listing template but not in the actual live listing.. so now I'm trying to figure that one out.. Amazon sure doesn't make it easy.. guess maybe they don't want just any Joe selling on their site, LOL.. They sure have some weird rules etc.. I've been working on this on and off for a week or better trying to get shipping setting configured etc etc.. Once I get it down.. it'll probably be easy.. But certainly an oddball site to use compared to all the other sites / venues I've sold on.. LOL

Okay, so I've been having problems getting my Amazon store set up.. finally was getting things figured out and ready to put my first product listing up and wham! another problem.. Amazon requires a minimum 500 pxl on the shortest side of the picture.. Okay so I have about 400 products to add to the store.. each product has at least 5 pictures .. This will take all year to get done LOL.. Anyone know a good bulk picture sizing editor to make the process faster.. I'm almost thinking about retaking the photos with a different camera setting to achieve this.. or just aborting this Amazon store project altogether LOL

With all the talk lately about blade clamps and threads stripping out etc etc.. Do any of you clean and lube the threads on your machines? Maybe a year or so after I bought my 788 I noticed the screws was catching / binding a bit.. I took them out and cleaned the treads with brake cleaner or carb cleaner on both the clamp and the thumb screw.. then gave the screw a drop of light oil.. wiped off the excess worked it in and out a few times and it got much smoother working.. I now do this as regular maintenance.. Maybe why I haven't had any issues with my clamps? I don't know.. but sure didn't hurt them.. Just be sure not to get any oil on the ends where the blade is clamped.. If you do then even pliers probably won't tighten it enough to keep from slipping LOL.. If you do get oil on the end.. spray a towel or rag with the cleaner and just wipe the tips in the soaked cleaner a couple times..

Thank you! @amazingkevin

Yes, exactly.. My DeWalt is 10 years old.. and I've done a LOT of cutting on that saw.. has the original clamps in it.. . about a year of so after I got it I read about how it's a good idea to have extra clamps.. and guess what.. I bought a couple extras.. and still haven't needed them, LOL..

I think what Travis said would be best.. and if you look at the pattern sites like scrollsawartist.com or sheilalandry's site.. they show a finished piece or a colored ( simulated ) piece.. Now I realize you don't have all of these cut.. maybe someone that has cut them wouldn't mind sharing a photo for you to use.. Maybe just use a photo of the ones you do have and then when you sell a pattern ask for a completed photo for a discounted price or a coupon code for their next pattern order.. I don't know just throwing out suggestions so you wouldn't need to cut them all.. specially ones you wouldn't sell very well in your location.. Guess there's not a simple solution. but for the puzzles you do have.. I'd use a small photo of the actual cutting as Travis said..

I do ship the little ones with battery.. except the international orders.. I take the battery out.. Probably never have an issue but it can be a BIG fine sending items that are prohibited outside of the USA.. Even though I had been shipping with the batteries up until last spring when I found all this out.. But I do include batteries for USA customers.. Especially because all the clocks I get.. come with batteries anyway..

Thank you.. Sue Mey pattern in case anyone wants to know..

I do not supply the battery.. used to until I learned about having to have special packing for mailing anything with batteries.. and you're not supposed to ship them out of the country either.. their scanners might pick it up as a bomb LOL.. I do as shown in the picture.. then wrap about 2-3 inch of bubble wrap then put in a box and fill in around it with packing peanuts.. Pack pretty well.. probably could almost run over it with no damage.. Hahaha

Since I’m trying to warm up and also trying to package up orders I thought I’d take a minute and show what I do for clock hands to keep them from damage during shipping. This is like 1-1/4 inch rubber hose. I buy cheap cutoffs or end of the roll where they are odd sized and probably wouldn’t sell well to the average person. Local hardware saves these for me . I cut them so they fit over the hands and use rubber bands to hold it in place. Been doing this for years. Stated with cpvc pipe that I had left over but you have to put something under that to prevent scratches etc. so far the rubber hose works good. That the daily tip from KevsKrafts

Yeah I hear that for sure.. I've been trying to set up my amazon store.. that place is sure picky.. Photos have to have a white background.. and have to be sized a certain pixels etc etc.. so I've been spending these last few cold days in the house working on that.. was hoping to get my first listing up today.. but 4 orders came in all at once and they want these by Valentines day, LOL

Oopps I link to a blog on that last post.. as I was looking for the google image rules.. This is straight from google. https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6101131?hl=en

You don't need to cut the puzzles to make them look like wood.. You can use gimp.. maybe insskape and use the bucket fill tool.. In gimp they have a wood selection and you can fill the pattern in with the wood colors of choice..

I personally feel you're blocking most of the image and most items I cannot tell exactly what it is.. Like thewoodenteddybear shows a very small image of the finished piece.. which I like to see the finished piece and decide if I want to purchase the plans to make the same thing.. Many people ( yes even scroll sawers ) have a hard time picturing what the drawing would actually look like in wood.. all they see is a bunch of lines.. Unless you're very experience sawer and do some design work can many people make out what it is.. Plus your hurting the web sites rank in searches because of the water mark / promotional business card being in the image.. Google and other search engines will throw the site off the searches for poor pictures.. See the link https://www.volusion.com/blog/7-major-google-shopping-image-mistakes/ Besides.. there is enough images of those puzzles all over the internet that one could print and cut their own puzzle right off of a photo if one was to want to steal the design.. Take a look on Etsy.. especially Duke's images.. most of his images are a straight on view.. that most anyone could cut the design out with just a minor tweaking.. Sure it probably wouldn't be exact.. but.. close enough that the average person isn't going to notice the difference.. I know you put in a lot of work doing this.. but I just don't think the effort is going to help you one bit in keeping people from stealing the designs.. and it's sure going to throw your site at the bottom of the list on searches.. I've been selling online since 1997.. and in the beginning.. I did a lot of trial and error.. mostly error.. and it's still a daily challenge to keep good search rankings.. Google indexes pages about every couple weeks.. if they index this page as is.. it'll get thrown out.. then you'll be waiting another couple weeks for them to put you back in.. however in an error violation as this.. you'll start at the bottom of the list and have to work it's way back up.. Hope you don't think I'm being harsh or a know it all.. after all the work you put in.. I'm just telling it from experience and training I've had.. Maybe ask some opinions from others on this.. see if they can tell what the image is.. but the few I seen.. didn't even show 1/3 of the puzzle.. it was a big freaking advertisement in the way..LOL

That's a old one.. Might not be a bad price.. but.. I'd wait it out for a newer model.. They haven't made that 19" saw for a lot of years..

So if I read this correctly.. the Pegas clamp does in fact reduce vibration? .. doesn't look like a huge difference to rush out and buy a new Pegas clamp to replace a good ( new one ) on my new saw.. BUT... the reduced vibration could mean longer saw life etc etc.. I really want to start using my new EX.. but.. I want to hook up a hour meter to a my foot switch first.. I don't know why.. just mainly because I'm always curious about how many hours are on my old DeWalt.. I really want to hook a meter to all my saws to be honest.. Just to collect some data.. not only for the saw but for projects I make too..

You and the bride sure gonna get some prayers from me.. Take it easy and let the body heal.. hopefully soon

I bought a bunch of puzzle patterns and intend to make clocks and ornaments out of them.. I may also make a few puzzles.. but I want to change up my business from a DBA to a LLC before I take the risk of doing the puzzles.. I just feel there is a little more risk going from clocks to puzzles.. and kid type toys etc.. LOL I posted the Rescue dog you passed as a sample cut.. I cut as a clock last year in the bragging section...

Yeah.. I've had them all cut some things out.. my oldest will still do some cutting now and then.. daughters too busy with college.. and my youngest will cut from time to time.. They don't have a lot of interest in it... Yet anyway... much like me when I was their age.. out hanging with friends, cars , trucks and chasing girls, LOL Amazing how much like me they are really.. kind of scary..but maybe they will take over my business when they settle and I retire LOL.. My dad didn't start sawing until he retired and I was like 17 years old.. I didn't get into sawing until I was 36-38 ish I guess..

Not made any more but it's a Hitachi model CW 40.. don't think they was on the market very long? just a few years back around 2007-8? I almost bought one but went with the Dremel 1800 at the time.. as the dremal had the disc sander that I wanted too.. so that was a cheaper smarter route for me..

I buy saws when I find an awesome deal on them... not every saw I find a good deal on but.. LOL I had been using my DeWalt for a few years when it got pretty noisy and was picking up some minor vibration.. this all took place during he busy holiday season.. I took it apart and cleaned up grease etc and added fresh grease while taking note of the numbers on the bearings.. I was able to get through the busy part before replacing worn bearings etc.. Ran the saw for several more years.. and I kept a watch out for a bargain.. that's when I found my first Hawk 220VS for $100.. was said to be barely used... me not knowing anything about Hawks and the way the guy had it set up on uneven floor etc. I did test it but it was shaking rocking etc.. long story short and adding a couple hundred I finally got it running awesome.. Then I found an awesome deal on my Hawk 226 Ultra.. still packaged in the original box $400 couldn't pass that up.. Always wanted to try an Excalibur.. what showed up on Craigslist at a good deal? EX-21 still boxed $360..I only buy saws that I want to try.. Hegner is next on my list..LOL.. So I buy because it's a deal and I want to try that brand / type saw. with the intent to sell if I hate it.. as I get a good enough deal I can at least get my money back.. That said.. I like all the saws.. I most likely will be selling my first Hawk.. That one I'm pretty certain I won't get my dollar value back out of it.. I pretty much rebuilt the whole saw and added upgrades to the air hose and front tension mechanism is upgraded to the new BM style upper clamp etc.. I have about $350 into that saw.. and they seem to only bring 200 -350.. That said as for learning experience about Hawks etc.. and all the projects I've made with it..I've got my money out of it in that aspect.. As busy as my little business has become.. I plan to keep at least 2 good running saws.. at all times.. so 3-4 saws is probably what I will always have Oh, my 5th saw is a old Delta 2 speed saw that my dad bought new.. I don't really use it anymore.. but will always keep it as there is sentimental value with that one..