kmmcrafts

I bought a refurbished 1800 back in 2007 run it until 2009 when i bought my DeWalt.. The 1800 was a decent saw.. and like many saws.. it had vibration in various speeds but smoothed out at either lower or higher speeds.. I liked the sander on the side.. My biggest issue with it ( I believe the 1680 is the same way ) was the connecting rod at the back of the saw.. the one that connects the upper and lower arms together.. Dremel didn't use any bearings in this piece and it is just connected with roll pins.. the roll pin being hard steel would wear out the holes in the rod.. and before you know it.. your blades no longer fit into the saw without cutting off 1/4 inch.. because of the wear in the connecting rod part.. this rod is no more than a piece of flat steel maybe 1/8 ish thick with hole on each end for the roll pin to go through.. If you're mechanically inclined and able to take one apart to do this repair every so often.. not a bad saw.. The first time I did this repair I order the part.. when I found it to be just flat steel.. I started making my own, LOL and if I was to have one again I'd probably figure out a way to put a bearing in the flat steel.. I think that would prevent this issue.. I made quite a lot of stuff with that saw.. and enjoyed using it.. just was annoying to have to take it apart to replace that piece every so often..

Almost everything I cut is from Cherry. I use mineral oil & beeswax mix that I make. I like a natural wood look, to me clear spray gives a fake look... kind of like a woman with too much makeup on lol.

I use a Sharpie as well.. that said.. I've used a few different types of fine point Sharpie's and this is my favorite one.. The others I used would bleed out into the wood.. I think due to the fact that they put the ink on too heavy.. These in the link are the best I've found so far.. https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Fine-Point-Black-1742661/dp/B001CS1QC0/ref=sr_1_4?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1512090964&sr=1-4&keywords=sharpie+fine+point

Not all people interested in scroll sawing has access to the web.. so I do think maybe suggesting a book is a good idea... We have a local company that puts on a woodworking expo.. usually a few demonstrations etc going on... this place also offers classes for different types of woodwork etc.. Anyway.. I have yet met any of these people that actually get online.. I ask about everyone I meet up with if they know about the Village here.. Nope never heard of it.. i don't get online etc.. is what I always hear.. Most of these guys do some awesome work too.. sure are creative since they don't have the inter-webs to grab ideas from.. One guy had some real awesome jigsaw puzzles.. selling them for $10 - 20 each... they are a mix of pyrography and scroll sawn.. You couldn't even tell it was a puzzle until you try to pick up the nice woodburned portrait.. LOL.. many people that did try to pick it up..thought they broke it at first.. was comical to watch.. Doing online searches for woodburned puzzles come up with almost nothing..

Yes, It's good to walk away sometimes.. Honestly I didn't "Need" the order anyway as I am plenty busy.. in fact the order would have put me behind and made to work late a couple nights.. I didn't necessarily walk away either.. I left that decision up to him.. I haven't heard back from him yet.. probably wont.. but never know because this isn't the first time I've made that reply.. and then when they find out it's really handmade.. they like the detailed work much better and couldn't believe it was really done by hand... and most of those customers are now.. repeat customers... if the guy doesn't purchase.. it would be my first time they didn't order because of the very small imperfections.. Most think the work is done from CNC..

Yeah I typically stack cut 4-5 at a time.. have done as many as 7 but.. only if I needed 6-7 for the order and not wanting to cut it twice..

I learned that years ago when restoring old show cars.. some of the slightest imperfections they found somehow.. and they'd bring it back.. most times it was a month or better after picking it up.. probably when they was waxing it, LOL as being the body man and painter.. I knew of more flaws.. but NO paint job in the world factory done or custom aftermarket.. is absolute perfect... there was always two types of people the ones that don't want to walk out and look at it.. ( looks good from across the way they'd say ) or those that would bring a magnifying glass and a magnet to be sure you didn't fill it with fillers etc.. LOL

That pattern there is the very first project I ever cut on a scroll saw.. I cut it from 1/2" plywood scrap leftover from re-roofing a camper trailer.. Boy that brings back a memory.. I don't know who the designer was.. I may still have it somewhere.. but I can tell you where I got it.. don't think it's there anymore... but not positive.. I downloaded it off the Hawks scroll saw web site.. May have been in a links section or something but I'm pretty sure I was on the Hawk web site and run across the pattern.. but that was back in Nov. 2006 LOL... imagine that has been changed by now..

Yeah, I guess I do read deeply into things.. but this day and age you have to.. too many sue happy people out there etc.. and I do try my best to be honest and give credit where it's due.. Might not always happen.. but I do try, LOL You know, I've been in the scrolling community since about 2006.. back then there was a whole slue of designers.. if you asked for a pattern you'd get about 10 different patterns to choose from within just a few hours.. We've lost a lot of designers over the years.. .. now a days sometimes it's quite hard to get a pattern you want / need whether for business or personal use.. At the end of the day.. the designers are really the back bone to our business or hobby.. and deserve their cut of the pie every chance they get.. for personal use or business.. without the designers.. many scroll sawers would have to rely on magazines for patterns.. I personally know how to design.. not fast at it and not my cup of tea.. so I look up to and give the credit to those that still do design.. and am always willing to pay for a designer to do a design for me.. most times they decline.. either way.. feeding the designers helps feed our business or hobbys.. You are right.. it could be a pattern as is.. just not sure that is really the right thing to do.. right off the bat..

Technically that'd be stealing from the pattern designer.. should this pattern be a pattern that is sold for money then it's taking money away from the artist that took the time to make the pattern to make a living on.. or just to help feed the family.. so i don't condone in doing that sort of thing.. Now.. that's different in terms of.. if the pattern was here in the free pattern section... I'm very surprised you even mentioned it since you sell patterns.. many folks could use puzzle images you had posted to make their own puzzles without even paying out a dime for the pattern.. As a last resort would I suggest doing this..and only for personal use.. Just my two cents.. I know I am a cheap *ss sometimes.. but try my best to give credit to those that earn / deserve it..

Everyone has a different preference for blade sizes, styles and brands.. I rarely use any blade smaller than a #3 unless it's spirals.. then I rarely use anything larger than a #1.. I'd most likely use a #3 on the snowflake part and a number #5 on the rest.. that said.. sometimes a #3 will cut faster and give better details than a #5.. I've cut some types of wood where the #5 would hardly cut.. and a #3 would cut through like butter.. because the width of the blade is smaller and slices through better.. then times it's just the opposite.. you'd think a larger more aggressive tooth blade would cut better.. just not always the case..because it has to chop through more wood ( width of the blade )

Oopps replied to wrong post..

I see stands quite often on ebay for the DeWalt saws as cheap as $20..

I stack cut 5 of these on the trial run.. and if the order comes through that will be how many I will stack..

Well, I'm not certain I'll get the order yet, it was a request and I figured it was something I could sell anyway so I went and made a batch last week.. Turns out the image I used as a reference for the pattern had 8 side windows rather than 7.. and.. I cut out the loading door which the customer didn't like as it made it look as if it was open in flight...so.. I redid the cutting omitting the one window, and the door as the potential customer loved the ornament otherwise.. Just got a reply back that he now thinks the windows are crooked etc.. I just used a 1/16 bit for the windows.... Anyway.. this is the last straw for me on this order as I just don't have time to fool with a perfectionist this time of year.. I think the ornament looks great myself considering what I had to work with.. he sent me pictures of a plane to show me how the windows should look.. first picture he sent to me was after I made it wrong to his standards twice I hope my reply back to him was as nice and kind to him as possible.. many people wouldn't reply back in this manor.. This is what my reply to him was.. lets see what he has to say if anything back to me.. "Yeah, I see what you mean, however doing these all by hand will get this sort of results.. All the windows in this was drilled with a hand drill and a #68 drill bit for the front windows 1/16" bit for the side windows.. the front windows I try to make look squared off so I hit it with the saw blade to try to accomplish that look.. rather than have a round hole for a somewhat rectangle shape of what the windows are.. I don't think I can possibly make it any more precise than what I've got here.. I do my best to be as precise as possible but it's still all free hand work.. drilling, sawing, sanding, and even the finish is applied with a brush.. I use a 3x magnifier light to look through so to be as perfect as I can but at the end of the day free hand work is still going to be free hand work.. touch the drill down to the wood and it wants to follow the softest parts of the wood sometimes rather than staying straight and square.. If you are looking for each ornament to be perfect and symmetrical etc. I'd suggest finding someone to CNC laser cut these for you.. however the laser cut items come with burnt edges, and can smell like a campfire.. I know there are some sellers on etsy that sell laser cut ornaments and may do custom design work too. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to do these. they was fun to make.. " Kevin

Got a possible order for 30 of these. I’v been quite busy and haven’t posted many photos and was just posting for a minute so thought I’d share this one I’m working on today plus the cab over semi that cut this morning picture of that one in the pattern request forum. The gulfstream is a pattern I did.

Grizzly has the 788 on sale.. not saying it's a great deal but lower cost than normal.. probably never beat the deal they gave me on mine.. but then.. that was 8-9 years ago. Believe I gave $350 with stand and light back then.. they've went up in price quite a lot since then.. I think they was about $409 or so back then.. I've seen them not long ago on sale I think on Grizzly for $399 with stand and light.. it was cheaper with stand etc than by itself, LOL

I've been busy all day packing orders for the mail.. just now sat down to snoop out what kind of deals are out there.. Woodcraft has a nice deal on the Jet saws.. they also are offering free shipping on orders over $35.. Grizzly also has some good deals on woodworking equipment etc.. I'm sure you all have checked out anything that you might be looking for.. I sure don't need to buy any more saws or much of anything really, LOL but anyway.. there is some nice deals.. Had I not got the good deal on my Excalibur I'd probably be putting in an order for some sort of saw.. I was really checking to see if woodcraft had the King saw on sale.. but doesn't look like it.. Anyway.. guess I'd better get back out to the shop to make the rest of my orders before I get too backed up..

I don't know the answer about poplar.. but most real wood counter tops I've seen are made from Maple.. both are a lighter colored wood.. Personally I would use Maple.. preferably Hard Maple...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

I had read several post over the last year or so about DnD so I placed my first order with DnD recently and just wanted to say the experience was a good one.. I don't know who all has posted about them on here but Thank You to those who have.. I had been ordering blades from Lesleys Patterns ever since Mike sold the business.. Mainly due to the fact that no body was taking PayPal and that was always where my money was, LOL .. while I've never had any major issue with Lesleys.. I've never had a Wow Great Service moment with them.. a few times the blades I ordered was so called back ordered.. and took forever to get to me.. and in fact I should have payed closer attention because the last time I ordered.. I'm not certain I received "All" my blades.. they sent me a few that they had.. and was supposed to send more.. I don't remember getting more and I ran through that supposed gross of blades awful fast.. but I'm not positive.. I've seen others post some not so good reviews of them either.. I don't typically like to give out a bad review to a small business and many times will give them the benefit of doubt on a order.. but.. this place the last 3 orders I had placed with them.. they had forgot part of an order.. then the last two times they blades ordered was back ordered and took at least a month to come in.. and in one case.. I think they forgot.. because when I messaged them there story to me was they was still back ordered and they was going to call the company to see what was going on.. yet..2 days later my blades came.. postmarked the same day I emailed them, LOL Anyway.. My experience was a good one with my DnD order.. I can't believe how fast they came.. kinda reminds me of how Mikes was / is.. Lesleys is only a in the neighboring state.. and takes way longer to come in the mail..

Yeah.. that's what they told me when I bought my 1993 220VS.. I felt it was worth the chance at $100 bucks though.. as I was only looking to try a Hawk out.. and didn't figure I'd get any cheaper chance too do so.. So far mine has been a pleasure to use with no issues.. though I don't think it had much use before I got it either..

Yeah I cut quite a lot of Red Oak and Cherry.. White oak is tough but I still haven't had too much trouble with it.. though I haven't cut a lot of white oak.. Now.. Jatoba I think is the name also known as Brazilian Cherry.. I think rocks would cut better than that stuff, LOL I've cut some zebra wood and purple heart that is also some dense wood.. but nothing even close to that Brazilian Cherry LOL

Yeah, I don't intend to use it again until I get it mounted better and kind of go through it checking everything over..

I do not run my DW788 at full speed very often.. but.. I do my older Hawk.. but.. these two saws top speed at 1500 SPM ( strokes per minute ) and the DW788 run 1750 SPM at full speed.. I'm guessing I run my 788 right about 1500 - 1550 ish and sometimes a little less depending on what i'm cutting.. but my normal cutting speed is usually on the higher end of 1400 -1600 SPM.. I typically am stack cutting ornaments from BB plywood.. stacks are typically around 3/4" thick material.. Most everything I cut is 1/2" + either hardwoods or BB plys.. and some regular plys too at times... I find that with the faster saw speed I have easier and better control of the wood..especially on my DW788... Like I've said many times.. I like to cut fast... I find that at slow speeds I tend to push the wood through rather than just letting the blade do the work... I used to go slow but gradually trained myself to cut a little faster.. Typically cut about 12 - 25 ornaments per hour depending on complexity of the ornament..