kmmcrafts

I have this hour meter on my Excalibur.. it has two resettable hour meters and one that isn't so it keeps track of total time. I didn't care for it for the purpose of keeping track of project times because for one, it doesn't show minutes it just has a 1/10 scale.. but 1/10 of an hour is 6 minutes and being digital you can't really tell if it's like half way between numbers or if 10 more seconds might change to the next 1/10.. at least with my analog ones I can see just how far that 1/10 digit is so to get at least a close estimate.. 6 minutes off on that digital one can add up a lot of time if your off at each start or finish of a project. https://www.ebay.com/itm/293600942454?epid=18041883585&hash=item445bfad976:g:KSgAAOSw6tte1wrS&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4L2KGJprcVZhk6M3evug%2FCZbr%2BxeeWEkqaFjRVnLHk4G02%2BiQleIZ9ICtGRrf%2BzOpiWCeLyB4vx%2FdtNiar8Iid8CUzTp3NcrLxDAmJa%2BwXGJaCIyH9pkBNptjIWuI7%2FWmIuq2qp%2F3BhaBJd%2FULWZ5U%2B%2FMcir2cS2txS4Wl%2FnCEMws%2BXE0LEkTfHA%2BD9lRZp4IBJQGXwU%2B81%2FeTWmfKNgEXEpqthaAI%2Buada0FIDfn57W5iXsBDH8NsAm%2B2PuTZxvzl146J0%2FafYGjRhDUl4uLPvQU10vfHaa5gtLoQU7sWnc|tkp%3ABFBMuq7Kt6Ri The first time I had issues with bearing noise the saw had 175 hours.. I took it apart and just cleaned and repacked grease in the bearings to buy me some time. I reset the first mode to track how long before I get a problem which was only about 30 hours.. then I rebuilt the entire saw which had just over 200 hours on it at that time.. I reset the 2nd mode for that rebuild. The saw now has just over 500 hours on the meter.. starting to get some slop in those bearings again but not making too much noise yet. I probably should pull it apart and just do a clean and regrease so I don't have to buy a whole link arm assembly again but, I kinda want to push it just to see how many hours I get from it, LOL.. The new Hawk I bought has just under 500 hours.. no parts have been needed yet, I oil the spots it tells me to in the manual every 15 - 20 hours and about every other time I take the wedge off and inspect it for wear.. It's getting a slight rounded edge on it but have yet to sand the wedge to make the point nice and true like it was new. The Hawk Ultra only has about 130 hours on it.. and that new to me Hegner has 2 hours on it just from playing around with it when I first got it. I stopped using it because I need a dust collection set-up on it because the factory bellows works well but the blower hose is molded into the saws upper arm and aims the dust right toward me.. Not one of their brighter ideas in my mind but the rest of the machine seems well built. Once I get the new system I bought set up on it I'll run it more.. Anyway, I prefer the analog meters.. that digital one also has a battery to make it work.. which is not replaceable so once that battery dies the meter is trash.. no battery to deal with on the analog one so it'll last forever.. Believe the digital one was guaranteed to last 5 years.. I put it on my saw in 2017 when I first got that EX.. actually might have been last 2016.. anyway it is still working well..

I started out with a small 9 or 10" ? Ryobi bandsaw that I picked up at a garage sale real cheap. Thought it was a pile of junk until I actually bought a quality blade.. I put a small wood slicer blade on and used it to resaw some 4" wide by 3/4 thick boards down to thin 1/4" to make ornaments with. It was a lot better saw than I was expecting it to be.. A quality blade will make any saw that much nicer, LOL

Three way plug is how I have mine set up.. I have the foot switch plugged into the saw, vacuum, and a hour meter.. Steve Good did a video some years ago on how to wire up a clock and or hour meter and reviewed a couple different hour meters. Word of warning, you'll really surprise yourself on how you can spend all day in the shop and only put on a couple actual saw run time hours.. this is why I say people really way undercharge for their work.. There is A LOT of time switching from one hole to the next or just prepping the wood, attaching patterns sanding and finishing that people seem to just overlook because they set at the saw for 6 hours and those other task seem minimal time.. but setting at the saw for doing fretwork you'll find that a 6-8 hour session will only net a couple "saw run time hours if that much" . Turning on a power strip is a neat idea.. I would just forget to turn it on or off so maybe wire it up to the shop light switch or better yet just get a time clock if you're wondering how much total time you spend on a project.. I didn't put hour meters on my saws really to keep track of project times.. I was more doing it for saw maintenance but thought it'd help me with project times too but like I said, actual project time is way different than "saw run time" It is fun at first just keeping track of what's going on with cutting time etc. but a real eye opener when I could be in the shop cutting for 40 - 50 hours a week and only putting 10 - 12 hours on my hour meter, LOL

The best you can get for coasters is epoxy but it isn't cheap... Spar urethane would be a second choice for me. I have a set of coasters I made years ago for my brother and I just used regular polyurethane on them. They still look good. I used satin I think gloss might show up water rings more.. I think I sprayed a lot of coats on them too.. like instead of the usual I did like 6-8 coats to make sure they was sealed up good.

Me too, I live on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere woods with farms all around that are cutting hay etc. The cleanest air we get is in the winter when the air is also frozen and hurts to breath, LOL

Thanks for showing this info. I had posted on several social sites to my followers about the box fan / furnace filter if the smoke from those fires was bothering them. Not everyone has central air to run where the air is going through a furnace filter and I thought running a box fan with a allergen filter could be a cheap alternative to help clean the air in their homes. As for my shop, I have a dust collection system on my Excalibur and working on building system for the other saws. That being said, all my systems are not quality vacuum systems and the Seyco Scroll Saw Dust system is a big culprit to blowing some of that dust right back into the shop.. so I have at the moment stopped using it.. While it is cleaning up the air / floor etc of the larger dust it is also spewing the very fine stuff throughout the shop in the air, I run a box fan filter and a ceiling mounted Grizzly air filter but these two still do not catch all of it. Though it's better than nothing at all or is it? Would that fine dust get blown all through the whole shop like it does if I didn't have the vacuum spewing it out the exhaust? I have been wanting to get a quality vacuum made for this with a hepa filter such as a Festool or Fein and now that I have seen the results of these cheaper vacuums spewing it back into the air getting one of the "good" vacuums is on my top priority list for the next tool. I posted in the thread about the 3D dust port about the collection system is only as good as the vacuum / extractor. That all being said, even with dust collection running etc, I still wear a dust mask.. might not be an issue so much for someone in the shop for only a hour a day but I'm hours a day every day so I wear one of these https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/elipse-p100-dust-mask.aspx Even though I don't really see a big dust mess in the air or in the shop I do get a lot of real fine dust stuck in the filter of the mask and have to change the filter monthly. I might have to invest into one of those testers. Never knew there was such a thing.

This might help.. I wasn't sure what saw you have but I thought I seen somewhere you had a Pegas style saw.. If so this might help.. Unfortunately some of these newer saws don't really have a variable tension like the older versions did.. which in turn is a confusing struggle for newbies.. I hope you find something useful from this.

Are you using spiral blades or flat / straight blades.. I've broke spirals before but I don't really recall ever breaking a flat blade.. I'd say tension is the issue if you're talking about a real small blade but you mentioned a #2. Did you mean 2/0? I'm asking specifics because any #2 blade shouldn't break very easy and especially when just applying tension. The only time I did break some blades of this size was due to a bad batch of blades slipping past quality control.. a note to my supplier turned out to be a known issue with many complaints and replacement blades were mailed to me.. SO with that said it can be a blade quality issue and nothing to do with the saw or its user.. I have seen this with both Flying Dutchman and Pegas blades from time to time over the 20 ish years I've been scrolling..

Might cost a little more but I avoid the spray adhesive by using full sheet shipping labels.. It's convenient to print, peel, and stick... Not sure how many years I used the labels to mail my products before the light bulb went off to print the patterns on them too.. but it was a while, .. I built a brand new shop in 2012 and didn't want the over spray of that spray glue all over my newly painted concrete floor or all over the walls etc.. so somewhere around that time is when that light lit up.. duh.. LOL.. I still use spray glue for those designs that do not fit on one sheet but that is rare for the projects I make typically fit one sheet easily. I also make use of the full sheet if there is room I'll edit patterns to fill a full sheet.. most times for what I do I can get at least two projects on one sheet of paper.. ornaments are typically 6 per sheet. Anyway, it works for me.. your situation may be different and the spray might be a better option. I sure don't miss fussing with clogged nozzles and having sticky fingers every day.. Edit to add: If you buy in bulk off eBay or Amazon they aren't too much money compared to the small packages of them at the box stores.. Also of you regularly do larger projects and have a large format printer then you can buy full sheet adhesive papers in the 11 x 17 size or pretty much any size.. I did that back when I had a large format printer.. Google will help find where to get those from.

I asked this a few years back and Weld Bond was what I was directed to at that time.. I used it a few times and so far seems to be doing the job fine. It was just light work to hold a painted backer to a cutting that hangs on the wall so there isn't much if any stress to the pieces I did with the Weld Bond.

Just for safety reasons I put my blades in upside down and facing the back of the saw so it's harder for me to lose a finger, .. safest way to use a scroll saw.. burns through the wood quite a lot slower but they always say if you're rushing that's when you get careless and get hurt. safety first...

That might work but also might not be usable for the desired finish after the project is done too. I've not had much of a problem with this ever since I started sanding the plywood down to a very smooth surface ( 320 grit ). I've also read that you can spray mineral spirits on to help loosen the glue, I have not tried that method yet but plan to one of these days. I have used a hair drier on heat setting and it loosens up the glue as well, if electric is an issue or your spouse doesn't allow you to touch the hair drier.. you can just set it out in the direct sunlight for an hour or so and it'll also loosen up the glue. Tip for those that might try the heating method... I've found that if you heat it up and then forget or wait too long and it cools down some... it's stuck even worse than before and will require more heat than you applied previously to get it to loosen up again. This brings me to this thought.. If you apply the pattern in cool weather and it takes you weeks / months / years / centuries to finish the project... this could need heat such as a bonfire to get that pattern off.. seriously though, I try to finish a project asap once the pattern has been applied, I don't like leaving that pattern on there any longer than I have too as the longer it's on there the more stuck it tends to get, and will likely need heat or maybe that mineral spirits to get it off there without damaging the project.

I must be lame because I've been scrolling since around 2005 and only changed the angle of my saw maybe 2-3 times, and that was just to do an experiment.. I can say though with just my real limited angle cutting that If I were to do much angle cutting I'd have to have a Pegas or Ex saw that the head tilts instead of the table.. This tool looks like it'd be real handy to have, I always wanted to try making some bowls.. and now that I have about 500bft of walnut lumber I might have to give it a try since fretwork style cuttings from dark walnut really doesn't look great and the fine cut lines are hard to see since the wood is so dark. I have a lot of spalted maple too that I need to use up.. sounds like I just talked myself into buying this tool and making some bowls.. Thanks

Never know I suppose it could work better. My thinking is that it's probably not going to make much if any difference because the set screw is just stationary while the thumb screw is the one you spin / turn to clamp the blade down. I think this spinning insert is to help prevent blade bending when getting clamped.. Though I have had saws that don't have the swivel end inserts and not had any issues with bent blades etc. Though to be a fair comparison those saws have what I would call floating blade chucks where the chuck pivots on a roll pin or similar where the EX and DW saws have a pretty ridged blade chuck holder to the arm, if that makes any sense.

Just to expand on what Dick said with some maintenance tips. Make sure the little O-ring on the tip inserts are clean and lubed with a non petroleum grease ( I use electrical grease ) so they spin in the end of the screw easily. Also take a brush and clean off the threads of the thumb screw and put a drop of oil on them so they spin nicely in the blade chuck. Be careful not to get the oil on the tips. I sometimes just take the tips out of the end and will spray the threads with a dry lube and thread it in and out a couple times while still wet. Let the dry lube set for a while to make sure it dries and then replace the inserts. Being mechanically inclined I learned early on that those screw threads get fine dust on them and start working harder because of the dirt grit in the threads which also forces you to use more pressure to tighten them down to get the same clamping power as the new set did. Blades are covered in a light oil film to prevent rusting.. many people will sand each blade as they put them in the saw to remove that oil film.. seemed time consuming to me to take that time everytime you change a blade you pick up a piece of sand paper and sand each end. Before I unwind the wire wrap on a bundle of blades I spray the whole bundle with brake parts cleaner. Since I'm a shade tree mechanic so to speak these items I always have on hand anyway.. maybe you have some sort of other cleaners / degreasers that'd work too.. No real need to use the specific products I mentioned.. I will say my dry lube stuff is real nice stuff and I use that stuff on many things.. even the wheels on my lawn mower rolls real easy because of the dry lube. ( link to that below ) https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Chemical-Company-Garage-Lubricants/dp/B0002JM8G8/ref=asc_df_B0002JM8G8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309807921328&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5268469846224814805&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017285&hvtargid=pla-762199117192&psc=1 Maintaining a saw will help it run smoother and last a long time.. most people don't do the little things.. When I bought my DeWalt back in 2006 everyone said to buy extra blade chucks and those thumb screws etc.. I sold that saw in 2018 and never did use the extra parts. Electrical grease link: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Permatex-Dielectric-Tune-Up-Grease-Protects-electrical-connections-from-salt-dirt-corrosion-33-oz-tube-sold-by-tube/441032868?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101002903&adid=22222222227441032868_101002903_154681487172_18800123971&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=659723182006&wl4=aud-1651068663986:pla-1959962190206&wl5=9017285&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=136582778&wl11=online&wl12=441032868_101002903&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw-IWkBhBTEiwA2exyO6X3p3Y_HG1rU2P0AQDC_0CqEcpFW5e0TdA_NU41NenKkoKqilod6xoCPD0QAvD_BwE

The why could be just a matter of opinion.. like, why do some prefer to use a slow cutting speed and why do some like to run a saw full blast. In my case, back in the day I always wondered what was so special about a DeWalt and then I got one and learned why for myself and at the time most were saying stay away from the type 2 saw which is what I bought. Then I wanted to know what was so special and why was Excaliburs were so highly spoke of over the DeWalt since there isn't much difference in the set up and build of them.. Same for why everyone raved over the quality of Hawks and Hegners.. The only "real" way you're going to know is borrow a saw that has them or buy a set to try.. Your opinion of them may not be so substantial as they are for many of us that have them and love them. I have seen postings on FB where there were some ( very few ) that don't really care for them and wished they had not spent the money. Scott ( Iggy ) bought a new Pegas saw and didn't like it so he sold it or gave it away which is what he also did with the new Hawk he bought some years ago.. He likes his DeWalts... It'd be nice if each town had a scroll saw dealer like car dealerships where we could go test drive different saws and have different options for dust collector set-ups etc. etc. but we don't.. most of us just have to bite the bullet and buy things to try.. and hope we like it or would be able to recoop most our money reselling if we don't.. which is why I mess around with so many saws.. which most are used and at a great deal where I can get a profit if I resell it.. Something I've learned a great deal about in the scroll sawing hobbies is... take everyone's suggestions for blade types, saw types, project types with a grain of salt because maybe I'm the only oddball of the bunch but many times people say to run the saw slow or use this small #1 or 3 blade to cut 1" thick material.. what I've learned is just dive in head first and find what works for me because I seem to like just about the opposite of what everyone else suggest,

For me the difference was: You can actually see in that gap between the thumb screw and set screw to see "where" the top of the blade is.. so you can see the screws clamping the blade. Also my EX-21 clamps had a top to the gap that if for whatever reason one blade was longer you'd have to cut it or readjust the saw to fit the odd blade.. The Pegas clamp is a open slot so if you wanted to clamp a hacksaw blade, LOL I guess it might be possible, For me it is a better experience to use the Pegas clamps over the original EX ones.. I can't say I noticed any difference in vibration as per the claim of less.. I think if one tunes their saw they can achieve just as smooth operation from either clamp style.. so I wouldn't rush to just go buy the Pegas clamps unless you are having some issue with the original ones.. Just my opinion though..

That new batch you are waiting on will probably have a much bigger price tag??

Not from the UK nor do I have any first hand experience with this saw.. BUT, that said I believe it is basically the same saw as what we all know as the King, or Pegas... which are one of the top saws talked about in the states. I see it comes with the Pegas blade chucks which is an improvement so I'd think with that upgrade from the factory they are a quality saw. UK has different electrical standards than the states so I have no idea on the foot switch. We run our saws with a foot switch as you mentioned ( foot switch plugs into power and then saw plugs into foot switch. Many of these saws in the states come with the foot switch.. or at least a upgrade option.. I seen no mention of it on the axminster site, but I would think if you can get a foot switch with the correct power cord and requirements then you should be good to go with a foot switch.

Really depends on what my project is as to what brand and blade I'm using.. I use 4 different brands... Flying Dutchman, Olsen, Pegas, and P.S. Woods Super Sharps. Majority of work is with Pegas followed by Flying Dutchman.. Other two brands are rarely used but I do have those certain projects that I will use the others.. If I had only one brand choice Pegas would be the winner hands down..

Nice score Bob!! You'll enjoy that saw for many years.

I miss those old days and many of the people from back then. I started out sawing around 2005-6 and I was a active yahoo group member in many tractor and car groups / clubs and actually ran a couple of the tractor clubs.. Then when yahoo changed from clubs? to groups I sort of lost interest in yahoo's platform etc.. and I actually found scroll saw groups on MSN groups? and there were several of them but my favorite was "Free4All Scroll Saw Patterns" .. the people there were so friendly and many pattern designers. When I'd ask for a photo to pattern within about a couple hours time 4-6 people did a pattern and you had several designs of your image done into a pattern to choose from. Sadly MSN groups came to an end and I was back at the SSW&C's site again ( which was what I found first but didn't seem like as friendly of a group of folks ). Then Free4All opened a website and I moved to it, it was pretty good site but not as good as the massive group of folks that was on the MSN groups. I found the village sometime around the same time frame as the new Free4All site but wasn't too active here until Free4All shut down and then I kinda hung out at SSW&C for a while but they changed servers or something and it was down for way longer than expected and when they did come back they lost another bunch of good people and to me the site has been pretty dead ever since then. Currently, I mostly just come here to the village.. I'm on several of the FB groups but to be honest I don't like the format of the FB groups.. and I know you can turn off certain notifications etc. but turning them off I miss some that I would like to get but on the other hand I don't post much on there groups because I get notified every time someone post a reply or a message.. The algorithm sucks because if I like or comment in one group then it hides all the content from the other groups.. It's just very poorly done in my opinion.. but it may work well for the majority of folks I don't know. I think Scrollers Cafe could be a great place to hang out too but again the forum format is kind of clunky to me.. and hard to follow along. just shows how important a sites navigation, ease of use, and overall appearance is very important.

I'll be selling the majority of them.. It'll be about 4-6 weeks before I get possession of them and have them on the website.

I ordered a split order, half of them with each of the clock faces below. The first picture they told me is the more popular one they make.

Price is same with or without so purchasing the batteries is extra cost to me if I order without.. It's easier to just try selling the extras off.. and if I don't sell all of them I can buy batteries for the remaining. I think the place I get the clocks from order the seiko motors from Japan and they come with the batteries so if I order without then they have to take them out and dispose them. That was my understanding anyhow..