kmmcrafts

This is where I would buy any needed parts... and you can call them for any service advice or any questions about repairs you might have.. Ray and Mike are a awesome resources with their many years of experience with sales and service of the Excalibur.. https://www.seyco.com/partspage/

Sorry to hear about your wife having had health problems, thankful to hear she is back at 100%.. In times like that sometimes you learn who your real friends and family are.. Been there myself with my wife too, and people see the guys doing fine but inside many times we are almost just as much of a mess just having to watch your loved ones suffering in one way or another. Hoping you get right back into the swing of sawing and selling at the events in your new location soon. Good to see you posting here in the village. Keep us updated on your ventures.

Thank you Ray, That was the same idea I had about the swirls and maybe trying to use the Forestner bits.. but I thought I'd ask to see if maybe there was a better method. Yeah the one in the photos above is entirely made from 3mm and 6mm foam sheets and glued together and painted. I'm trying to replicate it out of wood. I decided to use Walnut for the darker areas and went with Maple on the lighter areas. Have the feet and lower portion all cut out. Thinking about Mahogany for the arms but not sure yet. Since it's made up of a lot of pieces and glued together I'd rather not paint it or stain it and I have a whole truckload of Walnut to use up, which makes up most of the project with just a few pieces of maple for accents, and maybe Mahogany for the arms.. or maybe even Cherry.

Well I’m sort of getting started on this. Cut out the lower feet this morning. I’m making this from walnut for the main darker parts. The lighter portions I’m torn on what to use, I have poplar, maple, red oak, ash, and mahogany on hand. What one would you use? I’m torn between red oak and maple. Poplar is nice to work with though since I may end up with some sanding and shaping to make things all fit together well. Might do the arms out of mahogany? Any suggestions on making the swirl marks on those? Most of this looks pretty straightforward once I decide on materials to use other than the swirl marks in the upper arms sections. open to any ideas or suggestions.

I almost always stack cut portraits.. many of mine are 11 x 14 inch and I never used 1/4" for portraits.. since I don't make my own frames I find it hard to get anything in them more than 1/4" and I always use a backer so 1/8 + a backer is usually very close to 1/4.. and even then sometimes hard to find a frame unless I take the glass out, LOL. I typically stack 4 at a time but sometimes will do 5-6.. or sometimes only 3.. never wasted time on anything less than three..

Straight outta google: The following wood burning appliances are allowed: Pellet-fueled wood burning heaters. Masonry heaters. Appliance or fireplace determined to meet the U.S. EPA particulate matter emission standard and approved in writing by the Air Pollution Control Officer. EDIT: Well reading further down the list of topic on google maybe not.. just depends on where you are as not all areas can but there are some exemptions that some folks can too so there is that too. LOL

Breathing in California is probably illegal too, .. Actually a lot of insurance companies won't allow wood stoves in garages etc. This is a wood pellet stove which is allowed as they are considered a lot safer than a actual wood stove as it has sensors that shut it down if it gets too hot etc. has blowers to blow the heat around and the only part that really gets too hot to touch is the actual door and the glass in the door.. and even those don't get so hot that you can touch it but you won't want to leave you hand on it very long, LOL.. unlike the woodburner I grew up around.. if you even slightly touch that it'd give you serious burns. My laser cutter is more dangerous than this stove, LOL..

When I bought my Hawk I almost went with a 20” saw instead of the 26”. I have only had a couple projects in the 17 years of scroll sawing that a 20” saw was too small. This project won’t fit on my 21” Excalibur but thankfully there is plenty of room left on the Hawk. This project is just shy if 2’ long.

That's probably a pretty rare find. Hawk used to sell a water cooling system for cutting ceramic and glass etc.. seems like it's make a big mess but maybe the tank sat under the blade to catch the water and cycle it back through.. Edit: Actually they still sell it. https://stores.bushtonhawkstore.com/drip-tank/

Happy New Year everyone!

I like to see all the various opinions of the meaning of handmade and where the products made from these machines fit in from other woodworkers/crafters opinions etc.. and for the most part I respect their opinions until one says that it's just like printing a photo or basically saying no skill needed.. With the CNC/Laser world there is so much behind the scenes processes left out of the videos.. it seems as many folks really believe it's just printing a picture easy. The sad part is they show that intelligence by displaying these silly signs at their shows saying just that, LOL And the sad thing is many believe those statements and go out and spend big money for a machine only to find they don't have the skill set to actually run it.. a lot of them for sale on the CNC/Laser groups lightly used saying they are harder to run than expected and they are not interested in learning the process.. Guess it's more skill than they thought. IF one wants to emphasize their products as "handmade" why do they feel the need to degrade upon another form of woodwork ( CNC/Laser) to accomplish that? Why not just have the sign state handmade? Why not have a laptop showing a video loop of you doing the work showing handmade?

True meaning of handmade

Thoughts on this cutting board with many types of wood for a neat graphic.. Mass produced product? Not hands on at all? Just push a button and go watch TV while the machine does the work?

That's actually not a bad idea if they make a sellable design.. and if there was room to engrave / personalize it.. I personally like to make my product myself.. but there is a large market for just making bulk stuff.. especially in the cutting board, utensil type things.. a lot of laser guys do not even make the product they sell but rather just add graphics to a mass produced item. I would say a large amount of cutting boards are not made by the seller the seller just personalizes them with a monogram or ?.. and that would be a market I couldn't get into and compete in.. because I would want to make the board myself.. and many of these folks sell them cheaper than I could / would make a plain board for let alone personalize it.. That said you have to find a niche that these type of folks aren't / can't do.. which would be CNC'ing them as "inlayed" cutting boards and that would get a edge on the competition because you can market it better too.. after all the thin laser engraving will eventually be cut away from using the board for the intended use over time. A inlaid board you can make the inlay as thick as the board itself and even go all the way through to the bottom side so that graphic is always going to be there no matter how much you use the board. You see, CNC doesn't mean it has to be mass produced.. I think there is a fair amount of hands on with this type of project.. and this is making a "quality board" from start to finish.. as opposed to a person buying bulk boards and just adding laser engraving on them. Same goes for the laser.. I'm not mass producing items and selling them as handmade.. my ornaments are in a completely different category as my scroll sawn ornaments.. they are listed as laser cut/engraved and hand painted. Can I go the mass production route and just sit and make the same item all day long with a CNC/Laser? Sure can and that opportunity is there if I needed / wanted it.. I get more satisfaction making that personalized 1 - 20 off type items and get paid extra for doing it because there is a large market for it and not many offering personalized because they want to do that mass production. Check this inlay cutting board making video.. consider it enough hands on to be handmade or no? Just curious what others think.. More hands on than the folks buying bulk boards and just engraving them?

The laser is just a cheap 40watt Co2 laser with only a 8 x 11 work table. It's called a K-40.. cost me about $300 back in 2017.. I think they may be around $450 now days.. Lot of fun to mess with.

I've heard that works good but does it affect the glue strength for layered ornaments? I haven't tried that yet however I haven't had much trouble with bleeding either since I was using the laser to burn the lines.

Like that ornament, I did one similar for my brother but had a 5th wheel trailer and their favorite park instead of their names. The laser lines do help a lot with paint bleeding. That is how I do mine..

You and me both.. I could probably take them in to the scrap metal recyclers and get enough out of them to buy another saw,

Extra blade holders is a big plus, also not having extras when shopping for a saw brings up a good bargaining point.. I've showed sellers the price of new extra ones and mentioned how it affects the saws price.. If looking at a saw that has just one holder and they asking $300 and then finding another saw that has 5 holders and the same asking price.. Many times you can get $50 - 100 knocked off the price when bringing these up to the seller. Most sellers are from people that know nothing about the saw.. was dads old saw and he past away and we see they sell new ones for X so this is how we ask for X.. educate them and many times you can get a better deal. My first Hawk I bought had only one holder and it had a huge blade in it.. not even sure how it fit into the hole in the holder, LOL.. I didn't know much about Hawks at the time and I had read that you had to have different sized holders for different sized blades.. I mixed up what I read on Hegners as they are sort of that way.. anyway I bargained with them showing the blade I brought with me and the blade they had in the saw.. said I couldn't even try the saw out because those blade holders won't work for my blades and that I'd have to buy $150 worth of holders so I could even use the saw.. Got him down from $250 - 100 on price.. then I realized I could actually use the holder that they had after I got home, LOL.. I guess it got me a better deal but it wasn't my intention to use that bargaining method both me and the seller was naive of the saw.. LOL Was a good thing though because after getting the saw and realizing how much was really wrong with it I ended up having to spend a good $250 to get parts and extra holders to make it work right and user friendly for me.

I like Millwabs best because it's not singling out any particular machine user. A lot of different believes on the CNC and Laser machines and many scroll sawers portray them as a inferior machine or something.. I find just as much fun and get the same gratification from the projects I make with the machines as I do with the scroll saw. Scroll sawers can and do " production work " as well.. at least I do.. stack cutting is running production and a "good" sawer can out produce a single laser or CNC machine.. From a hobby standpoint I would rather have and use a scroll saw than a CNC/Laser.. as a business I like the ability to be able to use all three machines as they all do "different" products.. I think on some projects the charred edges gives the project more contrast and actually looks better than the scrolled piece. Just a matter of ones opinion I know.. I've seen scrollers staining and painting edges on some projects to achieve that charred look too. As for customers.. yeah some are shocked when they realize you made something freehand cutting.. that said I have never had any customer really care how a item was made.. they like the item and want to buy it without a care in the world how it was made really.. Most all my lasered ornaments are hand painted with details so a fair amount of "hands-on" still for me and the products I offer.. and I still get that "Wow" factor from the hand painted portion sample photos of my hand painted ornaments below. The machines are able to enhance and make a project better than just a scroll saw as in the ornaments sample below I add words around the ornament with the laser.. These ornaments can and have been made on the scroll saw too but you just can't achieve the added touches with those words or personalizing them or the details by using just a scroll saw. I offered these last year as scroll sawn ones.. sold a few but then this year added the words and details with the laser and a few customers that bought last year loved the details so much they bought the same ornament and discarded the old one.. Not sure if anyone noticed I've not been on the village lately but I've been swamped with laser work doing many of my ornaments with the added touches and personalizations.. laser been running dang near 17 hours a day and was easy to have one of my kids watch over it while I did some other things.. This is good for my business standpoint and I get a great deal of satisfaction from making exactly what the customers want.. It's not just a production mode and like printing a paper that it's made out to be by some.. I also get a great deal of satisfaction from designing a pattern.. much like the designers do here for your scroll sawn patterns.. so that in itself is gratifying to do and then set up the machine and watch the project come to life so there again there is more gratification to a CNC/Laser made items than what it's made out to be.. for me anyway.. some of you have never run one of these machines and you have no idea if you'd get that satisfaction from it or not.. same with designing and making your own patterns.. most don't do it because they don't know how to do it.. if they tried and accomplish a pattern they'd get some gratification from that just the same. Most CNC/Laser guys can't go out today and buy a scroll saw and start efficiently making things tomorrow to sell, as some of the signs posted above implies.. as is with the scroll saw guys can't go out and buy a CNC/Laser and efficiently start making things to sell tomorrow.. they both take a level of experience to do.. Having all three machines opens up a whole new opportunity for my business.. As Milwabs sign says.. I have heart and sole into making the customers dream project come to life whether that is from the CNC/Laser/Scroll saw.. my satisfactions comes from working with the customer to see what I can do for "them"... maybe that's why I thrive in what I do..

I assume you have the round blade chucks like this? https://stores.bushtonhawkstore.com/lower-barrel-style-blade-holder/ If so then this is the only replacement that I see on the site and it's showing a plastic one in the picture. I bought my replacement about 6 years ago and it's still working fine.. so even if you had to replace the plastic one every couple years the price for the part is cheap enough.. https://stores.bushtonhawkstore.com/lower-barrel-style-blade-holder/

Not really aware of an upgrade.. the plastic ones are kind of pliable when new but they get brittle as they age. Someone mentioned a while back that they are made of spring steel now but when I bought one it was plastic. I'm sure it'd be fairly easy to make a metal one of some sort.. It's just to hold the blade chuck from taking off like a rocket when a blade breaks.. usually you end up on your hands and knees looking for the blade chuck, lol

I use two pair of needle nose pliers and use one pair close to the teeth and then use the other pair on the tip of the blade to "untwist" the ends

My first Hawk did the same thing.. but worked fine for 4 years after and probably still working for the new owner.. I just took the cover off the control box and blew some compressed air around.. there was a fair amount of dust that made its way inside that box on mine.. might try that..

I'm thinking the saw is from the 80's.. RBI as well as Bushton used to offer refurbishing and or trade ins and would refurbish or update a saw.. someone likely didn't like the 3 speed and up graded to a VS.. The fasco motors as I understand it had a issue with something in the VS controller or wiring which would cause power surges to the motor and eventually burning up the VS controller or motor itself.. they used to offer a motor upgrade to the new style motor that they currently use but I've heard they no longer are offering that?