kmmcrafts

Yeah I couldn't tell for sure in the picture if it had that edge or not. I'm glad you posted it because I'd never seen one before and I think I have to have one too.. .. Maybe we can get them cheaper doing a group buy, Hahaha.. I'm going to look further into them when I get more time..

I'm sure if you keep searching the title from these listings you'll find something cheaper.. I found this by doing so.. different brand I think and maybe different but maybe you can work with it for the price? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fiskars-4-1-2-Square-Acrylic-Ruler-4-5-by-4-5-Inch-1-Each/19216413

I think $12 isn't too bad really... the issue is the shipping cost for the one on eBay anyway.. At least for me I think it said shipping was $19.. but maybe I mis-read it.. For me the Amazon one is cheaper which is unusual as normally eBay is cheaper than Amazon.. I don't have prime but it does say free shipping for orders over $25 so find something else you need, LOL

Not really any patterns per say.. I just print the puzzle pattern and tape it to this clock part then use the bone shape base.. I kind of just wing it on the fly for cutting the dog / puzzle part of it.. Hope this helps clock Puzzle Base.pdf Dog Bone Base.pdf

Seems like an easy thing to make if you got a Laser cutter, CNC, or 3D printer, LOL..

For larger heavier items if there is a Greyhound bus line or Fastenal company nearby both ship from and ship too places.. then that would most likely be the best shipping price.. Otherwise you're stuck with more expensive options you mentioned..

I've been using 5/8" - 3/4" inches.. photos above are either Cherry or Poplar. I think you could make them as thin as 1/2" and be fine too, or even thinner stock if you cut the hole for the clock all the way through. I do think the 5/8" - 3/4" look a little better and stronger.. More than 3/4" kind of bulky looking to me but really most anything you like should work so long as the clock fits in the material well. I've been considering trying to make some with thin 1/8" material ( probably stack cut BB ply ) and cutting a solid slightly larger and thicker backer ( maybe 1/2" walnut or cherry ).. as these are sort of fragile if they was to get knocked over.. thought the bone shaped base is pretty stable.. but would be rock solid if the backer was a solid piece.. Though I'm still experimenting with these designs and time will tell if they need a backer for more strength as I sell them and see if they make it to the customer broken or not, LOL.. Don't think there will be an issue unless you live where earthquakes happen a lot and they get shuffled around a lot.. We'll see how customer feedback is in the next year..

Hi Don, I buy the puzzle patterns and put them in inkscape to add the 1/2" ish rectangle and the circle for the clock.. I don't mess with the puzzle pattern at all, I just modify what / where I cut on the puzzle pattern as I cut. I like the puzzle pattern because I can and do make the puzzles as well. FD blades was my main go to blade for many years.. I still like them but I do like how the Pegas cut slightly better.. That's why I have a boat load of FD blades.. there are times where the FD blade performs better than the Pegas on some stubborn wood, LOL Or maybe it's my muscle memory.

Cut these the other day, all cut on the Excalibur with either a FD-UR or a FD- SR #5 One of them or maybe a couple was done with a Pegas #5.. I was experimenting with the blades to compare the cut edge as I seen someone posted on FB somewhere that they liked the smoother cut left behind by the FD blades.. Got to say I do believe the cut edges are more of a smooth almost polished look compared to the Pegas.. Still like cutting with the Pegas better though.. LOL Also just trying to use up the 2 gross of each style of FD blade I have on hand..LOL Anyway, enjoy the pictures..

A 5th wheel would have a notched out section at the front where the trailer would go over the truck box and hook to the hitch ( Usually where the main bedroom is located ).. They have them in regular trailers as I've seen them both at camper shows and also at parks.. so they make them.. Probably the 5th wheel version is more common..

LOL, The one shown in the pictures is not a 5th wheel, But I do understand what you're saying about working with what you have. I'd certainly want to do that and try what you're trying to do before selling off everything and then have it not work well for you.

Keep the more user friendly "to you" one.. while the two are very similar.. the Delta has a device to keep the arm lifted while changing blades or threading to a new hole etc.. But that also said.. used Dewalts seem to hold a resale value better and more likely to get more money from it than the Delta even though basically the same saw.. If you have room etc.. keep both..

I guess since I have been sawing for 20 years I have a pretty good idea of what I need to charge per-piece.. I'm not desperate for custom work and much of it I just turn down anyway because it takes time away from "normal production" that I end up loosing money by doing custom work.. what I mean by custom work is doing something I don't normally make and do not have proper finishes etc. for that, for instance I get asked to make outdoor signs a lot.. It's best to use certain lumber and finishes etc for outside items.. I can make it but it's not what I make so I kindly turn it down. I'm not so worried about my hourly wage or production, while I'm in business to make money.. some products I make don't make me a large profit on a per hour basis but other products I make I make very good profits from.. Some of those products that are not money makers for me are in a round about way.. as they grab attention to my store.. people come in and see "other cool things" that are cheaper.. and buy that instead.. so they are profit at the end of the day.. Keeping track of time for each aspect of a project from start to finish is a job by itself.. you need to calculate the time it takes you to keep track of your time and be sure to price accordingly.. If you work for a company do they make you punch out to use the bathroom? LOL I think estimated times and pricing is plenty sufficient and yeah sometimes you don't charge enough and you learn not to do that again..

Not really knowing what tools you'd need but when I said toy hauler I was talking about a trailer that has a small portion in the back for hauling toys.. they make them this way already.. Your reply made it sound as though you buy a regular trailer and convert it. Most I've seen of them are at the sand dunes etc. and the folks using them put their dune buggies, dirt bikes, golf carts etc. in the "toy area" of the camper.. Maybe this wouldn't be enough room for the living area? I haven't really "looked" at them.. I can say when we camp we stay outside most the whole time other than if it's storming. I have a feeling if I was to do this I might not saw enough to make it worth while because I enjoy the walks and bike rides, hiking etc.. I could see using it if the weather is bad.. For me.. just having a hand drill and a few scrolling boards.. patterns etc.. and a saw mounted on a board for easy storage is probably good enough when / if I was to hit the open road. Don't forget that some campgrounds may frown upon if you run certain equipment that might be noisy.. table saw and chop / miter saw comes to mind.. people go camping to relax.. and forget about work..

Very allergic to cats.. But that still seems like it'd be way more fun than math..

Wife and I talk about something similar.. just the two of us so we don't need a huge 40ft travel trailer.. Was actually thinking about going with a toy hauler and have the minimal tools in the toy / shop section of the trailer.. this way we can ride together instead of both having to drive.. no need for two trucks trailers etc. etc. I suppose if you're not going all that far away maybe not a big deal for two trucks etc.. I'm just not sure why one would want to hit the open road driving alone somewhat.. Like I said though may work that way for a small 3-5 hour trip.. but if you're traveling the states and going distances.. doesn't sound fun at all to me.. Another option is to haul a 5th wheel TT.. as with a 5th wheel you can also haul a smaller enclosed trailer attached to the 5th wheel.. that way still one truck.. Then again.. if you have that spouse that never stops talking and drives you nuts.. then the idea of two trucks is genius..

Yeah I forgot to mention that one.. I always loc-tite the set screws with "Blue" colored loc-tite.. The other colors you may never get them out to change them. LOL

What do you all do to maintain your blade chucks?? I've been using my Excalibur since around November and the last week or so I've noticed the lever to apply tension to the blade seems stiffer to move and sometimes has a slight squeak. I've read somewhere there really is no maintenance really required for them? Anyway it got me to thinking.. there are moving parts to these and honestly it's going to wear out something at some point. Now I do know there is replacement parts such as the spring and the pin / shaft etc.. What did I do? I have this can of dry lube that is recommended for my CNC and Laser to lube the slides roller wheels etc. that move the router / laser head etc. It's actually just garage door track lube. I have used this stuff for a lot of different applications from my lawn equipment too? it's awesome stuff. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blaster-11-oz-Lubricant/50320173?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-hdw-_-ggl-_-LIA_HDW_214_Auto-Batteries-_-50320173-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQiAosmPBhCPARIsAHOen-PjE2fCIKrbgsnie_HMvpKzhNSX2KdJa0qyKgLaHdys7O17WIAIti8aAl3tEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Anyway.. I was as careful as I could be and had towel in hand to catch any of the drips from getting onto my thumb screws etc. as that would make blades slip for sure probably. I sprayed just a drop or so onto the upper parts of the lever and moving parts to that upper clamp.. All I can say is WOW!! that thing works so smooth and easy now.. I would guess that doing this would certainly prolong the life of the wear parts for sure.. I was a little worried since it works so easy and smooth that it might make the lever pop up and loose tension of the blade because it feels like so easy that it would but so far not a problem.. Other maintenance I do periodically is to remove the thumb screw and clean up the threads and a drop of oil on them because over time the dust works its way into the threads and it gets gritty feel to them when tightening the blade down etc.. Also pull the little pin out and clean it and the little O-ring and re-apply some lube to the O-ring. I use a very small dab of Vaseline on the O-ring and re-insert it into the end of the thumb screw and spin it a few times to work it around so it works nice and smooth. Years ago when I first got my dewalt saw people talked about making sure to purchase a extra set of blade chucks.. because they always strip out etc.. so I did that.. but in maintaining them the way I do I never did have to use the spares.. I think sometimes people look over the small stuff when doing any maintaining of their tools.. Anyway, just thought I'd share my experience with the squeaky blade chuck.. maybe lubing it with some dry lube of some sort will prolong the life of the wear parts.

Did you calculate your time figuring all this out, I guess I take the easy way out by just adding an hour meter to my saw so that it turns on / off with the saw.. LOL You'll find that with fretwork type of work that hour meter is actually going to be a very small portion of your "real time" ..

Probably Wayne said it best.. that is why I made a educated guess on my times as I never really paid attention to actual times.. ( I might be surprised at how wrong I may be LOL). BUT I will go back to my thought process that keeping track of "actual cut time" rather than how many holes or how many projects etc.. would be a way more accurate test... Speaking of different wood types.. also consider that the same type of wood can have different density and moisture content.. probably most accurate test would also be done with BBply as in my opinion it is probably the most consistent in density etc. than any other wood I've cut.

Looks like a Sakura or P.S. Wood machines saw.. I think in either case they run the same parts and can be purchased from P.S. Wood...

I'm not even sure how to touch this topic because of so many variables so I may have to reply several times when more thoughts come to mind, LOL First and for most, I probably could give my most accurate reply of most others because I install hour meters on my saws.. Not to keep track of time for a per project like many think I would for pricing my work as the saw "run time" is completely different than actual time to do a project. This is why I always laugh to myself when someone post they run their saw 40 hours a week by themselves. I spend about 40 a week in the shop but only put about 8 - 15 hours a week on the saw in a good week.. many weeks probably not even that much time. Anyway, back to the topic, one variable is saw set up.. I can cut nearly 30+ or - minutes ( saw run time ) on my Excalibur running saw full speed on one blade cutting most hardwoods I think.. you can cut that time nearly in half for stack cut plywood, the glues in ply really shorten blade life a lot. But go over to my Hawk BM-26 or 226 Ultra and you can also cut blade life quite a lot.. I think those long arms swinging that blade puts a lot more stress on the blade than those short rocker arm saws.. as my DeWalt blade life is basically same as the Excalibur. To be quite honest I've never really timed how long I can cut on a blade from either saws.. I have the timer more for saw maintenance than anything but I have learned an awful lot by having that hour meter on my saws.. Anyway, I gotta get back out to work.. but I think the most accurate way to record blade life is going to be from a set up like I have.. hour meter that comes on with the saw switch and off with the saw switch.. I'd be happy to record some findings if it would interest others.. I mostly use Pegas MFG #3 and 5 and cut mostly Poplar, Cherry, and BBply.. Mostly always cutting 1/2 - 3/4 material by stacking or ?

Go ahead and make use of it, I shared this on the puzzle group on FB. I think you have the ability to make your own pattern but this may help someone else. I kept getting asked for the patterns but not giving the puzzle / dog portion as I didn't design it so I make this where they can print both and tape the papers together to make their pattern. puzzle base clock.pdf clock Puzzle Base.pdf

Save them and when you get famous for one of your scroll sawn art pieces the value of that wire might be outstandingly crazy.. don't forget to save the blades from that famous piece you made too.. they'll also be worth a lot.

Buying the whole assembly makes it much quicker since you don't have to fool with pressing bearings etc.. I kind of think the instructions were the hardest part of the job and probably would have been easier to just wing it without them, LOL They make it more confusing that good, Glad to hear you got through it alright, and should be good to go for several years now..