kmmcrafts

Forgot to mention that I hate the sticky spray glue all over my fingers.. Peel and stick labels don't do that to my fingers.. Not an issue anymore since my new cell phone doesn't have the fingerprint reader to unlock the phone.. Whenever I used the spray glue my phone wouldn't unlock for a week.. LOL At least that is my excuse when I don't answer it,

Gotta be careful if you use that Dremel set up with thick wood.. I have basically the same set up but since I'm almost always stack cutting or cutting 1/2 - 3/4 inch material the router has to be at a pretty good speed to have enough power.. then with the speed the drill bits burn up fast.. Not to mention that with some time the router base uprights will get worn and sloppy and if you're not careful going even pressure on each of the router handles you'll be drilling holes on an angle.. Good set up for the larger projects in thin stock.. like portrait cutting where the actual drill press won't reach the center though..

Did this some years ago.. along with several others but can't seem to remember where the pictures are.. maybe on my old laptop..

A lot depends on many different things.. including wood type.. I find that Red Oak really soaks up the oil if dipping it in.. I almost always use Danish oil.. each oil type probably dries differently. Other factors for drying is Temperature and humidity.. In the summer months projects up in the hot loft of my shop dry out pretty good within 3 days most times.. unless it's oak, LOL But in the winter time I've had projects that looked and felt dried out and ready to be top coated.. But if I bring it in the warm house it'll start seeping oil from the wood pores so I normally give it a couple days in the cold shop then bring it in for a few days.. i heat house with wood which dries out the air a lot.. so 1-2 days in here and it's dried out good.. Lacquer based clears don't get along too well with the oil finishes.. however Danish oil has a small amount of poly in it so that's what I use.. and if it needs a top coat I use the water base poly.. Water base poly doesn't change the wood grain tones so IF I'm not using oil at all first I use the oil based poly.. Doesn't make the grain pop quite as well as dipping in oil but it does pop it some..

Yeah can be printed with inkjet or laser printer.. I still use clear self adhesive shelf liner on the wood and then the pattern onto that.. The shipping labels are make to stick on packages well as you don't want a address label to fall off so they're fairly sticky and if applied straight to the wood then you'll need a heat gun or something to get them back off, LOL the shelf liner is wonderful for that.. some use blue painters tape or packing tape as well.. but anyway.. you still want to use something like that probably.. I haven't tried sticking to wood and then spray mineral spirits method yet.. I like the shelf liner best so that's what I do.

For the patterns I don't use spray glue Unless the pattern is bigger than a normal sheet of paper.. IF it's the normal sheet of paper size then I buy self adhesive full sheet shipping labels.. No sprays, just print peel and stick.. Probably not an answer you was looking for but that's what I do.. Most of the stuff I make fits a full sheet.. https://www.amazon.com/Avery-Shipping-Printers-Permanent-TrueBlock/dp/B000093L1J?th=1 These labels are not what I use.. just a sample of what I'm talking about.. I buy bulk 1000 sheets at a time for about $70 As for painting.. well, LOL.. again Most items are just dipped into a Danish oil.. The few items that I do top coat.. I use a old box to spray on top of.. BUT, I also have a special box fan with furnace filter that sucks the over sprayed paint right into the filter so it doesn't float around and paint the tops of my tools as it settles.. Ideally.. if you're mostly using top coats you really should have a dedicated finish room so you're not getting sawdust and other debris in your finish.. Ideally the room would have a fan with filter down low for fresh intake air.. and another on the opposite side up high with filter to suck out and filter the over spray in the air.. That's just my opinion.. and experience with restoring / painting cars, tractors etc. over the years.. I realize you're not spraying that amount.. but it's still a good idea on a much smaller scale.. That's why I say I think Box fans would work well.. Not so much for the larger scale paint room I have for the cars..

Cutting a stack of thin stock rather than just one piece also helps with some strength.. A lot of folks keep the waste area and tape it back in too as mentioned above. I've never done that one before.. Not sure what size blade or how thick of material you're working with but.. sometimes going to a smaller blade than you normally use will cut slower maybe but also will be less aggressive in the wood..

I was kind of thinking... thought I read somewhere the the newer DeWalts are made in China too? Maybe wrong on that DeWalt I had was a awesome saw.. and way better saw than my China made Excalibur.. I did have to pull it apart and replace the bearings in the old DW after a couple years.. Once I did that and put some good synthetic grease in the bearings.. that saw run a lot of hours for about another 6 years before needing a complete rebuild again... Back then I didn't saw nearly as much as I do now but I was still running it a lot.. Just my opinion.. If you're mechanical enough and are happy with the Delta. I'd try rebuilding the saw and using a good grease.. Pegas and the like saws are great saws.. But I don't see such a huge advantage over the price difference unless you are doing a lot of angle cutting... Really nice to have the table flat and the head tilt instead of the table tilting.. Other than that it's almost the same saw.. You can adjust the blade aggression on the Pegas and like saws but if you're used to using the delta and used to how it cuts then it's probably not going to make a big deal of difference for you..

Thanks Brenda, I should have mentioned that.. I guess in my brain that everyone knows where to get the puzzle patterns..

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..