kmmcrafts

I've seen about 4 of the Pegas saws for sale on Craigslist and FB.. just none of them anywhere close to me or it'd be in my shop.. LOL

No this is my K40 laser.. The one for the CNC is a very low power 2 watt diode laser which is only good for engraving. That one has a working 24 x 24 working area and is open ended so I could tile the project and do 24 x indefinite length.. It's just low powered and in my opinion hardly worth the down time from carving to set it up and run the laser on it.. The K40 is probably 5 - 8 times or more faster.. plus will cut projects.. My K40 is just a cheapy from eBay that I believe I paid $340 shipped for.. The larger ones I'm looking at getting start at around $1700 and depending on the format size and bells and whistles can go way up around maybe $8-9000.. If you was looking to get a laser I recommend purchasing through Omtech.. the smaller 40watt are the same as the K40 I have but they are gone through by Omtech and have a better out of the box more reliable machine than just going to eBay and taking a chance on what you get.. You might have to do a lot of work to get the cheaper ones to work right..

Yes done completely with the laser.. Wood is 1/8 BBply.. I have cut 1/4 ply and solid wood with one pass with it but most times it requires me to cut it two passes meaning having to cut it twice to cut all the way through.

The whole reason for buying my laser was that I got a lot of request for personalized ornaments.. as in adding names, dates, company names etc. etc. to existing designs I was selling. I did as much as I could but as everyone knows the more holes the weaker the wood and doing text with scroll saws ( especially very small text ) is somewhat tough to do.. especially for those that want a lot of text added.. Anyway I used to turn away a whole lot of work because of too much text or many various reasons. My original intention was to scroll saw the custom ornaments ahead as blanks and have the added space for laser engraving. This proved to be complicated and almost just as time consuming as scrolling each individual ornament trying to line up the correct spot to engrave etc. I found myself messing up a quite a few ornament blanks thus throwing out a lot of hard work that was otherwise a good hand cut ornament blank. SO I finally just broke down and did away with the handmade ( scroll sawn ) ornament with the custom request.. I make certain my customer knows that I have a machine that makes the ornament from start to finish. Honestly.. I have yet to see a customer that really cared HOW the item was made.. they just see the design / ornament and see a perfect themed gift for that special person they know.. Below is a couple samples of what I make and how I design the custom made spot for the engraved part. I crossed out the name for privacy reasons on the one ornament shown.. The other customer just reached out asking about adding text the the target practice themed ornament.. I made one for her and she liked it so much she asked for several more names etc. for friends.. I can see the personalization of various ornaments being a big hit.. I do not advertise at all about custom laser engraving etc.. but I get a crap load of customer request every year... The time from turning on the laser to a finished engrave and cut out ornament is about 6 minutes. Also adding the ability to laser a photo ornament has been growing very popular. I did a video of one on TikTok that I made for my son as he just got a new to him Cummins Dodge truck.. Wish he would sell one of the other 4 he has, my yard looking like a car lot.. between my to boys cars.. LOL https://www.tiktok.com/@kevskrafts/video/7025232222143778054?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 After showing this on TikTok I am flooded with request, LOL Anyone here on TikTok?

Yes VOC's ( Volatile organic compounds ) can be different from container size's.. but I was talking about 3 different Watco Danish Oils.. they are different because they all are gallon containers and each has a different VOC.. Yet there is little to no info on the cans or in explaining the different purposes etc. I'm curious what the difference really is.. I can say the newer to me stuff is thicker.. like it has more oil or poly in it? who knows.. they all seem to have the same ingredients as far as I could tell.. though gotta be honest I may have missed something looking at the two different cans because I didn't have my reading glasses and they make the print small.. It's probably the same stuff but different mix ratios?

So the one I'm currently using ( one I like better ) is this one https://www.homedepot.com/p/Watco-1-gal-Natural-350-VOC-Danish-Oil-2-Pack-65732/202067184 The one I had been using is this one.. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Watco-1-Gal-Natural-Danish-Oil-2-Pack-65731/202067183 There is actually another one that is quite pricey here.. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Watco-1-gal-Natural-275-VOC-Danish-Oil-2-Pack-242217/204793060 Reading the cans.. I see no difference in the label between the cans other than the sticker with the bar code..

I just wanted to get the message out there before I forgot again.. I discovered the difference a couple months ago.. I intend to look to see if the cans say anything different on them.. since I still have the old cans.. I can also look in my bookkeeping to look up the receipt to see which one I bought last.. Just been busy and don't think of it unless I'm actually using / finishing.. I do my finishing in the morning so I can keep an eye on the drying as sometimes it'll seep out droplets from the wood grain and if I don't catch it it'll dry on it then leave me a clump of shinny clear in one spot, LOL

I've not seen these before.. says it's washable.. looks like it might just be a single layer and probably won't work as well with sawdust as the pleated furnace filter.. just wondering if anyone had any experience with them? https://www.homedepot.com/p/AC-Safe-20-in-Box-Fan-Filter-FF-20/307280271?MERCH=REC-_-cart-_-NA-_-307280271-_-N

Okay so I discovered there is two different types of Danish oil.. I used to buy my Danish oil locally at my lumber supplier or box store.. During the onset of Covid and the lockdowns my lumber supplier shut down business for a short time and I needed Danish oil so I turn to the internet and found the best price ( at the time ) to be on Home Depots website with free delivery.. Though you could only order by the case 2 gallon at a time.. I noticed there was two types of natural color.. one is VOC 350 and the other is VOC 275.. Not really knowing what I had been using I just did the rock paper scissors and guessed .. It was no different than what I had been using.. Then when I ran out again this spring it was hard to find any Danish oil.. I happen to stop in the local lumber yard and they had quarts.. and only a few.. so I bought all but one.. didn't want to hog them all, LOL.. Then a month or so later I seen the one kind was available on HD site but not the other.. Not really remembering what I had bought the last time or even what one I bought this time.. I just open up the new can a month or so ago and been meaning to post my observation here but forget to do it in the evening when I come in, LOL Anyway, just did some dipping and thought I'd better post this info up.. This new stuff I'm using seems like it's much better quality.. seems to have more oil? it's a bit more thicker than the other stuff.. Seems like it dries a bit quicker and it gives a lot more luster to the dried / finished piece.. and a darker tint to it when pouring it out than the others I had used.. I'm really liking this stuff much more than the other that I had been using for many years.. I need to look up my order and see what one it is that I bought last time.. It feels and looks so much more ( I don't even know the word to use ) richer? Anyway, maybe you all already know this and I'm just now learning something but thought I'd bring it up because I thought for the last 15 years that Danish oil was all the same ( other than the colored / stained mixes. ) but they are not..

You need to work for Pegas, LOL

Nice work! you've been busy, LOL Hoping you sell out so you don't have to bring it back home.. If you have business cards you should slip one in each bag.. I do that and also I add a choking warning not for small children label.. I just found a google image of a warning label I liked.. printed them off and stick them inside.. I now designed one to use through vistaprint.. and I use the address return label format but make them a sticker now.. because I kept forgetting to insert those printed ones.. I use shrink wrap so ones it's sealed I can reopen it..

Very nice!!! That'll make cutting projects more fun, LOL

So I had a clock order and had to cut some solid wood today... I cut 5/8" Cherry with the #5 super sharps.. I played around cutting the base for the 6 clocks with several different sizes and styles of blades. The bases are about 11" long straight cuts with rounded corners and about 2 " wide. The straight cuts are ripping the grain or cutting in the same direction of the grain and the 2" portion is cross cutting.. As everyone knows long straight cuts going with the grain can be a pain to cut. The #5 super sharps did perform better than the Pegas in my opinion.. Did all the cutting on the EX-21.. I also ran some blades ( I used to like ) Olsen PGT #5 and PGT double skip tooth which wasn't as good for me as the Pegas but slightly better than the FD-UR... I think I'd consider using them more if I were doing a lot of thick solid wood cutting. Blades did last quite a long time for me.. maybe about 1/4 - 1/2 times longer than the Pegas lasted.. which is quite a lot more than the FD-UR blades.. Next test... I want to try the #2 and maybe even the #5 on poplar for the 3/4" puzzles whenever I get a chance at making some of those again.. They might perform quite well for those.. Anyway, that is my experience so far with these.. Hopefully I'll be able to try them on a puzzle soon. Something I've never done is compound cutting ( is that what it's called ) where you cut those thick blocks of wood on two sides to create those ornament and birdhouses.. I think the SS blades would be the only way to go on those.. LOL

This is a big reason I don't do in person craft shows.. I had a couple instances with children grabbing things off my table breaking them and then one time two kids horsing around and the one kid turn to run and ran straight into my table which knocked the whole table over and all my stuff crashed to the ground.. I love kids.. but not the ones that aren't parented correctly.. honestly isn't the kids fault.. they didn't know any better.. parents on the other hand.. should know to keep and eye on the kids..

I do agree with you about the Pegas blades being the best I've used as well, I was just kinda pointing out that using different saws is going to get different results when trying new blades.. etc. as they do each cut differently. What little I used the SS blades I felt like they was a close second to the Pegas as in cutting style, speed, and longevity of blade life... Not as clean of a cut on the bottom though.. But as you said, not worth the extra $$ I try to be educated on blades of all brands and get a feel for them.. There was a time some years ago that my "go to blade" was back ordered for several weeks.. and it was a mess to try to learn a new blade until I finally got my blade order.. Very possible especially these days that could happen again.. Probably not for me because I now keep a extra gross of my most used blades on hand.

I wonder how you'd feel about the blades run on the same saw.. because no matter how straight up down you get the blade on a EX21 it cuts more aggressive than the Hawk does.. and I kind of assume Hegner too but I can't vouch for that because I've not run one.. I have a old Delta 16" saw that has the longer arms style like the Hawk and it cuts a lot like the Hawk.. Those double parallel arm saws have a rocking motion to the blade and makes them cut a little more aggressive.. There was a time when I first started using the Pegas MFG blades that I didn't like them in the DW788 I had but loved them in the Hawk, Now I use them pretty much exclusively no matter what saw

Well, I have 5 saws and might be making an offer on a Hegner soon, LOL.. By the way.. I have a third and fourth saw for you if you should be interested in more saws... top of the line Hawks.. and a Excalibur could be yours and I'm willing to deal, Seriously I have 2 Hawks I'd like to move out of my shop and into someone else's shop.. if you all know anyone in or close to MI.

Well there is some said test I've seen on youtube.. while his test may not have been super sophisticated it was more sophisticated than mine... but my experience is.. I've almost always used a box fan since almost the day I started scrolling.. I added the 3 speed Grizzly ceiling hanging unit only a few years ago.. It does help.. but not perfect so I turn it on when I go to the shop.. Being my box fan broke I can certainly see all the dust that settled overnight.. that didn't happen before the box fan quit.. even though I'm still running the Grizzly.. I do not do any mounting of the filter to the fan as it stays in place by the vacuum of the fan moving the air.. each night when shutting the shop down I shut the fan off.. take the filter outside and tap it on a light poll I have in the yard, I then take it back in the shop and lean it on the stand my fan sits on so it's all ready for the next day.. I seen in Pauls photo that he had a stretchy cord holding his in place. There is a ( or used to be ) bracket you could buy that screwed to the back of the fan to allow a slot to side the filter down into so it'd stay..

Dan gave some good sound advice.. It's not about going fast.. it's about quality saw time and a quality product at the finish line.. LOL Way too many things go into the speed factor to make it a apples to apples comparison, for instance blade types, quality user friendly saw, experience and complexity of the design being cut.. and the list goes on.. As Dan said.. stack cutting you make more pieces at one time cutting.. I stack cut 4 - 6 pieces of 1/8" and typically cut 3-4 stacks per hour..

I actually love the look of oak and also don't mind sawing it.. It's that my lack of knowledge for the finishing of oak.. well not just lack of knowledge but rather not really "wanting to" take the time needed to do a nice finish.. Most my projects are just dipped in a oil finish ( typically Danish oil but have and do use other oils time to time) and with the open grain of oak.. it can really soak up a lot.. wiping off excess works but it'll sometimes bleed more out again before it completely dries.. the portion that bleeds out has poly in it and will dry spots of poly all over the project not leaving a natural wood look.. I'd be okay if it was consistent but it many times is just a few spots here and there.. which looks like you put droplets of clear coat on it or spilled it onto it.. Then it requires me to sand it and top coat to fix the problems.. I may have found a solution for this though.. as I never knew there was different viscosity Danish oils out there.. The one I had been using was a slower drying one.. but I recently bought a faster dry one.. maybe it'll dry before it seeps back out of the grain.. Haven't tried the new stuff on oak yet.. Anyway as far as cutting oak.. I have no issues and don't mind working with it.. and so far never encountered a lumber from within the states that gave me much of any cutting issues.. Those exotic woods though... some of them cut like sawing a rock.. Brazilian Cherry ( Bubinga if I remember the name correct ), purple heart, and zebra wood all come to mind, lol Anyway your project is looking very nice.. I've wanted to try bowls one day that just cut out the rings.. They look like they'd take a lot of lumber but just keep cutting the same board over and over much like you did here making them larger as you go.. not much wood used but makes a very nice piece..

Right! and that's the only time I do use Oak.. LOL when it's requested..

Looking good Ray! But as Paul said.. looks like a lot of work.. That oak is a material that I don't mind cutting.. but I hate finishing.. I love working with cherry actually I like most hardwoods but oak is my least favorite..

I have the same Grizzly.. that other one looks interesting.. I find the box fan does way more than the Grizzly but maybe because the box fan sits closer to where it's needed while the grizzly just hangs around from the ceiling.. I never liked using the N95..but I do use the Elipse mask. https://www.gvs.com/en/catalog/elipse-p100-niosh-respirator

Doesn't matter if I change the color anymore... dummy me bought a black and white laser printer.. What was I thinking, LOL I import patterns into inkscape and use the fill and stroke function to change the colors..

Open the valve to see if it smells? Obviously outside and away from anything that could spark.