hotshot

I think the consensus are that the EX style outlast the 788s. Years ago it was commonly said that they had better components, but that may or may not have been true. So, you might be right, it would be very interesting to test that theory. I think the 16" Kings go for about $600 (I'm assuming without stand).

For what you do, I'm really surprised you didn't go the EX or Seyco route. If I were in your shoes as a production cutter, and needed the aggression, I would be on the EX/Seyco in a heartbeat as the mechanics are very similar to the 788, except that you can adjust aggression to more or less than what you have on the 788 (while keeping the blade perpendicular), there is already a mechanism to hold the arm up, and they seem to last longer than the 788s. For you puzzles, it looks like the EX 16" would work. For highly intricate stuff, even the minimal blade travel I get on the EX (tuned for minimal aggression) is sometimes more than I like. The Hawk has other challenges for me, but I've set it up as my primary for coin cutting for now to see if I can make it work. But, after my testing, I suspect the EX will remain my coin cutting saw because of how it performs with very small delicate blades, but we shall see. I don't think there is "One" saw that is better than every other saw at everything. I think you have to match the saw to your own needs which are affected by your specific project types, your cutting style, and other requirements specific to your needs. -----Randy

The series is holding up to time. Very very well done series. Hope Netflix resurrects it.

So, I asked Pegas about pricing and such, and they had one of their vendors in the U.S. contact me. I've never heard of these guys, but here is a link to these clamps on their site: https://qtena.com/pegas-scroll-saw-blade-chuck-head-set-p-9607.html After shipping, the price was over $90, which is way way too much for this I think. I'm all for a fair profit, but come on Pegas! Hopefully they will come down a bit on those prices. In any case, I did order this to try/review. ------Randy

It doesn't have the Zig Zag spring, so it is newer than mine. It has the front quick tensioner which is a major positive. It already has the QuickClamp, though they are not expensive, it is still nice.. The last Item I would look for is the speed control. If it is a VS, then it might be a good deal, depending on price.

Even on the smallest of the Jewelers blades, I just push the blade to the back of the clamp. I think you are doing something wrong. Try lowering the arm a little, checking to see if the set screw is just barely "proud". When you get a feel for it, you can feel if the blade is all the way back, or if you have pushed the blade against the set screw or the clamp screw. The process of placing the blade feels that same as it does for my 788.

I love the original clamps, but there are some issues with wear on that upper lever. Seyco themselves offered a "modification" to help with that issue. For several years, Pegas has been selling their own branded version of the EX clone under their own name, so, I'm sure they were getting support calls on some of these issues, and decided to sell a modification to help resolve it. I sent Seyco a message to see if they are going to be selling this mod. p.s. I did hear back from Seyco and they haven't gotten their hands on one of these for evaluation yet.

Replaced my lower clamp once. But from time to time, that upper tension lever flies up, so I know I'm getting close to having to replace that. But, beyond that, I like new toys, and there are not a lot of third part options for upgrading the EX, so this is pretty unusual. -----Randy

So, got a little shock when I opened up the latest SSW&C. Evidently, Pegas just released what they call an "Overhaul" to the Excalibur (and Clones) scroll saws. I wouldn't call it an overhaul, but it is a complete replacement for the top and bottom clamp mechanism. For those that are very experience with the EX, you know there is some room for improvement here. Seyco has a milder enhancement also. The new Pegas Clamp replacement is supposed to be 40% lighter for less vibration, easier to use, and etc. Here is a peek: Here is a better peek from a Vendor here: https://www.dictum.com/en/tools/woodworking-metalworking/saws/mitre-saws-saw-guides/704769/pegas-saw-blade-holder-complete-set So, to be clear, this would work for EX, clones (Axminster, Carbatec, Pegas, King, and Excelsior) and Seyco. Anyway, I'm excited. The product doesn't show up on the Pegas web site yet, but at least this one vendor has it, and the SSWC ad says it is coming in "January 2018"

So, I come and just want to see all the latest "activity", regardless of where it is in the forum. I just want it all in one place, so I simply have a shortcut to go here: http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/discover/ This is the same as going to "Activity", then clicking "All Activity."

Elizabeth Olsen delivered a few new patterns. The Cats I'm pretty happy with. I upload the pattern for that as soon as I get the illustrator files for it to convert to pdf. The Airforce design needs a little work. The text was initially too small to cut, so I tried to enlarge that part, but I still had issues cutting it. I was off on the entry holes, throwing some of the letters off. For this kind of pattern, especially at this scale, I would rather have the inverse for the letters, so I'll see if she can come up with the design in the inverse. Her original design would work well if it was expanded and cut in wood at a much larger scale. I've converted the source vector file to PDF, so in that format, you can be scaled to any size, without losing detail. Here is the Original AirForce Pattern, you may have to enlarge a few of the bridges: AirForce_ElizabethOlsen.pdf AirForce_ElizabethOlsen.pdf

Anywhere there is an sharp inside corner, the 6/0 is the blade I use for that in order to get the sharp corner. So, #6/0 is used for special cases, which occur in a few place on many coin designs. Anywhere I can get away with it, I use #2/0 or #3/0.

I keep them, for what, I'm not sure yet. Was think about getting a crucible and trying to melt them together for possible re-use.

This is definitely not a strict question/answer forum, and I'm pretty glad it isn't otherwise things would get boring around here in a hurry. Conversations go where conversations go. I've found that if someone has something new to add to the original topic of the thread, they will add that comment, regardless of where the overall conversation has shifted. Some of the best conversations have been in threads that have veered. Only kind of veering I don't like is when someone get's offended, and things start to get nasty/personal. Otherwise, I'm happy following a thread wherever it goes, until it doesn't interest me any longer.

A lot of companies just slap their brand on a these common saws. Same exact saw as this http://www.grizzly.com/products/16-Scroll-Saw-with-Flexible-Shaft-Grinder/G0735. Rikon and others have this exact model with different paint and labels. Many more are built on this same platform without the flexible shaft attachment. I suppose some project types might be ok with this kind of saw, and I'm sure these saws have their devout fans, but for me personally, the agony dished out by this basic design is only exceeded by Proxxon who has no equal in my opinion.

Hey Kevin, I only glue very small coins to wood to help hold them, but I rarely cut coins that small. Polishing the coins before cutting is always a temptation, but the glue doesn't seem to adhere as well to polished surfaces. My worst enemy is pattern lifting, because when I get lift on very very small pieces, that little bit of pattern just tears off, then I have to cut blind, and I pretty well suck at that.

Here is the Pattern: Mobile_Elizabeth_Olsen.pdf

Well, the Eisenhower is thick so that helps, but the side to side is pretty weak. I debated if I could polish it without breaking it, and ended up taking a chance to get it polished. It survived. I haven't decided if I will sell coins based on this design or not. I owe the artist one more copy of this design, so I have to brave it at least one more time.

This is coin was based on the first scroll saw pattern designed by Julia Harmon, a student at Pensacola Christian College. Pattern is free to the Scroll Saw community. Here is the Pattern: Buck_Julia_Harmon.pdf

I'm pulling in a few Artist to begin designing patterns for the Scroll Saw Community (focusing on Coins). These pieces can potentially be blown up and cut in wood as well. My designers don't know my limits yet, so they are pushing the boundaries. The image below is blown up considerably, so those "strings" are even thinner than they look. If anyone wants to try this, or blow it up and cut it in wood, let me know as any pattern I'm commissioning will be free to the scrolling community. This pattern designer is Elizabeth Olsen. I like the way she thinks, so I'm excited to see what else she comes up with. ------Randy

I'm pretty decent in photoshop, but my efforts there are derivative, meaning I can take bits and pieces of some other existing art, and convert to a pattern. I would like to have non-derivative designs, so since there are practically zero coin cutting patterns available, I have enlisted the help of four college students with Art majors/minors. I pay $15 for each pattern plus I cut two coins with their design which I send to them. At this point, I'm letting these students choose their own material, but in the end, the patterns will belong to the scroll saw/coin cutting community. I'll post a few of their designs today. There will be a little breaking in for these new artist as they do understand the "floating" issues, but don't quite understand scaling yet. You will see what I mean when you see the "mobile" piece I'm posting.

On the Ex, I'm probably running at about 3/4. I can't run slow or the blade will catch on turns.

I've been getting pinged by various folks looking at trying their hands at coin cutting. I thought I would take a minute and give a quick "Secrets" type post. In this case, I want to show a technique that makes it look like your piece has floaters, while in truth, the supports are hidden. Let me show you: I want to draw attention to the section circled below: In the unobstructed image below, it look like that piece is "Floating" with no supports. This technique is common amongst the better coin cutters. So what is going on? The surface material over the supports has been cut away, hiding the supports further below the surface. If you look carefully, you can see the supports buried down underneath. So, how is the surface cut away? Believe it or not, it is possible to cut while holding one edge of the coin up at an angle. If you cut from both sides, you will be left with a wedge as your support, but no surface material. This does weaken the support, so I have to be careful not to remove too much. Does this look a little awkward? It is a little, but the hard part is seeing what I am cutting with the coin angled up away from me. I have to lean way forward. In the past, I have also turned the blade around backwards so I can cut with the face of the coin facing me. Well, I wanted to show you something different, I hope I did :-) -----Randy

Which blades are you buying from there? I noticed they have the Forms d'Art blades that I started with many years ago. Not great blades overall, but I still recommend them for beginners because they are very very cheap, and they have a more metal on the backbone (shorter teeth). They are not as aggressive and do not turn as easily, so I moved on to the Pike brand which is very good (Same company that makes Pegas). There are several other brands on the site that are new and intriguing to me. I've been curious about the more expensive German blades, but they are over twice as expensive as the Pike I've been using, and I break a ton of blades, so I've been scared to try those. I might like them, then I would up a creek. :-)

Well, for the "challenge" of it, decided to try the non-authentic version on the smaller Kennedy to see if it could be done. I really can't go a lot smaller because those long straight inside cuts are exactly the Kerf of my blade. I'm done playing with this design so I'm on my way back to google to find the next big thing (or small thing).