hotshot

Though I like the complexity challenge of modified Yamaha logo, the owner requested the Authentic version, so here is what he will actually get. This one was cut on a Kennedy. Here is the size comparison between the two versions:

Like anything else, don't judge your potential in the medium based on the first coin you cut. My first attempts were pretty bad, but it get's better quickly.

Man, you are the first person that I've talked to that had one of these. Very very cool, and that saw will "Rock" as far as coin cutting goes. If you jump in, I'll help you however I can. You can run your saw full out without breaking a Jewelers blade (oh, you will break blades, but hopefully after you start cutting). If you already have an magnifier, get some powerful reading glasses to use in addition, and you will be ready to go. Or if you have good eyes, you might be able to get by with less magnification. If you see anything I've done that you want the pattern for, let me know. You can see most of my projects at facebook.com/coincutting. Full tutorials on my process/techniques are at http://www.coincutting.com as well as some patterns to get started with. Any idea what the support model is for that saw should there be issues? I'm super excited about these saws, but I've don't understand the support model yet. That said, I have many many miles on my saw and so far I've only had to replace the bottom clamp mechanism which stripped. That piece is the same as the current Seyco model, so I don't have a lot of support worries yet. If I ever wear out the EX, I might get a King/Excelsior 16" to replace it.

Wayne, I have used Flying Dutchman, 3/0, and they are decent, but not the best blade nor the best value. Look for Pike Jewelers blades on Amazon. For starting out, the #2/0 is your best bet and along with the 3/0 is what I use for the bulk of my work. If you want to try this, you will break a lot of blades, but you can get a gross for about $19 What kind of saw do you have? My most recommended saws for this are the EX or Clones/Seyco/Dewalt/Modern Delta and possibly the new Jet. Though possible, the Hawk and Hegner are less suited. If you have a Hegner, you will need the special small clamps to hold the blades. Anything else will be very very frustrating.

I have a floor standing magnifier but along with that, I have some 4+ reading glasses. The patterns look really intimidating when I first print them, but I try not to get too psyched out until I look at it through the magnification. Everything looks more manageable when you magnify the heck out of it. Ironically, I have pretty bad eyes, so much of my stuff is too small for me to see without my glasses. I wish I would have started this back when I had young eyes.

I think different things motivate different people, so nothing wrong with wanting to get a lot of product out the door. If I was "production cutting", 20 minutes a day would have me going the EX/King 16" route. I understand some folks don't like the EX, but it is a great saw and might last a little longer. As far as getting used to something different, the EX would be a lot closer to the usability of the 788 than the Hawk. Even the cost of a new 788 every 9 months might pay for itself, I'm not sure. I'm hoping as Iggy gets comfortable with the Hawk, that 20 minutes difference disappears. ------Randy

Down to the last Christmas request. This time, I'm experimenting with a design requested by a friend. This design is similar to the Yamaha logo, except I modified to try to make it 3d. This was cut on the Eisenhower with Pike 2/0. The straight cut's within the tuning forks are just a bit wider than the kerf of a #2. After polishing, had some gunk in the cuts, and could not fit a pin in to clean it out, so I used a piece of broken blade.

If we have any Firefly (SciFi) fans here, this one is for you. I about chickened out on this cut because when I printed it out, several of cuts were not much wider than the Kerf on a 6/0 blade. Took a chance and it wasn't as bad as I had feared. My source coin was not near big enough for this pattern, so I had to smash the heck out of it to get it to a cuttable size. I really needed a bigger coin, but, you do with what you got. Below is the original so you could see what I was going for. If I had the talent for painting, I might try to paint that outer ring . . . but I'm not.

Len, these are Pike blades and this specific size is used only when I need very small kerfs. I use 3/0 much more often. I did use this 6/0 size for the entire "Serenity Cut" that I'm getting ready to post. I usually shop Amazon for these blades. Shop around, and be careful because some vendors aren't clear on quantity. I aways look for 144 (gross) pricing.

I've told people that the blades I used are as small as a regular sewing pin, but both are so small, it's kind of hard to know for sure without really really zooming in. So out of curiosity, I scanned the smallest blade I commonly use. I assumed I would get a profile view, but was thrilled to see the front which give an idea of the actual kerf. I can't really see the teeth with the naked eye, so it was nice to get a zoomed image. Anyway, I though this was really neat, hopefully you will also. Click the picture below so see full size, so you can see the teeth.

Russel, you should send a copy of your patterns to someone you trust. That said, here is hoping you will be knocking out patterns many years from now. -------Randy

If you are a diehard Bronco's fan, or know of one, give me an address and I'll send you this item.

Yep, that would probably be cheaper, but where is the fun in that? :-) For me at at least, the "origination story" behind the coin, smashing/elongating, still gives the pieces a novel back story. The coins are also clad, so it is neat to show the customers that they can still see that clad edge which links it back to the coin. On designs where I keep the outside shape, the ridges from the original coin are also still visible. In a similar manner, it is kind of fun to show someone a nice shiny brass pendant, and tell them the piece was made from a Chucky Cheese token. Some people would like that, some people would think that lessened the novelty. Really depends on the person.

I have some beginner patterns as well as a full set of how to instructions at www.coincutting.com. Applying the patterns to coin requires a much different approach, but it is easy enough, so you definitely want to check out my approach before attempting. If you already have the Jeweler blades, you could try some free style cutting on a quarter to practice turning and such. If you use quarters or smaller, they are harder to hold by hand, so you may want to super glue it to a thin piece of wood to help hold it.

Cut on an elongated Eisenhower. Logo is really wide but not very tall, so it made sense to stretch out an Eisenhower to get more room. This could have been cut much smaller except for the eyes which don't scale down that far. In addition to the coin I cut, I added an extra picture to show the elongated coin before I cut it. I used a rolling mill to elongate the coin (this is like a train, except you can keep it in your house) :-)

Yep, you will have to treat with care, I mailed it to you along with the other piece. ------Randy

Just out experimenting with stuff, looking at SciFi Symbols. Saw this from the Star Trek Universe and thought I would try to cut it. There were a lot of floaters in the pattern, so I tried to bridge things as I went. If you look close at the center piece, that whole section is held by a very little bridge towards the front, which makes this way too fragile. If I cut this again I'll put another support in the back.

A friend of mine lost his father a few years back He requested that I make this as a gift to his mother, and I assume as a type of memorial. The parents were married in 1964. So happens, that was the last year they made the Kennedys out of silver, so I got a little more experience cutting silver, and saving those shavings. -----Randy

Yep, you had mentioned that a few weeks back so when I got the Alert from Home Depot, I immediately thought, "I guess Kevins source was legit"

If you really want one, I could crank another one out, Just PM me your address and I would be more than happy to make you one. I could also drop it by your house as I go within a few miles of your house on the way to work in Nashville from Manchester. Hawkeye lives right in Murfreesboro, so you two are closer yet.

Got an alert from Home Depot saying the Excalibur is back in stock. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Excalibur-120-Volt-21-in-Tilting-Head-Scroll-Saw-with-Stand-and-Foot-Switch-EX-21K/205414436 Rockler is offering them now also: http://www.rockler.com/excalibur-21-scroll-saw-with-foot-switch?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_content=pla&utm_campaign=PL&sid=V9146&gclid=CjwKCAiAu4nRBRBKEiwANms5W8HuOJko0WhzP9NNN5tkIsbKDWccA1nsFRjmXXMEwEXgxsoidXoQjRoCLSoQAvD_BwE And Sears: http://www.sears.com/general-international-21inch-tilting-head-scroll-saw-with/p-A011574695?sid=IDx01192011x000001&gclid=CjwKCAiAu4nRBRBKEiwANms5W-mQjbmgDtWzUerbJ4pihQc0OcU4vFVynsBL483Fh-zTF2QL8wViGBoC054QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CN6k-cH_7NcCFU0cgQod4YUG6g With King available, and without Seyco carrying this saw, I have mixed emotions, but still, good to see the black Ex being sold again. I would love to know the back story. If General was having issues with their manufacturer (who is apparently making these for everyone now), did General have to get another manufacturer geared up to to begin making these. If so, not sure I would trust the first ones off the line.

Ok Lawson, send me your address, I'll send you your Star Trek Emblem.

How is this: Outside line is the outside of coin which helps me to line it up on the coin. If you want it, send me your address. I can cut it on a Eisenhower, or if you want it small, a Kennedy.

If you can figure out a very elegant solution to support the floating middle piece, I'll cut it and send it to you. I thought about leaving the middle solid, and then cutting out the middle element, but Sihuettes don't work that well at this scale (see my failed Star Wars Cutting from yesterday)

Somehow I don't think bending would be easier than cutting :-)