hotshot

Mike, your reputation precedes you. You are indeed one of the elites. I think I've seen a few of your things lately in Scroller Online ----------Randy

Fish and Fab, Here is the source image if you want to try it. You should be able to blow it up to any size: http://tattooos.org/triquetra-knot-tattoo-stencil.html

Len Len, I have not tried any Canadian coins. That quarter has a lot of steel in it, so it might be interesting to try to cut. If you give it a shot, let me know how it goes.

I use Pike brand 3/0 or 2/0 Jewelers blades. You can find them on Amazon.com.

At the risk of over posting and wearing everyone out, this is the last cutting for this week.

I've tried the wax before, but couldn't really tell any difference and it obscured the line, so I gave up on that. It took 3 hours by hand, mainly because I had to rest every so often. My arm as the motor sucks. Not sure how long it took on the EX, but it was much faster and better. I lose time when I'm doing these.

Felt compelled to recut it with a tool invented in this century

About once a month, I get to spend time in a craft store, holding down the fort, so to speak. Usually there is some dead time, so I take a manual saw (called a hand frame) and try to cut coins old school style. This is far harder than the scroll saw I usually use, but I'm getting a little better. All the inside cuts were done this way, and I cut the outside and tried to smooth my goofs on the inside with the normal saw when I got home. So if you look closely, this particular celtic pattern has a heart incorporated into it. Found the image google image shopping

Take a look at sloans as they sell a much better bit than most, and you can go as small as is practical. I'm drilling metal, so my bits have to be good. I tried several other brands and most just wouldn't cut it. I use the #72, but my blades are also very very small. You can go up from there.

Excited for you. If you have any questions about the saw, give me a shout --------Randy

Hawkeye, found you a EX-16 if you want it, call Woodcraft in Franklin and have them hold it for you. Probably the last one until Dec. This is the one I would buy if I were doing it again. ---------Randy

Hawkeye, I'll bring you a Dewalt to use until the EX manufacturing catches up in Dec. If you happen to have a pickup, I'll have you drive down and get it so we don't have to take the stand off. I would never go with a bottom feeding saw like the Jet unless you really want to do that. After using the 788, you might like it and decide to purchase that new instead. There is also an ex21 in Goodlettsville (Craiglist) for $700. If he would come down to $500 or so, that might be a good deal if it has low usage. Brand new DW788 in Morristown (Craigslist) in unopened box for $300 which is a steal, but long drive unless they would ship.

Yep, almost no drilling, which is nice. I love the technically difficult pieces, but ultimately, I cut what I like, and this one struck me as neat. The only difficult part about this cutting is that I also tried to cut it in a way that I also saved the outside of the coin, which meant there could be "no waste" on either side of the line. Doing this, once finished, I have two mirror pieces that both convey the same theme.

Went Google Image Hunting and thought this looked interesting. Only one inside cut and two strands of hair. Depending on how your mind works, might take you a minute to see this one. --Randy

I really like the patterns that come from the paper cutters.

I just don't know what Ray is thinking, trying to sell a non-supported saw for $500. I'm kind of hoping he was on vacation and a employee did this without his knowledge. Ray has repeatedly said that parts were not available for the older saws, so I can't imagine this one is an exception. For a bit more money, a EX16 could be purchased . . . . once they are back in stock. Or a New DW788 complete with warranty. I was very surprised to see some of the older saws listed on the site, especially at those prices. I would not risk buying anything earlier than the Purple EX-21, and especially for those prices. Holey moley! ps. I'm sorry if all this seems a little harsh, I get a little hot about stuff like this, similar to when I see listing on Craigslist asking $700 for an old scroll saw worth $50, or anything that is really out of whack, intended to rip off folks that don't know the value or lack thereof. So, that said, I purchased my EX from Ray and greatly respect him, however, this feels unethical, like preying on those that don't understand the relative value of stuff. When I send someone to Seyco saying, "hey, I know these guys and they will treat you right", then see something like this, I feel a little betrayed.

My dad is a fan of the OU Sooners, and wears the shirts, the hats, and etc. I don't have those same feeling towards the Sooners, but I don't feel any motivation to wear a shirt that expresses my lack of interest in OU. Same goes with religion. Those that follow it would be interested in it, but why would someone that didn't "believe" in it feel the need to express that? I don't wear a shirt that says I don't believe in Santa Claus. I don't think "Unbelief" is usually a strong motivator. I may however wear a shirt that says "JESUS", because I personally have a believe that powers that sentiment. That said, if there is an Atheist, Homosexual, OU Fan, Islamist, Democrat, Ford lover, Yankee, ect . . . . let them design patterns until their heart is content. I take that back, the world doesn't need any Ford patterns . . . . . Just kidding. -----------Randy

I was excited by news of the Jet until I found out that it was bottom feeding only. For bottom feeders, seems like a great choice. I'm hoping Jet comes out with another model for thost that prefer top feeding. -------Randy

I currently have Two Hegners, An EX 21, and a DW788 Type 1, and an old pcb370ss. I disagree with the "If you are using a Hegner, you won't be happy with anything else." I have countless hours on the Hegner, and on the EX, and there are benefits to both. Since the Hegner is not a top feeding saw, and since the EX does excel at this, and has a much bigger table, and has a better tilt mechansim, tooless bottom blade clamp, I prefer the EX (or 788).for most projects. In actual use of the saws, the main advantage I can see with the Hegner is that it has less blade travel and an absolutely wonderful top knurled knob on the QuickClamp. As far as blade travel affecting accuracy, there are very few scrollers that do the level of detail on their saws than I'm able to do on the EX, so the greater travel on the EX isn't that important for straight blades. For spirals, I would probably only use the Hegner. For several years, I have been using the Hegner exclusively for my puzzle boxes and most non-coin projects, but have recently switched to the 788 for the wood working stuff. It's just easier/quicker for me to top feed. If I have any issues with any of the saws, the Hegners will still be there. By the way, that Hegner knob I love so much, I modified it and now use it on my EX also. From a longevity perspective, your Hegner will probably still be cutting when the EX is in the scrap pile. But the EX will sure provide a lot of fun until it breaks down, and if you can forget all the money you spend on the Hegner, you might prefer the EX. Then again you might hate it, everyone has different tastes. ------------Randy

Years ago, these were originally sold as Sakura and were probably more popular under that name. I was tempted by one of these a few years back, but in retrospect, glad I passed it up. I think you would be happier with a newer design like the 788 or EX. -------Randy

Pattern by Arpop and cut on an Eisenhower Dollar. Actual Size: Blown Up

That was absolutely awesome. The EX is a great saw, so having that perspective, and contrasting that with the Hawk is priceless. You might share some of your experience on the reviews page so this information don't get lost in the flood of posts. There is just so few folks that buy the newest Hawks, that very little practical information is available. It is interesting the the clamp screws on the BM doesn't have the "loose" head. That might be one part that Bushton doesn't have the equipment to make. As a top feeder, it would really be good for the top arm to lift higher as well. I really like that feature of the EX. I do have to say, in terms of complexity, if the EX start making crazy internal noises, those fixes are not trivial. In this regard, the Hawk is more like the Hegner. But . . . when the EX is working as it was designed, it is an absolute joy to drive. I did have one more question for you that I forgot to ask the first time. I'm pretty good at tweaking the EX to minimize blade travel, but no matter how much tweaking, it is never zero. Usually blade travel doesn't bother me, but there are a few delicate cuts that blade travel give me issues as I'm trying to get that first "touch" to the workpiece, especially coming in at an angle. How is the blade travel on the Hawk? I do remember that discussion on the other forum about your custom table. That has been quite a while back. I'm a hardware guy, so I enjoy that type of thing immensely. ------Randy

You got it, coming your way as soon as you PM me your mailing address

Holy moley, I would die to get my hands on a new Hawk. I would take you up on that in a minute, if I had the funds. If you would have made that offer a few weeks back, before the tax man made it to my door, I would be reviewing the new Hawk, and owe taxes. But, since your here, please give us a good comparison of how the blade clamps work versus the EX. The clamps are a weak area on the EX as multiple folks, including me, have worn out the threads. I replace my bottom Aluminum clamp last week. Also, I couldn't tell from the promotional video if the arm raised high enough to feed the blade back through reasonably thick stock. That is the one area where the EX shines over the dw788. It didn't look like the arm raised enough. Running on full throttle, how is the vibration compared to the EX running full out? I am so freaking jealous, eventually, I'll get my hands on a Hawk. ---------Randy

Found this in the free scroll saw pattern collection at: http://fssp-arpop.blogspot.com Not sure what I think of the pattern itself, but I thought I would cut it to see how it looked. The original pattern has the full horse, but I didn't like the confusion in how the artist drew the feet, so I zoomed it in to get a headshot. In this coin, my goal was to get some needle sharp ends on the hair. If you look close, you can see a few needles at the ends. This pattern was more fun and less stress than a few others of late.