jerry1939

I don't like it. It's so neat and well organized. Puts a lot of us to shame. Seriously, it looks great. Want to trade? jerry

Re: The video. I went to a bicycle shop and bought one for a dollar. Instead of the cap screw shown in the video, it had a long shaft, threaded on the end, same diameter as the screw I was clamping the blade with. Paid a machine shop $10 to saw it off & thread it. One of the smartest things I did. (I have so few!!) jerry

Because of hand tremors, (a fancy way to say that my hands shake,) I rarely use anything but FD UR # 5. Most of my work is 1/4" solid oak & BB ply. From what I am reading on this, and other sites, I think that most of the time you folks could get by very nicely with # 5s. I assume that because of the extra size, you would have less breakage. I break about TWO BLADES A YEAR, but our garage is not heated, so the saw collects dust in the Iowa winter. jerry

LarryEA, My wife (& others) call me a perfectionist. Take cutting out an inside square as an example. I want a SQUARE corner, not one where I turned the wood 90 degrees and kept going all the way around. I saw from the drill hole to just short of a line. Turn to my right (CW with the wood) and saw to the corner. Back up 3/16 to 1/4 inch, turn left, turn right and go to the next line. Repeat until done. The piece that pops put has 4 little squares removed. Go back and saw straight into the other side of the corners. Same method for any/all odd shaped pieces to remove. Here is why I know the sharp teeth are on the right side of the blade: Now when you finish out the corners, the sharp teeth on the right start you out nicely on the lines. IF you go the wrong way around, the dull side of the blade doesn't want to start on the line, but instead wants to slide along the curve. After you have tried this a few times, turning the wood CW comes automatically to you. I see no need to tamper with the blades. This explanation is probably as clear as mud. Sorry about that !! jerry .

Great idea. I don't do large circles, so currently have no need to make one, however, if and when I do, I would consider a minor change. As we all know, FD blades have their sharp teeth on the right, as you face it. (The kerf.) I am currently working on a fret piece with a lot of small INSIDE holes. The blades work much better cutting out an inside circle if you spin the wood counter-clockwise, putting the sharp teeth on the outside of the circle. Don't know if it matters on circles the size you are making, but if I were to make your jig, I would consider putting the center pivot on the other side. Just my 1 1/2 cents worth. jerry

I live close to 3 copy machines. 10 cents per copy. NOTE: If you are working on one project, ALWAYS use the same copy machine, as each one could be slightly different. Also, I snip off a little corner of the original to mark it. Otherwise, later on, you end up making copies of copies. jerry

I store blades in empty drinking water bottles. Print the size & type on a strip of paper & scotch tape it to the bottle. Place a rubber band around the top & bottom of the bottle & put slightly used blades on the outside of the bottle, under the rubber bands. For the blade that I am using, I return that bottle to the rack upside down. The rack is attached to the wall and is "sort of a spice rack." The front is low enough that I can read the labels. Works good for me. jerry

We have a Lowes store nearby. Learned not to buy 1/4" oak there, even though I receive a 10% military discount. Drive farther to buy at Menards & pay full price. Plywood - I have always been happy with the plywood & fast service from here: http://www.sloanswoodshop.com/default.htm I always order "Good 2 sides." For a slightly higher price, if there is a slight flaw on one side, you can flip it over. I always use blue tape on both sides. As soon as you put on the first strip of tape, Mark it "TOP" so that you don't accidently put your pattern on the wrong side. Re: removing the tape & pattern: Where there is a tiny piece of wood, put a fingernail under "the point" and pull towards the wider part. Hope you find something here of value to you. jerry

I am a bottom feeder. Started a project today with lots of tiny cutouts. For no particular reason, when cutting a pattern, I start on 1 side and work my way across. Because the drill holes were very small & close together, it was inconvenient to find & thread the blade to the next hole. It FINALLY dawned on me to not work straight across, but to drill a few holes at a time, on random places on the pattern. This way, the next hole is off by itself. I normally only drill 8 - 10 holes at a time anyway. This forces me to keep getting off of my lazy b_____ and walking over to the drill press. jerry

Keep in mind that when you were young, your Mother never told you that life would be a bed of roses. jerry

I'm with "Woodduck," I spray paint the backer. Do the interior cuts, glue sparingly in critical areas. Spread with a foam brush. Apply a good bead of glue where I will cut the perimeter. As we all know, glue acts as a lubricant when you clamp 2 pieces together, and the pieces want to slide in relation to each other. If you saw the perimeter of the fretwork & backer as one piece, you are guaranteed a perfect cut. jerry

Hi Steve, If you now spend 3 1/2 hours drinking, that should even out. Right?? jerry P.S. If it bothers to make mistakes, get out of the business. We all probably have a tale or 3 we could tell.

I use the blue tape/spray adhesive method for applying patterns. Do a lot of Religious crosses. Spray the backer board first. Make the INTERIOR cuts of the cross and glue it onto the backer board. Next, cut the perimeter. Apply another layer of tape to the TOP of the pattern (Now have tape -pattern - tape) and trim the edges with a woodcarving knife. Prop the piece up on cardboard, facing UP. Spray the edges, pointing the nozzle down at 45 degrees. In the past, I sprayed from the backside, but was getting some paint to seep around, onto the piece. Like spraying from the front better. jerry

I use a long, thin, vise grip. Gives you a chance to extend whatever amount of bade you want in the holder. Turn the sharp edge towards the vice grip. Point the top of the blade to the top holder and tighten the bottom. Once you try that, you will use that method forever. jerry

I am a "bottom feeder." After drilling a few holes, I take an awl and enlarge the bottom of the holes. This creates a funnel shape to put the blade in. On a large piece, if you have trouble seeing the hole, lay a CD on the saw table. It reflects A LOT of light up. jerry

For a lot of years, I have,(and like) this cheap saw. It is sold under a few different names, but they look identical. Got mine from Menards for $70, but right now their web site indicates the don's sell it. You can buy this one from Lowes for $120. http://www.toolbarn.com/skil-3335-07.html?gclid=CMXM0cKt0MQCFQgtaQod8YkABg I use only plain end blades. Have a long, narrow vice grip that use for installing the bottom of the blade. Leave 1/4" of blade extending below the vice grip. Clamp it while pointing the top of the blade pointed at the top clamp. Never have a problem. I am a bottom feeder. Hope this helps. jerry

Here is the method I like for fretwork glued to a spray painted backer: Apply Elmers wood glue to a sheet of wax paper. Spread it THINLY with an old credit card. Set the fretwork on the glue/wax paper and slide it very slightly twice, R. to left & towards & closer to me. Set it on the backer & weight it down. Also, I only saw the interior cuts of the fretwork before gluing on. 24 hours later, I saw the perimeter. Cover the pattern with blue tape, turn it face down on some props and spray the edges, spray nozzle pointed down at about 45 degrees and the "back" of the backer (which is facing up.) The reason the fretwork has a new layer of tape is because the spray might try to shoot up, onto the face of the fret. jerry

I completed my 2 years in the Army in 1961. My Discharge Paper states that I weighted 165 pounds. Current weight is 180. Gained 15 pounds in 54 years. I'm a lazy guy and don't exercise nearly enough, but do a little a few times a day. jerry

We have 3 copy machines close by. I learned that I always need to go to the same one with a particular pattern. Home copiers are the worst. jerry

Hi Scrappile, I also feed from the bottom. Two things I do and like: 1. Only drill about 10 or so holes at a time. This gives you a smaller target to be looking in. It also forces me to get off of my b____ frequently and straighten out the old legs. 2. After each "drilling", take an awl and enlarge the holes from the back side. This creates a funnel shape for the blade to enter. jerry

I made mine quite similar to the one posted by "JamminJack", EXCEPT that my saw faces the other direction. My legs straddle the single leg. However, it has a 1 X 4 across the "far" end that the back wheels are mounted on. The reason I like it is that when you are swinging a large piece, you can push the stand away with your feet on that board. Pull it back toward you with the ankle on the "near" leg of the stand. I also push the stand/saw away for getting in and out of the chair. The wheels on mine do not caster. If I had to do over again, I would build it the same. jerry

I buy BB from here and have always been happy with it. I often buy "Good on both sides." That way, IF there is ever a flaw, there is always the other side. I consider it cheap insurance for the number of hours spent sawing a piece. http://www.sloanswoodshop.com/default.htm jerry

I also only drill a few holes at a time. The added benefit is that it forces me to get up off my lazy b___, stretch & go to the drill press often. jerry

jerry1939 North Liberty, Iowa. Iowa has 2 seasons. Winter and road construction. jerry

Beautiful work!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go ahead and shoot me if I am throwing cold water at your great work, BUT, is there a copyright problem with your Harley logo? I keep reading on scroll saw sites that Harley is THEE most aggressive company about people copying their trademarks. I sincerely hope that I am not scaring you needlessly. Just trying to help a scrollin friend stay out of trouble, IF it is necessary. jerry