tgiro

If you're going to do coins, talk with Hotshot. I know he monitors the forum here, but you can catch him on the SSWC forum, also. He is a coin cutting master. some of the things he has done with coins is just amazing.

Me too. Where are you? I'm doing Market day, in Waynesboro, PA. Same weather conditions.

I got the Excalibur version of that thing at a wood working show, along with the Drill-nado. Show price for both was about $65. After a few modifications, the scroll-nado works OK. I wouldn't recommend paying the Amazon price, though. I priced the materials at Lowes & HD ans it came out to around $30. Forget about the Drill-nado. Not worth it. It does suck the chips really well, but the other issues make it not worth the while. I posted a review of these gadgets on the SSWC forum. I can repost it here if anyone wants.

I convert all my blackline patterns to redline. Judy Gale Roberst spoiled me. To make a pattern with a redline image, I use Irfanview -- https://www.irfanview.com/ Irfanview is a freebie graphic viewer. it allows you to view, crop, enlarge, reduce, and even change the color of graphic images. When I scan a pattern into the computer, I always save the pattern as a jpeg. Although Irvanview will read and display other format, also. BUT - it doesn't do PDF. Once you have Irfanview loaded, load your pattern jpeg into Irfanview. Click on the Images menu in the tool bar then click on Color Corrections or type a [Shift]-G. When the Color Corrections window opens, find the Red (R) slider button under Color Balance. Move the slider all the way to the right and click the OK button. You'll see that your pattern has turned red. Save the red image, so you can use it later and then print your red pattern. Have fun with it.

Open the book or magazine as far as it will go and scan. Sometimes, I have to press on the top of the scanner to get the page to lay flat. Be sure your scanning software save the image as a jpeg. Once the image is in the computer - you want to make it a redline image -- Irfanview -- https://www.irfanview.com/ Irfanview is a freebie graphic viewer. it allows you to view, crop, enlarge, reduce, and even change the color of graphic images. Once you have Irfanview loaded, load your pattern jpeg into Irfanview. Click on the Images menu in the tool bar then click on Color Corrections or type a [Shift]-G. When to Color Corrections window opens, find the Red (R) slider button under Color Balance. Move the slider all the way to the right and click the OK button. You'll see that your pattern has turned red. Save the red image, so you can use it later and then print your red pattern. Have fun with it.

Yep - decorative firewood - got a box full of it. The grandkids like to take it out & play around with it sometimes.

Not sure about your pivot point, but I was in a model railroad store the other day and saw that they had basswood in thin sheets. I think they had some in 3/32" or 1/16" thicknesses. That might work well for the blades on the fan. Or -- if you have a table saw or know someone with a table saw, have them rip some 1'16" thick strips from some pine or other matching wood for your project.

Welcome to the dark side -- We have cookies! Glad to hear you've found an enjoyable hobby. A good hobby is one that allows you to continue to learn and a scroll saw will definitely do that. Enjoy and welcome to the hobby.

I have been accused of cutting my intarsia pieces with a computer because "Humans can't cut wood that precisely!"

Yep you have to wait until Mars and Venus are in the house of Saturn . . . or was it Jupiter . . . or maybe it was Neptune . . . Sorry - I'm an old guy - I forget.

I have done inlays with 1/2" board but never 1-inch. That doesn't mean it can't be done. The point may be - What does the other side of the board look like? Remember the inlay on one side of the board will be smaller (larger?) than the other side. When it comes to pointy shapes or small finger or fringe shapes, that can get a little weird. When I do inlays in my intarsia projects, I'll resaw the board I'm inlaying. That gives me two slices 3/8" - 1/2" thick. I use one of the slices and inlay the pattern into it. Once that's set up, I clean up the backside of the inlayed slice and laminate it back to the uncut slice. I now have an inlayed board, 3/4' - 1" thick, but the inlay is only 3/8" - 1/2" deep.

I hadn't tried compound cuts since I switched to the Pegas clamps. So, I stuck a reindeer pattern to a piece of pine (3/4' x 1-1/8"), loaded an FD-SR #7 blade, and tried it. Worked just fine. I'm with Kevin - we need a little more info.

I was on the Woodcraft.com site the other day and noted that they had both the new King 16-inch and the older Excalibur 21-inch saws for sale. I think they are both discounted. I believe they are still being made by the same company as when GI sold them.

Looks like you have a Hawk that should work well for a number of years. Any saw that runs with no blade under tension is going to rattle. Clean it up, get the latest mods and go to work making sawdust.

Great idea! Thanks for sharing.

Here are the Amazon offers. I use the one from PSI, but I have the 220 volt version. The iVac remotes are supposed to be good, also. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_21?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=dust+collector+remote+switch&sprefix=dust+collector+remote%2Caps%2C173&crid=3CN9F576X7C8H

The thumb screws from the Dewalt, Excalibur, and Pegas clamps are interchangeable. The set screws on the Pegas are longer to accommodate the lock nuts, but the thread size is the same. Before rushing out to buy new thumb and set screws, have you tried dressing up the old ones? Here is a trick I learned from Ray at SeyCo. NOTE - You need an aligned drill press to drill holes at good 90° angles in wood. 1. Take a 2" X 3" piece of wood about 5/16" to 3/8" thick. 2. Drill two 7/32" holes complete through the wood. 3. Screw the thumbscrew and set screw into the wood so the faces of the screws are just flush with one side of the board. 4. Place a sheet of 220 grit sandpaper on a flat surface. Sand the face of the board with the faces of the screws showing until any marks on the faces of the screws are cleaned away. If you want to, you can repeat with finer grit papers until you are polishing the faces. I have never done that. 5. Remove the screws from the board and put them back in the clamps. Remember to align them correctly in the clamp. I do this every 6 - 9 months during a maintenance period and I have never had to replace the thumb or set screws in the clamps. I have had to replace the old OEM bottom clamp on my EX, because I'm guilty of over tightening and keep spreading the clamps. I haen't had this problem on the Pegas clamps, yet.

I got mine from qtena (QTE North America) about four months ago. They are easier to use. Just to be safe I kept the OEM clamps for my EX.

I have the Pegas clamps on my EX and they are working fine, so far. Where did you get the aluminum knobs showing in your pictures in place of thumbsrews?

I'm an intarsia guy, so the woods I use are based on the colors I need for the projects I'm making - With patience you can find any color wood you want except blue. Yes, I know there is blue pine (Grey) and a couple of exotics that are called blue but are more of a bluish green. The problem is, that, over the years, wood changes - get's darker, usually. I have some (originally) bright red blood wood turn almost black. Bright yellow or orange Osage Orange will turn brown in a couple of years. All the shades of Western Cedar eventually meld together in the same brown color.

Scrollsaw Slasher If you are in the U.S. - I got mine from Shopsmith -- http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/dr_chuck.htm It locks on with a set screw.

Hi Paul - It's never too late. Like I said - I'm keeping the OEM clamps - just in case. Seyco has a round knob, that replaces the wing shaped thumb screw for tightening blades. I found that, when I use my fingertips, on a round knob, I don't tighten things to tight. But - every now and then, with that finicky blade, I grab the thing and crank it down and there you go. Maybe it's just the farmer/cowboy coming out in me - we used to tighten things down with the biggest wrenches and channel locks we could find.

The reason I'm trying he Pegas clamps is, that I'm one of the guys who constantly over tightens the bottom clamp. The bottom clamp that comes with the EX is a cast aluminum (someone said what the alloy was, but I forgot). After a while (about a year) of over tightening, the bottom clamp will spread and won't hold the blade correctly. The Pegas clamps are made of stronger alloy that should prevent the spreading, I've only been using them for around 3 months, so I won't know how well they hold up for a few more months. The other brag about the Pegas clamps is that they are lighter and will reduce vibration. My EX didn't have that much vibration in the first place, so I can't say if that's a fact or not. Hotshot actually found a vibration meter or app for his cell phone. He did a lot more stringent testing that the rest of us did. I think he posted a lot of results on this forum, but, ig he's monitoring, I'll let him speak to that. They are a simpler clamp. For example - that plastic adjustment screw on the EX top clamp, doesn't exist on the Pegas clamp. They are easy to swap out and easy to use as the EX clamps. You can top or bottom feed with them. Having said all of that - I'm keeping my set of EX clamps and I still have two or three additional OEM bottom clamps. If the Pegas don't handle my heavy handedness, I can switch back to OEM clamps with little problem. I understand that they really shine on the new Jet saw. Handibunny put them on her Jet and someone else bragged about them on the Jet, also. But they would have to speak to how well they work. Are they worth the $80 - $90 to upgrade? I would recommend that you get used to the EX before you spend any money on them. I think you'll find the Ex is a good saw to use with minimal vibration and the adjustable aggression is great. If you don't have any problems with the OEM clamps on the EX then save the money for a night out with the significant other.

Here is a picture -- Note - I'm using the Pegas replacement clamps, right now, which is why this is laying on a board.