tgiro

Years ago, I bought an HF stand for my 6x48 belt sander. The metal in the legs were so thin, the first time I moved it they bent and twisted. I junked it and went to Woodcraft and got a stand from them. the metal in those legs seemed to be twice as thick as the HF stand. I've gotten a few things from HF over the years and found myself replacing them with good stuff from other vendors. I don't waste money on HF anymore.

A couple of years ago, one of my nieces came to me with three books she wanted to cut into her initials. We sat down with some graph paper and got the initials drawn. The we wropped the books really tight with saran wrap (like shrink wrap). We sprayed the initials and glued them to the books and she went to work cutting. We found out that the saran wrap stuck when she tried to slide it on the saw table. So, we glued some paper to the back of the books. If I recall, I had her using a #7 FD-UR blade for the cutting and it took about five blades. They dull down pretty quickly when cutting paper and cardboard. But the work gave her the results she wanted.

The upper arm should stay up by itself. But if it seems loose or doesn't - that's not a show stopper. There is a simple adjustment on the side for that. Another check - once the blade is locked in and tight, check the tension knob on the back. Don't use it to adjust your blade tension, but as the saw is running/cutting, make sure that knob isn't turning. If it is, the tension mechanism is loose. Again, not a show stopper, Ray Seymore can talk you through fixing that over the phone.

Ray - Check the blade clamps closely, specially the bottom one. They make the bottom clamps out of cast aluminum and some people (like me) tend to over tighten them. That spreads the clamps and they won't keep a blade. Be sure to put a blade in there and put the saw through it's paces. If the clamps are spread, then you have a decision. Ray Seymore (SeyCo) sells replacement clamps for about $35. Or you can do like a lot of us did and get the Pegas replacement clamps for the machine - around $80 - $90.

Here is another thread on this topic that seems to have a lot of info. --

I believe in the statement - "There ain't no such thing as scrap wood." I know that I throw pieces that others could probably use to make some thing with. I'm like Melanie - I know I'm going to need that color wood in a future project so I hold on to much more than I'll ever use. I finally started throwing anything smaller than 1-1/2" or anything with to many holes from cutting out pieces. I have a friend that uses a lot of exotics to make furniture, flooring, cabinets and such. He once had a box full of "scraps" that he was going to throw in the dumpster. There was some decent pieces of yellow heart, ambrosia maple, figured maple, and numerous strips of some red. brown & black woods. I asked for the box to see what I could do with it. He let me have it, but sort of derided anything that could be made from those scraps. It took me a bit to figure out what to do with it and I decided that a segmented turning would be best. The result came out pretty nice. I actually wanted a taller finial on the lid, and I had the wood to do it, but I stayed true to the box, so it's only about 4 inches.

And very well done - I might add.

Mistakes can be prevented by experience. Experience is what we gain from making mistakes. I find that I never make the same mistake twice - I'm too busy making new ones

The first time I took the wife to a wood workers show - While I was watching a demo for a "Really neat" tool, she came and dragged me over to watch the Grr-Ripper push blocks demo. I watched with her and thought they were "Really neat", but expensive, and I had push blocks & sticks. She then asked the vendor for her bag, which she handed to me. After we got home, I found, that if I wanted to sleep in my own bed, I'd better be showing how I used those fancy push blocks. So, now they are second nature for me. If I'm not using a special jig to push wood through the saw, I'm using the Grr-Ripper blocks. I like the way they hold the board to the fence. The biggest safety hazard on the table saw is when you take the upper blade guard off, which also removes the Riving Blade. The Riving Blade is what helps prevent wood from twisting into the back of the blade. When the back of the blade catches the wood is when kickback happens and wood starts flying. If you do take the upper guard off, you must have something behind the blade that acts as a Riving Blade. Some saws will come with one - my Sawstop did. Some may have to be purchased as an accessory - MicroJig makes the Splitter kits that are cheap and easy to install. I hear folks who make & use zero clearance Inserts (ZCI) tell me that the way a ZCI is made prevents the use of a Riving Blade or upper Blade Guard. Baloney! I have a video that shows how to cut a ZCI so a Riving Blade or upper guard can be re-installed and works fine. While I'm demonstrating on a Sawstop, I've used this method on Delta, Powermate, Grizzly, Craftsman, and other saws. And it makes no difference what you use to make the ZCI. You don't have to buy an expensive Sawstop to have a safe table saw. Although, if your wife ever watches a Sawstop demo, you probably will. But using common sense you can have a table saw that is safe to use. You gotta remember - these machine don't have brains - we have to use our own.

You'll need a 1/2 inch mandrel to mount the sandpaper strips -- https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/cl10012/ And you'll need the sandpaper strips -- https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/fs36220/ Total cost = $39.90 + shipping. If you are knocking the fuzzies off of fretwork, I'd recommend 220 grit. For a really soft mop, stick a 1/2" washer in the pile about every 8 strips. Practice with some scrap pieces until you get the hang of it. A mop will cheerfully grab a piece out of your hands and throw it against the nearest wall. I have heard folks use double sided tape and stick fretwork to a solid board before hitting it with a mop.

A few years ago, I read an article on Steve Goode's blog on making sand mops -- http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.co...-on-cheap.html So, I ordered some Gold Flex sanding rolls from Klingspor and tried it. It worked great. But did I save any money? A little bit. At Klingspor, a 2" wide roll cost $14.95 and the mandrel cost $9.95 = $24.80. A pack of 48 pre-cut strips cost $29.95, with the mandrell = $39.80. But you have to consider the cost of drilling and cutting the strips. You will be cutting cloth backed sandpaper, so blades do not last very long. I use the FD-HD blades which cost about 50 cents each. It takes 6 - 7 blades to cut the fingers in the strips - add $3.50. One of the pictures, below, shows what happens to blades after cutting 6 2" lines. You need to drill a 1/2" hole through the strips. Don't try that unless you have a method for sharpening drill bits. I use a Drill Doctor, but not everyone has something like that. By making your own, you will get 60 strips out of a roll of sand paper, vice the 48 that comes in a pack. So, you will have a bit larger mop than a pre-cut one. A well used mop will last two or three years (at least mine do). Now that I only have to buy the sanding roll and blades I get away with a cost of $18.50 per mop - plus the time it takes to make it. Compared to the $29.95 for pre-cut strips, I save money. But, I'm a retired hobbyist. A production shop would have to reconsider time & materials. Something to consider - save a little money by rolling your own.

I don't know what the Limited Anniversary Edition saws sold for, when they were brand new. For me, the "Limited Edition" isn't worth much if it doesn't work like a good Excalibur should. For an EX-21, I'd probably offer $350-$400 and then do a little dealing.

This video is about three years old. The planer has been removed and replaced with a SuperMax sander. But, other than that it's pretty much what's there.

I have never released tension on a band saw. I've never seen any of my blades, thick or thin, with a wheel memory in them. I have never noticed any deep groove in the tires on the wheels either. Since I installed wheel brushes, I don't even get blade tracks any more. I don't know about cracked gullets. I've never checked, although, that may be where a blade will break. If I have a broken blade, I dump it and replace. I don't try to repair them. I don't have the tools and sending them out for repair costs as much as a new blade. Having said that, I do release tension on the scroll saw. I have no proof that it's a good or bad, or don't care, thing. But that's how i was taught and it's a habit.

If the serial numbers are sequential, then I would say no - it is not made in Canada. The SN on mine is 21591311, and it says "Made in Taiwan" on the data plate. I purchased mine, new, from SeyCo, in October, 2012.

That's great Rocky, now the wife wants one.

I was using spray on glue for some time, except I didn't like the mess cleaning the pattern and glue residue of the board after cutting. So, I started covering the board with plastic tape and gluing the pattern to that. That was a cleaner pattern removal, but had it's own issues with the additional cost of the tape. Then I went to Judy Gale Roberts' Intarsia class and was introduced to the Xyron glue machine. Awesome - feed your patterns through it and they come out the other side glued. It's a re-positional glue and the patterns peel off after cutting with no residue left on the board. When I got home, I jumped on Amazon and bought one with three re-positional glue refills and haven't looked back. They have changed a bit since I bought mine. Now they work on 5-inch wide glue sheet as well as 9-inch. Here is what Amazon has now -- https://www.amazon.com/Xyron-624632-Creative-Station-Option/dp/B00X3EZ5VO/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1521385541&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=xyron+creative+station&psc=1 You can get the refills in any craft store, but they are probably expensive there. I get mine at Amazon for less than half the price of the craft stores. You can, also, get a permanent glue cartridge and a lamination cartridge. If anyone in your family is into photo albums or scrap booking, you may have to share it. Just another way to go.

I always have my name in the signature block. Can't hide behind a user ID.

Looks great for a 1st piece on a new saw using spirals. I, also have tremors and I can't use a spiral to save my life. Just can't control them. So, once you get used to that saw - you'll be doing great.

I graduated from a Dewalt to an EX about 6 years ago, I haven't regretted it. Remember - the EX-16 has a 16 inch depth while the Delta and Dewalt has a 21 inch depth. The only real CON I know of among the three is that Delta's seem to have a problem when you need parts.

Practice pattern that I got from here -- https://suncatcherstudio.com/practice-patterns-scroll-band-saw/ He, also, has some free, simple patterns of animals, birds, flowers, etc, for kids to cut once you are happy with their practice patterns. Both, my grandson (10 - started at 8) and his little sister (now 8) started this was and have progressed since. They don't come over often, but when they do there is a trip to the shop in the works. The safety goggles, I have for visitors, while big, work for them, and we tie a bandanna around their faces to take care of dust. I was going to get children's masks for them from Amazon, but they would grow out of them in a year. The boy is, already. to big for them.

I got the kit from a Canadian company called Stockroom Supply - http://stockroomsupply.ca/shop/drum-sanders/24-x-4-v-drum-the-works-kit.html I got it at a wood working show about 7 years ago and I know it wasn't as expensive as the website shows. I don't know where you are located, but you can check to see if any shows are coming to your area here - http://www.thewoodworkingshows.com/ I made the top plate for it out of some laminated 1/2" MDF and layered that with Formica. You have to get your own motor. They include a DVD with videos and instructions on how to build the box and mount the hardware. I think, if you search around their website, the videos are there, too.

If you're thinking it's like a Supermax - it's not, although I just recently got one of those. This one is like a Sandflee --

The important step is to get the face of each ring perfectly flat. If you don't do that then you can get gaps between the rings which, show as thick lines. I have a surface drum sander (home made version of a Sandflee) that I run the rings across to get them flat. If the faces of the rings are perfectly flat, then you don't need a lot of pressure, or glue, for the joint.

Here is the little jig that I use to clamp the rings. The 10lb barbell weight, in the back, is to set the bottom disk. You can get the barbell weight, at Walmart, for around $15 bucks.