Bill WIlson

controlling temperature is much less important than controlling humidity and airflow. Air dried boards will dry in humid conditions, but it will take longer and the moisture content may only get down to 12-15% or so at the lowest. For general woodworking the ideal MC is half that. That can be achieved by letting most of the drying take place outside and then bringing the wood needed for a given project inside to a more controlled space and letting it acclimate for a couple weeks or so.

I was kind of afraid you might run into these kinds of problems from one of your earlier threads about sanding and prepping rough cut boards. Unfortunately, wood in log form will take a lot longer to dry than the same volume of wood sawn into boards. Wood will air dry much faster and more evenly, once it has been sawn into boards and properly stacked & stickered, allowing the release of moisture from all surfaces. Kiln drying is preferred for a lot woodworking, but air dried lumber can also be used, provided some care is taken in preparing and using the lumber. If you have any boards left from that slab, I would suggest stacking them flat, with narrow strips of wood evenly spaced, between each layer. Set something heavy on top to help keep them flat, but be sure to the free flow of air all around the boards. Something similar to this picture; Stack them in a dry space, where they can get adequate air circulation. Minimize large swings in humidity and temperature, if possible. Let them set for 6-12 months. Hopefully you can salvage the rest of the wood. Good luck.

Those are cute. Reminded me of this DVD that my grandkids used to watch, when they were little.

I've had good luck with my Makita drills as well. I am otherwise reluctant to dive into the deep end of cordless tool ownership. While the convenience is nice, it isn't a necessity for me. Battery life, obsolescence and cost are the primary obstacles. I bought my first Makita probably 10-12 years ago. I liked it enough to splurge on a drill & impact driver combo a couple years later. All still going strong. I don't use them constantly, but they hold a charge for a very long time, without use. My old NiCad Ryobi batteries would drain significantly after sitting idle for a few weeks, even when starting out fully charged. Unfortunately Makita no longer offers my model and the batteries aren't interchangeable with the current version.

While the concept may be sound, I suspect the practical application in scrolling has very limited benefits. I would think, to have any affect, you would need to apply the wax almost constantly during the cut. The size of the blade really limits how much wax can be applied and how long it lasts. As Dan mentioned, the old standby of packing tape is probably a more effective method.

A lot of guys used to tighten the bolt that connects the arm to the frame. Kinda similar to how the Excalibur works. I had always heard that there was a risk of damaging the Dewalt that way, but not sure why. I had a Jim Dandy EZ Lift on my Dewalt for years and would not want to be without it. Should Dewalt incorporate some OEM solution to the "problem"? Maybe, but I imagine they don't necessarily see it as a problem.

Personally, I consider a lift to be a must-have accessory for the Dewalt saw. I had an EZ-Lift on mine. That and a footswitch will make life a lot easier.

Man, that is sad. May he Rest in Peace. Rick's website was a treasure trove of information in the early days of internet scrolling content.

Well, I don't have any wisdom to impart, regarding portable DC, but want to be the first to congratulate you on this new stage in your life. Building a new shop is a dream most of us never get to realize, but have to experience vicariously through others. Hopefully you will post pictures of the progress during construction.

Not defending China made Excaliburs and not saying I would necessarily buy one, but I recall when Dewalt moved their production to the Far East from North America many years ago. The scrolling forums were ablaze with complaints about how the Type 2 Dewalts were plagued with quality problems and practically junk. After a few years, the new manufacturer got their act together and Dewalt's reputation has largely been restored. I'm not saying that has happened with Excaliburs, but I think for the price they are asking, it is worth finding out. Looking forward to a review, once you've had a chance to make some sawdust with it.

I have a little different view. Personally, I can't stand the smell of lacquer, so I never use it. The smell of shellac is far more pleasant to me than any other solvent based finish and it dissipates much faster, because most of the smell comes from the denatured alcohol and it evaporates quickly. My wife doesn't even complain about it much, so I know it can't be too bad.

Products called Danish oil typically are a blend of some type of drying oil (such as boiled linseed or tung oil), varnish (or oil based polyurethane) and mineral spirits. The proportions vary and product names can be misleading, so one brand of "Danish" oil may be somewhat different from another brand. If the main ingredients are available, you can readily make your own with MS, BLO and any varnish you like, mixed in roughly equal proportions. BLO is a drying oil. I know a lot of people like it as a stand alone finish, but I don't think it is ideally suited for that purpose. BLO will impart an amber tint to wood, which is attractive, especially when first applied. However, over time, it can begin to look dull. BLO can be reapplied periodically, to freshen up the appearance, but the affect will be temporary. Over time, the build up of many applications of BLO can result in a finish that remains tacky and attracts dust. Again, I know many people use BLO by itself and like it. I think the ease of application is a primary reason for its popularity. I just want to point out the potential downsides of using BLO as a stand alone finish. As for alternatives, consider shellac. A few folks on the forum have stated that they use it as a dipping finish. I've personally never tried that, but they claim good results. Shellac dries very quickly, so the process will be somewhat different than dipping in BLO or Danish oil. I spray my shellac and it's about as easy to apply as any finish out there. It dries very fast and is easy to clean up, with very little overspray to deal with. If using a compressor and spray gun aren't feasible, Zinsser makes a shellac in a spray can. No idea if that is available in South Africa or not, but perhaps there is an alternative.

Outstanding! I love seeing folks still making these kinds of projects. Fine craftsmanship. It's long been my dream to make one of those classic fretwork clocks, but haven't found the time and no one I know has the room for it, so I don't know what I would do with it, once complete.

I have a Dewalt 1.25HP compact router. It's a bit bigger than a Dremel, but far smaller than full size routers. I got a plunge base for it last Christmas. It has a standard 1/4" collet, so it doesn't need special bits. It's great for small, hand held type work.

Patrick Spielman's Scroll Saw Pattern Book was the first book I found, when I started scrolling years ago. Most of the patterns are fairly simple, but I still occasionally find something in it to cut all these years later. Of course this was pre-internet. Between this site and Steve Good's site, there is a ton of good information and patterns for all skill levels. I recommended John Nelson's book, because it offers a lot of tutorial info, along with a variety of patterns of different skill levels. I think it is still a valuable resource for beginners, even with the internet.

At the saw, I keep an awl, sandpaper and usually an Exacto knife within easy reach. The awl is to open up the holes on the back side of the wood (bottom feeder here) and clear tiny bits out of the frets. The sandpaper is to clean the ends of the blade before installing it. The Exacto knife, just because I always try to keep it within reach. I find I end up using it for all sorts of things.

I pulled this from the MSDS for Sunnyside Odorless Mineral Spirits; Vapors may cause irritation to nose, throat and respiratory tract. Breathing of high vapor concentrations may result in headaches, dizziness and other signs of nervous system depression. These effects have been observed after misuse or abuse of this product. When used in a reasonable and foreseeable manner, no adverse effects are anticipated from exposure to this product.

Very nicely done. I love fretwork boxes. The furniture style feet are a really nice touch.

I use odorless Mineral Spirits exclusively. Not to be confused with odorless paint thinner. Odorless mineral spirits should be clear, like water. I fill a plastic spray bottle (like a Windex bottle) and spritz it on the pattern. Let it soak in for a couple minutes, then the pattern comes right off. I'll usually spray the wood again and wipe with a rag to remove any remaining glue residue. Let it dry, then a light sanding and it's ready to go.

Wow Dave! That is spectacular! That will become an heirloom, prized for generations to come.

I think this entire thread illustrates why it is so difficult to recommend a specific blade to new scrollers. There are so many variables that aren't even related to the blade itself.

Many patterns are cut from within the edges of the blank, so the hot glue is never in contact with a finished edge of the piece. On others the finished edges are covered by a frame, such as with a portrait, or otherwise not visible. For those times when hot glue is applied to a visible, finished edge, a sharp chisel or razor knife will quickly take care of it.