Bill WIlson

I use this. As long as I remember to put the lid back on tight, I've never had it dry up on me. I don't use accelerator. Sets up fast enough for me without it.

Apparently FD UR 2/0 blades are historically notorious for being difficult to control. I experienced this myself many years ago and I avoided FD blades in general for some time, due to the bad experience I had with the 2/0. However, over the years I've heard this complaint from several other veteran scrollers, confirming the fact that there is a distinct difference between FD 2/0 and other brands. In fact, a few of us were discussing this very issue at our last scroll saw club meeting a couple weeks ago. I've sometime wondered if the "problem", if there was one, ever got resolved. I haven't tried an FD UR 2/0 in a long time. I still use Olson 2/0, but mainly FD's for other sizes and types of blades.

So, is it April Fools month now? I'm just trying to keep up.

Maybe not. I read someplace that the whole region has suffered from some historically bad weather the past few years. Something about too much rain and harvesting and planting was impossible because the ground was too soft or some such thing. Apparently it was enough of a problem that supplies and prices were expected to be impacted for a long time. This all started before Russia invaded Ukraine. That development only makes things worse. And of course mills were shut down during the pandemic and of course labor problems aren't unique to the USA and of course shipping problems compound everything. Talk about a perfect storm. I'm starting to wonder if I will ever see BB ply again in my lifetime.

I use this. Get it at Lowes. Don't know if it's available in CA or not.

There really should be no mystery regarding the various finishing products available to the hobbiest woodworker, but it seems like manufacturers love to promote the myth that their product is a blend of secret ingredients with mystical powers. A lot of is it just marketing hype and a fair amount is confusing at best and misleading at worst. If you use any oil based finish, the smell may seem to go away within a few days, under ideal conditions. However, put that piece in a box for a couple days and I suspect you will find that it is still off-gassing. The best short term solution is to top coat it, once the recommended drying time has been achieved. However, you need to top coat it with something that won't compound the problem. For example, it would be self defeating to apply BLO to a piece, then follow up with a top coat of an oil based polyurethane. That's why lacquer and shellac are popular choices. People use the oil based product to pop the grain and a top coat to protect and seal it. Waterborne finishes are another option, but I don't like applying them directly over oil. I prefer a barrier coat of shellac first to prevent any problems with incompatibility between unlike products. For scroll saw projects that don't get a lot of wear and abuse, using shellac as the sealer and topcoat is ideal for me.

I've heard that it can take at least 30 days for Watco to fully cure. This is subject to conditions. You need low humidity, warmer temps, air flow around the entire piece and good ventilation. Less than ideal conditions means longer cure times. Years ago I built a china hutch for my wife, for our 25th anniversary. I finished it with oil based varnish, inside & out. It took years before the smell inside the hutch went away completely. That's when I learned never to use oil based finishes inside enclosed spaces like cabinets, drawers, boxes, etc.

If an oil based finish has been applied, the color has already changed somewhat. I doubt you will notice much more by topcoating with clear shellac. Yes it does impart a slightly amber tint, but the Danish oil has already done that. If you wanted to take it s step further, you can buy shellac in flake form and mix your own. Flakes come in a much wider variety of tints and there are ones that are more clear than what is used in the Zinsser pre-mixed shellac you buy at the Big Box.

Welcome Gene. I think scrolling is an excellent way to stay active in woodworking without having a huge shop full of equipment. It incorporates many of the basic concepts of woodworking, with projects that are much more manageable in size & scope. Plus there is such a variety of scrolling styles and methods, that there is plenty to keep one interested. You can make it as simple or as complex as you wish. Lots of experience on this forum, great place to get questions answered. Good luck and have fun making sawdust!

Very well done! I'm sure it will be appreciated. I cut that one a couple years ago and got to say that it was one of the more challenging projects I've done. All that lettering and all those different fonts don't leave much room for error...er, I mean diversion from the pattern. Your cutting looks very clean, smooth and consistent. Good job!

Hanging ornaments from string will let them blow around when you hit them with the sprayed finish. They need to be secured such that they don't swing and spin while they are being sprayed. I built a contraption that I used for this purpose. I only get 3 on it at a time, but I only use it for 3 dimensional ornaments that are too hard to spray lying down flat. Essentially it's a cross bar, mounted to a piece of plywood. Have hooks along the top bar and in the base. Use bent paper clips and rubber bands I attach the ornaments at the top & bottom. They are held fairly securely, such that I can spray without them blowing all around. The elasticity of the rubber band makes it easy to hook and un-hook them. I put the whole contraption on a lazy susan platform, which I can then spin around to get all sides.

I tend to agree with Kevin. Spraying most scroll saw work is much different than spraying furniture or cabinets, not to mention cars. Most scroll saw work is relatively small and/or pierced by dozens if not hundreds of inside cuts. Rarely do you have large, solid and flat surfaces to finish, which will accentuate flaws in your application. Scroll saw projects are generally much more forgiving than other woodworking projects. So a cheaper gun, in the hands of a novice, can produce acceptable, even pretty good results. As was mentioned, if you are already satisfied with the results you get with a spray can, using a gun, even a cheaper one, should deliver much better. Just beware of applying too much finish at once. That is a little easier to do with a spray gun than it is with a rattle can.

What are these "instructions" of which you speak?

I'm a big fan of shellac. I spray it with a cheap HVLP gun. It doesn't take much to get set up, if you have an air compressor of sufficient capacity to handle the spray gun. A little practice on some scrap plywood or even cardboard and you should quickly be able to get the settings dialed in. Shellac is pretty forgiving. Spray in very light coats. It dries very fast, so you can apply multiple coats in short order. The solvent/thinner for shellac is denatured alcohol. Unlike oil based finishes and mineral spirits, alcohol will dissolve cured shellac. That makes clean up pretty easy. I have a couple spray guns that are devoted exclusively to spraying shellac. When I'm done, I run a little denatured alcohol through them and wipe them down. I usually don't tear them down and do a thorough cleaning every time. When I'm ready to spray again, I run a little DNA through the gun first, making sure I'm satisfied with the spray pattern & alr/liquid mix, then go to it. I buy Zinsser pre-mixed shellac by the gallon. Last time I bought it, it was about $50/gal. I don't know what it is these days. You can spray it straight from the can or dilute it a little with DNA. Shellac can be applied over stains & dyes. Clear shellac will impart a slight amber tint to the wood. If you get brave, you can buy shellac flakes in many different shades and mix your own. This could eliminate the staining step altogether. Shellac is a very versatile finish for projects that don't require a lot of protection, which is most things that scrollers make. I'm basically self taught, when it comes to spraying. I don't claim to be great at it, but if I don't get in a hurry, I can do a decent job.

3) Notice that the two rear legs of the stand are sitting on a 2x6. Like many others I know, I like to saw with the saw's table slanted slightly towards the front. I had thought that the adjustable bolts at the bottom of the legs would provide enough slant for me, but they do not. It almost looks like the stand has adjustable legs on the front & the back. Is that not the case?

The content in recent issues is a good bit different than the content from say 10 years ago. I let my subscription expire because issues over the past couple of years had very little that interested me. I've saved all of my old issues, because they still have a number of patterns I may want to cut someday. I could probably toss most of the issues from the last few years. I won't, but I probably could.

On another woodworking forum that I frequent, there used to be a fellow who was pretty good on a lathe. He would turn tiny goblets & such, just for the challenge and the cool factor. As for the tiny deer, I've seen them made into jewelry; earrings, pins, charms, etc. People love them.

Congrats! Looking forward to a thorough review, once you've got some time on it.

Nice! Having 2 saws is a luxury that my shop space just won't allow. I strongly considered it when I bought my EX-21 back in 2015/2016. I had a DeWalt that I liked very much and really tried to figure out a way to keep it. Just couldn't find the floor or bench space for it, so I eventually sold it. As for my EX-21, it pre-dates the move to Chinese manufacturing, but includes the tilting head feature, which I really like. I suspect that other than the color and the blade clamps, it's virtually the same saw as the Pegas. I bought the Excalibur, because my DeWalt shared DNA with it. I was already very accustomed to how the DeWalt worked and really didn't want to go through the learning curve of getting a new saw, of a different design. All these years later, I still think I made the right decision. Good luck with the new Pegas. Let us know what you think of it, once you've had a chance to make some sawdust with it.

I'll just say that I've never cut myself on my scroll saw. But, I will say this; If I were going to cut myself on any saw, I would want it to be the scroll saw.

I may still have mine...someplace. But I sold the saw 5 years ago.

If I recall correctly, it's in this book. At least I think so. I've made several of those sleighs and I have this book, so hopefully 2+2=4.

I have a Dremel mounted in the drill press stand. I use it for most entry hole drilling where a very small numbered bit is required. Lucky for me, my full size drill press chuck will handle those small bits, but it's convenient to have the Dremel right next to me, when I'm sawing. Now the Dremel stand is limited in its depth between the bit and the post, but there is a way to work around that. It's a little awkward, but it does work. Rotate the Dremel 180 degrees, so that the base is directly behind the drill, instead of underneath it. This allows you to drill anyplace on the blank, without being limited by the distance between the bit and the post. The awkward part is that you need to hold onto the thing to keep it from tipping over. One could put some weight on the base to help balance it, but just be aware that it may be a little clumsy to operate, at least until you get the hang of it. I've done it a few times and it really isn't hard, just takes a little coordination. I'm not saying this is better than the Seyco or even the Dremel plunge router base, but if you already have a drill press stand, it is an alternative to buying something else.

An heirloom piece, to be sure. Very well done!

There are oils and there are oils. BLO is perfectly compatible with an oil based poly/varnish top coat. Just give it enough time to dry. I would not recommend using mineral oil or lemon oil or similar type products that aren't really designed to be wood finishes, underneath any film finish topcoat. The question I have is, why do you want to use both an oil and a top coat? If you are looking to pop the grain with the oil, most solvent based top coats will do that without the need for applying oil first. I've used BLO and topcoated with a water borne poly before, because the water borne poly won't impart any amber tint, which is what pops the grain on darker woods. However, I applied shellac over the BLO before applying the poly, to prevent any compatibility problems between the oil and the water borne top coat. I don't use lacquer, so I can't comment on its compatibility with oil, but I still would not use mineral oil or lemon oil under lacquer. I would use BLO, but would still use shellac as a barrier coat before top coating with the lacquer. May not be necessary, but I don't like experimenting on finished projects. Best advice I can offer is to always test any new finishing schedule on scrap before committing it to a project.