Bill WIlson

Glad the procedure went well. Get well soon Charlie!

Really surprises me that it would bend to that degree, rather than simply break.

Nicely done, John. Where are the patterns from?

Ray, I'm sorry to say I was totally oblivious to your situation, until now. I want to extend my sincere condolences. I hope you find peace.

Where the tilting head on the EX really shines is when cutting projects like stacked ring bowls & boxes, like those that Carole Rothman designs. Some of the angles are pretty steep and it's much easier to cut the rings with the table flat than it is with the table tilted at a high angle. I've cut them on both a DeWalt and an Ex and I much prefer the EX for these kinds of projects.

I have a Dewalt 12" standard miter saw. It doesn't have a laser, but it has something better, an LED light that shines down and casts a shadow of the blade on the wood. It shows exactly were the blade will contact the wood. It works great!

I'm not a HF fan either, although I realize they are trying to up their game when it comes to tool quality. The thing about sliding miter saws is that there are a lot of moving parts that require tight tolerances and high build quality to achieve and maintain accuracy. I have no idea whether or not the HF Hercules is a quality tool or barely good enough for rough carpentry, but I'm not sure a 12" slider is a tool where I'd be looking for a bargain basement beauty..

I have MS in a pump spray bottle, sort of like a Windex bottle. I spritz it on, let it set a few minutes and the pattern pulls right off. I apply a little more to the wood and wipe/scrub to get any remaining residue off.

I use a fair amount (for a hobbiest) of Baltic Birch ply. I've also used various brands of blue & green painter's tape and/or spray adhesive on it. I've never had the fibers lift off like that. I suspect it has more to do with thin veneer and/or poor glue adhesion of the veneer than it does with the tape or pattern adhesive. You said it was B/BB ply. This denotes the grade, not really the type or brand of plywood. Is this true Baltic (or Finnish or Russian) Birch ply or is it birch ply from the home center?

What is the Hegner table made out of? I used to use a Craftsman router table. It was made of aluminum. The top wasn't smooth, but had small grooves milled into it. I suppose it was intended to help reduce total surface area and thus friction. I constantly got black marks on the wood from running it over that table. Wasn't any real big deal, as they sanded off easily. I tried paste wax once and believe it would have solved the problem, but it got in those grooves and was a pain to remove, so I abandoned the idea and just lived with the sanding.

OK, now that you have that out of the way, it's off to the races, right? I've been cutting Christmas ornaments for 25+ years, giving dozens away every year to friends and family. I gave away over 100 last year. For those kinds of quantities, I've found that spraying is the most efficient method of applying a finish. I use shellac, because of the low odor and fast drying time. I can generally get all of my ornaments sprayed with 2-3 coats, (both sides) in one full day (maybe 10 hours). I've dipped in oil before and while I like it, I don't do it very often. For me, it's messier and more time consuming. YMMV

That should help some. Are you able to fasten the stand down to the plywood floor permanently? Perhaps mount the stand to a piece of thick plywood that spans at least a couple floor joists, then attach the plywood base to the floor?

It's long been said that the best woodworkers aren't just the ones with the most skill, but sometimes they are the ones who are best at fixing their mistakes. That's a nice cutting and I wouldn't hesitate to do a repair on it.

Same here. That's pretty much my standard procedure for really sharp corners. I rarely try to spin to make those turns, unless there isn't any waste area to work with. I don't do production cutting, so it really doesn't matter if it slows me down a little.

Compensating for blade drift is just something you get accustomed to, if you use many of the common brands/types of scroll saw blades. The manufacturing process of common blades will leave a slight burr on one side of the teeth, which makes them a little more aggressive on that side and they will drift (usually the right). All I do is move my chair over a little to the right of the saw, which changes my angle of approach to the blade.

Couldn't have said it better, myself.

I came in here confused, so no worries.

If the holes are concentric, I tend to drill them.

Just curious as to why????

Sorry to break it to you like this, but it's called "Getting Old". Happens to most of us, at least the lucky ones.

Test your stain out on some scraps of the Baltic birch ply before committing to the project. BB ply is prone to blotching and you may not like the results. You can try a pre-stain conditioner, but the color of the stain won't be quite as dark as you might expect.

Sweet! I have that book. That very box has been on my "to do" list for some time. Nice work!

Just about any wood is OK for scrolling. You have to weigh all the factors; type of pattern, ease of cutting, appearance, cost, availability, etc and determine what suits you and the project. Like Dan said, pine is OK for when you are first learning & practicing, but has its limitations if you want to get into more detailed fretwork. It just doesn't have the cross grain strength of hard wood or plywood. As you already discovered with the project you posted, it's deflating to put a lot of effort into a piece, only to have a fragile piece break off. CA glue is your friend, by the way. Some woods are better suited for certain types of projects. Plywood (most generally prefer Baltic Birch) is ideal for some things, but I wouldn't use it for everything. I love cutting walnut and cherry hardwood. It's readily available around here, but I wouldn't use either of them for a portrait type cutting. I think the wood should compliment the final result. There are compromises that can be readily made along the way, but ultimately, you want the project to look good. What type of wood you use can have almost as much to do with that as how well it is cut.

I'm curious about all the rust you've encountered. That certainly wouldn't seem to be normal. I presume you aren't cutting outside, so either the previous owner had it in very humid conditions, or perhaps it even goes back further. Stuff that sits around shipping ports for a long time can tend to develop rust in places that you might not notice until you open it up.

Very impressive. Nice work!