Bill WIlson

As JT says, the important thing is that the forward/backward motion is as close to equal as possible, through the entire stroke. If it wasn't, you would experience over or under cut. Over cut would mean that the blade is cutting further on the top of the wood than the bottom. Under cut is the opposite. The problem would be that when you cut to a line on the top of a thick piece or stack of wood, the bottom cut isn't in the same place. So either the cut isn't complete on the bottom and you have to cut past the line on the top or when you've cut to the line on the top, you have cut beyond that point on the bottom. You can check your saw by taking a thick piece of wood and gently feed it into a running blade, just so the blade kisses the edge enough to make a kerf. Examine the kerf. It should be readily apparent if it is deeper on the top or the bottom. That indicates if your table would need shimmed, such as in JT's pictures.

This is a condition shared to one degree or another by practically all scroll saws. I believe the Eclipse saw was the only one that had a true vertical blade movement during the stroke. That saw is no longer being manufactured. The Dewalt (as well as Excalibur and other saws of similar design) does have some adjustment available to minimize the aggressiveness of the blade movement. You can change the stroke slightly by loosening the bolts that mount the motor and turn the motor a bit. It doesn't eliminate the forward/backward movement, but can reduce it somewhat.

PS Wood saws were formerly known as Sakura. I believe they are largely US made. PS Wood is only about 1.5 hours away from me, but I've never taken the time to visit them.

I have various piles of offcuts and scrap pieces, all over my shop. Deciding what to keep vs throw away is a pretty subjective process. If I'm trimming the ends off of some rough cut lumber, I generally don't keep as many of those pieces, if they are too short to go through the planer. If I've gone to the trouble of planning wood down, I tend to keep much smaller pieces. I have a large cardboard box next to my radial arm saw where I throw stuff and a 5 gal bucket next to the scroll saw for all the little bits & pieces that are generated from scrolling. Occasionally, I go through my various piles and thin the herd a little. I had a woodburning furnace for 30 years and I used a lot of scrap for kindling, during the winter. Don't have it anymore, but my daughter has a fireplace and they are always in need of kindling, so it helps keep the scrap piles from completely over-running the shop.

I had some PS Wood blades a few years ago. As I recall, they cut very well and lasted fairly long, relative to other blades I've used. They also cut very straight, with no drift. They do not have a reverse tooth version of their blades, so consider that in your decision. I think that if I were using a lot of thick wood for intarsia or compound cutting, I would be more inclined to use the PS Wood blades, but for me, for general scrolling, they are just too expensive.

One thing I've always heard/read, is that airborne silicone from aerosols can linger for a long time and contaminate wood surfaces that don't even come in direct contact with tables sprayed with silicone. It supposedly causes fish eyes in finishes and is very difficult to get rid of. I've read a few horror stories of guys who had silicone contamination in their shop. Might all be an internet myth, but I'd rather play it safe. Plenty of other products out there that provide the same benefit, without the risks.

Reading some of the comments to that article, I was surprised to learn that Vegans object to shellac. I suppose it's because, " 300,000 lac insects are killed for every kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of lac resin produced".

I'm a big fan of shellac. I use it for just about all of my scrollsawn projects. The stuff in the spray cans will work for you. Apply several light (emphasize "light") coats. It dries very quickly and has no lasting odor. It does impart an amber tint to the wood, but so will any oil or oil based finish. I think it would be the ideal finish for your baskets. The whole food safe issue has been discussed here a few times. As has been mentioned, but I think bears repeating, any finishing product, sold in the USA, (since sometime in the early 70's, I believe) is food safe, once fully cured. I like the mineral oil and beeswax combination for items like bowls, cutting boards, utensils, etc. These are items that come into contact with foods, liquids and need to be washed regularly. The oil/wax finish is easily replenished, but a film finish (poly, lacquer, shellac) would not stand up to the abuse they get. However, for the basket you describe, shellac would work well, since it should not be subject to the kind of damage that washing and cutting/scraping will do. For anyone still concerned about toxicity, consider that shellac has been used for years as a coating for pills, candies, even fruits.

It's not really a direct answer to your question, but if you are wearing Dewalts out in 12-18 months, I doubt you will see a big difference with the Delta. I presume most of the components are the same, so subject to the same wear. My suggestion would be to invest in a better quality saw. Yes, they are much more money, but there are several to choose from and in the long run you will be much better off.

MDF, like any other material, has its pros & cons. For me, the cons limit its use to very selected applications. I usually avoid it whenever possible. Yes, it is stable, flat and takes paint well. So do some other materials. The dust is a big drawback for me. It's heavy and prone to breakage. In the proper application and with the right precautions, it can be quite useful, but it isn't for everything.

I use a chunk of wax toilet bowl ring.

I don't envy new scrollers who are searching for "the" blade. Some of us who have been scrolling for a while have the benefit of settling in and developing our favorites over time. It seems easier to decide whether or not we want to try new brands or new types, based on our experience and satisfaction with the blades we currently use. Not having that background means that beginners are kind of flying blind. When they have problems, it isn't always easy to determine if it's caused by the blade or some other source. I started out using Olson blades. They were available locally at ACE Hardware. They were expensive and the selection was limited, so I didn't try or keep a lot of different sizes & types. When I joined my scrollsaw club, I got a lot of invaluable information, especially sources for a wider variety of blades, at a much more affordable price. In many ways, forums like this provide the same service as the local club, when it comes to that kind of information. I guess my point is, that I suffered from a lack of information, when I was a beginning scroller. Today, there is almost too much information available and it gets confusing. What remains the same is that the only way to know what you like and what works best for you is your own experience. The variables are too numerous for others to offer much more than their experiences with different blades. It shows you what is available and gives you a place to start, but like I often say, you can give 10 veteran scrollers the same pattern and the same wood and they will likely use 10 different blades to cut that project.

The type is stamped on the plate plate that is on the motor. I know type 1's are regarded as the better of the two, since they were made in North America, but they will be getting pretty long in the tooth these days. I don't recall exactly when they switched, but it must be 15+ years ago by now. An aging type 1 may not necessarily be a better saw than a newer type 2. Type 2's had some quality issues during the early production runs, but I think those got resolved. One that seemed to be a chronic problem was that the blade would under or over cut, front to back. This was due to some slight mis-alignment of the blade arms or the table. There are some fixes for it on the internet. One involves shimming the front or the back of the table, where it mounts to the frame. The way to tell if this is a problem with this particular saw, is to take a thick piece of wood, the thicker the better. Gently feed it into the blade, just enough to nick the edge. Carefully examine the kerf. If it is deeper on the top or the bottom of the cut, then that saw may have the problem. It isn't necessarily a deal breaker, but will take some tweaking to correct. You can use this in negotiating the price. I sold my DeWalt a couple years ago for $200. It was a type 2 and was over 10 years old, but ran great and never gave me any problems. I felt the $200 was a fair price and would have kept it rather than sell it for less. I would start out offering $175, work you way up to $200, if need be, but stand pat on that number, unless this thing is pristine.

I have a Rigid and a Milwaukee ROS. Both are variable speed. The Rigid is my Go-To sander for most things, but I can't really say why, other than it connects to my shop vac hose without any special adapters. The Milwaukee needed a fitting to attach to the shop vac and it makes the sander more clumsy to use, IMHO. So I look at how readily they hook up to the shop vac as one of the primary criteria. As for variable speed, I have it on all of my ROS. I do use it occasionally. I wouldn't say it was absolutely critical, but it's nice to have. Most of the time, they run at full speed. I don't own a Mouse sander, so I can't offer any opinion there, other than they never really appealed to me, for some reason. I do have a Porter Cable oscillating multi-tool, which includes a triangular shaped sanding pad. I use it occasionally for certain things, but it's not quite the same thing as the Mouse sander.

BLO is an acronym for boiled linseed oil. MS is mineral spirits. For a 50/50 mix you add equal parts oil and mineral spirits. It thins the oil down so that it is more easily absorbed into the wood. Steve - love that pattern. Very nice job cutting!

For simplicity's sake, I would likely leave the cut outs natural. I would top coat them with whatever clear finish you prefer. As for the frame, the wood in the picture looks like cherry. I'm not a fan of staining cherry. If it is cherry, it will darken significantly with age and exposure to light. If you want it dark now, I would skip the BLO and simply apply a couple coats of Danish oil. If you want to a glossy, film finish, you can use polyurethane or lacquer, but I would hesitate to apply over BLO, unless you make sure to allow the BLO plenty of time to cure. BLO adds very little to the equation, if you use an oil based poly or varnish, so it's probably unnecessary. If you want to use BLO with a waterborne poly or lacquer, I would suggest a barrier coat of shellac over the BLO, before the final topcoat. Just to be on the safe side.

I've had reverse tooth blades grab for me from time to time. Mostly, I figure it's because I wasn't holding the piece securely or trying to take a turn to quickly, especially in thicker material. When I'm cutting very sharp inside corners, I like to follow the line into the corner, stop, back out a little, then cut across the waste area to the intersecting line. Then I'll cut into the corner point from the intersecting line, turn around in the newly made opening and proceed to cut along the next line. This allows me to cut a sharp point, without trying to spin so hard in the corner, where grabbing can be a problem.

I have several of those tiny, plastic spring clamps. Some of them have extra long, skinny jaws for extended reach in tight places. I rarely use them, but once in a while, they really come in handy for things like what you show. Problem is that since they are so small and I use them so infrequently, I usually can't find them when I need them.

I've used RIT fabric dye a few times. It works pretty well and is available in more colors, so you don't have to necessarily mess around mixing to get the color you want. I use the pre-mixed stuff, straight out of the bottle. Put some in a pan. Place the piece in the dye and let it soak in. May have to work it into corners with a brush, but it covers fairly well. It is water based, so you may get some raising of the grain.

I have not used the Jim Dandy on the Delta 40-690, but I suspect that it would work, since the saws are so similar. There is another product on the market, called "The Lifter" which is advertised as working for both saws. I'm not endorsing the Lifter. Other than seeing an ad on Amazon, I know nothing else about it.

Another vote for the Jim Dandy. I had one on my Dewalt for many years. Started out using a block of wood. Very quickly grew tired of that and ordered the Jim Dandy. Worth every nickel.

I don't stockpile frames, because I don't make the same thing or same size thing all that often. I want to custom fit the frame to the piece. Depending on what I have, I may use different thicknesses of stock for the cutting and/or the backer. Or I may use a mat board for the piece, all of which would change the depth of the rabbet. But probably the biggest reason is that I rarely make the same style of frame twice. Sometimes I use simple flat stock for the frame. Sometimes I build the frame up with 2 or 3 pieces to give it depth. It really depends on my mood and the look I want for the piece.

That's the only one regularly published. There used to be one called "Creative Woodworks and Crafts". It ceased publication a few years ago. I've heard rumors of other private publications being offered, but I don't think they ever came to anything.

Concentrate on making the corners align and fit. In the last picture you posted above, if you move the piece not held by the clamp down slightly to make it align with the bottom frame piece, it will look perfect. If the frame is slightly larger than the piece, that is not a problem. In fact, I usually shoot for that. You can secure the piece in the frame any number of ways. If you make it a slightly large, you have the luxury of having a little room to trim and tweak the joints, if necessary to get them to fit perfectly.

I've used Sassafras before to mimic red oak, where I wanted something more lightweight. I've never seen any with that green tint to it though. The aroma would be a dead give away.