Bill WIlson

I use hot glue on the edges of the stack. I just stack the blanks with the edges flush and hold it together with some spring clamps, then run a few small vertical strips across the edges. This works best if the cutting is contained entirely within the edges of the stack and if the blank isn't particularly large. If the cutting shares an edge, then you will have some glue to remove from the edge of a finished piece.

At its most basic, the primary function of a spiral blade is to permit the cutting of pieces that are otherwise too large to spin around within the throat of the scrollsaw. There are other functions where they perform quite nicely, such as veining. Patterns without a lot of straight, smooth lines (such as most portraits) are best suited for spiral blades. Any fretwork that incorporates straight, smooth lines and sharp points & corners doesn't lend itself readily to the use of spiral blades. Spiral blades tend to leave a little rougher cut edge, so I don't use them on anything that is thick enough that the cut edge is highly visible. The ability to use spiral blades seems to come more naturally to some than others. I taught myself to scroll using straight blades, but have been able to adapt to using spirals, without a lot of trouble. I know several veteran scrollers who won't use them because they can't control them. I think, like most skills, using spirals can learned, with practice.

I don't keep a journal. Used to take pictures (35mm film, pre-digital era), but have gotten away from that, mostly due to the fact that I don't have a cell phone capable of taking, storing & displaying them. I too get asked the question all the time as to how long it takes me to make stuff. I simply say "I don't know", because I don't bother to keep track. It's a hobby and I'm not on a time clock, so it isn't really all that important to me how many hours/days it takes me to make something. If I made stuff to sell, I'm sure I would have a much different perspective. I do maintain a list of the Christmas ornament I make each year. Every year, since 1993, I choose a pattern and make dozens of ornaments from the pattern to give away to friends/family. The first few years, I probably made 30 or 40. Last couple years, I've made just under 100. I keep a list simply to avoid using the same pattern twice. I do record what it was made from and how it was finished. That's about all I keep track of.

As others have stated, the 788 is capable of both top and bottom feeding. It does benefit from the addition of an aftermarket lift arm assembly though, such as the Jim Dandy Easy Lift.

That would be my top 3 as well. Slightly different order. I would swap the cherry & sassafras. I haven't worked with too many woods that I don't like the smell though. A lot of guys don't like red oak, but I think red oak from different regions of the country must smell different. I like the red oak we have around here.

I would not want to get my knuckles under that clamp lever while the saw was running. IMHO, the whole Type 1 vs type 2 thing was a bigger issue for the first couple years after they moved production overseas. There were several quality problems that were reported in the first production runs. I don't hear/read much about them now. I'd like to think that newer Type 2's are as good as the Type 1's, but I don't have anything other than anecdotal evidence and gut feeling to support that claim. Type 1's have to be getting pretty long in the tooth these days. What's it been, close to 15 years since they switched? If the saw was truly lightly used, then a 15 year old Type 1 may be a better get than a 12 year old Type 2. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry much about it.

Shellac is different from other film finishes in that you want a very thin layer as the topcoat. It is very hard and brittle when cured, so if the layer of finish is too thick, it can be prone to crazing and cracking, over time. Thinning shellac with DNA is a matter of personal preference. I've shot the pre-mixed seal coat straight out of the can before and I've thinned it before. Works fine either way and I don't think one would notice much difference in drying time. The rule of thumb seems to be that between a 1 and 2 lb cut is preferred for spraying. Zinnser Seal coat is a 2 lb cut of de-waxed shellac, while the regular Zinnser Bulls Eye (amber & clear) is a 3 lb cut and contains wax. You can readily spray the Seal Coat straight out of the can, but it is probably a good idea to thin the regular, waxed shellac somewhat. The proportions don't need to be terribly precise. The ratio is a little more critical if you are mixing your own shellac from flakes.

Typically, the products that are best applied by dipping are those that are either pure oil (BLO and tung oil) or those of which oil is a main component, such as "Danish" oil. This is because the oil soaks into the wood and doesn't form a film finish. It's also slow to cure, so excess can be allowed to drip off or be wiped off pretty easily. I don't think it would necessarily dissolve the colors, provided the dye/paint has cured properly, but the problem is, oil imparts an amber tint that will alter the color of the dyes & paints. Clear, waterborne acrylic finishes are about the only ones that go on clear enough to not alter the color, but I don't think dipping is the necessarily the best application method for them. Most film (oil or waterborne) finishes will tend to run and puddle, because they don't soak into the wood, rather they lay on top to build a protective coat. That makes them troublesome to use for dipping. Have you considered spraying?

I cut in either direction. Sometimes the pattern will dictate. Sometimes the blade will. I find that there aren't a lot of hard & fast rules with scrolling.

That may be true, but Seyco is under no obligation to keep it that way, just as they are under no obligation to support the EX saw indefinitely. I know nothing lasts forever and manufacturers suspend support for old models of their product all the time. It's a business decision. My EX is only a year and a half old, so I don't anticipate needing any repair parts for it anytime soon. I could hedge my bet and buy a few wear parts to keep on hand. That would be the prudent thing to do, which means I'll probably not get around to it, until it's too late.

Yea it started out as General pulling manufacture out of China and moving it to the USA. Of that I was pretty skeptical. The update, stating that production was to remain in China, seems more plausible. I'm not holding my breath though, just hoping it's true as I bought a new EX-21 a year and a half ago and was concerned about support.

I was lurking on another forum and read a post by someone who said they were told that General Int. will be once again offering Excalibur scrollsaws. They are to be available sometime in September or October. If true, this is good news. Anyone here heard anything like that?

Wow, that looks like a real beast. I've never heard of that manufacturer, so I googled the name and found this website; http://www.traforatricimariottini.it/en/scroll-saw-machine/ I agree with Jim that this looks like an industrial grade saw. I didn't find any specific info on the website as to operation details, but it looks like it would last several lifetimes of the average scrollsawer. There were a couple videos embedded on the site. I didn't watch them, but they may be helpful.

While I have no doubt that folks have used these "budget" saws to do some very impressive work, I take no issue with the review of the HF saw that was posted. She gave her honest opinion and it didn't sound to me like she was unfair or excessively harsh. I don't consider myself a tool snob. I've used tools for many years that other woodworkers would regard as being cheap junk. However, even I have my limits. Several years ago I was given a Performax saw, which is similar to many other generic, $100 saws. I first found the blade clamps to be virtually unusable, so before doing anything else, I sent away for clamp adapter kits from Pozsgai's Designs. Unfortunately they didn't quite fit this saw, so I had to send them back. In the meantime, I fiddled with the saw, as it was and I discovered that the table was so badly warped that it was impossible to square the blade to the table. I set the square against one side of the blade, adjusted the table, made a test cut. Not square. Did that a couple times before checking the blade on the other side. It was square against the left side of the blade, but at least 1/8" out against the right side. Scratching my head, I put a straight edge across the table and discovered that the center of the table was about a 1/4" lower than the left & right edges. That was when I packed the saw back up in its box and returned it to the original owner. There just was no way that this saw was ever going to be worth the work and aggravation required to cut anything on it. Perhaps if I had gotten one of Performax's saws that didn't have these fatal flaws, I might have a better review and may even have kept the saw as a back-up. But based on this experience, I could never recommend such a tool to anyone, as the one I used had no redeeming qualities, besides being cheap (or free, in my case).

There is no hard & fast answer to your question. Comfort and control will be the primary factors in how fast you run the saw. These 2 factors will vary, depending on material, pattern, blade and phase of the moon. Run the saw as fast or as slow as you are comfortable and can follow the line. Naturally, your comfort level and ability to control, will improve with practice, but those other variables will still remain. I've been scrolling for over 20 years. I cut a variety of materials and types of projects. I rarely, as in almost never, run the saw wide open. I know several guys who don't use any other speed other than wide open, so it's very much a matter of personal preference.

Not all that long ago we had a Woodworkers Warehouse here in the same shopping plaza with Lowes and HD, about 5 minutes from where I work. At that same time in history, there was also a Woodworkers Supply store, a Woodcraft store and a Rockler all within an hour of my house. Those were the days. Internet sales were still in their infancy. The only one that has survived is Rockler. Woodcraft opened a new store last year a little further south of Pittsburgh, but not sure how long it will last.

When I first started scrolling, many years ago, I knew nothing of any scroll saw magazines, internet forums or on-line suppliers. I was self taught and depended on the local bookstores and hardware stores for patterns and blades. Once I joined a scrollsaw club, my eyes were opened as to the large variety of information, materials, patterns, etc that was available. One of the first things I did was get a subscription to SSW&C Magazine ( I believe it was called Scrollsaw Workshop back then). I still am a subscriber and expect to remain so for the foreseeable future. There have been many issues from which I have not cut a single project. This has as much to do with my lack of available scrolling time as it does my personal tastes for the projects published in a particular issue, but I still enjoy each issue and look forward to receiving it. I like to see what other scrollers are doing. I like to see patterns and techniques that expand the scrolling horizon, even if I don't necessarily try them myself. Often when I do have the time and urge to scroll, I leaf through back issues and have found several patterns that probably didn't interest me much when first published, but now I want to scroll them. I refer to back issues with Christmas themed projects every year to get ideas for what I'm going to cut for the holidays. Now that I have grandkids, I find that some of the toy and puzzle patterns are of particular interest to me, where I likely gave them little attention when I first saw them. Sites like this, YouTube and any of the scrolling related blogs out there, perhaps have replaced magazines as the primary source for scrolling info, but I still like the magazine. I'll admit to being a little old school when it comes to stuff like this. I like books instead of a Kindle. I still like to get a daily local newspaper, even though the content has evaporated and the costs have gone up. I'm always willing to defend SSW&C, because they have done a lot to service scrollers for a long time. Publishing a magazine for a niche community with the broad tastes and skill levels of scrollers, has to be a very challenging task. I suspect that one day the publishers will find that it is no longer profitable to do so. If and when that day comes, the scrolling community will have lost a trusted and valuable ally.

I don't think it's all that common for wood to be dramatically harder from one board to another. Certainly the way the tree grew and the way the wood was dried can have some effect on how hard it is, but lumber all has a hardness rating, called the Janka scale. Poplar measures 540 on the Janka scale, which is actually much closer to softwoods than to hardwoods (hemlock is 500, white pine is 420). Maple looks much like poplar and can readily be mistaken for it. However, the Janka rating for hard maple (sugar maple) is 1450, which is harder than white oak.

I don't know. I've gotten along for 57 years just fine without it and I hope to live another 20 or 30 never having to adapt to it.

I may be wrong, but I suspect that what you have isn't actually poplar. Could it be that somehow some hard maple got mixed in with the poplar?

As long as you're satisfied with the results, there is nothing wrong with the products you are using.

I'm sure there's an element of safety built into the 72 hours figure. The manufacturer can't know all the variables in any given application, so they probably base the recommendation on the worst case scenario.

I spray most of my fretwork, plywood or otherwise, with shellac. Reason being, shellac dries very fast. You can hit it from multiple angles, with several light coats, to get it into all the nooks and crannies, without worrying about puddles and runs. I use a cheap HVLP, gravity fed spray gun and get good results. Shellac also cleans up very easily.

Polyurethane does not adhere well to itself. The manufacturer wants you to recoat within 2 hours, because that is the window within which the material will bond best to itself. If more than 2 hours have passed, it's necessary to do a light sanding in order to provide tooth for subsequent coats to adhere to. They recommend that you wait 72 hours, because the poly hasn't cured sufficiently to sand, before that. Poly is somewhat unique in this way. Other finishes, like lacquer and shellac do not have this restriction, because each new coat literally melts into the previous one, so sanding between coats isn't necessary.

Currently there is only one magazine that is devoted exclusively to scrolling, Scrollsaw Woodworking and Crafts, published by Fox Chapel Publishing. http://scrollsawer.com/ I've subscribed to SSW&C for several years and it can be a bit of a mixed bag, depending on your areas of interests. It's very difficult for a magazine that only publishes 4 issues a year to be everything to all people. It's well done and I enjoy getting it, even though I don't care for every pattern or project they include. There used to be another one called Creative Woodworking and Crafts. Unfortunately if ceased publishing several years ago. S.A.W. (Scrollsaw Association of the World) puts out a quarterly newsletter/magazine, but you have to be a member of S.A.W. to get it. I've seen a few and they look quite nice, with lots of good information and some patterns, without all the advertising that comes with a commercially published magazine.