Bill WIlson

I've been a member of a scroll saw club for many years and president for the past 10-12. Our club has evolved significantly as the original founders & members have since aged out or passed on. The primary focus of the original group was classic/historic fretwork patterns, mostly clocks. One of the two fellows who started the club was interested in finding and preserving as many old fretwork patterns as he could find. These were mostly 18th, 19th and early 20th century patterns, many originating in Europe, some of which became commercially available through places like Wildwood Designs. So the first meetings were discussions of said patterns, the sharing and sometimes recreation of these patterns and ultimately sawing the patterns, the results of which then became subjects of the brag table. Over time, the club's focus shifted. It has since become more of a social gathering where we share tips, sources for material and our latest creations for the brag table. We held a Summer picnic for a number of years. We still have a club Christmas party. We used to attend local art and craft fairs, not so much to sell goods, but to promote the club to the general public. This was a good recruitment tool for new members for several years. For many years we've made and donated hand made wooden toys to give to the local Toys for Tots Christmas collection. Our club grew from the original 8-10 members to a peak of approximately 35 and has since shrunk back to about 12-15 regular attendees to meetings. This includes several spouses. For the first several years, spouses didn't routinely attend meetings, but did attend the annual picnic and Christmas party. Our monthly meetings generally consist of breakfast (we meet Saturday morning at a local restaurant). We have brief business meeting or discussion of scrolling related topics and sometimes we'll do a demonstration on a specific topic or technique. We find it difficult to recruit new members these days. The general age of the club members has risen and age/health issues often prevent us from doing much community outreach anymore. But our group, while smaller than it was 10 years ago, still enjoys each other's company and while our brag table may not be as full as it was 10 years ago, we still enjoy seeing what the others have been working on.

The Pittsburgh Rockler carries it. I typically get it at a local hardwood lumber yard, but they haven't stocked it in any quantity for some the past several years. I bought some on-line, for the first time, a couple years ago, but I can't recall the name of the place.

Out of an abundance of curiosity and a lack of anything productive to do, I stopped at the local HF last night to see if they had one on display. Didn't see any in the store, display or otherwise, despite their website saying they had some in stock.

Maybe they're like the famous Aldi chisels. Once word gets out on the internet, they become as rare as unicorn manure.

Up until last year, I always got by with one. I had a failure last year, right at the height of my Christmas project period. Over the years, this is the 2nd time that has happened. I ended up buying a Dewalt to back up my EX-21 last year. I had considered keeping my old Dewalt when I bought the EX-21 in 2016. I figured I don't make stuff to sell, and the EX was an upgrade, so should have been more reliable than my old Dewalt. So I ended up selling it, as I really didn't have room in my shop for 2 saws. Should have kept it. All I can say is that it's a good thing scroll saws aren't like routers. I have 8 of those.

What is this "big clean" of which you speak? I'm hoping to retire next year. One of the projects on my retirement to-do list is a major clean and re-org of my shop. It will be the first one in about 25 years.

My first saw was a Craftsman. At that time, it was one of their better models. If I recall correctly, it was over $200. This was 30+ years ago, so it was not a purchase made lightly. I had never used a scroll saw before, but had previous carpentry and woodworking experience, so it was a pretty short learning curve. Despite not really knowing anything about scroll saws, I soon realized that this saw was a big limiting factor in my enjoyment of the hobby. It vibrated, not terribly, but enough to be annoying. That and a pronounced blade wobble made it difficult to make precision cuts. It also took 2 tools to change blades. That got old real fast. I joined a scroll saw club a few years later and that opened up a whole new world to me. As soon as that old Craftsman gave up the ghost, I was on the hunt for an upgrade. The choice was between a Dewalt 788 and a Delta P20 and I chose the Dewalt due to the true variable speed capability, vs the belt/pully system of the Delta. That saw served me pretty well. I sold it around 2016 when I bought my current EX-21. After some issues with my EX last year, I made an emergency purchase of a new Dewalt to have as a back-up saw. I had forgotten how aggressive the Dewalt was. I had my EX tuned to take as much of the blade arc out as possible and was pretty used to that. When I fired up that Dewalt for the first time, it seemed like it wanted to run away from me. I actually think that will come in handy when I want to cut thicker/harder stock.

My deepest sympathies to you and your family, Charlie. Your work is obviously a labor of love and a touching tribute to your sister.

I've been scrolling for about 30 years. I've never timed myself...ever. When people ask me how long it took me to make something, I tell them I don't know and don't care. It's a hobby. There aren't any gold medals for finishing first.

Nice! Charcuterie boards are about the easiest thing to make and I see them selling for stupid money. The other nice thing about them is that the best ones are made from boards that are less than desirable for other woodworking projects and would often be discarded. That's a great project for you and your granddaughter.

All of the saws you list are of a similar design, using a double parallel link drive system. I don't think there would be much difference in the noise level among those saws. They are fairly quiet when running, but as ScrollerGuy notes, the noise will increase when you actually start cutting. That noise level will be determined by the material being cut and perhaps the blade being used, so there are variables in play, beyond the sound of the saw itself. Just my opinion as I've not measured the dB levels.

That might make a pretty interesting small box. Used for the sides, you could miter the corners and keep the pieces in order such that the grain will flow the whole way around the box. Or use pieces for lids, and a different, contrasting species of wood for the sides, so that the grain of the lids really pops. Sometimes you can accentuate the defects in wood and get some pretty cool results.

Does Wooden Teddy Bear offer the mix & match gross price deal? They carry Olson blades. IIRC, they offer it with FD blades, so I would think Olson would be included as well, but I've never bought Olson from them.

^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^ Don't have anything to add, just re-posting for emphasis.

If I'm looking at the picture correctly, you aren't talking about using laminate flooring, rather the material referenced in the picture is the plywood underlayment. Is that correct? If so, I would say that it might be OK for portraits, but I don't know exactly what that underlayment is. If it is the common Luan plywood, then I would advice against using it for anything with much detail in it. Luan is OK for backer board material, but I've never liked scrolling it. It splinters & chips too much and isn't as strong & stable as Baltic birch plywood.

I would get an assortment of wood cutting blades. You may well find that your remodeling project isn't a one blade fits all endeavor, much like scrolling. If you do much of this type of work, you will end up using this thing more than you might imagine, so having a few different blades will benefit you in the long run. At the least, I would add some sort of plunge/flush cut style blade. It could be easier than a half moon blade at getting into any tight corners you may encounter. BTW, the sander attachment sometimes comes in pretty handy as well.

I like the self sculpture. I wonder if Steve Good has a pattern that would make me better looking, 30 years younger and 50 lbs lighter? I might give that one a try.

I use the bottles the glue came in also. I do like Kevin's idea about swapping the tops between Tacky Glue and Titebond. I might have to try that. Sometimes the dropper top is a better option. As for glue spreaders, I use acid brushes I buy in bulk at Harbor Freight. Fingers do work better, but invariably, I end up smearing glue on some surface I don't want it and don't realize it until my fingerprint shows up somewhere after I've applied a finish. Hmmm, the thought just occurred to me. Maybe my fingerprint, in yellow glue, could be a new way to sign my work.

I always thought the primary purpose of the internet was to tell people what to do.

The Dewalt will cut more aggressively than some other saws on the market. Unlike some other saws of similar design, there is no way to adjust the vertical stroke to be less aggressive as can be done on an Excalibur, Pegas and some other brands. That said, don't despair. All is not lost. First, I would try using the smallest blade that will readily cut the chosen material. Smaller blades, with higher TPI count will be less aggressive. Also adjust the blade speed down a little. Don't go too slow, as that will cause its own set of issues, but find a slower speed that you can saw detail comfortably. One last thing, related to the saw set-up, that might help; when looking at the top & bottom blade clamps, see if the blade is aligned vertically. There is a set screw on the left side of the blade clamps. It should protrude into the blade slot an equal amount in both the top & bottom clamps. If they are not in alignment, the blade will lean slightly to the left or right and when in motion, appear to wobble or "flail" about. Looks like you are doing well for a "rank amateur". Keep at it and the comfort level will come. I had a Dewalt for several years and eventually got used to the aggressive cutting motion. I replaced it with an Excalibur a number of years ago and have it tuned for the least aggressive cutting motion. I've gotten used to that now and when I go back to cutting on a Dewalt, it feels much harder to control. Good luck! Hope this helps.

I like to think I'm a self-taught scroller. I picked up the hobby before forums like this existed. Fortunately I discovered and joined a local scroll saw club about 20 years ago and a whole new world opened up for me. Following the advice of the senior members of the club, I subscribed to the scrolling magazines, found on-line sources for patterns, blades & supplies. Later I discovered the forums. IMHO, they are the next best thing to belonging to a local club. So while I did teach myself most of the basics during the years between buying my first scroll saw and joining the club, forums like this have been a tremendous resource for me as I've continued to grow and pick up new things along the way.

We have a couple of them around the house too. I'd use them for weights, but then how would my wife iron my socks?

And only take the lightest of cuts with each pass. I've heard of some folks using a planer sled and adding a sacrificial block to the ends of the board, so that it takes the tear out instead of the cutting board. Again, I've never done it and have no intentions of doing it, but I believe it can be done.

I've made a couple end grain cutting boards, but never ran them through the planer to flatten them. I've watched a couple YT videos and believe it could be done, if you took precautions. However, for me, the risk outweighs the reward. I don't want to take a chance of ruining the board after I've put all the time & effort into getting it to that point. For me, it's better to put the time & effort into getting a good flat glue up so that you minimize the flattening required. The last one I made, I took a lot of time to ensure my cross cuts were straight & square. I used cauls to ensure my final glue up was as flat as possible. A few minutes with my 6" ROS, working through the grits, 60 - 100 - 150 - 220. It didn't take long at all, compared to the time I had already invested. A lot of people use a wide belt sander and that would be ideal, but I don't have one and am not inclined to get one anytime soon.

In simplest terms the short point of your miter will be the length of the corresponding edge of the piece being framed, less 2x the width of the rabbet. If the dimensions of the piece are 10" x 12" and the rabbet is 1/2" wide, then the short point of the miter for 2 sides would be 9" and 11" for the other 2 sides. Cut them a hair long and sneak up on a final dimension for best fit, if you aren't comfortable committing to a finished dimension with the first cut. Always make sure to cut pieces for parallel sides to exactly the same dimension.