RangerJay

My father went into the Auto Body Repair business after his time with the Canadian Navy in WW2 - he passed away 12 years ago and I inherited his tools - among them a number of "awls" - all homemade from screwdrivers that had seen their useful day as screwdrivers but were just beginning their new lives as awls - multiple thicknesses and multiple tapers - can't say as I recall any tips that have ever broken - the points may dull or occasionally bend - but a little touch up on the sanding belt makes them good as "new". One alternative to purchasing a new awl is to check your screwdrivers to see if's time for any of them to be repurposed.

I use an alcohol swab to remove the oil followed by roughing up with 220 grit sandpaper - they are both needed. Not sure why this is but I only need to do the lower end of the blade. Should add that this seems especially important when using spiral blades.

Thanks for the support and kind words folks - and thanks again to yamatetsu for his work on the pattern. Jay

This is my first posting in quite a while - except for a couple projects here and there I really haven't been sitting at the scrollsaw a whole lot - my bad .... This project was one that has a bit of meaning so it was important to "get it right". "Minnie" is a 17 year old Daschshund and, despite showing her age, remains an enthusiastic Packers fan (along with her "Mom"). Minnie has been cut into Cherry and framed by Butternut (stained with red chestnut). The backing is 1/8 inch Baltic Birch stained black. Many thanks to yamatetsu, of this forum, for generously contributing the pattern making skills that made the project possible. Thanks again, Jay

I'm in Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario. I've been lucky enough to have heated garages for my shops since the mid-1990's - heat has always been programmed to go down to 12 degrees C overnnight and come up to 18 degrees C during the day. In all that time I've never had problems with glue or paint although I never use either first thing after a really cold night. What I do keep an eye on is the humidity during the non-winter months - if it climbs to 45% then I turn on the dehumidifier. The other noticeable issue is the concrete floor contributing to cold feet - in addition to simply cranking up the thermostat I have those thick rubber matts in front of my benches, and may also use a low step-stool to keep my feet off the floor when sitting at the scrollsaw bench. On ridiculously cold days I include a small electric heater to keep warm air moving under the scrollsaw bench. Jay

Thanks everyone for the very kind remarks. Dragonkort: This address will give you access to Steve Goods website - if you click on his pattern catalog and search for "Gnomes" you will get this pattern. He has a couple more similar patterns that will come up if you search for "Santa". The address is: https://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/ . Jay

With the encouragement of my wife, it really didn't take much urging to give these little guys a try - both of us really enjoyed looking at everyone else's take on these plans and they really served as the initial motivation to give them a try. A couple of the details on these guys: The pattern was reduced in size - I forget exactly how much but I think about 75% (maybe 80%?) of the original size. The wood used is walnut (backing and suit), bloodwood (hat), padauk (nose), canary (bear, moustache), wenge (belt, boots). Finishing is Minwax Polyurethane Semi-Gloss - 4 coats. We're both pretty pleased with how they turned out but in reality they are still a work in progress - and will be for a while - the plans call for a small oval stand for them to be glued to but between the two of us we came up with a few different ideas - most of which will have to wait until the snow is gone ...... mount them on: skipping stones from the lake, polished agate stones from one of the mines around here, driftwood from the lake and finally some small pieces of burl that are in my own wood supply. In the pictures below I have them sitting on unfinished pieces of burl - they look pretty bland at the moment but this burl finishes up and polishes out to show off quite a spectacular grain. At least at this point it looks like there will be a bunch of other little members to join the family before next Christmas - all with their own unique base. Thanks very much to Steve Good for a terrific pattern. Jay

Timely topic. Have historically had the same trouble with blades eventually starting to slip out of the bottom clamp on my EX16 - when they start to slip I've sanded the ends using the same technique as KMMCRAFTS described except I use 80 grit paper - that technique seems to work OK until it doesn't - then - once I become frustrated enough I swap out the set screw and the end of the thumb screw for a new set - did that yesterday and expect to be back in business for the foreseeable future. Never tried WOMBATIE's suggestion of wiping the ends of the screws with rubbing alcohol - that makes a lot of sense - next time I'll try that first.

Pivot point is literally a spike - the turning surface is wood on wood - I did add "stop-holes" to secure the table top with an extra spike but never did feel a need to use them - for sure turning the table it is an Armstrong method to change workstations but nothing more than you would do a dozen times a day with other kinds of tasks - no real need for a large set of Lazy Susan bearings - but if you felt the need to add one after construction then I'm sure it would be an easy add-on. Jay

Rockytime: You're a hard man - remember - smartphones didn't exist in 1979(ish) - and in 2020 - now 40 years later - I do have a smartphone - but actually using it is another thing entirely ... Not sure all is visible - but in the background is my woodrack - and off to the left is our yard ladders etc. Jay .

Been a while since I posted - but I feel your pain about a small shop. One option might be a "Lazy-Susan" for bench top tools. Mine is a 36" circular table top and it holds my bench top drill press, a 4 inch bench-top jointer and a bench top router table - it has stood the test of time - originally built in 1979(ish) and has been a main fixture in 4 workshops since. Nothing fancy about the construction - in truth about as rough a piece of carpentry is it gets - just a plywood top on a 2X6 tripod frame (with its own circular plywood top) - central "bearing" is a 6 inch spike - think I got the original design from a Popular Mechanics magazine - but I recall dumbing it down quite a bit to suit my own budget and capabilities ...... Jay

Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick ...... Can't think of any project I have ever made that I haven't screwed up on the first one - meaning its the one that can be given away - then keep the second - and sell the rest ..... but ..... I'm one of those that rarely makes a project twice ..... meaning ..... I have a heck of a lot of mistakes out there .... Having said all this - I think one fix you might want to try is to maybe seal the entire piece with your first coat of finish .... do a light sanding ..... then add the sharpie lettering - and complete your finish. Have to tell you - that is more than a great looking piece - you don't have anything to feel bad about. Jay

About as neat as it gets - what a great idea. Jay

A very humbling group of projects that everyone is doing. I've departed from scrollsawing a bit and am on a major restoration and refinishing of all our old furniture - (started long before the coronovirus crisis started) - the project on the go now is our dining room set - it's claim to fame is that we purchased it as an "antique" at the beginning of our marriage - we married in 1973 and think the set was probably made somewhere around 1920 - 1930 (ish) - in our almost 50 years of marriage since we've added a whole lot more "patina" - and decades of family memories. So far have the table is done - 3 chairs now on the go - all at different stages - after the chairs (6 of them) are done - then the hutch - and then manufacturing leaves for the table that disappeared long before we ever acquired the set. This project has introduced me to the world of HVLP spraying - not a tool I have ever used before - and - so far - a tool that I am having a tough time mastering ..... The work so far .... (chairs and hutch not yet started in these pictures) . Jay (EDIT: not sure why my pictures aren't showing up properly - they seem to be changing format from a JPEG to a JFIF file on their own when I try to attach them - no idea why .... so if you can't see them you'll just have to imagine they look GREAT!!)

I use CA glue quite a bit - have grown to use smaller bottles about the same size that has been pictured above a couple times - what's that old Brylcreem commercial? - a little dab will do you? - really don't have major problems with the tip clogging that aren't easily cleaned up - sometimes I do have to break dried build-up around the end of the tip with a pair of plyers - I also keep a bottle of solvent and also a spritzer of accelerant - don't use them often but when you want them they are handy to have. One key thing to remember about CA glue is that although it works quickly it is also brittle when its dry - so on almost all of my larger 3D woodwork projects that might take a bit of abuse I have grown to use both CA and yellow glue in alternate dabs. Should also ad that if you have a delicate piece where you might need to be careful about the amounts applied then put a larger dab on a scrap piece of wood or cardboard and use the end of a discarded scrollsaw blade to apply - much easier to put on a consistently small amount for delicate pieces. Jay

Most of my work is fine fretwork and spirals have become my blade of choice for a long time now - it's rare that I will use a flat blade on any fretwork any more. My go-to blade is a 3/0 FD, sometimes a 1/0 FD - very rare that I use a larger blade. Here's a couple thoughts for you: keep your saw tuned - meaning the blade is absolutely vertical to the table - straight up and down - side to side - and front to back. keep your blade tight. use slow speed and slow feed till you find the sweet spot - which can be very different from project to project depending on wood thickness and species if you find yourself pushing (or pulling) too much then it's time to change, or re-tension, the blade. stay focused on smooth and gentle movements - distractions (of any kind) are a guaranteed wobble in your cut. on fuzzies: i always soften my cut edges with a sanding mop - meaning the fuzzies are also removed. Spirals do have a bit of a learning curve but for fine fretwork and on larger projects they really do excel (IMHO). Thanks, Jay

Don't think I have a lot to add to what has already been said - but do offer a couple thoughts: - a project never screws up at the beginning - so be ever-more careful as the project nears its end. - the final finish is everything - a great cutting can be ruined by a lousy finish - conversely - mistakes in the cutting can often be forgiven by a great finish. - speed kills ..... take your time - start slow - find the sweet spot - finish great .... Jay

There has not been much attention devoted to insulation on this thread - but I would suggest that insulation is everything when it comes to efficiently and effectively heating your workshop - I would further suggest that if anyone has an expectation of 4 season use of your workshop then you absolutely must consider insulation - it will benefit both your winter and your summer operation by minimizing your heating (and cooling) costs. And as far as heating is concerned air-borne dust and open flame do not mix well - after living in communities with lumber mills I've grown to realize that when the conditions are right for a dust explosion it happens - there is no forgiveness - stuff goes boom - it causes damage - people can get hurt - end of story. Having said that I've had (dusty) workshops with open flame heating in 3 of my workshops over time - (close to 50 years) without incident - but no more - today my workshop is heated by a natural gas overhead furnace that is self-contained - it draws its fresh air from the outside - the flame of the furnace is not accessible to any workshop dust at all - and I feel a lot better for it. Should also add - my current and my former workshop are both well-insulated (I live in Canada - a no-insulation workshop is not an option) - both are roughly about the size of a 1 1/2 car garage - and both can be comfortably heated (18C or 64F) with plug-in electric heaters if needed - (the gas furnaces - like any other appliance - have had their down time ....). I absolutely would not use a kerosene or gas-heater if I were making serious dust (or spraying). Jay

For small holes or blemishes I will use a wax stick to fill the hole after the final finish coat has been applied - very difficult to find afterwards. For larger issues I'll use a coloured filler that will take a stain - then - once stained I'll touch it up with permanent markers to get it to blend with the surrounding wood - then apply your clear finishing coats. Jay

Great idea and project - looks super. .... and nothing wrong with "Yesterday" - but it does lend itself to making a couple more pieces - maybe "The Olden Days" (those pegs with the lengthwise slit in them?), then "Today" (a dryer??), then "Tomorrow" (bit of imagination here - maybe back to the "Olden Days" and "Yesterday" pins to save electricity?) Pretty neat - can definitely see this hanging on the wall in our laundry room. Jay

An exceptional and striking piece - very well done. Jay

Just to address your concerns about cutting a straight line with a spiral: If you cut a tiny bit proud of the line - then crank the speed of the saw to as fast as it will go - you will then be able to go back over your work and - (with quick, smooth and fine movements) - "shave" it to the line quite easily - this is not a difficult skill to master and you will be as straight as is possible with any scrollsaw blade - flat or spiral. Having said that: If your 16 inch cut is the base of the piece then take it to the jointer or use a hand plane to make it true for attaching to the base. I agree with all the other advice you've received on this thread. Hope this helps. Thanks, Jay

Thanks Kevin - high praise from The Master Scroller!! Jay

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Meflick: Love giving my stuff away - especially at Christmas - but unfortunately I'm not the one in charge of distribution - I have to put my own "dibs" in early for those I want them to go to - if I don't I will find my wife has committed the lot ..... but I'll put in a good word for you ..... (but don't hold your breath!!) Bill: Link is http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/product/SLD484 . These are neat little guys to cut - some quick and easy - others not so much - but all fun. dgman: Like cutting these Reindeer too - have done them a few times - never thought of making them as pins though - what a great idea!. This was the first time I cut them out of hardwood - always pine in the past - the cherry was a bit slower and took me a while to land on the blade I liked - in the end a number 7 FD Polar - you? Jay

I haven't made much of a contribution to this forum in a while - but it doesn't mean I haven't been working - (although very slowly) .... these are part of our "Gift Boxes" for family and friends this Christmas. the sleigh patterns are Sheila Landry designs. Sleigh bodies are all Cherry. Sleigh runners are either Padauk, Bloodwood or Wenge. the reindeer pattern is from a pattern that has been on the internet for many years - unfortunately I don't know the designer. the gift box's and the tree's are from the Dollar Store. Had lots of fun making these - they aren't quite done yet - have a few more reindeer to make - and a bit of final finishing with steel wool and wax all - but was getting VERY strong indications from my wife that - (finished or not) - they were going to start disappearing soon - so thought it best to take pictures now ..... Jay