OCtoolguy

@ken lotts, I think the thing that puzzles me is, if I can't design something but I know in my mind what I want and have seen it, how do I get that mental picture into a code that the printer will understand. Something as simple as a plastic paper clip comes to mind. I've got a box full of them. How would I go about making more of them? What's the procedure is what I'm asking. I've never seen or been exposed to 3D printing so it's all a huge mystery to me. One more question, I was looking at all the printers that Prusa offers. I see one that is a kit for $299. What printer did you buy? Is it worth the extra money to buy one already assembled?

Paul, I agree, marquetry should have it's own separate forum. I'm seeing a lot of interest on the subject and if enough of us are interested maybe we can get some tutorials or videos going on the site. All of a sudden, I've got my interest in marquetry renewed. I recall now why and how I got here in the first place.

@rustynail, I will, and thanks again. Where can I find the full length video? I can't find it on youtube.

How do you go about creating the programs for the printer? I'm not a coder and would be at the mercy of trying to find the instructions or to find someone who could write the files. I have seen the Fusion 360 program but it would be a bit over my head I'm afraid. So how do YOU do it?

Ok, I want a 3D printer. Now the question, which one is the best bang for the buck. I don't have much open space. Actually none at all but I would love to have one and I guess it can sit in my office and stay very clean. Who has some suggestions? I WANT ONE! WAAAAAAAH!

Thanks for posting this video. I've never seen it done this way before. I didn't see any mention of a table tilt or drill holes. Whatever his method is, the finished product is amazing.

That's very true Wayne. Back in the days when I was selling Snap-On Tools, I was always getting the comment that the tools were too expensive. My comeback was always this: "Buy the best and cry only once"!. It makes so much sense. But, now at my age, it makes no sense to spend the big bucks just so someone else can have the benefit of the "BEST" once I'm gone and they get my stuff. That's why I watch Craigslist.

Not knowing where you are located I will say this. I have bought almost every power tool I own now from Craigslist. I live in So. Cal. so there is a lot of action here. But, I'm very patient and watch the listings everyday. If you must buy a new saw, I'd buy either a Delta or one of the main brand names if for no other reason that being able to buy parts for it down the road. My bandsaw is the Delta 28-280 with the built-in quick tension lever. I have tuned the saw up using the cool blocks on the blade and it does everything I want it to do. I bought a good quality 1/2" resaw blade and so far so good. I paid $300 for it. '

I wonder if it's only Dollar Tree that has them. We have a $.99 store nearby. I'll check them tomorrow.

When I took the class, we were using veneers that were about .050 in thickness. Less than a 1/16th of an inch. The whole idea is to incorporate different colors and species of wood to create a picture. Using the grain of the wood and a pan of hot sand for shading it all comes together a small piece at a time. That little leaf that I did was made up of 5 different pieces cut and inlaid. The secret is knowing where to drill your blade hole so that it ends up in the waste portion of the wood. Drilling at an angle of about 8 degrees if I recall. The book that I mentioned has this exact same project as it's teaching example and explains move by move exactly what to do and how to do it. It's not all that difficult if you take your time and try to think about what you are doing a step or two ahead. It's a lot of fun. I just got sidetracked on making other stuff. I'm going to circle back now and start making boxes so that I can use the marquetry creation on the lids. As RustyNail did. Gorgeous work!

I am positive that the best way is to buy that book. It would be so much better than trying to teach it here. Even watching videos is tough. Having the book and watching the videos is the best way. If anybody on here is in the Orange County/L.A. County or Riverside County of So. Cal. I strongly recommend taking Ken Cowell's class. If his price is still the same, it was $50 for a 4 hour class on a Saturday afternoon in his garage. He has a bunch of scroll saws but also asks for anybody who can to bring their own saw. Here is his info. KenCowellStudio.com 714-524-6278

Yes, there is that. Great point. It brings my memory back to a couple of pairs of shoes I ordered from an outfit on Facebook. A great price on Merrill walking shoes. Half what I had been paying. I ordered one pair and then the next day I ordered a second pair but in a different color. I received neither pair. They sent me tracking numbers and I tracked them as they were in transit. All of a sudden the tracking said "delivered". Not to me. After going through the Post Office Fraud Dep't. I was told that they went to 2 different addressed in the same town I live in but a different zip code. They wouldn't tell me anything more than that. I contacted PayPal but they said they couldn't help me. Finally I contacted Capital One and told them my story. They refunded my money and went after the shipper. I never heard anything more. Thanks for refreshing my memory. No more Chinese products. I must keep telling myself that. No such thing as a free lunch or a deal too good to believe.

Now, that is a work of art. You did a masterful job on that box.

Paul, I did take a marquetry class. In fact, marquetry is what started me in scrolling. I was at our County Fair about 5 years ago the the woodworkers group was out there as usual but this year was different. There was a guy there who had built his own foot powered saw that was different than anything I had ever seen and it intrigued me so I stood and watched him cut a few pieces of his picture. Anyway, long story short, he gave me his card and invited me to come attend one of his classes. I did that and was so interested I just had to buy my first saw. If you want to try it the same way he taught the art, I recommend buying this book. "The Art of Marquetry" by Craig Vandall Stevens. I bought it from Amazon and I think it was only about $15. It gives great pictorial views on exactly the same method that I was taught by Ken Cowell. The strange thing is though that I never went any further with it. I got side-tracked on other forms of scrolling. What I did learn from it though is that you have to have some project intended to use your finished marquetry on. A box, a cabinet, a table top or something to use it for. And, whatever you apply it to, you have to attach something to the back of whatever you attach it to. I guess it's like any other laminated object in that you have to have offsetting pressures so the board doesn't warp in one direction. Am I making myself understood? I'm not sure. Anyway, get the book and read it. You'll have a much better understanding once you do. I did this little leaf/stem as the first project. I bought another pattern/kit from him along with the woods. They are still laying on my bench where I put them 5 years ago.

Hi, I have a Dewalt saw similar to that one but earlier. Mine has a plastic body without all the round tube stock. I do have the folding cart like that one but a bit different. I like it alot. I was going to upgrade a while back to a contractors saw but I just couldn't afford to buy one so I searched youtube for a good video on how to "tune" this saw. After I did that and bought a good quality blade for it, I've very happy with how it saws. I also mounted a 7 1/4" blade on mine for cutting small stuff. The kerf is much narrower. It's a 40 tooth carbide blade and it also works great. Before buying a new one and laying out the big bucks, search Craigslist or FB Marketplace for a used one. I see them all the time for great prices. You won't be disappointed in this saw especially after you tune it up.

You are right but he is very fair. If a tool doesn't stand up to his scrutiny, he says so but he will also praise one if it does pass. I just like seeing how he goes about it.

Believe it or not, I bought a roll of cellophane tape at H/F for $1 and it seems to work well. I'm not any kind of expert on tape but whatever sticks long enough to get the job done is what I want. I also like it be be as thin as possible.

I live a mile from the Pacific ocean. We hike the local wetlands and can see the stack up of cargo ships sitting in the L.A. harbor. Last week we had a pretty good storm go through and many of them moved further off shore to avoid serious damage. It really is amazing to see just how much foreign goods we import. Sad state of affairs!

I agree Paul. I guess I can get along without any of those tools. I have so far. I just found it interesting. Seems that you can make a great product and sell it cheap using slave labor.

Yeah, I know. I did find a pretty good recipe for "crow" though.

That's what I thought too. When I watched his first video on building his workbench, I had to reply to him and say that I'd love to be able to afford all the great tools he used but that would never happen. He came back to me and suggested that I watch his series on China tooling. It appears that he has found Chinese products that equal or surpass some of the great ones made in this country. The stuff I could never afford. Now, maybe I can.

Thanks Randy, I was replying to another post and I totally agree with you. When I had my Hegner, I never used anything but the middle size clamp. As I said though, I'm still on the hunt for a real good deal on a used Hegner and hope to find one. But, I'll not lose sleep over it because I have 2 great saws now. I'd just like to have Hegner again. I'll find one under $300 just like I did on the last one. I'm a cheapskate.

I ran across this guy the other day. He does some beautiful woodwork. Typical German quality. He put together this series on woodworking tools from China that are of great quality. Not the cheap junk that many of us have become accustomed to. I have watched a few of the videos and am impressed by what he has shown. He seems to be buying everything from an outfit by the name of Banggood. They have a website, Banggood.com and I have been drooling over a lot of the nice tools. So, I thought I'd ask here to see if anybody has any firsthand knowledge and if so, tell us about it. It appears that the first in the series is no longer available but here is the link to the 2nd one and you can go on from there.

I use leftover small pill bottles for that Kevin. So far I only have about 4 different species but they do come in handy for repairs.

That's what I have too Paul. I think it was about $15 on Amazon. My problem is I have 60 tubes but really only use 3 or 4 different blades. Same blades, different sizes. I guess I must be missing something. I haven't gotten into knowing all the different types of blades and their uses. I don't do fretwork or photos. I'm generally working with thicker wood. At some point I'll have to branch out and make some wall hangers.