OCtoolguy

That was totally an accident. I cut that out before I ever knew about SSV. But, I'll take credit anyway. LOL

Les, is there an anvil on the back side of the blade clamp where the blade gets pushed up against? On my saws, there is an allen screw that is the anvil for the clamp. I can't see well enough on your pics to tell but I think there is.

Thanks but you are missing the point. I have already done this project. I WANT to learn how to use Inkscape and I thought this would be a great way to do it.

I tend to pick something beyond my skill level but this is the first thing I cut out with my scroll saw. The little leaf is the first marquetry project.

How about going to a lock shop and buying a small tube of powdered graphite? I used to use that stuff on all mating metal surfaces. It's messy but it works. Better than a spray can.

Paul, I got into carving while we were out on the road. It was the only hobby that didn't require a lot of space or weight. We were parked in Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park in Fredricksburg, Tx. and the Texas State Woodcarvers Guild were there on there annual campout. The park was right next to an airfield and just beyond that was the fairgrounds. After chatting with some of the carvers, they invited me to attend their seminar at the fairgrounds and take advantage of the sellers who were there. I bought a starter carving knife, a small set of mini knives, a book and a couple pieces of bass wood. One of the carvers handed me a cowboy boot that he had carved along with a "cut out" of a boot that was the basic shape. He told me the finished one was the "looks like" and I should finish the cutout to look like it. So, that was my first carving. I have since done a few others. I have started many, finished few. But, I have nice set of knives now, along with a knowledge of how to sharpen them and all the stuff that I need. It's like any other hobby. Half the fun is in acquiring the "stuff" to do it with. Anyway, what I'm trying to get said is, basic carving is not that hard. The hard part is getting beyond that point and like scrolling, it just takes practice. I'm no artist. I have no eye or imagination. BUT, I can copy anything. So, give it a try. I think you'll find it fun and it's a thing that can be done while sitting in front of the tube. My wife even gave me permission to do it as long as I clean up after myself. She did set down her foot to me bringing my scroll saw into the house though. DARN! Oh, and getting back to the original subject, if you take the time to just do the first project in that book on marquetry, you'll have all the basics you need. Then it just becomes the part of finding the right colors of wood, the grain direction, etc. It is fun. This whole hobby is fun.

Paul, I would if I had something to show. I took one class. I came away with the simple piece that we all learned to do. Since then, I have strayed to many other areas of scrolling. I do have a project that will involve what I learned with inlay. It's really quite easy to learn. Especially if you invest in the book that I have posted on here. "The Art of Marquetry" by Craig Vandall Stevens. I got it from Amazon. After reading the book, I realized that the instructor basically taught us the book. His class was great though. Here's a pic of what we did that afternoon. It's all done with veneer that's about .060 thick.

Jerry, I have spent so many hours watching videos on both Inkscape and Gimp. I have a general understanding of how to use both but when I put a pattern in either of them to work with, it never seems to work for me. Either I have saved the scans in the wrong format or the scan wasn't right or whatever. That problem I had a while back with the basket pattern I was working on is a good example. All I wanted to do was to widen the basic outer lines a bit from say 3/16" to 1/4". I had many folks here, including Travis, trying to help me but only one person was able to do it. I still have an overwhelming desire to learn how to do this stuff. I think of myself as a pretty computer saavy guy but for some reason, I just can't seem to get it. Here is the pattern I made reference to. I just did this one and it is saved in .pdf format. So, where would I go from here if I want to enlarge the walls to 1/4"? I would truly love to know how to do it. Here's a better scan. This one is a .jpg. I'm learning the scanner settings too. Test 300dpi 119 threshold.pdf

How about Steve Good? I get a new pattern from him every day and that one sure looks familiar.

How about a couple more pics showing exactly what you did? I don't have a Hawk but it might benefit many others of us who want to do something similar.

Check out Otto Frei .com. I bought blades and drill bits from them after taking a class on marquetry. The instructor said he had researched many sources and found them to be the best for what he was doing. I bought 2/0 blades and #68 drill bits. They are primarily a jeweler's supplier. Lot's of neat stuff there.

A couple of years back, I ran across a remote controlled outside 3 way plug in for Christmas lights. $14.99 ea. I bought two and I will buy a couple more this coming year. I haven't seen them except at Christmas time. We don't have a Menards here on the West coast. I did check the amperage ratings and they exceed the draw of a shop vac.

Thanks Jim. Great idea. I'll put that pattern in my pattern file. I haven't done any clocks yet but who knows?

That does look like a great deal but after factoring in the cost to go pick it up, I'll have to pass. There are a ton of used Hawks on C/L right now though.

In the process of making most scroll saw blades, they are stamped out of sheet steel. In that process they leave the right side with a burr because of the direction of the stamping. If they were stamped from the right to the left, the burr would be on the other side and they would drift to the left because of the added drag. By doing what Les is saying, the small burr is removed only from the right side of the teeth. Not the front. That would ruin the blade for sure. Just a tiny bit is all that is required. I have also done the bandsaw rounding of the back side edges for years. That makes a big difference too. I hope this is understandable. I know in my mind what I'm saying but putting it into words is not always doable.

I figured that if I moved there, all hell would rain down on us. We moved there in 1985. The first time we were up at Chapel Hills Mall, we parked next to an almost brand new Chevy Camaro. My wife said, "OMG" what happened to that car"? It had been pelted by hail and looked like it had been done in with a ball peen hammer. I do love it there though. We were up at 8500 feet and I never saw so many stars in my life. We owned/operated the Hallmark Store in Uintah Gardens before they redid it and our store went away.

Ralph, I might be wrong here but I have a free PDF reader called Foxit. I also have Acrobat. Whenever I click on a pdf file, I get a pop up in the right upper corner asking me if I want to make Acrobat my default pdf software. I always "x" out of it but at least I get the option. Give Foxit a try and see if that helps. I have been using it for years but I have never tried to do a poster print with it.

Another reason we opted out of living in C.S. We have seen what hail can do. Our closest friends just moved to Oklahoma and they were telling us about what car/house insurance is going to cost them. No thanks.

1996 Multimax 18V. It runs and cuts fine but I'm still not happy with the way the slow start/changing speed is on it. I will not spend the money to buy a new controller or whatever it needs. If it even needs anything. At this point in time, I'm still trying to find someone near me who has a similar saw so I can determine whether it has a problem or if it is all in my mind. As far as selling it goes, probably not. I like the saw, it is like new but just has that one little "tick" that I can't seem to put behind me.

I started out with a used Dewalt. I tuned it up, built a great stand for it and have learned how to use it. I was reading so much on here regarding the Hegner that I started looking for one. I found it, bought it and am trying to get used to it. Then, up pops a used EX 21 in mint condition for $300. It was close by so I drove up and bought it. Now I have 3 great saws and am out of room. One of them has got to go. I will probably sell the Dewalt just because it has the same basic mechanism as the EX. And, I'm still not totally sold on the Hegner. It may go too. Who knows? Anyway, congrats on your new saw, and maybe I'll start searching for one of them too.

Dick, you are so right about the wet tee shirt. When we moved back to So Cal from Colorado, it was in July and I was driving my tool truck over through the hottest part of the desert. I did it by putting a bucket of water on the floor beside me. I wet my tee shirt and also a towel. I wrung out the towel, held it out the window for a minute or so and then wrapped it around my neck. I did that every 15 minutes or so. It really did help. One of God's miracles is evaporation.

Paul, you might be well off to learn how to spell "sweet". I'm sure she doesn't appreciate being associated with "perspiration". Just sayin.........

Where was this when I was looking? Oh well, I got a great deal anyway. https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/tls/d/excalibur-ex-21-scroll-saw/6654197146.html

Looks like you did GOOD. How far did you have to go to get that saw? Just curious as I used to live near you in Woodland Park. My son also lives in C.S. He just started in the tool business walking in the shoes of his old man. If you see a big shiny new Cornwell Tools truck running around, stop him and say hi. His name is Dan. Oh, and congrats on your new toy. I did see your Heg in the background there. Now, you have two great saws. Best of luck to you.

It truly is Kevin. I too appreciate the camarderie and good will here on SSV. Thanks to Travis.