OCtoolguy

I must have missed the correct address for Mike's Workshop. I just went there and found the link for his variety pack. I have ordered it and now I will sit and wait patiently for it to arrive. Thanks to everybody for your help. Ray

Well, here I sit on the second day and still waiting to hear back from Mike's. Are they usually this slow in returning an email inquiry? I hope their service is quicker if I decide to buy from them. I know you all have said that they are fast but so far, I'm not too impressed. Hope it's just that they are very busy. Ray

I haven't tried spirals yet. I'm waiting right now for a reply from Mike. I questioned him as I did here. I hope I get something soon. Ray

Someone above mentioned something about blades that are worn out. Other than breakage, how do you know when it's time to change a blade out? I used one #5 reverse tooth blade on my butterfly project and it seems to still be going strong but I don't now what to look for. I didn't see any burn marks if that is an indication but what else? Ray

Wow, thanks everybody. I will check out all the places mentioned. I hadn't even given any thought to the spiral blades. I am primarily interested in marquetry using very thing veneer. That's why I bought the 2/0 blades. I took a class to learn the basics but before I get too far into that I thought it would be good to learn the basics of the scroll saw. So, I downloaded a few patterns and I had some 5/16 " baltic birch plywood that I had purchased cheap because it had water stains on it. I cut up one piece into 8.5 x 11" pieces to practice with. As I mentioned, the 2/0 blade didn't do well on wood that thick. After changing to one of the other blades I had, it went much better. I will finish up the butterfly tomorrow. I'm going to take the advice of buying the starter pack of blades and see what works best. I went to Mike's site and the blade charts just intimidated the heck out of me. So, that's why I came back here and posed my question. As usual, you folks have outdone yourselves with all the advice. Thanks so much. Ray

I know I keep asking crazy questions but I need to know a few things regarding blades. I have a DW 788 and it uses pinless blades. I bought a gross of 2/0 blades from Otto Frei but I was wondering what blades a person should have around for all the different types of wood and cuts that he/she might be making. I bought a couple of pkgs of Olson blades at Woodcraft in skip/reverse blades from Woodcraft. But, my question is, if I was to order blades from a Flying Dutchman source and I wanted a good selection of blades on hand, what blades do you suggest? If I wanted to buy a gross or two would the supplier be willing to mix in order to get the gross figures? I was trying to cut some 5/16 BB plywood yesterday with a 2/0 blade and it was very slow going so I changed to one of the reverse/skip tooth blades in a courser configuration. I am very new to this and I was trying to cut out a large butterfly with a lot of inside cuts. Once I changed the blade it went quite well so I decided that I need to have a good selection of blades. So, can you all give me a good basic list of what I should try to have onhand? Thanks so much for your patience and help. Here is a pic of what I did yesterday. It's 8.5 x 11 and I thought it would make a good first attempt. Ray

I never thought about using my Dremel. Thanks. Ray

Thanks to all. I will take the advice of using a hacksaw. I was just being lazy. I might buy a metal cutting blade for my bandsaw though. Here is a pic of what I'm trying to do. Ray

Thanks, so far, all I've done is try to search online but I wasn't having any luck. Ray

This may sound like a silly question but I have to cut a galvanized electrical cover plate in order to fix our flag pole. The plastic part broke and it can't be purchased so I'm going to make on. My search so far has not been successful in finding a metal cutting blade that will cut something harder than brass or aluminum. Can anybody give me some idea if I'm searching in vain? Thanks, Ray

This sounds interesting but I can't envision it in my head. Any possibility of posting a few pics of how you built it and what vac you used? Ray

Hey Grosa, I can't read what the title of that magazine is and it looks like something that I would like. Can you tell me the exact title? Thanks, Ray

Thanks Spirithorse, I was going to do that but have decided to build and entire new stand out of 2 by and 4 by lumber. It will be much more stable than this thing is. My floor in my shop is not the flattest and not the most firm so I have to do something better than what i have for a stand. I'm going to modify the plans that I found on the web and make it a bit taller and the single leg will be in front so I can straddle it. Someone else made the comment that the metal stands are not meant for stability. They were very much correct. Mine will be much better. Thanks again to all. I'll post pics once it's done. R

Ok, here are a couple of pics of my saw. Keep in mind that I have reversed it so that the narrower legs are close to me so I can straddle them. R

Thanks for this one Scrappile, I like it. I did go to their site to check it out but they want me to "pay" for their plan. I will try to figure it out and make one on my own. I like the idea of the kitchen cabinet too. My saw came with a tubular stand and it is just not up to my liking. I have fiddled with it and tried changing the configuration of the legs but it is still not stable and it is too high for my liking. I am going to have to build something that is more "customized" for my height and size. I am also going to try to find a different shop chair/stool that is more comfortable. I bought a nice shop stool that is great for working at my bench but it's just too high to sit at comfortably while scroll sawing. I can see now why one of the early posts said that it is all about each individual's preferences. I DO like that mobile base though. I will try to duplicate it. Ray

My stand is not like any I have seen before. It is a very early one made up of tubing. All tubular construction with a couple of stamped steel plates that connect everything together. It has four legs spaced unevenly apart. Narrow in the rear and wide in the front. I am reversing them as we speak. I may end up not using this stand as it is not as rigid as I would like. I do have some plans that I found on one of the two forums but I can't seem to find where I got them. Anyway, it is made up of two by and four by construction. Three legs. But once again I would reverse the leg pattern so I could straddle the single leg when sawing. I really want to thank everybody for all the great ideas. I watched all the videos and I think I now have a good idea of what I want to do. But, don't stop. Keep sending the ideas because what doesn't work for me, might work for the next person. Ray

Wow, I'm very impressed with all of your suggestions. Thanks to all. My problem is I am restricted to a 9 x 13 shop area. With all of my other shop tools and a very big work bench, I have to make everything somewhat movable. I'd love to have a dedicated spot for my saw but unless we win the lottery and are able to once again live in a real house, it ain't gonna happen. With that said, I was trying to use the original tubular stand and figure out a way to make it easy to move. I was going to put a handle on either side of it to lift the table end up and just roll it in and out of it's nesting spot. I'm still going to try to stay with that stand but in the end I may have to build something else. I am not an engineer and I know that there are many ways to do what I'm wanting but I like KISS thinking. I have so far switched the saw end for end putting the wider two legs at the rear of the saw and then having the narrower legs at the front working area. I also have unbolted the two lower extensions and turned them 90 degrees and rebolted them to give them an even narrower profile. I can now straddle the two front legs. And by front, I mean the end where I would sit and work. So, now all I have to do is figure out a way to make the rear end sit on some sort of caster base. Or, as one of you suggested, mount the wheels so that when tipping the saw, it forces the wheels down onto the floor. I like that idea. The problem is that the two rear legs are not straight up and down. They are slightly angled so I will have to design some type of caster mounting brackets. I will come up with something but now I have a lot more to work with since so many of you offered suggestions and pics. Once again, I say thank you all. Ray

I have a DW788 type 1 with the tubular stand that came with it. I am changing some things around with the stand to make it more comfortable for me. My question is, I want to make it movable so I can put it in the corner out of the way when not using it. I don't want all four legs to be on wheels. I only want to make the two legs furthest from the table to be wheeled. I can lift up on the table end and move it around that way. But when I'm using the saw, I want the four legs to be on the floor. Have any of you folks designed and built such a contraption? I know that there are roll around frames like the HTC but I don't want one of those. Any ideas would be appreciated. Ray

Thanks for the info. I hang out on that forum too. But I haven't dug into anything too old. Ray

You're right on. It was called the Cyclone and if I'm not mistaken, it was the largest wooden coaster at that time.I rode it once. I'm not a roller coaster fan. My neck has problems enough without all the jerking around. Ray

Carl, I have on old DW 788 type 1. Also, remember I am a newbie here. I don't know what you are referring to when you telll me to go to "info exchange WWC. What is that and where is it? R

Thanks again Carl. I did try to find your prior posts but to no avail. I'll start putting mine together pretty soon. I found some great plans on one of the forums but I can't remember which one. I'm sure glad I downloaded them because I tried to find them again yesterday and can't seem to locate them. I'm going to dream up something for dust control but for now, the stand will be paramount. Thanks again, Ray

Wow, thanks Carl. You have outdone yourself. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. I am still a bit in the fog over the drill press though. I can make out that it's a Rockwell but everything else is a blur. Can you give me any more info on it? It looks like it would be quite handy. Ray

Thanks again Carl. I'll be waiting on your pics when you have time and opportunity to post them. Ray

Thanks for your reply Multi. I was wanting to see the swing are and what all you have connected to it. All of your pics were of a frontal view. I just thought if possible maybe others would like to see side views also. I know I would. I am trying to get as many ideas as possible before I start putting mine together. I have the original tubular stand that DeWalt offered prior to the bent sheet metal stand that they sell now. I think I want to build my own stand that would have a single leg in the front and a double leg at the rear so that the operator can straddle the front leg and have a foot on either side. I have a foot pedal switch that is next to impossible to use with the two front legs where they are now. Once I get the stand built, then I will incorporate tool trays and vacuum hose connectors within it. I have a lot of ideas in my head but the more pictures I see of what others like you have engineered, I'll have a much better idea of what I want. Whatever I come up with will have to be mobile as my shop is very small and I can't have it in a spot that is permanent. Thanks again for your previous postings and for your very rapid reply to my question. I'll be anxiously awaiting your next batch of pictures. Ray