SCROLLSAW703

wow! That's right uptown! Get to truckin!

Beg yer pardon, Mr. Jerry. Ain't nobody said nothin' to me about a grammar class here. I kinda get things writ down the same as If'n I were talkin to ya, Sir. If'n that offends ya, my sincerest apologies to ya, Sir.

Sounds like ya probably oughtta get yerself a spray bottle & pour mineral spirits in it. Lightly spray the surface yer fixin to glue to, wipe that down with a CLEAN cloth & let it dry, then glue yer pattern down. If'n yer glue ain't holdin, ya ain't givin it enough time to sit after ya glue it to the wood, or the glue is old, or, they ain't enough glue on yer pattern to hold it in place. A feller should give yer fresh glued patterns overnight in order fer yer glue to set to yer lumber, otherwise yer gonna keep havin the issues yer discussin. I use 3M 77 spray adhesive on all my patterns after I tape the wood with blue painters tape. The patterns stick in place and I ain't got any problem with them movin.

Mr. Kevin, Yer Google hit the nail on the head, Sir! In country boy terms, I reckon I'd of told ya that fretwork would be most anything finely carved, cut with a fret saw, or smaller detailing cut in wood, metal, or other materials. Imho, fretwork, in our hobby, would be any finely sawn detailed project, sawn from the inside out in thin material for decorative purposes. That's my take on the subject.

Not to crash yer party boss, but, always do yer finish sandin afore any saw work starts, always. Next, my best advice is get all yer saw work done before any stainin starts. Especially if'n yer saw deck is aluminium. Cast Iron saw decks can usually go unharmed. Apparently, it sounds like you've already tracked stain onto yer deck. From here, were I in yer boots, I'd invest in some trip!e 000 steel wool, & if'n it ain't already in yer shop, fetch a can of Johnson's paste wax. Get to workin' that triple 000 over yer sawdeck. Yes Sir, it's gonna put a polished look on yer aluminium, but it'll get that stain off'n that deck, as well. Careful not to rub to hard in one place because it may pit yer deck. After you've shined that deck up, & all the stain is gone, wax it with a good heavy coat of Johnson's paste wax. Let it dry, buff it off & you're ready to make sawdust!

Mr. Ray, I bought a used one from a barber what was quittin' the business, & then I picked up a new one from the young lady what cuts the few hairs I have left. She said the chair weren't what she ordered, & she gave me a good deal on it. Scroll saw 703

I got myself a barber's chair to sit at my saws. I can adjust the height easily to all three of my saws. After I installed casters on all of them, it made movin 'em around easier, & I never needed to move my sit down. scroll saw 703

Man, readin all this chatter about the Hawk saws is like listenin to the news 'bout Trump!:( I'm lookin' to buy a 20" Hawk. I just called'em on the phone & got all the information about the saw I needed. They ain't a huge outfit like yer dewalts & such. They's a family owned & operated business. This time of year, they're busier'n a couple a tomcats in a gunny sack on accounta Christmas orders. Try callin of a mornin before noon o'clock central time & talk to Miss Nikki. Scrollsaw 703

Fergive me if'n I'm oversteppin', but, I use alot o' maple, & use flyin' dutchman blades. Now, if'n yer gettin' a racket like yer describin', & the thickness of wood, yer blade speed could be to fast, with to thick o' blade. If'n it's a burr piece, cuttin' is goin' to be slow on accounta the wood bein' tighter & harder wood, therefore requirin' a thinner blade, more teeth, & slower blade speed. My suggestion would be to go to a #2 or #3 polar blade, & slow yer blade speed down.

I don't use anything but FD & Olson blades. I've used them for years, I know their quirks, sold! I've tried Pegasus & some other brands, but I always come back to FD & Olson blades. I learned on those blades years ago, I reckon I'll just keep on makin' sawdust with'em!

Howdy Mr. Rocky, Good to see yer post, Sir. I have been in & out, seein' what ya guys are up to, but not much to tell about here. I'll pm ya. In my scroll projects, I use several blades in that size range, boss. Anywhere from #02 on up to a #5. I have learned, especially on my Hawk, on the smaller blades, a little more tension & and less blade speed, gets the blades to last longer, and really cuts downs blade breakage. Readin' thru some of what's already been throwed out there to ya, I ain't able to say as I go along with the wax on accounta I ain't never tried it. Plywood is hard on blades that small, as well as speed. As a rule, fretwork is fairly slow, steady cuttin'. I've found that Johnsons wax on the blades works better'n anything, an' don't seem to pester any of the lacquer or clear coat I spray on the projects.

In my experience, I have learned to drill your starter hole on the waste side of the cut line in a corner. Once your blade is thru and set, your angle is set, begin yer cut like any other cut, and follow the line. I have to say, here again, curiosity has this ol' country boy at a stand still.

FD & Olson blades both have just a "touch" of a right hand pull. To help compensate fer yer pull, 1) square blade to saw deck. 2) pre - stretch yer blades. 3) adjust yer tension just a little tighter than ya would normally. Yer blade speed will have some to do with yer pull as well on accounta yer blade is cuttin faster'n ya can react. Always be lookin at yer pattern lines ahead of ya so's ya got an idea of what's comin atcha, then ya got time to plan a reaction to move a little more right, or little bit left.

my apologies, but I ain't able to say as I've ever run across a "pre-sprung blade." In my experience, especially cuttin' pine, I always start with a new blade, regardless of the situation. When I install a blade, the first thing I have learned to do is adjust a minimal amount of tension on the new blade & run it for 30 seconds or so, then adjust the tension to my preference, & make sawdust. I've found by doin' this, it "stretches" the blade, & helps to hold tension longer, and the blade lasts a little longer, as well.

Under experienced circumstance, with manufacturers blade assembly, when yer gettin the "hockey stick" result at the blade holder, it's caused from over tightenin of the thumb screw agin the blade. In my experience at the saw, if'n ya run yer thumb screw over a piece of 180 grit sandpaper to run the smooth spots off'n the end of it, over tightenin them smaller blades ain't necessary. Ya should be able to hold yer blades in place with dandy tension. With my techniques, I ain't havin' any issues with my Hawk or CW - 40.

AWESOME deal, Mr. Ray! It's good that ya found yerself a place to purchase good, solid wood, & good folks to deal with.

Stay away from plywood at all cost, if it's at all possible. Learn on wood. Every blade sings it's own tune in different thicknesses, species, & blade speed. My advice to ya, seein's how ya pointed out yer a newbie & all, is before ya start gettin any big ideas a goin in yer thinker box, sit yerself down to that saw, have a little conversation with it, then start runnin thru whatever blades ya got on hand, and start cuttin circles about 3" - 4" in diameter IN WOOD. Just keep cuttin circles til ya've managed to cut yerself a few perfect circles that fit the bill. Do ya own a compass? If'n ya don't, use a empty vegetable can & trace around it. Drill ya an entry hole at each circle, & mark the circle with what blade ya used on it. If'n ya perfected one, spend time learnin to use that blade. Once ya learn that blade, ya can start learnin other sizes of blades in other circumstances.

I don't reckon I've had a chance to test drive all them fancy blades. I may have to keep some of those names stashed in my thinker box fer a rainy day. Personally, I ain't never run nothin but Olson & Flyin Dutchman blades of all sizes and types & ain't never had no issues with them. The #0 & #1 blades do have a tendency to stray off the cut line, but to solve that issue, I run my blade tension a little tighter than the hot shots say to, & I slow the blade speed down a snort. If'n yer in such a all mighty hurry that you're runnin that blade might near full throttle, ya ain't got any business scrollin. In all honesty, scroll blades despise heat & speed. The two together will wreck yer blade faster'n ya can change'em! Especially in hardwood. Learn to find a speed that yer saw & blade are workin at an even keel, & constant speed. Regardless of how fancy a name yer blade has, it'll keep cuttin fer a long, steady, even cut. Learn to be consistent, easy on the throttle, & let the blade do the work. You'll find your results will change, yer blades will keep cuttin, regardless of the breed of blades, wood, or saw. Sawdust703(brad)

Mr. Kevin, Good to hear from you, Sir! I have been tryin to spend a little time in the shop lately. With the weather warmin up, I try to get out some. Damn allergies been keepin me corralled in the house lately. ☹ I'm beginnin to think the weather has a wingnut loose! It ain't able to decide whether it wants to be summer or winter! Keep makin sawdust brother! Sawdust703 (Brad)

I ain't able to say as I ever had the opportunity to use Pegas blades. I started usin FD & Olson blades since I started scrollin 20+ years ago. I keep several blade sizes & types on inventory in my shop due to the various types of projects I get involved with. The main sizes of blades I use are #0 - #5. As a rule, skip tooth blades. I don't have much use for the Ultra Reverse blades in my experience. The few degrees difference in the blades really doesn't make much difference once you're used to usin' those particular type of blades, imo.

Howdy neighbor, I sell might near ever' thing I create frameless unless the customer says different. Most all my projects are 1/2" hardwoods. I round my edges on the face side with a 1/2" roundover bit & the router. That kinda gives the project a more finished look if ya don't create a frame fer it. Sometimes, on them rounded edges of the project, dependin on the breed of lumber, I'll take some gel stain & go around them outside edges just to shine up the project. Sawdust703 (Brad)

Thanks Mr. Kevin! The last 6 weeks has been in & out of the hospital.......Again. They installed a picc line in my left arm durin' one hospital stay to run antibiotics thru. Our Sawbones finally come around with the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. She was pumpin' 4 different antibiotics thru me, and one oral for about 7 weeks. And I just finished up another round of antibiotics by IV. 10 days of it! Hopefully I'm startin to get back on my feet! I just don't get around many folks! To damn much of a chance of gettin somethin I don't want, brother! I've learned with the Hawks, at the length the arms are, they ain't goin to cut anywhere near as fast as the shorter link saws, Mr. Kevin. There is no possible way it can be done! On the flip side of that coin, the Hawks may not cut AS FAST per say as yer yeller or grey breeds, BUT, THE PRECISION of the Hawk by far outsteps any saw I've ever used or seen on the market, in my opinion. For whatever that's worth, I reckon. I do know a couple fellers that run several board feet a week thru their Hawks, & will tell ya they won't own anything but a Hawk. Others gripe about'em on accounta they cut to slow. Truthfully, experience can make a saw do anything the operator needs it to do. It's all in how the saw is set up, run, & tuned. Mr. Kevin, I appreciate your acknowledgment, brother! It's always good to hear what ya have to say about my ten cent opinion. Keep makin sawdust, my friend! Sawdust703 (brad)

Kevin, I may be mistaken, but the top blade speed for the BM 26 is 1750 cps. With that said, and havin' very little knowledge about the DeWalts or EX, I can safely say that over my years of experience, and the breeds of saws I have had experience with, blade speed has a lot to do with blade control, as I'm sure ya are familiar with. The difference in the three saws in my shop with different blades is the fact that two of'em are 16'' saws, and one is a 26'' saw. As Mr. Rolf mentioned, the mass of the length in the arms has some to do with it, in my ten cent opinion, as well as blade alignment and speed. Keepin' your saw fine tuned at all times is a necessity. Again, in my ten cent opinion. Regardless of the breed of the saw, or how new or how old it is. Sawdust703(brad)

Mr. Rolf, You're on the right trail, Sir. I have noticed the very same thing when it comes to variation of smaller blades. The only blades I use are Olson and Flyin Dutchman, and have fer years. With my BM 26, I can load an Olson #2/0 28 tpi, adjust the blade tension where I want it to be, run the blade 30 seconds or so and readjust the tension before I even begin cuttin'. I have found this method to work best for me, especially with smaller blades because it seems to take the initial stretch out of the blade, and allows for longer cuttin' time. On my CW - 40, which is a 16'' saw, I can put the same blade in it and tension it, and if I try to push the blade speed beyond half or better, the blade begins to vibrate like nobody's business. In my 26, hell, I've got the blade speed backed off to less'n half or more before the vibration will stop. With heavier blades, I can run my BM at any speed I need to. I ain't a speed cutter, so I've never had a call to cut any project above 3/4 on the variable speed. I have noticed, too, that contrary to what the recommendation charts say, I use the #2/0 blades cuttin' 1/2'' hardwood for some perty intricate details. You can have a look see at my fb page at the projects I work on. Matter of fact, I just finished a Hereford bull head cut in 1/2'' white oak. I cut a good share of it with #1 blades, #0 blades, and #2/0 blades, and it was cut on my Hawk. Sawdust703(brad)

Howdy Mr. Ray. My BM is sittin on its factory legs. Personally, since yers is outta warranty, I don't see why ya couldn't put it on yer own custom built stand. There are a few things I'd take into consideration in your design, though. Remember, Hawk mounts their motor underneath the saw, so allow for air circulation around the motor for adequate cooling. Second, make sure your sawdust has a place to go rather then just pile up under the platform around the motor & other movin' parts. Also, keep in mind that you change blades from the bottom, IF you're a bottom feeder, Ray. So allow plenty of room for that process. Build your stand to the height comfortable for ya, & allow room on the top for your blade holders, maybe a magnifying light, items like this. I don't see why a feller couldn't, Mr. Ray. Best of luck, Sir! Sawdust703 (Brad)