SCROLLSAW703

Looks great! The look of oak is always awesome in any project! Great job of cuttin, Sir!

I'd have to say Charles Dearing & Alex Fox. Sue May puts out several good ones, too. I get several of my patterns from wtb, & sue has several there. There are a lot of good ones here, too.

Mr. Kevin, most of us with any perseverance in us, failure is NOT an option. You keep learnin', adaptin', readin', & keep puttin' one foot in front of the other. My sincere apologies if I offended you in any way. I figgered a little jab wouldn't hurt ya any. I make mistakes, too, I just ain't in the habit of talkin' about'em, unless it's somethin' I've done over & over, & still ain't able to get it right. Then I have to take a step back & read, come here & ask questions. I'm a lot like you. A perfectionist in every way. Except my shop. I could use a maid. But I have tall expectations of my equipment, therefore, I spend the extra time on bearings, cleanin' up rough edges, waxin' tables, etc.

why Mr. Kevin! Kudos to you! I'm happy to hear you are kinda like the rest of us! For awhile there, I was beginnin' to think ya was on a pedestal. Yes, fact is is, we have all been there. I was cuttiin' a Wolfs' head project, good sized one, & it had several wolves runnin', trees, things like that inside the head. Alot of fret work that I'd already completed. I got up from the saw to take my dogs out & caught it on my britches! Pulled it off the saw deck & it the floor! Even a carpeted floor didn't save it! I don't drink, but I sure thought it about it! The vocabulary I spit out weren't repeatable, but needless to say, it screwed up my whole day!!

A+ to you my friend! You're a better mechanic than you thought ya were! Don't that make ya grin, Sir?

I'm yet to see anything mechanical, whether it be scroll saws to semis, that require some sort of maintenance. Contrary to belief, the Hawks require maintenance, my CW 40 requires maintenance, just the same as my planer & table saw. And, occasionally, have to be dismantled for maintenance. Regardless of your mechanical skills, the longer you own equipment & become familiar with it, you understand how it works & comes apart. If you have the talent to take it apart, you have the talent to put it back together. Regardless of the breed of the saw.

you bought a used saw & are tryin' to make a new one out of it. Never happen. You can spend $$$$$$$$$$ til your wife finally asks wth you're doin', & you've still got a used saw with dollars worth of new guts! If you're serious about buyin' a new saw, read & study the reviews. Get your hands on the one you THINK you may have an interest in. Look into tech support & parts replacement. As mentioned, you can't judge a horse by its looks. As far as eliminating one breed of saw bcause of one fellers bad turn out, it isn't only not fair to the saw breed, but to yourself. Every saw has its own capabilities, features, cutting speeds, etc., but so does the man operatin' the saw. What are your capibilities? What do you want out of your saw? Are you cuttin' in a production type setting & need aggressiveness & speed for your operation? Or do you need precision cuts in your projects for appearance & the ability to catch your customers' eye? I'm a Hawk owner. On my second Hawk. I have several reasons for ownership, but one of the main ones is precision cuttin' in my projects, & neatness of cuts in the end. No, they don't cut as fast as others, but there are reasons for that. I don't get in any hurry when cuttin' a project. The only one I have to impress is my customer. Also, Precision, neatness, & ability to cut straighter, smoother lines. Look for deals that ain't fallin' apart, & you have the capability of makin' a judgement call on. You'll be satisfied in the end.

something else to keep in mind when you're shoppin' for Luan. There is an 1/8" underlayment available, too. Personally, the under layment would be better for ya than Luan. It'd be stronger, less chippin', & smoother cuts. And it would be alot easier on blades, too. Priced out about the same, as well.

your question could be answered in several ways. I'm not the first to post, but the first thing is how many do ya plan on cuttin' at once? I started out usin' double back tape, & then went to my hot glue gun. Second thing is what do ya plan on usin' for a blade? Remember, the more ya cut, the bigger blade you'll need. On the other hand, you'll have to watch your speed because Luan chips & will leave rough edges if ya try to run to fast. Sometimes it'll break, depending on the pattern. Were I you, I'd start out with a couple, or three in your stack, use a #3 or #4 blade, & see how it works out for ya. Dependin' on yer pattern, cut your inside cuts first, then cut yer outside pattern. If ya do decide to use the hot glue gun, glue on the outside of your complete stack. Don't glue between layers! jm .02 worth.

Yes it is, Mr. Ray! Travis has done an excellent job of weedin' the trouble makers & instigators out of the site. I use a couple other sites, but not like this one. I've made alot of friends here, & learned alot here. As we get older though, things happen in our lives when we need our friends around us, prayer from our friends, & support. Here I've found all of that just by the posts I make, & the responses I get in return from those posts. Those posts make me feel the "family feeling" & the love & care for each other. We sincerely appreciate everyone of your prayers, kind words, & support. We feel like we're getting several big hugs when we read all your posts. It's an awesome feeling!! Also, I appreciate the welcome of my posts & updates of our health situation. My Sawbones still has me considered "home bound." I'm stuck in my chair w/my leg elevated unless I get up to do exercises, or go to the table or bathroom. Mary Ann is gettin' more like her self. she still has a gall bladder test to go through, but I'll keep you updated on things. I've 'bout run out my length of chatter time for now. I just can't tell you all how much we sincerely your thoughts & prayers. God Bless. Brad & Mary Ann.

thank you so much for the kindness in your words, Len. Your prayers are sincerely appreciated! More than you know, my friend! You too, Ray. I too, hope we meet up some time. I read all these supportive posts, & the prayers, it brings tears to my eyes, gentlemen. We've never had the support & friendship we've gotten from all of you! I told my bride earlier today if there was a site that has a stronger brotherhood & friendship, I've never been on it! And just the way everyone here pulls together when one of us is need is overwhelming! We sincerely appreciate every single one of you & your prayers, & kind words! Our own community we live in doesn't pull together for folks in need like you folks do here! Thank you again, & just so you all know, my bride reads all your posts, too. And she says thank you all for the support, & she can't believe the support & prayers. prayers in numbers work! God Bless! Brad & Mary Ann.

Mr. Ray, sometimes its the ones you haven't met that bring a feller the most strength. I appreciate your kind words, brother, sincerely. I learned a long time ago when I was still truckin' that the folks I talked to on the phone, outside of braindead dispatchers & loud mouth brokers, were caring, God fearin' folks who just wanted the best for mankind. You remind me of one of those folks, Mr. Ray. Just a good ol' boy like me that wants the best for his friends. No, we've never met, but you're still my friend. That's the strongest point of this site is the friendship & brotherhood, as I've said before. I sincerely wish we could meet all of you face to face. Scrappile, your kind words sincerely mean alot, too. I don't want anybody to think, by any means, I've put this post on here to sound like I'm cryin' the blues. Because that's not it all. I'm just lettin' my friends know what has happened to us lately. My sincere apologies if anyone takes it that way. We sincerely appreciate all the prayers & support from everyone of you! I mean it from the heart! How we'll ever repay all of you, we have no clue, but we've never been shown such friendship & support! God bless!

well, my shop used to be a beauty shop. So the folks that owned it still had one. But the the padding in the back is shot, & the seat is in really bad shape, so, the gal that does my brides' hair & nails had a brand new one she was tryin' to sell. It's a little smaller, hiegth wise, so I built a 3" platform under it to raise it to my hieght. But check local barber shops, beauty shops etc. I just kept lookin' til I found one.

an update on my brides' & Mine out service. Mary Ann had the nuclear liquid injected in her on friday. And a CT scan with it of her kidneys. We got word yesterday that test was ok, but we'll know more this coming monday. As far as me, well, we seen my Cardiologist last Monday, & after he was done throwin' his two year old fit over paper work bcause he didn't have any from the last time I was in the hospital here at home. In the meantime, he ordered an ultra sound on both my legs from the groin to my heels on both legs. We finally got the report back yesterday, & he says the veins & arteries are all ok in my legs, but I've still got a clot below the right knee, in the lower part of my leg. When we were there to see him, he mentioned if there was a clot there, he would have to surgically remove it. When, we don't know yet. He also mentioned doing a heart cath, too. We have another appointment in a month, so we'll see what happens then. Thank you again for all your support & prayers!!! I sincerely appreciate all of you, more than I can say!!!!:):) God Bless!

I sit in a barbers chair at the saw. I've got my BM 26 on casters. And I've got my CW 40 sittin' beside my chair, facin' me, to the right, so all I have to do is turn my chair & lower it a little to use it. I've sit for 26 years, since I first started. Now, after two major back surgeries, there's no way I could stand! I have to sit to scroll. But, with the casters on the Hawk, I can move it out of my way & get up & move around my meager little shop to get to the drill press, lathe, table saw, or whatever. I've got my shop set up so that if I'm workin' at the project table, or a piece of equipment, I have something to sit down on just in case these ol' legs decide they're goin' to let me hit the floor. And yes, it has happened. More than once.

I use denatured alcohol to clean the threads of my blade holders, then I use just a little bit of graphite on the threads. I've never had any issues with doin' it like this. I sand the end of the tightener in the blade holder when blades begin to slip, or the end of it gets smooth. I also use an air hose & blow out the blade holders ever so often just to keep them clean, & make sure the blade bottoms out in the bottom blade holder.

you can make projects that suit your ability. The more time you spend with your saw makin' different projects, the more you are learning about the saw & your abilities, too. Scrolling can be relaxing, therapeutic, self gratifying & learning all at the same time if you allow it to be. Sometimes runnin' practice cuts is boring, but that's how ya get to know your saw. As simple minded as this may sound, think of your saw as your new best friend. In order to get to know it, it came with an owners manual. Hopefully ya read it. the next way to get to know your saw is to cut those "boring" cuts. Like I said in my first post, draw yourself some lines on scrap wood. Even if they are straight, or kinda straight lines. Learn to follow those lines the best ya can. Then find yourself a pattern that interests ya, drill your entry holes & go at it. Boring.;\

I'm not surprised to hear you're breaking blades using Vermont American. They are cheap blades, & stiff. Name brand scroll saw blades have some flex. the small blades, admittedly, do take experience because of the variables compared to larger blades. My preference is Olson or Flying Dutchman. As mentioned, were I you, I would order at least one of the sample packs from the name brands & make sawdust! Your next issue at hand is the pin type blade. Pin type blades are a different horse. When you adjust the tension on a pin type, it should be a little at a time. Adjust your tension, run your saw a seconds, adjust another turn or two, you'll be gettin close to your tension point. Run your saw a few seconds to stretch the blade, then finish adjusting your tension. The tension will be snug. Adjust to the point where you can pluck the blade, as mentioned, to a high tone. From there, once you start your project, learn to listen to the blade. Every blade has its own voice. If it starts to make a squeal type racket, it's done. Don't try to force more out of it. The next advice I would give ya is to avoid plywood at all cost, if possible. If not, use 1/4". Reason being is the glue between the layers will dull & burn blades, & cause breakage. The thicker the plywood, the worse the scenario. Remember, scrollin' is like drivin' a car. You're the driver. every move you make, sideways, whatever, shows up at the blade. As a newbie, I would spend less time right tryin' to follow a line as I would be learnin' your machine, & capabilities. Draw lines on scrap wood to try to learn to follow. Spend time with it just learnin' what it will & won't do. Blade changin' & adjustment. God Bless.

you hit the nail on the head, Mr. blight! This is just a bump in the road for us. Man, I can't tell you all again how much all the support & prayers, kindness, & friendship you've all shown us! It means more than I can express to you all! This is, again, one of the many reasons this is the only scroll site I use! All of you have helped to keep my mind off the other things we've got goin' on. We sincerely appreciate all your support & prayers!!!

I've got 3 I use, but I have 5. My Hawk Bm 26 is my workhorse. Nearly everything is done on him. I've got a Hitachi CW - 40 I use & I keep a #5 blade in it. I've also got a 16" Craftsman. It's the back up. I've got a hardware store breed saw set up when my for when my bride takes a notion to saw. & the single speed Craftsman in pieces I learned on. It is addiction! But frustrating when you're in the middle of a project & have a breakdown!:

gonzo, best is just a phallacy in folks' minds. Only you can decide what's "best" for you & your type of projects. Like most, I started out with what 26 years of scrolling brings me to call junk now.

thank you for all the kind words & encouragement, gentlemen! We just take it a day at a time, & do what the Drs are tellin' us to do. We are on the mend, slowly. Mr. Lawson, you're right, my friend! Truck drivers are a tough breed, & our wives are tougher! I've been off the road 6 years this month due to my health. But the blood lives on in me forever! There ain't nothin' like the smell of diesel smoke for breakfast, brother! My bride & I have a strong bond! She has put up with a lot over the years of me bein' on the road most of our marriage. Storms, bad roads, on & on. She is my rock! I'll keep you all posted as things go. She just left to go for a ct scan on her kidneys. We are waiting on results from a recent ultra sound my cardiologist had done on my legs checkin' the arteries. Again, we sincerely appreciate all the kindness, friendship, & prayers. We sincerely appreciate them all! You guys keep me goin'!

thank you all, SINCERELY, we really appreciate your prayers, friendship, & understanding. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to us!:):) This site is part of what has kept me goin'. I get on here to see what ever' body is up to, & light up a post with my country boy learnin' & experience now & then. The friendship here, & close brotherhood of sawyers that pull together when one of us is in need of support is one of the main reasons I stay here. Thank you again for all your thoughts & prayers. I'll keep you posted as things go along. God Bless & keep makin' sawdust!

Mr. Ray, Hitachi made a 16" saw for a short time they called the CW - 40. It is an excellent saw, imo. It's been discontinued for several years, but parts are still available.

thank you all, meflick, wayne, & cowpoke, all of you. I sincerely appreciate your thoughts & prayers. That is what I enjoy about this site. The caring, friendship, & coming together when one of us is in need of that. Meflick, things have been very rough for Mary Ann. She has worried herself sick. It is just her & I, & when all she was hearing was bad news, she worried that much more. Her nerves are shot. But, she is on the mend now, slowly. As am I. We sincerely appreciate the caring & friendship, & prayers. And, you're right. Alot of this is kick back from a hard life on the road. 35 years can do more damage than we realize. I had viral menengitis in 2009. I come in off the road with it. I can't begin to tell you what we went thru with that. But since then, my health has slowly deteriorated. I just keep waitin' for the other shoe to drop.:( Thank you again for the kind words. They are greatly appreciated, & mean the world to us! keep makin sawdust, & God Bless!!