SCROLLSAW703

no doubt this subject has been discussed many times here, but curiosity has got the best of me. I do a lot of fine fretwork, delicate cuttings, etc. And I use all hardwood, rough cut lumber. I do most of my sanding after I get the wood planed to thickness. My question is what is a sanding mop, & would they benefit me? thanks for your help in advance

My apologies for sounding offensive. That wasn't my intention at all. I'm certainly proud to hear ya found a blade that works well for you. Sometimes my wording comes across aggressive. Again, my apologies. I'm here to learn like everyone else.

not to be rude, but what's your point, neighbor? I get the same out of a flying dutchman. Sometimes more, on a BM - 26 Hawk. There's alot of variances in how much a user can get out of a blade. If the saw is tuned, tension is kept right, & you let the blade do the work, WOW! the results might surprise one.

first I would ask how long you've owned the saw? the next thing I'd say is don't sell it yet. if you haven't had the saw very long, take it back to Craftsman for either your money back, or a replacement.

I don't have any experience with a dewalt, but a #5 blade is a fairly brittle blade because of its size. But, I still would check the blade for straight up & down, & check the table for level. I've never broke a #5 blade. Make sure your tension is right. But sounds like you've got the issue figured out. Good job!!

Your story sounds close to mine, Dick. Its a matter of finding your interest on the saw, & how far you want to go with it. I guess the main reason I picked up on the scroll saw is because of the end result of the saw work. Our shop has 2 lathes, a table saw, drill press, RAS, jointer, etc. we have spent several years putting our shop together. We have a fb page under Sawdust Haven. I was just released yesterday by my back surgeon to go back to the shop. I'm anxious to get back to it. Hang in there brother, you can do anything ya want to do! God bless!

It's been in the single digits here in NW Kansas for the last ten days, now we're gettin' a warm up in the 50's. My shop is heated, & I keep it about 70. I'd like to get to the shop, & soon! I had major back surgery the 8th of December. This sittin' & layin' around ain't for me! I get on here, & see what everybody is up to, if I can throw out some help. Hopefully I'll get released soon to start back in the shop.

personally Stu, I wouldn't attempt to use spiral blades on white oak. Two reasons. White oak is a tight grained wood, being a hardwood, it is also tough cutting. Were it me, I would cut your project with a #3 or even #4 skip tooth, then use your spiral blade in the cuts you want to open up, or make noticeable. 3/4" thick wood is a challenge for any spiral blade. It's alot to chew thru, and will be a slow process. Please don't misunderstand, Sir. I'm not trying to tell you your business, I'm just speaking from experience. Keep makin' sawdust. God bless, & enjoy your day.

You're very welcome, Sir. I've been scrolling 24 years this year, I'm self taught, as some are. Believe it or not, it was my brides' idea to get into woodworking. I drove over the road 35 years, & at the time she decided I needed to get into this, it was just supposed to be a nerve release when I come in off the road. At the time, I was out 4 - 6 weeks at a time. I run all the lower 48 states, & some of Canada. My Sawbones told me if I didn't quit eatin', sleepin', drinkin', & eatin' trucks, they were going to drop me in a deep hole, & soon. So, my loving bride decided I needed a hobby, which I'd never had time for. We started buying a few odds & ends tools when I was home, I went to the library, checked out books on every tool we bought. I took a few books on the truck with me each trip & read about them. I've been in the trucking business all my life. Never been around wood tools or woodworking. I just kept reading & studying until I felt comfortable enough to start working with some of the tools, & it took off from there. I've been off the road 5 years now due to health reasons. We have a small shop with about all the wood tools I'll ever use, & that's what keeps me from goin' insane. The scrollsaw is my favorite. I make dreamcatchers, & cut my own feathers. You name it on the scroll saw, & I will try it. I just keep sawin'. I use mostly hardwoods, rough cut. And plane it to the thickness I want. My apologies for the length of words, but it's good to hear a compliment on a suggestion. Like I said before, keep practicin', & I'm anxious to see your work! God bless & keep makin' sawdust!

you're off & runnin', dick! Think about what you want the project to look like in the end. You can always add your own touches & ideas to it. The owl looks great! Portraits are about your ideas & cuts. The pattern is just a starting point. I always tell folks that come to me for help that if you can picture the person in real life while you're cutting the portrait, you can add cuts here & there through out the portrait to make it look more like the person you're cutting. Sometimes it helps to study a good picture of the portrait you're cutting. I've found, especially with older folks & their personality, if you study their likeness that makes them stand out. I'm working on one of my Grandfather. He always wore a cap, & the bill was turned up like they wore them in the '60s. And he wore bib overalls. It's on hold on at the moment, as i just had back surgery, but to get his hat to stand out with his facial features is going to be a job. Good luck to you, my friend. I'm anxious to see some of your work! keep makin' sawdust!!! God bless!

invest in red! you won't regret the money spent on a hawk! their tech support is the best in the business, & parts availability is impeciable!

i scroll & turn both. i'm a beginner turner, just within the last year. i've been scroll'n 24 years. i decided to try turnin' to give some of my scroll projects a different twist. As it has it turned out, i've made some chair rungs, some tire thumpers for trucker friends of mine. Chair legs, etc. And my scroll work is still my highest demand.

welcome to the forum, & AWESOME cut work! It appears the saw bug has bit ya, brother!! Keep makin' sawdust!!!

hello, & welcome to the forum. The one thing i didn't see mentioned in the discussion, & that's what are you going to do with the saw? Every saw is priced, imo, by brand name & color. If you have intentions of getting into this hobby, & staying with it, buy a saw that is comfortable to you. By that, I mean buy a saw that you can understand, & learn on to work your way up to a better saw. Don't start at the top & try to work down. Start at the bottom & work up. Read the reviews on the saw you are looking at. Research it, & ask questions about it. Whether you buy a DeWalt or a Hawk, make sure it's the saw you want. Research the producer of the saw. If you want to talk to the folks that build that particular saw, call them & ask your questions. If you're interested in fretwork, small design work, etc., might I recommend the Hawk Line. You can get a good used saw for a reasonable price, their tech support is outstanding, & they keep parts on hand for their equipment. They have a trade in program. The saw itself, imo, you won't find an easier machine to learn on. The blade release is right at your fingertips. They hold tension better than any saw I've owned. I own five scroll saws, & just traded up to the BM - 26 Hawk. I traded a VS223 in on it. I bought it used w/very few hours on it, & basically wore it out. So I traded up to a bigger saw. I've owned Craftsman, hatachi, Hawk, & an off breed saw I acquired. The Hatachi & the Hawk are the two best I've owned. It's your money & time. Choose carefully.

wouldn't it be just as easy to figure out how much "a little bigger" ya want it, & drill it out to that size? Even if you need to go to a metric size, that hole will be permanent. Or, make a jig the size you're after, & cut the hole size on the scroll saw. There's lots of ways to get it done if ya want it done bad enough

I scroll & turn both, & find that it's all in what the customer is lookin' for. A lot of my scroll work is pretty intricate, & Native American pieces, inlays, dream catchers, etc. I've been turning about a 1 1/2 years, & most of what i turn is functional. Or something i need in the shop.

good deal, rockytime! ya get this way, look me up. I'm going to fort collins next for back surgery. pouder valley hospital. We're leaving here on monday. Enjoy the evening.

if your blade is flexing to one side at a lower speed, most likely you're not running enough tension on the blade, which in turn causes broken blades from the heat created from slow blade speed. Make sure you're running enough tension. To cut at full speed is, imo, hard on equipment, & in the end, really doesn't do anything for you except open a door for more mistakes, & jagged edges to fix. I've been scrolling 24 years, & do not own a saw that has run over 3/4 speed, tops. Maybe it's just me, but from what I've learned, the scroll saw is a machine that was designed to create with finesse & technique. It's also a tool that, if you don't have patience in the learning stages, it will teach you patience as you learn. Patience is a virtue, in every project. Again, just from learning. I am self taught. Believe me, trying to use it as a stress reliever when you're reading books about it & trying to learn it, it takes awhile before the stress level starts to go down. Rockytime, might I make suggestion to you that might help with you pushing against the blade. Take a piece of 1" wide x 1/4" thick piece of wood about 12" long. Make sure it's flat & square. Clamp it to your table close to the blade, square it with the blade. Make a few test cuts against that piece of wood. It may help you to relax your push against the blade, & just relax & let the saw do the work, & you find the sweet spot that works for you. Just a thought, Sir. Enjoy your day.

that's kinda what i think kywood. As a rule, cherry isn't hard to cut, it burns easy if you try to run to high of a blade speed, or use an extremely fine blade. I use all rough sawn lumber in my projects, so i can plane it to whatever thickness i need. I try to use a # 3 or # 4, sometimes a # 5, it just depends on the detail. A lot of my projects start out at a 1/2". I do use a # 1 if the detail calls for it. I make dream catchers & crosses, & cut my own feathers for the dream catchers. They are right at 3/16". I have a couple crosses that are loaded with detail. I'll use a # 1, or sometimes a # 02. In cherry. You have to find a thickness you like to work with for starters. Then find a pattern you like to make. Then keep practicing with it until you feel comfortable with it. I tell my students the best thickness to learn blades, feel of the saw, feed rate, & turns is 3/8" - 1/2" thick. It doesn't tear out or crumble like the thin stuff does, & with less frustration. Yes, you'll still have blade size, speed, & feed rate to learn, but you'll learn that a lot faster in a thickness of wood you're comfortable with. You can look at my work on facebook at Sawdust Haven. Keep practicing, & keep reading & learning. Most of all, ask questions when you need to. God bless & enjoy the evening.

when cutting soft wood, the smaller blade the better. Not only because there is no need to use to a bigger blade, but, for less blade marks & less blades. Slow speeds are necessary, as well. In soft wood, the faster it's cut, the more it will burn, therefore breaking blades.

that looks more like cherry than alder.

a #12 blade on a basket? whew! a feller could scalp a badger w/a #12! Even as a beginner, I'd of went with a #3 or a #5, #7 tops. You'll have a smoother finish cut, easier to follow the pattern, & better looking results in the end.

you can google font types & see what it comes up with. Sometimes when I'm looking for a particular font, that's the best way I've found.

I use my Hawk 6 - 8 hrs a day, roughly, & finally wore it out & just traded it off for a bigger Hawk. I didn't have any problems with it working that hard & steady. And, I didn't have to grease all the bearings before I could use it. The Hawk saws have several benefits over many of the other name brand saws out there, IMO. They are like any other machine. Maintenance is a priority, regardless of the breed.

yea! What they said! whatcha waitin' on? The saw to up & do the work for ya?