Old Joe

I should’ve mentioned that I ended up buying the saw through Denny Knappen’s ArtCrafters thanks to recommendations from several people on SSV. He offered the best price including shipping. Also, as I mentioned above, the saw needed some setup, due primarily to some rough handling by the shipper and Denny has been great nursing me through a couple of minor adjustment issues. I was impressed that it comes with spare parts for the eventual wearing down of the blade clamps, and also a sample pack of assorted Pegas blades. I don’t plan to hook it up to a vacuum, so I removed the hookup attachment, as it reduces the tilt range, and by all accounts it doesn’t work all that great. Incidentally, if anyone has any questions, I would be happy to try to answer them.

OK, bought a new Pegas 21” with stand, and foot control. Stand assembly wasn’t difficult, but they could make it easier if they numbered each part. Assembly sheet was rather vague, but I have put together enough variations of it that it was easy enough. As to the saw itself, let’s just say UPS could’ve handled it a little more carefully and I had some minor setup issues, but things seem to be A-OK now. Today I started cutting out a detailed Charles Dearing portrait pattern on a single layer of 1/4” BB for the maiden voyage, making 70 very fine cuts using mostly Pegas #1 and #2/0 spirals, and Pegas MG#3’s for a few cuts. Honestly, I wish I had done a stack cut of two, but I wanted to get acquainted with it via a single layer. General observations: I am moving up from a DW788. There were a couple of adjustments that I had to make to myself personally using the Pegas. The distance from the blade to the front edge of the table is considerably shorter, but I got used to it pretty quick. At least for now I slowed the speed down a bit, as it just seems to want to cut fast. I am a bottom feeder, and found feeding the blade to be somehow easier even though I had the Pegas clamps on the Dewalt. Then the more automated blade tensioner was a dream! I have not been a big spiral blade guy until recently and everything is much easier with them on the Pegas, especially the tension system. I didn’t bend, break, or “hockey puck” one blade over the 70 cuts. Vibration: There is virtually none. Seriously, none. I can’t articulate clearly enough on how much better than the DW788 the new saw is in that regard, even though the Dewalt is bolted to the floor, and the Pegas is just sitting on its stand, with no need to bolt it down. Appearance: The thing makes my whole studio/shop look better! The red and black looks sharp. Light: Unlike many, I really like the Dewalt light. I put an LED bulb in it a few years ago and it’s still working.I missed it today. I want to find a non-magnifying, tight radius, spot lamp ASAP, preferably a bright, LED, clamp on type. Overall: I figured that I would be happy, but I can’t understate how much better this machine is to cut with! It’s almost like I didn’t know what I was missing. I feel like I have gone from driving an old Datsun pickup to a new Lexus luxury sedan. This thing is a scrollsawer’s dream. Not sure what I will do with the DW788 yet. Though it was a good saw for me, and I have made some serious sawdust with it, I already don’t see any chance that I would go back to it.

Nice!

I am not giving my stuff away (unless I am actually giving it away). I feel like I am putting out a clean, professional piece. I’m not in this to make a ton of dough, but I think good scrollers are underselling themselves. Your Kleenex box is intricate, well done, and the purchaser is buying directly from the craftsman/artist. If it wasn’t for a friend, I would inbed a Steve Good signature coin in the bottom, date it, supply a box of tissues and price it at least enough to cover a bar tab for two with nachos.

Also, I pretty much made this for myself, but I was asked last night if I would be interested in selling it. Man, this has a lot of hours, and though not outrageously expensive for the materials, let’s just say it wasn’t Baltic Birch cheap. If I decide to offer it for sale I will set the price quite high and I’d if it doesn’t fetch what I think it should, so be it. It will go into the Old Joe Collection. LOL

I used primarily Pegas MG #3, MG#1’s, and a few 2/0’s. Also, Pegas Spirals #1 and Spiral 2/0’s. I broke a few of the spirals, some rather quickly due to the thickness of the wood. I found the small Pegas spirals to be very fragile. This was not a nominal 1/2”, but a full 1/2” African Rosewood board. It cut with some difficulty. I probably wouldn’t use it on a complicated portrait again.

I don’t usually break many blades, but I went through a few because of the combination or the thick wood and the tiny cuts.

I really like this!

This Charles Dearing Gandalf pattern took a while. I cut it out of 1/2” African Rosewood, backed in cherry. The Rosewood is all natural color wise, but I did darken the cherry behind the wizard. I also didn’t like all of the space over his staff so I did an Eagle inlay to break it up a little. This will probably be my last major scrolling on my Dewalt 788 as I got my new Pegas in a couple of days ago.

I like the natural Danish Oil. I very rarely use anything other than oil, or clear semi-gloss, or satin lacquer. Fantastic job! Dearing’s patterns can be challenging, but also very satisfying when finished! I am doing one now that is the most difficult portrait that I have ever attempted. I hope to get it finished sometime in the next week.

Pretty cool! Will the red color fade?

Very impressive! I have a request to make a Telecaster. I recently made a couple of acoustic models that I want to make again with some minor changes.

Thanks. I seem to be a masochist sometimes. I shrunk the pattern so as I could cut it on the Cherry I had around. It would’ve been a bit easier to cut from Baltic Birch.

Charlie had kind of closed up his pattern shop for a while, but has a new sight open now. https://woodenvisions.com

....so I decided to scroll Merle out of a 1/4” piece of cherry I had around. It was really fragile to work with. A Charles Dearing pattern. It is also quite small,6”x 8.”

I don’t get on this blog very often, but it seems it wasn’t very along ago you were a struggling beginner. You have become incredibly proficient in a short time.You are already looking at many of us in your rear view mirror! BTW, I know little about the proximity of places in the UK, but if you have by chance an opportunity to come across Fiona Kingdon and her work, I would encourage you to take the time to do so. She’s my scrollsaw superhero!

Fantastic cutting! You knock out some great stuff!

Thank you, everyone. Many of you are always so encouraging, and I really appreciate it. Though making these projects from other people’s patterns is often challenging, I am trying hard to teach myself to use the Gimp program to start doing more original designs. Honestly, I think that is harder than cutting Alex Fox, or Mike Williams type patterns. My goal is to become more proficient at it this winter.

Thanks for the compliment. I did go through more blades on this than I have on any other portrait type project. The blades had to be ultra sharp to avoid blowout, plus I was stack cutting two of them. I used mostly Pegas MG #3’s, a couple of #1’s, and also used a couple each of Pegas Spiral #2’s and 3’s.Spirals are fast, but I am not crazy about working with them for everything. I’m not in a hurry and I have a hard time with them. I think that I now use Pegas #3 MGs for well over 90% of what I do.

You can find this, and many other patterns by Mike Williams here:https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeWilliamsDesigns

I haven’t posted in a while, though I still try to scroll something every day. The kittens pattern was from Mike Williams and if I remember correctly the clown/hobo was an Alex Fox pattern that I have had around for some time. Both are cut from 1/4” Baltic Birch and mounted on pine 1x12’s cut to size. I painted the backer red on the hobo and stained the cat’s backer in True Black. The kittens were harder than they need to be because I made it considerably smaller than it was recommended. Hope you all like them. BTW, I stack cut both portraits and ended up with two of each one.

Cool beans, Kevin!

It reminds of a Fiona Kingdon piece.

WOW! Just wow!

Meh... I’m a Caps and a Nats fan. But you did do some nice work.