CharleyL

I would put a false bottom in the box and hide the battery under it. Possibly one of those flat watch batteries, like a CR2025 or smaller. I haven't looked, but by now they likely have holders for them so the battery can be replaced easily. A very small micro switch with a spring wire lever could be placed under this false bottom too, and a slot for the spring wire actuator could allow it to reach through this hole and sense the box lid to detect when it was open, and turn on the LED mounted in the lid. If you make the false bottom so it can be lifted, but held in place by close fit friction, you have a way to replace the battery when needed. For a 20 milliamp load, the wires can be very tiny, but need to be flexible at the box hinge, so need to be stranded. The latest LED designs are very bright, and the ones with a rounded head have a lens built into them to concentrate the light upward through this lens, perfect for the light in the lid use. The old filament bulbs radiated the light out through the sides. These tiny LEDs radiate most of the light out through the rounded top end. Charley

Jameco is a good source of these parts and one of the names that weren't coming to me. They sell a lot of import parts as well as USA made, so for a project like this the cheapest source will likely work fine for the parts that you will need. A tip about the LED - If the LED is designed for a rated voltage, the resistor needed for it to work at that voltage is already part of it, so an additional resistor won't be needed, but the battery must be chosen to supply that LED voltage. Again, the LED will only work when connected the correct way. It will not work if installed backwards. It's a Diode, so only passes electrical current in one direction. If it doesn't work, just swap the connections. Charley

Not exactly what you are looking for, but here is a Youtube link for adding an LED light to a ring box. His switch is rather crude though. There are better ways, a magnetically activated reed switch is one of them. I have been searching for a kit to do this, but haven't found one for sale yet. LED lights of this size generally require about 20 milliamps (0.020 amps) to operate, and they will only light when connected properly. If connected backwards, they will not light. The circuit layout is a loop as he shows. Some LEDs require less and some considerably more power, but with higher power requirements, the LED is going to be much bigger than what he is using. A resistor has to be selected of the correct value to limit this ampere flow depending on the voltage of the power source (battery) chosen and the voltage drop across the LED that is chosen (forward voltage drop). The LED Specifications will give you the needed information. Ohm's Law is used to determine the resistor value required based on the LED parameters and the voltage of the battery that is chosen. One of those coin shaped batteries in the 7 - 12 volt range should work well. Unfortunately, the resistor value needed cannot be chosen, until you pick the battery and the LED that is suitable for your need. Radio Shack used to be a good source for small quantities of these parts, but now you will need to go online and order them from an electronics supply house. Newark and Allied are the biggest in the USA, or from an Electronics (not electrical) Supply near you. Electrical Supply stores sell electricians house and industrial wiring and supplies. Electronics Supply Shops sell electronic parts - there is a big difference. These are "Electronic Parts". Mouser is another that I once bought from. Automation Direct in the Atlanta, GA area would probably have what you need too. I'll try to add a few more sources when I can remember them right now (old age setting in). Charley

I found, a long time ago that two lights, one on each side of the cutting area, removes the blade shadow and makes me far more accurate. Something to consider with your lighting, especially if you find yourself cutting a shadow line and not the pattern line. I haven't cut without two lights since then. One of my early posts on SSW covered my lighting information with pictures. I have replaced the lights with better, I think two times since. Charley

You can get the reading glasses at most drug stores, but when you want 3X and above they become difficult to find. I now use 4X that i buy from Amazon. 4.5-5X puts my nose too close to the cutting area, and makes me worry about flying chips and broken blades doing damage to me. I have used 3X and 3.5X for years when I need to read something. I had tried to find the otoscope glasses (if I remember the name correctly) like the surgeons wear, but the good ones are far out of my price range, and some that I found on Amazon and other sources proved to be too poorly made. These also had the eye spacing too close together. Maybe someone in China is built like this, but I am not. Charley

I've always had difficulty using the magnifying lenses for working my scroll saws. The variation in the lens as you leave the center field of view really messes with my vision and brain. I found that since my eyes are both in need of magnification at close to the same amount, the store bought eye glasses of higher magnification work far better for me. For scroll sawing, I now use 4X lens glasses from Amazon for scroll sawing. Larger puts my nose too close to the action and I fear damage when magnifying larger. Set your cell phone for video and hold it over your saw in about the desired place to see if it will make a good and fancy magnifying instrument for you. My quick attempts have been very positive. I had this idea, which I didn't implement yet, but it might be something for you to try. A no longer used cell phone on some kind of stand that will let you hold it over the saw and in front of you might work well for you. The optics in cell phones are far better than many of these "lens on stand arrangements" and some even allow you to change the magnification too. You may need additional light sources, but there is also the "flashlight" mode of the cell phone to consider, and you can make a video of your cutting process as you work too. Charley

Are you stack cutting? if your blade isn't perfectly vertical and tight, there will be differences between them. Not only insure that the blade is perfectly 90 deg to the table, but remains so through the entire stroke. When single cutting, it's nearly impossible to cut several pieces one at a time and get the same result every time. Charley

I usually just glue the pattern onto my wood pieces using one of the low tack adhesives or Stationery Store rubber cement, when doing 3D work, since the cut up pattern falls off with the scrap. For very complex work and for power carving I use Applique film. It is clear, but with a backing that gets peeled off leaving a sticky surface to apply it to the work. It is also a low tack adhesive, so can be peeled off after the cutting. This applique film can receive your pattern when run through a laser printer or Xerox type photo copier. It is available through most Stationery Stores, but you may need to order it through them. It would be good if you could buy just a few sheets at a time, but I bought a whole box. Amazon has other similar films for less money, but I have never tried any of them. i just found it on Amazon, but at a considerably higher price than I paid (but that was about 15 or more years ago), and you will need to buy a whole box of 100 this way. Look at other choices that are listed when you serch with this link. Maybe one of the others will do what you want at less cost. https://www.amazon.com/Chartpak-CHADAF8-Applique-Drafting-Clear/dp/B000DZ9WE2/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2E08S2IX51XI5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Tut9TcRVPicyE4YrQGwQ8cqwl1WFlp5gnKLQQJudLezsSI4YmZCLzKP3KpD9uVBsS6obEZsTtLJFg7V1X8f2FgU1Fs-Az3eAjLfA-1AeQxjH-JfZpsuE9he60rN4Wt2UEmjb3W4sYBczK8SBv27PmdArrZQzBH5oLy6NAIC16VA4zhfvJ11NJWtVdpeZODeYAFfdpAmXAmuKnLo7cn_D7euvA3zXMkhkHDoLmuzmQSmiExKyUJsBVJJQY3-a5D-JHXtdv4TaPuQIMCuxZ1kjqOby9jJGseER0GH8QL3Y_6I.qf_6boTWrT6HtknTYs1mUcogpfcOO4mwMTYU8sxtOcg&dib_tag=se&keywords=clear+applique+film&qid=1763486697&sprefix=clear+applique+film%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-2 I like these sheets because I can remove and re-apply them several times before the sticky backing fails too much for them to stay in place. I also place many smaller patterns on each sheet to get maximum use of the sheet. I then cut them apart and place them on my workpiece, sometimes removing and reapplying them several times to get the positioning perfect. I keep a file of the unused patterns on the sheet, so I can go back to the file for more without the need to print another sheet of them. I keep a file for each pattern, with the sheet that I made the applique from, so I can go back and make an additional overlay sheet if I discover that I need more copies of the small patterns. I usually do this applique thing when power carving, but sometimes I have cut the piece out and then power carved the facing surface. The same pattern then gets left on and used for the carving. Attached is a photo of a scroll sawn project where I cut it out on my scroll saw, and then power carved the surface of the vines and leaves, giving it some 3D shape, that adds dimension to it with the carver. The carver that I use runs by low pressure air, turns at 400,000 rpm. and it's actually a straight version of a Dentist Drill. I get many of my 1/8" shank bits from my dentist, as they use a new bit for each patient visit, and they are far from dull when I get them. He sterilizes them and then just puts them in a small plastic bag to save them for me. I then get to sort them for my use. I would list the source of the carver, but they are no longer in business. There are others available, but I have no experience with them. Charley

It's easy to have errors when building picture frames using mitered joints. The tiniest error can add up and result in one corner joint looking really bad. My dad taught me a trick to pass a saw cut through the offending joint, thereby removing the excess of both pieces to make them fit together better. He used a picture frame clamp, two clamps on a 90 deg base to hold both sides of the frame tightly together while doing this. When you cut pieces to make a picture frame, always be certain that the opposite side pieces (top and bottom, left and right) are exactly the same length after cutting. Length is just as important as the cut angles are. Do your absolute best at cutting all corners at 45 deg, and then make them perfect during assembly by clearing the error out with a saw. When you do this, the two pieces will then fit together, even if they aren't perfectly 45 deg. I now use a special gauge on my Delta Unisaw, to set the Delta miter gauge at exactly 45 deg, or any other angle needed for cutting segmented circles. It's called MiterSet. With it I can get perfect angle cuts, so if I have an error at assembly, it's usually because the length of one or more pieces is a bit wrong. The MiterSet gauges are incredibly accurate and built with the quality of Aerospace hardware. When I last checked they were still available on Amazon. There are two versions. One is for making angle cuts on segmented circles, like picture frames, etc. The other is for making any angle cut needed in 1/2 degree increments. For square, rectangular, or up to 8 sided picture frames don't buy this second gauge. They both require a 3/4 X 3/8" miter slot and are for setting your existing miter gauge to the angle needed. You don't use these for the actual cutting process. You use your existing miter gauge, but set to the exact angle needed by these gauges. It's quite a pleasure to cut the segments needed for making an 8 sided circle and seeing all of the joints fit together perfectly on first try. Charley

I made 3D reindeer for almost 20 years and gave them away during the Christmas Season for every one of those years. I have never sold any of my projects as I don't want any part of running a business anymore either. Even my photography/videography is never done for money. It's for me and my extended family, or something that I just want to do. I haven't been in my shop (in a separate building) for the past two and a half years because I'm taking care of my invalid wife (broken back and pelvis) and handicapped son with MD (in electric wheelchair). My other serious hobby is photography, and I had built my own digital photo/video studio upstairs in my home 5 years ago, so that is where I go when I get the chance. From the studio I can still hear them when they need me, but I'm usually here so seldom, and for such short times that not much progress happens. I have a ER Paramedic grand daughter who is helping me a few hours a week while she is on maternity extended leave, but otherwise it's up to me to do everything. My cooking is improving, laundry acceptable, grocery shopping is also acceptable. My grand daughter usually cleans the house for me and, sometimes helps with the laundry, and makes lunch while here and helps with anything else in need including taking care of me. At 83, and with 8 heart surgeries, a pace maker, 2X cancer survivor, metal knees, and other metal and plastic all through me to keep me together and functioning, I'm not all that quick about getting things done anymore or moving heavy things. I consider myself to be Bionic, since BATTERIES ARE INCLUDED now. Yes, I need an extra electric shot every once in a while to keep me running at speed. These last 2 1/2 years have been quite an experience. Maybe some day I can make sawdust again and the shop is still there, but my time isn't. But I still try to check in here at least a few times a week, when I can though. Charley

You will fully appreciate the need for VERTICLE BLADES when you begin stack or 3D cutting. Charley

We all do this, but usually don't admit it publicly. I set up a saw for a student once, and wondered why he had not made any progress when I checked back. I had put the blade in backwards so no teeth in his cutting direction. Putting them in upside down is easy to do for me now when using the very fine blades, so I have learned to slide my finger along them to see which way the teeth point as they are being installed. "Old eyes" can't see the teeth of the finer blades unless with magnification any more. Charley

When using a hole saw, keeping the teeth of the hole saw blade cool keeps them sharp longer. With the repeating circular motion, there isn't any place for the saw dust to go and the teeth get filled with saw dust, then become more of a friction cut than a saw cut. This heating will rapidly dull the blade teeth of all blades, regardless of if they are on a hole saw or straight cutting blade, or even a scroll saw blade. If the blade teeth can't be kept clear and build up with saw dust, this will happen. Most straight cutting or scroll saw blade cutting dumps the saw dust as the teeth exit the wood at end of stroke. A hole saw doesn't have this capability and continues to fill the teeth with saw dust with no where to clear them. An air gun aimed at the cutting point and frequent backing out of the hole saw blade will allow the compressed air from the air nozzle will blow the teeth and the cut clear of saw dust every time the hole saw is backed out of the cut and keep the teeth cutting well and not dulling rapidly. Saw blades of any kind can't cut if the gullet between the teeth are plugged up with packed in saw dust. They become friction saws and the heat built up from continuing to try to use it will destroy the blade teeth. Charley

Look in your local Blue or Orange big box store, in the masonry area, for "Backer Rod" of the diameter that you need. It's a long round strip of foam plastic insulation in a poly bag that's used to fill expansion joints in masonry building walls, and it is available in many diameters. I cut these into strips of the length needed, glue a piece of the velvet to them to cover their surface (hot glue gun glue), and then hot glue them into the jewelry box side by side. The rings are then held in rows in the slots between these rods. Charley

It's a Beam (Electrolux Mfgr.) and I believe it's a 2 stage. For suction capability, when I first installed it I was using a plastic 5 gallon pail under the Dust Deputy, and collapsed it within the first minute of use. I had heard that the pickle buckets from Firehouse Subs were stronger, so I purchased some of them. They proved to be only slightly stronger, mostly because they have additional molded in ribs around the top 1/3 of each. I solved the collapsing bucket problem by stacking 3 of them together. This not only tripled the ribs, so the top bucket basically had ribs all the way to the bottom, but tripled the bucket wall thickness, and I had no trouble with the vac collapsing the buckets after that. A few months later my son brought me the metal barrel and I made a top for it out of 3/4 cabinet birch ply, two layers, with the bottom sized to just fit inside the barrel and the top layer 2" in diameter larger than the lower layer. I used a latex caulking compound as adhesive and to seal any voids in the edges of the ply. The bolts holding the Dust Deputy were 1/4-20 and also served to permanently hold the plywood layers together. The center hole in the plywood for the Dust Deputy was sized the same as the bottom hole of the Dust Deputy. I added a 1/2" thick by 1" closed cell foam Weatherstrip to the underside of the top layer of plywood, up against the smaller layer of plywood. It makes a good tight seal to the top rolled edge of the metal drum. Vacuum holds all this in place, so latches, etc. weren't needed. Charley

My scroll saw/ drill press/ sanding table vacuum is a repurposed whole house central vacuum with a centrifugal dust separator on a 20 gallon repurposed grease barrel, a true DIY system, since I repaired the broken vacuum, saving it from the dumpster. It needed a new motor and a control circuit transformer. This vacuum has frequently been run for 8-10 hour periods non stop. The unit is located in my shop's attic, so I added an indicator light on the shop ceiling to remind me that it's running, as it is very quiet. Only the noise of the air flowing into the hose end is easily heard. Dust removal from the 20 gallon barrel is usually done once per year and it has usually only been 1/2-3/4 full. The dust container on the bottom of the central vac has never had more than a trace of dust on it's inside, but I clean it when cleaning the 20 gallon barrel. The exhaust from this vacuum is vented outside my shop just under the roof soffit, so even the micro sized dust never makes it back into my shop. When I got the vacuum from the dumpster, most of the in-wall pipes and inlets, and the 25' hose and it's attachments were also in the dumpster with it (from a major home renovation) so I didn't need to buy much, other than the motor and transformer, to complete the installation in my shop. I even installed an inlet outdoors next to the passage door into my shop so I can take the hose outside, connect it to this inlet, and vacuum my cars and trucks with it. The motor and transformer were the biggest expense, but I have less that $200 in total cost for this vacuum system, not counting my time and donation of barrel to this project by my son. Charley

My dad showed me a way to get 90 deg corners in frames that nobody uses any more (not even me), but it does work when you absolutely can't manage to get perfect 45 deg cuts and are on a tight budget. There are 90 deg picture frame clamps available (You really only need one of these for the cutting, but having 4 is better). You do need the two side pieces of wood to be exactly the same length, as well as the top and bottom of the frame pieces. If they aren't identical, you will never have success. To use this method you make your cuts at as close to 45 deg as possible and then place the two pieces that will be joined together in each one of these clamps, as close together as you can get them. You then run a hand saw down the joint between the two pieces, trimming off the inaccurate cuts until they have the same blade kerf width gap between them the full length of the cut, and the two angles on the pieces are complementary to each other. This does not necessarily produce perfect 45 deg cuts, but the joint between these two pieces will make a true 90 degree frame corner that fits tightly together. This link is mostly intended to show what these clamps look like. There are plenty of other versions and sources (probably cheaper too). https://www.amazon.com/Corner-Degree-Woodworking-Framing-Drawers/dp/B0CSN5MGY5/ref=sr_1_15?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SN439hxZkv8dgqpHOtDv3nLQR-118pIqwDUonYka7W1jkCEifF30zLXRLb3zJRoH6RgvNbBFzxWLy6HLl8QqMZlEM-gEk3Pp-d8oUXPIU2hFtghvW_d9OdTFron1Nl_z3GzTVpgv80cYgETaeK9OXeaW5NefO46xCA7TWdQgiDY010PnvfiItcp1lH_y3Xbycdxd2eXdqkymwyeop7QmdtIPX81DzKT-FMKJfUSYwSbL3KN2eM1SlTjrBxENznUdzvOC1saBtis3w3sSETdTjRsBxIF1YIxuCNRkeH10wZI.qS0jC4x-SxIgosOqvsEE8x8aphxxwDIbvL4yKpPY90I&dib_tag=se&hvadid=580673590016&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1021166&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=4032859852090508229&hvtargid=kwd-939433024701&hydadcr=29042_14560085&keywords=90%2Bdegree%2Bwoodworking%2Bclamps&qid=1721323505&sr=8-15&th=1 Charley

I've had a Dewalt 735 for about 10 years. A word of caution - even though it has handles, it isn't portable at 95 lbs. unless two people (one on each side) are holding the handles. The built-in blower works great at removing the chips from the planer, but the first time that I ran it in my shop, the chips coming out of the planer hit the opposite wall at about the same height as the planer. A hose and collection method is an absolute must have. Since that first use, I bought the hose and barrel cover accessory that was being offered back then (discontinued), and I use the planer outside my shop in the driveway with the barrel cover attached to a 60 gallon plastic barrel. To make it easy to move the planer in and out of my small shop I bought a Delta Miter Saw / Planer stand (Dewalt now makes an improved version, the 736 model). The mounting holes in the planer base didn't match the rail spacing of the planer stand, so I made an adapter base from 3/4" cabinet Birch ply, and drilled holes in it for both the planer and the mounting rails of the stand and bolted the adapter to the stand and then bolted the planer to the adapter. This stand is easy to move with the planer attached, and stands on it's end like a hand truck with the planer still attached, in the corner of the shop when not needed. It wheels out of the shop easily like a hand truck and opens to working height with the help of built-in gas springs. The model of the DeWalt stand is 736. Inside in my small shop, this stand/planer combination only requires about 2 sq ft of floor space for storage. I keep the barrel upside down, outside and behind my shop until it need it. Don't try to use a shop vac as a chip collector for the 735. It is far from adequate and will plug the planer with chips in less than one pass. You need a 4" diameter hose to a big barrel as a minimum for chip collection. Black & Decker make a leaf vacuum with an accessory hose and barrel cover that looks identical to the original hose and barrel cover that was offered for the 735 planer. It may work without modification, if you want to try it. Here is a link for it https://www.homedepot.com/p/BLACK-DECKER-Leaf-Collection-System-Attachment-for-Corded-BLACK-DECKER-2-in-1-Leaf-Blower-Vacuums-BV-006L/202045620 Again, it looks to be a workable alternative and is nearly identical to the one that had been offered for the 735, but I haven't tried it. Charley

Wax free shellac is alcohol based, so it dries quickly. It's mostly used to lock the surface so a different kind of stain or finish can be applied without it being diluted or being affected otherwise by a finish already on the piece. For instance, a water based stain applied first, and now you want to apply an oil based stain over it. Applying the wax free shellac over the water based stain will prevent the oil based stain from being absorbed and mixing with the water based stain, if the wax free shellac is applied over the water based stain. It seals the surface preventing the two stains from mixing as the second is applied. Charley

Original Carousel Horses are all carved from Basswood and they are painted. Some have been stripped and re-painted many times to refresh their appearance. I have never been involved in this, so I can't offer any advice, except to suggest that you should do some research into how they do it. Charley

Whenever I am nesting patterns to minimize the amount of wood used, after the patterns are all in place and attached to the wood, I make my first cuts between the lines of each pattern or follow the edge line of one of the patterns, but then out the other edge of the wood. This separates each pattern piece so that I can go back and finish cutting each pattern one at a time on the smaller pieces of wood. Why are you trying to cut patterns while they are still all attached together? Am I missing something? Charley

Well done. Many here should be able to make good use of these tables. If the bearing manufacturers hadn't standardized bearings like this it would have been impossible to manufacture replacements for machinery unless a special new bearing that fit the need could be made to order. Standardization made it easier to stock spares and to design machinery, like our scroll saws that could use the ready made "off the shelf" spares. Standardization of screws, nuts, and bolts was a good thing too, for the same reason. In the early 1800's and before, blacksmiths hand made fasteners and other hardware for wagons, lifts, etc. and every one of these mechanical contraptions had their components made by the local blacksmith with no standardization at all, meaning that the only person that could make you the exact replacement that you needed was likely that one local blacksmith. What a fix we would be in today if standardization hadn't changed this. Charley

I'm glad you are at least trying my suggestion. When I need to move my camera outside the range of my 25' tether cable, I have an extension cable that I can use. With this additional 25' I can even work into the next room and still be connected to the PC. You should be able to get an extension for your oxygen hose and do the same thing. I like this arrangement, because there is very little to no cabling ever on the floor, unless the extension is in use. With it in use it does drag across the floor and I need to be careful to avoid tripping over it or tangling it up with something, but I only used the extension once in the past 2 years, so not a very serious problem in my situation. Charley

Not needing oxygen, yet. But I have my own complete photo studio. It's small by comparison to most, so I have had to come up with ways to make it safer. I had way too many trip hazards in there, with cables and tripod stand legs making trip hazards everywhere. So I built a ceiling grid to hang the lights with power running along the sides to the grid. Now, all power is within 5' of wherever I hang a light and all of the power cables and lights hang from the ceiling instead of being trip hazards on the floor. I'm thinking that hanging your Oxygen extension hose from the ceiling, centered over where you usually work in your shop might work for you in a similar way that I have set my photo studio up. For me, only one communication cable hangs from the ceiling with enough slack for me to move the camera around the usual half of the studio where I use the camera. From that point above it runs along the ceiling to where my computer is located and drops down along the wall to the computer table where the computer is located. In your case, this would be your oxygen system. My cable connects my cable to my computer so every time that I take a photo, the camera sends the photo to the computer within 2 seconds. Though the cable hangs low between the camera and the point on the ceiling, it stays off of the floor no matter where I use the camera. I think running your oxygen hose across the ceiling in this same way would keep you connected, yet free to move around in a 10' X 10' or so area without "hanging" yourself in the process. Make this hose a permanent installation in your shop and switch to it whenever working there. Have another shorter hose to use when carrying your oxygen tank around with you. Charley

Improving the lighting on your scroll saw to minimize the blade shadows will do wonders to improving your ability to follow the pattern lines with your scroll saw. When the blade shadows and the pattern lines are about the same shade of black it can be quite a problem for your eyes and reflexes to keep the blade following the pattern lines. I did this to my saw almost 20 years ago. In fact, one of my earliest posts on this website talked about this and the lights that I had installed on my saw. Doing this is a lot less expensive than buying a laser too. I still use an old HP Laserjet 4 printer for printing my patterns, because it produces very nice lines using a high temperature wax based ink like most photocopiers. I still prefer this over inkjet prints. Charley