Paladin

I do compound cutting quite often on mine. Have cut 1.5" material with no problem. Haven't had the need to go any thicker than that yet, but there looks to be a little more room under the upper clamp when I'm cutting at 1.5"

I've owned a Jet for almost a year now and am very happy with it. It is bottom-feed only, so if you are looking to top-feed look elsewhere. I love the blade clamp and being able to have multiple blades loaded and able to change out is a couple seconds is really nice. I have found myself using a wider variety of blades even on a single project just because one blade type might cut certain cuts better than others. Where I used to use pretty much the same blade throughout a project and make-do, now I can switch back and forth quickly and use the best blade choice for different cuts. Steve

Greyhound is the one I have trouble with - the letters at the front end up being so small. I guess it doesn't help that we adopted a greyhound and I ended up cutting a bunch of them for the adoption organization Steve

For anything that I make with a painted backer, I use spray paint. Matte or satin - never gloss. I will spray poly on the front of the cut piece, and leave the back bare. I've used aileens tacky glue for many years now to the stick the cutout piece to the painted back and have never had one come off. Steve

If you are setting up at a show, make sure to have a sign stating that you accept credit cards. Steve

I too have cut thicker stock (at least 1.5") on my Jet without issue. Not sure what was going on with the saw that Bob was reviewing for the magazine. Steve

As for rounding over the edges on the thicker puzzles, I use a mop sander. I can't remember which grit I have, but I think it is either 180 or 220. Steve

To cut down on the burn, try a large-size FD Polar blade. They will stay cooler. You can change a blade mid-cut, it helps to be on a straight spot, but the new blade will slip into the cut line left by the old one. I had to do this a few times while cutting bloodwood last year. Steve

I too prefer the FD Polar blades for compound cutting thicker woods. For aspen I would think a #5 should be plenty. One thing I have started doing and you might want to try - whenever I am doing compound cuts, if there is a flat cut across the piece (like the bottom of a chess piece) I don't cut that on the first cut. Just treat the first cut like an inside cut and drill an entry hole to start. Maybe starting just below the bottom of the piece on one side, and finish the cut just past the bottom on the other side - don't make the bottom cut. This means the first cut is not completely cut out of the blank and has no chance of moving around while doing the second side cut. Again, drill an entry hole for the second side cut and do it the same way. Then, go back the the outside of the blank and just cut across the bottom, releasing the piece from the blank. Even when wrapping in tape and other methods, towards the end of the second cut, there is always a little room for the piece to move around if the first cut was completed and making the second cut a little inconsistent. Hope this makes sense, it is hard to explain, but it has helped me in my compound cutting is the past. Steve

I would be all over that if it was close to me...my wife would probably kick me out though. Steve

That's great news Iggy. This is a win for everybody. I get orders all the time about specific breeds, and I always have to tell my customers that it will take 2-3 weeks to get one done if I don't have the pattern. Getting them right away from you will be a big help, and saving money on those shipping costs will be awesome too. I contacted someone years ago that I think is related to Harvey (maybe his son?) and he offered to send me patterns directly, but I lost the contact info before I could take him up on the offer and he going to have to snail mail them, so it wasn't a huge improvement over WT, but I always try to order directly from the pattern designers whenever possible knowing that the big pattern houses don't pass on a big percentage of sales. Steve

I have used alcohol-based leather dye a few times with good results. It gives a very deep black, but the grain remains visible. Steve

John, I've heard of this technique before. What kind of proportion do you mix it in? I was thinking of trying a packet of powder in a large mason jar of alcohol? Steve

I've also found that when putting the lower blade assembly into the clamp, it is a lot easier to have the blade parallel with the table and slide the clamp in from the side than to push it in from the front. I'm sure the springs will loosen up a little with use, but mine are really tight, making it harder to push the clamp in straight from the front. Steve

Like Rolf said, it is nice to be able to have blades preloaded. I recently did a project where I needed both flat and spiral blades for different parts and it was great to be able to have both loaded up and switch back and forth quickly. Steve

I'm not sure about the problem you are having with the bottom clamp. Are you taking the bottom clamp out each time? I've been using my jet for about 5 months now and haven't had any issues. What is it about the bottom clamp that is giving you troubles? Maybe I can help. Steve

I would give the FD polar blades a try. I use them to do some compound cutting in thicker hardwoods and they stay much cooler and don't burn the wood. At least a #5 or possibly a #7. Steve

I have cut that same snowman snowflake pattern a couple times. Wait until you get to the dang wreath!!

I've cut some of the script patterns from Sheila and Keith and have never needed anything smaller than a #3. I usually use the FD-PSR#3 for stuff like that. Also a tip that I learned while cutting these patterns - when you have a curve to cut in a really thin area, always cut the inside of the curve first, Then when you go back and cut the outside, you will have an easier time keeping the blade on the line and in the cut. If you cut the outside first, when you go back to cut the inside, the blade will want to slip out into the already cut section. Hope this makes sense, I started doing this after the first couple of these type of patterns I cut and it has made it a lot easier with much better results. Steve

I've used square for years and have had no problems with them at all. The small percentage that I pay them is far outweighed by the extra sales that I get by being able to accept credit cards. This year I got their chip card reader as well. It cost $50, but they wave your fees for a certain amount of time up to 50, so it doesn't end up costing that much. I like the reports they send as well, and the money is automatically transferred within a day or so.

I've had one for about 4 months now, and have not regretted my choice once. If has a lot of the same mechanics as the ex, but with the different blade change mechanism. It is strictly a bottom-feed saw. It comes with 3 of the bottom blade holders which is nice if you want to load up multiple types or sizes of blades.

The Jet is very similar to the ex. The main difference is the clamping mechanism. It works great for me, but does not allow for top feeding if that is what you are used to. Steve

These are two new bowls that I've made. They are the first ones I've done and I am wondering what you guys think is a good price for them at a craft show? Since I haven't done these before, I have no idea where to price them. The smaller one is cut from 3/8" maple and is 3 1/2" high and 8 1/2" in diameter. The larger one is cut from 1/2" purpleheart and is 4 3/4" high and 10 1/2" in diameter. Thanks for any help, Steve

My go-to blade has been the FD-PSR #3 for many years now. They cut very smoothly and stay relatively cool.

I have heard this from others a few times. When i need to make a lot of copies, I usually go to Office Max and use the self-serve copier. If I just need a couple copies, I bought myself a large-format HP printer that has a copy bed that will handle 11x17 so I can make copies at home if needed. Steve