Iguanadon

First of all, spiral blades are evil. Pure evil. :-) OK, not quite, but they are a challenge to cut with and there are several factors that could be involved with blades breaking... could be too small/fine of a blade, could be the clamps, could be the type of saw, etc, etc. Without knowing all the factors, if you don't have a problem with "regular" blades snapping, it's likely the blades that you were using. But again, that's only a guess with limited information.

Or, if you like the one on your DeWalt, rig something up so that it can mount in the hole on the Hegner.

Congrats Jim. As far as a light, keep in mind you can build a stand for one you already have or get a gooseneck lamp and mount it to something nearby, it doesn't necessarily need to mount to the saw. I look forward to hearing about the saw once you start cutting with it.

Funny, I had a custom order last week for the name PEYTON in a unicorn. After I cut it, I sent a picture of it to a neighbor friend asking if her daughter Peyton was into unicorns and if so, would she want one... so I got to make a 2nd one to deliver this week.

And folks watch movies at times on their phones.

Hey Ed, I can't remember what wood Duke uses, but I cut mine from poplar. I like the color variations from one board to the next.

Nicely done Duke. I color them the exact same way. It's a very popular item for me.

I made a giant bowl of popcorn and just sat back to read everything as this thread went wildly off track. LOL That's ok, it keeps things interesting. The last of the family members just left after the holiday visit, now I can do some cutting for the first time in 2 days. To answer your question, 3 solid days of cutting plus a 1/2 day making some last minute orders and the saw is working perfectly. I'll report back if anything changes, otherwise assume that I'm using the Hawk full time now.

JT, I greatly appreciate you sharing your thoughts, just as I do everyone else here on the forum. One thing, and I've stated this several times. I do not count on the money I make from my puzzles for income. I purposely don't talk about any of this in "money" form as I think that's just rude or sounds like bragging, but the $20,000 I made in 2017 from scrolling is purely spending money for me. It's spent on fun stuff, things my wife and I want to do around the house, etc. My full time job pays me many times that amount per year and I appreciate every dollar I earn whether it's from my job, my "hobby" or my new tourist map business I'm starting up. I share my experiences so that others can see what I make, the fact that I am able to sell them and if others want to follow suit, so be it. If people don't like my posts or comments, by all means, skip over anything you see with my name on it. But I personally know of half a dozen scrollers who sell these puzzles, some longer than I have, and others who have started since seeing my work and hearing about my experience and they're enjoying it just as much as I am. I'll admit, I have a sweet little thing going. My wife and I moved to the beach 3 years ago after decades of hard work and we both still work full time and I have found something that I feel passionate about, scrolling animal puzzles. I enjoy every single moment I'm cutting as well as going to all of the events that I sell them at. And yes, I enjoy coming home with a pocket full of money. But I don't feel pressured or driven to make and sell them. If I have to miss an event due to weather or other commitments, so be it. Everyone scrolls for a reason... they enjoy it. Some enjoy it for different reasons than others. Same as with any other hobby. I'll keep sharing, and those that are interested will keep reading. And by all means, continue to chime in. Don't misunderstand any of this as me being upset. I don't get upset about things. I'm too easy going and I actually enjoy deeper discussions. I just wanted to be sure to make it very clear. I don't force myself to make 5 puzzles a day. I enjoy those 2 hours I spend hearing the hum of the saw and seeing the end product laying on my drying rack. Merry Christmas to all and everyone cheer me on to hit 1600 sales in 2018. ;-) Iggy

Thanks JT, I've been having fun every minute of the 17 months I've been making these puzzles. I wish I could accept your 2000 challenge, but 1600 is probably my limit on a part time basis. And the nice thing is I have a fresh batch of customers every week for 6 months out of the year with tourists coming to town so I'm OK for a while before I saturate the market and I'll hopefully be dead by then.

I should have stated, I don't use the magnifier. I have perfect up-close eyesight and don't need any zoom or anything when cutting my particular puzzles.

The light was part of a package available when I bought the saw. Leg extenders for the back legs and light. I've been thinking of having a couple of windows installed in my garage. There are none right now and during the summer it gets crazy hot in there. The garage doors open help, but without air being able to pass thru it just boils.

Screw it... 7 day test is being cut short to just 3 days... Cuz I'm very happy with the Hawk. 15 puzzles cut over a 3 day period without a single issue, snapped blade or hiccup. I just moved it into my cutting area and moved the DeWalt out to sit next to my backup. I will use the Hawk all winter as I stockpile for next year. Just to irritate JT I'm setting a goal of 420 puzzles over the next 14 weeks. 30 a week, 5 a day with one day a week allowed in which I say "Nope, I don't feel like cutting today." ;-) My first event is March 30-31, 2 days, major event, with an expectation of selling 125 puzzles. I haven't done this event before. Then I have 1 month to replenish for my next show April 28. 1 day event, sold 96 that day last year.

Randy, I really do want the Hawk to work out for me, I'd love to get used to it and have a saw that won't wear out within a year. However, if I simply don't like it after giving it a real chance, I'll go back to the DeWalt and if I wear one out every year, so be it. The cost of a new one is less than the sale of 20 puzzles, a very small price to pay as a cost of doing business.

Hey Brian, interesting that you feel that the Hawk cuts more aggressively. My son lives in Winston-Salem, next time we go up to visit I may contact you to see if I can swing by and check out your Hawk. I may do a drug test on it also as it must be on steroids. ;-)

It is fun to read the comments and viewpoints, keep 'em coming. But folks, keep in mind, I'm 53 years old, I know my limitations, while at the same time I know what I enjoy and what excites me. I mentioned earlier everything I have going on, yet I get 7 1/2 hours of sleep every single night and I spend the evenings with my wife. I don't let any "work" or "hobby" take away from my family time or my sleep. I'm enjoying the fact that my "hobby" makes more money than someone working full time at a minimum wage job. I'm enjoying the fact that if I really wanted to, I could make a modest living cutting puzzles full time and selling them 2 days or 3 days a week at various events. I'm in sales at my full time job and at any given time I could be pushed out the door even though I've been with my company almost 12 years, that means nothing anymore. So, basically, right now, I have 2 contingency plans... puzzles and maps. I've grown accustomed to working from home, not having to travel and if I have to, I'll make the puzzles and map businesses work so that I can continue to support my family without having to dedicate myself to an employer that has no dedication to me. I make a lot more money than most at my day job and I don't want to walk away from it, but if pushed out, I want to have options. And right now, I have those and feel good about it and am enjoying myself every minute. PS - 1600 is all I'll be able to handle as long as I'm doing this part time.

Hey Rocky, for me it wasn't a matter of needing more clamping pressure, I just didn't like the small winged knob, it's never at the right angle to grab and turn and was a minor nuisance. Round knob just easier to use as it's consistent.

Hey Brian, I haven't actually slowed the DeWalt speed down, I just slowed the Iggy Speed down, as in not pushing as hard and forcing. Figuring it was my aggressive cutting style that was adding wear and tear on the saw so I've been "easing up" a little. I'm still having to adjust to the less aggressive cutting of the Hawk though... "Slow down Iggy... quit pushing... that's it... there ya go..." LOL As far as having goals of cutting per day and sales per year, yep, that's just how I'm wired. I have a full time day job, I have this side job/hobby and I've also recently started up a new map/advertising business... I've never had this much going on at once and right now I wish I was 30 years younger, but I'm enjoying every bit of it and the goal is to get the map business off the ground and be able to quit the day job in 2-3 years with the ability to keep making and selling puzzles until I drop. The map thing is starting out here in my home town and if it goes as well as I expect it to, and cutting my teeth locally, I'll expand to 4 or 5 other nearby beach towns. If I can get 6 of them going I'll be set. The first year is the toughest, getting the merchants to sign up for advertising. After that it's just renewals and filling in any holes as a handful drop off. And all the while I sell my puzzles 9 months out of the year, 1 day a week.

Tighter. Much better control, and that's likely due to the less aggressive nature of the cutting.

If it does cause a vibration or other issue, I certainly can. I haven't glued it on.

Good point, I hadn't thought of that. I haven't actually cut anything with the new knob on, but if I notice any new vibration I'll know what's up.

Just a minor annoyance... the little red "handle" on the blade clamp... so I just made myself an adapter/wheel.

And a couple of additional notes... The saw cuts very precisely and it turns on a dime making sharp turns a breeze. And I imagine it would do very well for those that do a lot of intricate, detailed cutting, fretwork, etc, especially in thinner material. Reminder, I cut 3/4" poplar, so keep that in mind as you read my comments and review.

Alright, so, not to bring up the entire Iggy saga involving the new Hawk saw that I ordered last summer, I'm ready to put the saw to a true, dedicated test and I plan on giving it a full 7 day workout. After initial problems with the saw during the summer and early fall, it is now functioning 100% perfect. Thanks to Hawk as well as to members here on the forum that helped enlighten me on some adjustments that took care of the issues I was having. Folks have asked why I didn't send the saw back like I said I was going to and there are actually 2 reasons. One is that I didn't have the box/crate any longer and that would have been a pain in the ass to take care of, but secondly, once I got the saw to where it was running right, I did not feel right sending it back to the manufacturer simply because I didn't like it too much after performing minimal testing. I didn't want the emotions of having dealt with an initially "faulty" saw blindly influence me without actually giving the saw a solid try. That's on me. Either I get used to it and decide to keep it, or I'll sell it to some lucky person that will get a great deal. Day 1 Test - I've cut 5 puzzles today and I'm pleased to announce that I did not have a single issue even after not using the saw at all the past 3 months. It cut smooth, it cut straight, I didn't snap any blades, the puzzle pieces slid in and out from both sides beautifully. I'm using Pegas Modified Geometry blades as they are stronger and they cut a bit more aggressively than other blades. I'm using a #5 blade as they are a bit thinner than most other blades and are close to my usual Olson Mach Speed #3 blades I typically use with my DeWalt. One thing I knew when I bought the saw and learned early on is that the Hawk does cut "slower", it's not nearly as aggressive as the DeWalt and is one major thing I had to mentally prepare for. I've actually slowed down recently on my DeWalt so as not to put so much pressure on the machine as I wear them out on average every 9 months. I wanted to see if I could alter my cutting style a little and get a little more life out of the DeWalt's. So, the transition to the Hawk today wasn't that bad. I did worry that slower cutting would be an issue in that I cut a lot of puzzles... having sold over 1,000 in 2017 and have a goal of selling 1,600 in 2018, every minute counts. Literally. So, I timed myself today while cutting a Sea Turtle puzzle and it took me 19 minutes as compared to 17 minutes with the DeWalt. I'm OK with that. If the difference had been 5 or 6 or more minutes then I'd have serious concerns, but a minute or two extra isn't going to bother me. My daily goal during normal weeks is 5 puzzles a day, so an extra 10 minutes a day is no big deal. Even during 'crunch times' when I'm stockpiling for a major event and cutting 10 a day, an extra 20 minutes a day won't kill me. So, bottom line is that after Day 1 of testing, I'm happy. I want to give this a full 7 days of testing before making a final decision. With the holiday weekend coming up, my 7 day test period may actually span 9 or 10 calendar days, but I'll keep everyone posted. Iggy

For those discussing video playback speed, keep in mind that you can click on the gear in the lower right corner and speed it up to 2x (double speed). And if you don't like videos that have been sped up, you can also slow it down with that gear setting as well.