Iguanadon

Just ordered one. Thanks for the tip.

A star is born!

Iggy’s Christmas Social Experiment with the family A few years ago I started the tradition of buying $1 scratch off lottery tickets as stocking stuffers, putting 10 in each stocking for everyone. It’s fun to watch everyone sitting around Christmas morning scratching tickets hoping for a winner. Today, I decided to do something a little different… I bought $1, $2, $5 and $10 scratch off tickets and bundled them together in $10 increments and I’m going to let everyone choose what they want… Ten $1 tickets, Five $2 tix, Two $5 tix or a single $10 ticket… I’ll be curious to see what folks choose. 10 chances to win smaller amounts, or a single chance to win big? Or somewhere in between… Grand-iglet and I will go last, taking whatever is left. Which would you choose? :-)

I had screwed up by not keeping the box/crate it came in and I didn't get around to looking into finding a service or a way to get it packaged and sent back. I still plan on giving the saw a thorough test now that selling season is over and I'm not pressed to produce 35-50 puzzles a week, although that's about how many I want to make each week over the next 3 months. I'll see how it goes.

I'd like that Scott. I'd very much like to check out the EX and Hegner. We'll try to set something up during January if we can work it out.

That's the thing with the Hawk, it seems to snap blades and I absolutely HATE when that happens, it just ruins the enjoyment I get from cutting. And same for me with the DeWalt, I get about 9 months out of each one.

The Hawk is sitting patiently in my garage waiting for me to give it a serious test. Not sure when I'll do it though, but maybe soon. I'm just happy with my DeWalt's and not excited about working with the Hawk, but I really need to so I can decide whether to keep it or sell it. I haven't had an opportunity to try out an EX, that wasn't me.

I was contacted yesterday asking if it would be ok to mention me in an article... Turned out being a bit more than a mention... :-D https://portcitydaily.com/2017/12/12/unique-places-to-get-holiday-gifts-in-the-wilmington-area-biz/

I don't even have sand paper in my shop. :-) I am soooo lazy. LOL

As others have mentioned, with 3/4" thick wood, you need a thicker blade. I use #3 Olson Mach Speed, but many folks use a #5 blade. The thinner the blade, the more "flex" that occurs as you're making turns and that's what causes the issue you're having. Good luck, let us know how it goes. If you're still having issues, don't drive yourself crazy checking and double checking if your blade is perpendicular to the table, try tilting it slightly to one side, test again, and if that doesn't work, tilt it the other direction and then test again. Keep testing until you find the "sweet spot"

Ah, thanks for the reminder, I had meant to let everyone know that due to the rain in the morning, I needed the table I was going to use for the contest, so I didn't do it. I have everything set aside though to try it at one of my early events next year.

I heard the question so often from the very beginning that my main banner at the back of my tent has a picture of my saw and I take used blades with me to show everyone that asks.

All work up until now has been on Dewalt... I plan on giving the Hawk a full, complete run this winter. If I don't like it, someone will be able to buy it for a bargain price when I list it for sale on Craigslist.

"What kind of laser do you use?" "What kind of CNC machine do you use?" Constantly. LOL A short break, but I need to do some serious stockpiling. I'll work at a leisurely pace... 5 a day for the next 3 months. :-)

Final event of the year was today and the weather was absolutely horrible. Cold rain to start, then the rain ended as expected, but the cold lingered. It was miserable out there but still a decent crowd. In good weather I'd have sold 80-100 puzzles so I was happy selling 43 and it put me at 1,013 for the year. Now I have 3 1/2 months to stockpile for next year with a goal of selling 1700 based on the events I've selected to take part in during 2018. Pictures of today's setup.

Ha! I insist on getting 7 1/2 hours of sleep every night... Head up to bed at 10pm, watch a TV show off the DVR for 45 minutes, lights out, wake up at 6:15...my boring daily routine. :-)

I am the king of spreadsheets... or as my wife says... very neurotic. I track everything in my life. Excel is the greatest software ever written. LOL

Yep, the Dachshund people are downright CRAZY! LOL I never expected that breed to be #1 seller, let alone out sell every other breed by 4 times.

For those who are interested. With one event remaining, tomorrow, if it doesn't end up as a rain-out... here are my stats for 2017... 970 - Total puzzles sold at 27 events from April 1 thru November 30. 153 - Sold at best event (Cary Laze Daze) 11 - Sold at worst event (Dog show) 36 - Average sold per event 162 - Unique/Different breeds/animals sold Top 15 Sellers: 49 - Dachshunds 34 - Carolina Beach Sea Turtles 33 - Rescue dogs 28 - Pelicans 20 - Unicorns (only sold them the second half of the year) 16 - Swimming Mermaid 15 - Elephants 15 - Kure Beach Dolphins 13 - Sharks 12 - Pit Bulls 11 - Labradors 10 - Beagles 10 - Pugs 10 - Sitting Mermaids 10 - Huskys Total of top 15 = 286 which equates to 29% of total overall sales and since I live at the beach, the sea critters are obviously quite popular. Total "kids puzzles" = 250 which equates to 25% of total overall sales That means the remaining 46% were spread out among 151 other animals. I display approximate 130 different dog breeds and animals at each event. I really hope I can do my event tomorrow... I'd hate to miss out on a great show. Iggy

Thanks for sharing that experience Len. I'll definitely keep an eye on things and if it gets out of control I can easily shut it down.

You're more patient than I am. When mine updated Tuesday, after 2 hours of it just sitting there and spinning, I simply held the power switch until it turned off, then turned it back on and it continued updating and was done within 30 minutes.

If you're using large boards, the shelf liner is the way to go... I use 6' long boards. I simply roll it out, stick it to the wood, spray it with adhesive, lay the patterns on it and start cutting. If you're using small pieces of wood/board, I could understand maybe using blue painters tape although it still takes longer to apply one strip at a time. P.S. if you order it from Walmart, it's free shipping with a purchase of $35

3sq ft? Are you sure you read it right?

Brian, I use this and it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. I buy the 12" width to match the size boards I use. Peels off easily and no residue. And it's really cheap. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Duck-Brand-Peel-Stick-Clear-Laminate-Adhesive-Shelf-Liner-12-x-36/16224481

I can certainly see that happening and I won't be surprised if my little experiment is a 1 time thing. I'll have a separate table set up just for this and will let folks have fun with it. I'll report back. Assuming my event doesn't get rained out... Ugh, I hope not.