Iguanadon

By the way, two day event coming up this weekend. I did their spring version back in April, sold 43 the first day, 13 the second day. I'll be happy to break 60 this weekend.

99% of the time I'm able to pull right up to my spot either in my golf cart or in my car, so I never have to actually haul them, it's just a matter of lifting into and out of whatever vehicle I'm in. I won't get anything bigger, I'll split into 2 smaller ones if it ever comes to that.

As my herd of animals keeps growing that I display at shows, I had run out of room in the grey tote bin I'd been using to haul them to events. I was having to eliminate some animals that weren't big sellers and I hated doing that so I bought a shiny new blue bin today that will hold about 30-50% more... but then I may not be able to lift it. LOL In the old tote bin, I was using cardboard as dividers to lay the puzzles on but I didn't have any boxes laying around to make new ones, so I bought an 8'x4' piece of material, it's like pegboard but without the holes, and I cut it into pieces the right size for the bin. I need to get some more. I was able to make 9 dividers and need 3 or 4 more. But seriously, I do have to be careful not to make it so heavy I can't lift it.

Any SSV members near Norfolk VA willing to do me a favor? Message me please. Thanks!

Very good thought. I do stash some things in there already and I "think" that when there are puzzles on the stand, you can't see through, but I won't swear to that and I'll be sure to check this weekend at my upcoming event. I certainly don't want people seeing "junk" in there.

I wish you were closer too Rolf... I really, truly want to like this saw and would love to have someone familiar with them to actually be able to check it out. Irma was just a breezy and rainy event for us last night and this morning and now she is gone. Jose may stir up our surf in a few days but isn't expected to make landfall on the east coast. So, we'll just wait for the next storm, and the one after that, and the one after that... ;-)

Half a step ahead of ya my friend. I tried the cushioning and no luck. Legs are definitely solid on the level concrete floor. And yeah, there is still some sideways motion in the blade. I'm still using the saw for the time being.... hoping...

Holy cow, that's impressive.

Too funny... the first video I made exactly 1 month ago, the overview of my entire process, which I made for maybe 5 or 10 of you here at SSV to see has now been viewed over 2,400 times. But I'm thrilled... I've sold over 250 of Harvey's patterns for him in the past 4 weeks.

You're very welcome Roberta. I know I've tried several things, trial and error, and my way of doing things may not be the best or the way some people prefer to do them, but at least these little tidbits get you thinking about stuff.

Hi Rolf, I've found the "sweet spot" speed that causes the least amount of vibration and the least amount of sideways movement/vibration in the blade but it's still bad enough to frustrate me and cause the piece I'm cutting to move/vibrate making following the line a bit difficult as it looks "blurry". I've tried really hard to adapt to it and try to get used to it, but I honestly shouldn't have to "settle" and accept these things.

Best of luck. I'm starting to get a little frustrated with mine. You happen to live where my son does... hopefully when I'm in the area I can come by and see one that works smooth. :-)

Ok, you convinced me... here's a photo of myself. I'm the one who looks like he's heading to a barbershop quartet audition.

Thanks Paul, I was talking with one of my new "groupies" on the phone last night (Steve Good has made me slightly famous) and I was telling him again how much I truly enjoy the entire process of making the puzzles and selling them. I'm actually a bit of an introvert in that I prefer quiet times to being out with groups of people, partying, etc, but I truly love setting up my booth at every event and interacting with everyone that stops by as well as with the other vendors. It's enjoyable to be around people that are out to have a nice time and I love the looks on peoples faces when they see my puzzles and the ooh's and aah's as they tell me how much they like them. If only I could get a $1 for every ooh and aah, I'd definitely be rich. ;-) Thank you for the kind words about the videos, I'm kind of proud of the fact that I make the video clips in a single try without having to re-do any of them. I just pretend I'm talking to someone standing next to me. I stutter and screw up a word now and again, but hey, everyone does so I don't let it bother me. I'm also very happy that Harvey's patterns are enjoying a resurgence. I just mailed him a check to cover the 96 patterns I'd sold the previous week and a half. He called and was amazed. I'm outselling Wooden Teddy Bear right now. I received an order for 25 patterns last night and another order for 26 today... he's going to be happy again in a few days when I send him another check. Maybe I'll show myself in a video soon...

To be fair to myself... I walked to the farmers market the Saturday before that, showed pictures of the puzzles to the guy who oversees it and he said "Nice. Be here next Saturday." I didn't own a tent, I didn't own a table, other than that square card table the kids puzzles are on, I didn't own a banner. Ordered and received all 3 in time for my inaugural week that you see in that picture. LOL

Steal away, I'll even help you sneak out the door with 'em... here is an overview of how I built them. Puzzle Display Stands by Scott.pdf

Here's a good chuckle... My "booth" the first week I ever set up anywhere, 6/11/16...

Irma became a non-event for us a couple of days ago. Poor Florida is getting 100% of her mess. Our turn will come soon enough.

As my mother used to tell me "There are no stupid questions, only stupid people asking questions." And people wonder why I'm a sarcastic ass... I came by it naturally. :-) As a follow up and as an example, I've found that I love the Olson Precision Ground Tooth, but the smallest size they offer is a #5 so I went with the Mach Speed for the #3 that I prefer to use. I love Crown Tooth because they leave a very smooth and clean edge, but they cut slower, so I stopped using those... You'll find your favorite brand and type.

Hot off the internet presses... a new video I filmed today at my farmers market showing my setup in more detail. I'll send it to Steve Good as well and see if he thinks it's worthy of showing on his site.

Nicely cut Duke. I actually sold 2 horses today. A rare event selling just 1.

Hey Ray, Yep, it's pretty much, try 'em and see how you like 'em. There are some little charts like this one http://www2.woodcraft.com/PDF/Olson-scrollblade-chart.pdf but I use a #3 blade for all of my puzzles cut from 3/4" poplar and you won't see that as a recommended blade anywhere. Use whatever feels right for you allowing you to cut the detail the way you want, that doesn't burn the wood and that doesn't snap or break often. I have several different blades, all sizes, different makers that I've tried over the past 2 years. You'll find the ones you like best, that cut the cleanest, the smoothest, etc and you'll stick with them. Olson -vs- Flying Dutchman is like Ford -vs- Chevy, folks have their favorite but they're all good. I'm happy to chime in and give you no help at all. :-)

Bwahahahahahaaaa!!!! PUZZLEMANIA WILL RULE THE WORLD!!!!!!

Hello Villagers, As I was cutting today I thought I'd provide a review of the Hawk BM26 after having used it for a couple of weeks and having cut a couple dozen puzzles. To recap: The first saw I received had major issues. Bushton Manufacturing (BM) arranged to ship me a replacement and had the first one picked up. Unfortunately the 2nd one wasn't a whole lot better and after providing videos and information and speaking with Nilus, the designer of the saw he narrowed the issue down to the lower arm. He manufactured a new batch and shipped one to me and I replaced it. The saw runs a lot better now. There is still some sideways blade vibration/movement at certain speeds, but I can usually find a sweetspot speed that minimizes that. But... there is still some vibration. I'm trying to make minor adjustments to get rid of it and it's improved, but it's still there and I'm trying to look past it and just get used to it. But it isn't easy as it makes my work "dance" around a little bit and makes my eyes go blurry after a while. I really want to get this resolved because otherwise, I LOVE THE SAW. As I knew would be the case, it does cut slower than what I was used to with my DeWalts and quite frankly I like it. I find I'm enjoying the actual cutting process a little more and the responsiveness of the saw and the amazing ability to cut tight angles and corners really shows in the final product. I can make detail cuts so much more precisely with this saw, it's fantastic. Replacing blades and bottom feeding are already second nature for me, I have no issue at all with either tasks. If I can get the vibration issue tweaked just a little bit more I'll rave about the Hawk. Keeping in mind that the primary reason I shopped around for a new saw and narrowed down to the Hegner or the Hawk is durability. I wore out 2 brand new DeWalt's in under 2 years. Maybe I'm a little too aggressive or rough with them, I don't know, but I wanted something that would last me 5, 10 or more years with minimal maintenance/repair. It's obviously too soon to tell and if I decide to keep using the saw, I'll report back in 5 years. ;-) For Hawk owners and lovers out there, I'd love to hear from you with any ideas or suggestions about the vibration. I've done everything I can think of including loosening the main bolts holding the arm assembly, allowing it to settle to a natural location and re-tightening. I've checked and double checked every bolt, nut, allen screw on the saw in case it was something silly that wasn't tight. Let me know of other things to check and/or try. I'm very well stocked for the rest of the year and will only need to cut my most popular items over the next 3 months as they sell so I'm going to enjoy taking my time and not feeling like I have to cut 50 puzzles a week as I was doing the past 3 months. Catch ya later, Iggy

Yes, I wouldn't dare cut anybody else's patterns. ;-)