Iguanadon

Yep, that things gets almost red hot doesn't it. I have it mostly running out the garage door which I keep open and I do have it wrapped in insulation from when I used to use it in a garden shed at my previous house.

I'd be thrilled if it was only 88 degrees in my garage. LOL Mine is reaching 93, 94 with 80% humidity. I just moved into this house 10 months ago, so this is my first summer and I am also trying to decide what to do, if anything. I have an area enclosed in plastic where I do all of my scroll cutting, intended for dust control, but it also is great for cooling a small area with a portable AC (bought at Home Depot). It's fabulous and I can cut in there for hours if I want to. The rest of the garage is still unbearable, so any work that needs to be done outside the plastic area is done first thing in the mornings.

The issue I'm having is the saw is very loud and vibrating a lot... I'm in communication with Hawk. I'm hoping that whatever is causing those issues helps with the blades, although I still think the blade issue is my fault and I just need to adjust my cutting to what the saw will allow me to do. I'll keep everyone posted.

Unfortunately I believe there may be issues with the saw... I don't want to start bad-mouthing it and it ends up being something simple, but I'll be holding off on cutting with it and any updates until I speak with them hopefully tomorrow.

Hey Hotshot, the video wasn't working for me, but your description made it clearer. I had adjusted mine to be more aggressive but set it back because I think it was causing me issues with puzzle pieces not sliding in from both directions. I used the line/marker to get back to where I think it was from the factory. See pic.

Sunday Update - So this morning I prepped 20 puzzles to replace what I sold yesterday. After mounting them to the wood and rough cutting them into sections of 2-3 puzzles I started cutting the outlines using the new Hawk. I figured I'd start with outlines, get used to the saw, etc. Anyone have any spare blades? I'm snapping them like crazy! LOL I know it's all my fault, making sure the blades are 90 degrees within the clamps, making sure the tension is appropriate and slowing down... slowing WAY down. I'm getting there... just having to adjust to things. I'll use my Dewalt to cut these 20 into puzzle pieces because I need to them done and oiled as soon as possible. We have friends coming to visit this afternoon for 2 nights so my cutting time will be reduced this week.

Happy to help, I sent you a message with my phone number so you can call me tomorrow and walk me through what you'd like me to check.

Awwww, sorry to hear that... I couldn't tell, but did you have any unpackaged, available to be touched and played with? Be sure to have at least one open. All of mine on display are available to be handled and it allows everyone to truly appreciate the full effect. I had some puzzles in a store 1 block from where I sell them at the farmers market and I think only 1 sold in a month. They had to all be wrapped so that they didn't get scattered around.

Is this what you're looking for?

Hi All, Several folks have expressed interest in the Hawk BM26 saw that I ordered, so I'll provide information as I move forward now that I'm in possession of it. The saw arrived yesterday afternoon and I suffered through the ridiculous heat in my garage and got it assembled and turned it on to be sure it worked. I also moved the accessory arm which holds the blower from the right side to the left side as it was on my Dewalt and that's what I'm used to. I did a couple of small test cuts but that was it for yesterday. I had my farmers market this morning and when I got home I decided to try starting to cut a puzzle and it went OK. It's definitely slower cutting than the Dewalt but that's ok. I did have some trouble with puzzle pieces not sliding in from both sides, but I just need to get the tilt of the table right. I played with the "nose stroke adjustment which is the forward pitch of the blade to make it more aggressive. I think this may have been part of the issue with the puzzle pieces not sliding in from both sides in my initial test. Which makes sense logically, especially for puzzles, the blade may need to be more vertical. Again, requires more testing and playing. Attached are some pictures that folks have asked for. (I still haven't moved it into my cutting area, it's out in the open in the garage for now) Blade insertion and replacement is definitely different from the Dewalt but it's nothing horrible, just a matter of getting used to it. The lower blade holder comes out, (as does the top blade holder if needed), and you can insert the blade and screw clamp it, then slide it back in and then clamp it at the top. You can bottom feed or top feed just about equally on the saw. I bottom feed so I won't have much to report pertaining to top feeding. Below are links to the Hawk website as well as the owners manual if anyone is curious. I'll report back as I get to continue playing and cutting with it over the next week. Let me know if any particular questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Hawk website: http://www.hawkwoodworkingtools.com/WebsitePages/The-Hawk-Scroll-Saw.html Hawk Owners Manual: (give it a minute to load) http://www.hawkwoodworkingtools.com/files/SawManuals/BM-SERIES_SAW_MANUAL_4.pdf Iggy

It's 95 in my garage right now but I wanted to try out the saw... I started cutting a puzzle and it definitely cuts slower than the Dewalt which is no big deal. A couple of the puzzle pieces didn't slide in from both sides so I'm adjusting the tilts/angle of the table a little until I find that perfect sweetspot. I lot of testing and playing still to come. Changing the blade isn't too horrible, I bottom fed to make a couple of inside cuts and it wasn't as awkward as I first thought. I'll definitely provide a full report after a week of cutting.

Market started out great, sold 8 in the first 45 minutes which had never happened, but then it slowed down and then the heat really hit... it was a scorcher. I sold 23, slightly below average, but a solid day and enjoyable as always. Weather forecast for next Saturday says a few degrees warmer than today... I'm thinking of skipping... but then I think about all the $$$ I come home with and it's hard to say no. LOL

Thanks for all the feedback and info. I just got home from my weekly farmers market and hope to play with the Hawk either this afternoon or tomorrow. I'll snap pictures and share for sure. And I'll provide my thoughts and review of it once I get some time on it. I don't want to make any snap judgments and say something is good or bad only to think the opposite after some time using it.

I'm gonna have to practice replacing blades on this thing... totally different. There must be a trick to it cuz it's not easy. Or I'm just slow. LOL

I'm literally soaked from head to toe, but it is assembled and it turns on (very important LOL) I'll test it later once I replace a couple gallons of fluids.

We have delivery! Santa just arrived in his big brown truck. First impressions... it's very red and it's VERY heavy. LOL And it's 95 degrees in my garage right now... not pleasant to be assembling a saw, but I'll keep working on it.

Now that I have you under my spell... Very nice work.

Oh crap, I better hop on Amazon and find a quick-ship windmill!!! It likely won't come until late in the day tomorrow, so I may not get a chance to set it up until Saturday after the farmers market...

Summer Santa is coming tomorrow! He arrives in a big brown truck wearing brown shorts and shirt and he's making a special delivery to Iggy because he's been a good boy... well, he hasn't been mean for a few hours... A brand new Hawk saw will be on his brown sleigh... Counting down the hours... Can't come soon enough, I'm down to my emergency back-up DW788... it sure is cutting smooth compared to the one I recently wore out.

Thanks Ralph. It's all trial and error with the coloring, and my latest learning experience... don't wipe the excess off after dipping in the coloring... I thought it would cause "bleeding" on the edges, but it turns out that it doesn't and it makes the coloring darker. Give it a try. Just dip, shake off any excess and set the pieces aside.

No offense. I gave her that price when she gave a very bland, generic description of what she wanted when we were on the phone. When she provided examples, they were more complex than she led me to believe. No worries, I'll let her know the timeframe is too tight anyway. Thanks everyone

Guys and Gals, I received a phone call out of the blue yesterday from a woman looking to have a sign made for her husbands tree house (man cave). I asked her to send me an email with some details and below is what she had to say along with pictures of random examples of maybe something that could be done. Here's the thing, she needs it quick, their anniversary is coming up on the 18th. When I spoke with her I told her something like that would likely run about $30-$35. Take a look at what she has to say and the samples and if anyone is interested in a little project the next couple of days, please let me know tonight so I can let her know one way or the other tomorrow. She lives in South Carolina just as an FYI. Thanks! ============ Thank you for speaking with me this afternoon about a sign I would like as a gift to my husband for his treehouse. His treehouse has a northwestern national park lodge type look to it. I have attached a few pictures of signs with that type look to them, for some sample typestyles. I know these signs have bears or deer, but don’t need a picture of an animal or anything like that. It needs to say Kirk’s TREE HOUSE The sign will be on the treehouse outdoors so it needs some kind of sealer on it to protect it from the weather. I’m thinking like 18’ wide, but it does not have to be exact. Here are the examples she included:

Funny, I was thinking about this a few days ago and was going to ask. I go clockwise and wondered if that was "normal" for right handed people. I'm very left hand oriented in many things and I tend to think clockwise cutting is a more left handed tendency, but wasn't sure.

I HAVE A TRACKING NUMBER!!!! UPS delivery scheduled for Friday... Yippee! Yahoo!! I probably won't get it early enough to play with it Friday so I'll have to wait til after the farmers market on Saturday to set it up and have some fun. P.S. the part that was causing the problem was the table... not a moving part, so I'm not concerned. They had a new company start making the tables and there was a slight problem which has been resolved.

Hi Tony, After making and selling them for a year, it still doesn't feel like a "job" to me. I find it very relaxing to go into the shop and make a couple at a time throughout the day, ending up with 7-10 completed puzzles each day. I don't restrict what I make, I make whatever folks like and/or ask for. I work full time, from home, and this is a nice distraction and break during the work day in between conference calls and emails. Since each one takes me under 30 minutes, I have the personal satisfaction of a completed item every half hour which is what I like. I hope that helps explain my personal mindset. Iggy