Iguanadon

Ha! Oh, I know. I lived in Cary for 20 years and you're exactly right, it always seemed to be the hottest day of the summer for Lazy Daze. My wife said "You signed up for that??? Are you nuts??? I won't be sitting there with you!" LOL And it's also now a 2 day event! I may sweat off 30 pounds... which would be a good thing... Heat Index is the southern version of Wind Chill. ;-)

Oh cool, I just noticed they really do a nice job with their website... I went to ARTISTS and they broke everything out by category, I clicked on WOOD... scrolled down and there I was! :-) http://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/events/festivals/spring-daze-arts-and-crafts-festival/artists/wood

Just wrapped up my first 2 day event with slightly above average success selling a total of 56 pieces and now my focus is on a big event I have coming up April 29. My first time doing this one, but it's back in my old home town and I'm looking forward to it. Town of Cary Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festival. I received my packet of information and from what I can tell there will be 160 or more vendors! This is the 24th year they've held it and they seem to have everything very organized. It's a 1 day event. The summer version called Lazy Daze is in August and is 2 days. I've applied and will find out if I've been selected sometime in May. It is HUGE! One of the biggest arts and crafts events on the east coast. I just hope I get accepted. I have a lot of cutting to do as I want to be sure I have enough stock on hand. Especially the kids dinosaurs as this event in 3 weeks has a lot of focus on kids activities. http://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/events/festivals/spring-daze-arts-and-crafts-festival Everyone cross your fingers for no rain that day. Iggy

Hi Steve, I use watered down food coloring. I can tell the shoppers that it's completely safe for kids. I also like the look and it's kind of a whitewash look to it. The only minor downside is one that someone recently mentioned to me... wet fingers will cause a bit of coloring on the hands (and potentially furniture). However, in the 9 months I've been selling them nobody has contacted me with any complaints. A sealant was recommended to me last week but I haven't tried it yet. FYI, I started selling them unpainted for the first time this past weekend and it was very successful. It provides a low price item for those looking to only spend $10 versus $15 for the painted ones or $25 for my main animal puzzles. Let me know if any other questions. Iggy

Personally, I just kind of stumbled into this less than a year ago. I work full time and scroll as a hobby. I started making simple dinosaur puzzles for my grand-daughter, then made and donated about 50 of them to the local elementary school and when I ran out of people and places to give them to I happened to come across the Harvey Byler puzzles that spell out the breed/animal within the body of the puzzles and I was able to start selling them at the local farmers market that runs during the summer months. I'm fortunate in that I live in a tourist town so I have a fresh batch of customers every Saturday. I'm signing up for more events as I learn about them and I'm having decent luck with them so far. As someone mentioned, puzzles are loved by many. I have 2 banners on my booth that both state "INDIVIDUALLY HAND CUT", one of which has a picture of my saw. Yet I still get asked all the time "What computer program or laser do you use to make these?" I tend to be chatty and social and enjoy telling folks about the cutting process and I even show them the #3 blades I use at which point they become more appreciative of the work that goes into making them. Of course that doesn't guarantee a sale, but they leave with a bit of amazement. Here are some snapshots of my setup if interested. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. Simply do what you enjoy. Iggy

Well... the final stats are in... Day 1 - Excellent - 42 pieces sold (9am to 5pm) Day 2 - Stinkaroo - 14 pieces sold (10am to 4pm) Beautiful weather but less traffic the 2nd day and it showed. All vendors around me did right around 1/3 today than they did yesterday. I'm happy with 56 pieces even though it was below my target of 65. I average 25 per one day event, so for this 2 day event I was slightly above average and I drove home with $1100 in my pocket. This is a hobby for me, so it's all gravy. I'll sign up for this event again next year. It's worth it. I met a lot of great folks and as usual met and spoke with other vendors and got the scoop on which events are worth doing and which ones to avoid. My next event is a potential big one on April 29 and I'll be cutting and stockpiling for the next 3 weeks. Iggy

I guess I should share pictures as well...

Day 1 complete and I'm happy with the results. I sold 42 pieces today which was above my goal of 35. My average price is a bit lower because I reduced the price of the kids dinosaur puzzles from $20 to $15 and decided to experiment and sell them unpainted for $10 and the experiment went well with several sold. Those puzzles take me no time at all to cut so I'm happy selling them cheaper to stimulate sales. And I hired my daughter this week to do the painting because that's the one task I absolutely dislike. So, now we'll see how tomorrow goes. I had set a goal of 65 for the two days and I feel confident I'll hit it, just curious how much above that I'll get. I'll report back tomorrow evening. Iggy

Using spiral blades is "challenging" in and of itself... so just be aware. As a self proclaimed newbie, don't get too discouraged and consider backtracking to other types of projects in order to get some experience. Above all... HAVE FUN! Good luck, Iggy

Hijack any time. Happy to help.

Oh wow I didn't notice she said she was using puzzle blades... As mentioned, those are only for jigsaw puzzles cut out of thin material. Start by using a #5 and get used to it, then if you want a slightly tighter fit you can try a #3.

I appreciate the suggestion Brian. You do beautiful work and I wish I had the patience to the amazing work you do.

I actually don't seal with anything. I haven't had anyone mention any issues. Now you have me wondering, so I'll go out and "test" to see if there's any bleeding. I use very watered down food coloring and wipe off the excess so I'm guessing there can't be much pigment that would come off, but I'll find out in a minute... Yep, some color did bleed onto my fingers but not too bad. I'll see if any of last years customers come by my booth at the farmers market this summer to tell me they've had issues with this.

I'll start off by saying I've had every one of those issues, so it's not just you. I use poplar wood which I really like due to the color variation when oiled, but it is very fragile and I was having an issue with pieces snapping mostly due to me manhandling them. I've learned how to be easier with them now. I also had to slightly modify some of the patterns because some of the pieces tended to snap more often, for instance the "U's" in Chihuahua and the neck of the Sea Turtle was a bit too thin at one place. I've gotten good at gluing and repairing. :-) The issue you've run into with the puzzle pieces only sliding in one way is very common and you're exactly right, you're pushing it and the blade is "flexing" which causes the problem. Patience is key as you now know and take your time. I still can't cut these puzzles out of red oak because I flex the blade so much the pieces won't go together both ways. I gave up. LOL All of the items you list are things you'll learn and get accustomed to over time. I've only been cutting them for 9 months and rarely have issues now. As far as blades, I prefer Olsen blades and I use the Mach Speed #3. I wish they made the Precision Ground Tooth (PGT) in a #3 but the smallest they make is #5. I buy the MS #3's by the gross and I can cut anywhere from 3 to 6 puzzles with a single blade. Good luck and keep me posted on how things are going. And of course, let me know if you have any other questions. Iggy

OK, official counts are: 108 unique animal puzzles for display, not including the kids colored dinosaurs 162 duplicates shrink wrapped and ready to find new homes I'll set an ambitious goal of selling 65 during the 2 days. My least favorite task is painting the kids dinosaurs, it's a nuisance having to wipe off the excess food coloring/water (paint) so it doesn't bleed. I came up with the idea of offering them unpainted for $5 less and let the kids who receive them enjoy painting them.

Oh, come on Melanie, you just cut along the lines, nothin' to it :-)

Great, I'm seeing posts and comments about spring shows being rather weak... Just in time for my first big show. :-) As most of you know, I just started selling my puzzles last June, so this is my first Spring season and I'm signing up for events as I hear about them. The one this weekend is the 25th annual event and while it's focused on herb/garden, it's got a little bit of everything as there's a farm on the premises. http://www.poplargrove.org/festivals/herb-garden-fair/ Going into this I'm focusing on making several of my BUNNY and RABBIT puzzles for those thinking about Easter and I'm also making a bunch of the CHICKEN and ROOSTER puzzles (my newest additions) thinking that the attendees may also be into raising chickens which has become a big thing lately. As I prepare and get ready for this, here are my thoughts: PROS: 1) This is the 25th year of the event and it's very popular. My wife and I would be attending it if I wasn't planning on working it. 2) There are 100 vendors signed up which tells me it's also popular with vendors and they had no trouble filling up the place. A very broad mix of vendors as well. And my booth location looks good. 3) The weather is going to be absolutely perfect, sunny and 74 degrees both days (it's outdoors) CONS: 1) It's spring time and I see a lot of you saying that sales aren't great in the spring time 2) It's a different type of event/venue than I'm used to and not sure what to expect as far as interest in my items 3) It's 2 days long... I hope it's worth going back the 2nd day I'm still in the learning, fumbling, figuring out stage as I'm still in my first year. So, try an event, if it works out, great, sign up in future years. But if it's a dud, I make a note and know not to do it again in the future. Wish me luck and I'll let everyone know how it goes. Iggy

Can someone provide a link for the optional blade adjustment/tensioner that is available for the Hegner? I am unable to find it on the Advanced Machinery website. Thank you Never mind, I found it... https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/products/m18-v-m18-s-part-number-304-upper-arm-with-quick-release-1

Hey Everyone, thanks as always for the great information and feedback. Sorry for the delay in responding. I had the week from hell being on jury duty and on a case that lasted all week... until 7pm Friday evening. I just checked and the saw is still listed for sale on Craigslist. It appears to be what I'm guessing is a pawn shop. It's a 2 hour drive where it is, but worth the trip it seems. New bellows and recommendations of getting the blade tensioner still make it a major bargain. Thanks again, I'll let ya know if I grab it. Iggy

Hi Gang, See this used Hegner for sale. Very good price, but I don't understand what he's saying about " the plastic part that controls the table would need to be replaced cause it has holes in it." I'm not familiar with Hegner's so I don't recognize that part. What is it, (is it the bellows for the blower?) has anyone had to replace it on their saw before and know what it costs or difficulty in fixing? Thanks for any insight and your thoughts on whether it's worth pursuing to buy it. Iggy https://raleigh.craigslist.org/tld/6053556342.html

How about blade speed, too slow will cause it to grab the wood depending on wood type and thickness.

Excellent info Charley and thanks for the link to your post. I printed it off for reference. If I'd seen/found that one, I likely wouldn't have needed to bother everyone. ;-)

Yeah, thanks, I ordered bearings from VXB, higher quality. Once I crack this machine open, I'll see what things look like. The saw has 6 months of heavy use (18 months total use) and was starting to make noises. Maybe just grease the bearings and replace a couple of sleeves. We'll see. I look forward to getting familiar with it and being able to perform maintenance on both of them on a rotating basis.

Very helpful... https://servicenet.dewalt.com/Products/Detail?isId=true&productNumber=DW788&selectedType=21612 Near the top, on the right are links to EXPLODED ART, two of them, with diagrams and detailed lists of all the parts and quantities within the saw. I encourage all DW788 owners to save the link. I saved it and I even printed off all 11 pages. I'll be ready to open my own repair shop by the time I go through this exercise. ;-)

Thanks everyone, Although no exact numbers of all sleeves seem to be mentioned anywhere, I'll piece things together, order what I think I'll need and will update with my wonderful adventure as I try tearing down one of my saws and hopefully getting it back together... with no extra pieces remaining. ;-) So far, this is what I was able to gather from your combined help: From vxb.com - Bearings HK0810 - 3 each HK1412 - 2 each HK0609 - 12 each From servicenet.dewalt.com - Sleeves 286294-00 - Short Sleeve - Qty 8 286295-00 - Long Sleve - Qty 2 286430-00 - Drive Link Sleeve - Qty 4 286282-00 - Pivot Rod - Qty 1 I have a bearing press if needed and grease on hand. I just ordered all the parts and will set aside a day to dive into it. If anyone else has any thoughts or insight, I'd appreciate hearing from ya. Iggy UPDATE: On the servicenet.dewalt.com site, it tells you how many of each part are in the saw. So I updated the number of sleeves above accordingly. I realize I won't need to replace every bearing and every sleeve, but I'd rather have them on-hand and not need them rather than to need them and not have them. I'm sure over the years I'll use most of them as I perform maintenance on my two saws as needed.