GregBennett

Dan-I used the quote box from your post, so hopefully it was the best way to respond. I found the Y fitting easily enough, but not the yellow nozzle. I found something similar at Walmarthttps://www.walmart.com/ip/Peachtree-Woodworking-Supply-500-2-1-2-TAPER-NOZZLE/20633015854?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=12700&veh=seo_fpl&cn=google

Dan- I'd love to see a photo of the splitter if you can get to it. Also, where did you get the big yellow nozzle?

Are you going to use the Scrollnado with the Stealthsonic?

I've been using the 12 gallon Stealthsonic with the Scrollnado on a Bauer scroll saw. It's been an adventure. It came with 1/4" flexible tubing at the dust collection end. I found it unworkable and I'm now using the 3/4 black hose by the blade and a 1/4" nylon hose at the base. I found that the attachment strips didn't hold for long. I'm using strong magnets to hold the upper tube in place and a Rube Goldberg adaptation at the top of the table. I've taped an onion bag on the end of the 3/4" hose to keep small pieces from getting wedged in the tube. It's been a work in progress since I started. I had problems with the DeWalt Stealthsonic heating up, which may be the result of using small diameter tubes. DeWalt was no help. They had me file a warranty claim with Alton Industries and 10 business days later i got the entire top of the vacuum in the mail. Guess what? It heats up too. They didn't ask for the old one back so now I switch them out when one gets hot. DGMan's tubes look impressive and I've seen where others have successfully used pvc pipe. I found that the fittings for the bendable suction tubes on the market are threaded, so I don't know how the users got them to mesh with the pipes.

Aggie-I've had the Bauer since last September and love it. I replaced the top blade holder with the Pegas, but still have the Bauer clamp on the bottom. I've found through trial and error the blade tips bend for several reasons. The first one is when the blade isn't all the way into the slot and left short. The other reason I've found is when the set screw on the opposite side of the thumbscrew isn't centered in the clamp. I've only had this issue with the bottom clamp, but it's harder to see than the top one.

Beautiful work Brady! I'm wondering if I'll have to have a bonfire someday too. I've been to several craft/art shows and sold a few, but I'd rather be cutting than selling.

For years I used an awl given to me by my daughter. I used it to widen the drill holes on the back of the piece to allow me to get the blade through the hole. It was part of a mini tool kit that her school sold to the kids for gifts to their parents. A few months ago, it disappeared into the void of my shop never to return. I have a couple of awls that were my fathers, but the best of them is a bit too long and not quite as thin as I'd like. I went on Amazon and bought a pair of scratch awls, but it didn't take long for the tips to break off inside the hole. I tried another brand with the same result. From there I bought a Narex Awl reamer. It has a sharp pointed tip which if pushed against a drill hole will widen to top of the hole enough to allow the blade to go through, but it didn't penetrate inside the hole due to its thickness.It was a bit too long as well. From there, I bought a Craftsman awl, which was the right length, but again, too thick to go into the hole. I tried using a drill bit attached to a micro drill bit holder, but it didn't work as well as I wanted it too. From there, I cut off the top of a wire brad and tightened it into a micro drill bit holder, and voila. It's thin enough to go into the drill hole and strong enough not to break off. The best solution was one that didn't cost me anything since I had every thing I needed.

Great idea. I ditched the end tubes that came with the scrollnado and I'm using 1/4" poly tubing which took some time to tame. I get very little dust on the floor, but I've had to make many modifications along the way to hold the vacuum tubes in place. Occasionally I get small pieces of wood small enough to clog the tubes. I looks like you're using a Loc-line. What size did the trick?

Thanks for the quick response!

In the past, I've used several of Alex Fox patterns that I bought on his Etsy page, which now displays a message that the site is closed. Many of his patterns fall between advanced patterns and the fretwork patterns that are held together with a wing and a prayer. Recently I was scrounging the internet for something to cut, and I found a site, alexscrollsaw.com that has pretty much all of his patterns. Does anyone know if it's a legitimate site? I read something a while back that he was having some difficulties in life. I've attached photos of a couple of completed projects that I cut from his patterns.

What a great answer and the type of information I was looking for. I make and sell trivets made from 3/4 clear yellow pine which can be finicky when it comes to cutting. I recently went through a number of different blades including the Pegas MGs 3,5, and 7. Sometimes it just depends on the particular section of the board I'm cutting. I hate it when I put a blade in and after 4-5 cuts, I have to push the blade much harder than I should. For the most part, I like to let the blade do most of the work. My assumption was that the higher the number on the blade, the more easily it would cut though thicker wood, but I've found that's not always the case. I like the feature on the Hegner that provides a longer stroke using more of the blade. On the Bauer and DeWalt, most of the blade is never used. The fact that I would have to reach to the back of a 24" table to tighten the blade convinced me that the older saw wasn't for me. In addition to cutting 3/4 pine, I do most of my work cutting 1/4" Baltic birch and the more complicated the pattern the better, so quick tightening is best for me. I'm a bottom feeder, so a saw that's a top feeder only would be a big adjustment. I have no problem top feeding through the drill hole but when I do that the piece blocks my view of the table and the location of the hole for the blade, if that makes any sense. I cut every day for several hours at a clip, so if down the line I'm looking to enhance my experience, I'll take the plunger for a pricier saw. I care more for the experience of cutting then having the final product. Deciding which one to chose will be a difficult one without having used them.

I wondered about the arm lift. That could be an issue with larger pieces. I no longer use my blower. Instead I've attached a vacuum system, the Scrollnado. There are some very poor design features, so I'm constantly making upgrades, but for me, it's been well worth it. I suppose that if I didn't have something to fiddle with, I'd feel like I'd be missing something. I think you're right about the tube being part of the blower. I'm still not sure what the metal dowel and tightening knob do, so I wrote to the seller. I feel like I might be wasting his time since I'm pretty happy with my Bauer saw.

The seller sent me some photos of the saw that's for sale. It looks like it's got the quick release attachment. In two of the photos, it shows a metal dowel connected on the front arm with a cable connected. Does anyone know what this is?

I just watched a number of videos on the Hegner and you're points are well taken. I think that the tension knob in the back would be a very long reach for me and might require that I stand up every time I need to use it. I watched a video of how you insert the blade as well as something on the quick clamps. Everything I do on my saw involves pieces with a large number of inside cuts. This may not be the saw for me.

I've now used some Pegas super skip I got from a local shop and they worked fairly well on the 3/4" pine, but I had to guard for the blade going left. I have some Pegas MG 5's and 7's on the way, but it's taking quite a long time to get them. I think if I like them I'll go to the local supplier. For 1/4" Baltic Birch I use anywhere from a FD 3-5 and they bow to my every move. My DeWalt just doesn't work right. I had it overhauled by the DeWalt Charlotte service center. They shipped it back in a huge box with the table connected.The table crashed into the saw and the upper bracket broke off in the slot that pivots the back end of the table. The bolt that holds the bottom of the table to where you set the angle dis attached and I can't keep the table square with the upper arm no matter how hard I tighten it. I went through three replacements with Amazon and all were defective and returned, so I went with the Bauer. Today I experimented using a very long bicycle brake cable looped though the arm release in the back and found that if I held my arm out I could release the arm while seated. I've been using a block of wood mostly, but have a dowel that I've used to pull the arm release. Does anyone think I should take the plunge for the 24" Hegner for $300?