Rolf

I have used them at shows on multiple occasions. I have no issues with belt drives since the majority of scrollers find a comfortable speed and leave it there. Having said that I still like the flexibility of changing the speed on the fly when I need to. The saw front to back motion is too aggressive for my taste so that eliminated it from my list. I never did change a blade on one so I can't comment on the clamps. I think it is a very dated machine and for $800 there are better options. Just my opinion. I have yet to find a saw that I like better than my Hawk G4 26. And yes I keep an open mind, not always easy for stubborn Old German.

You are so screwed! You have no idea how addictive this hobby is. Do you have a local club? Oh yea WELCOME, I am also a relative newbie to this site, just remember there is no dumb ? we have all been there at some point. You will need to post pictures. One other suggestion sign and date your pieces and keep your first ones. It is fun to look back and see how you progressed.

Nice napkin holder. Like the Cedar

I also thing the overlay looks great! That is a beautiful Urn. Where did you find the hardware?

Interesting tool! It is always fun to get a new one and even better when it does what you expect it to.

I posted a copy of my inlay power point presentation. I just don't remember where.

You are a brave man cutting that in Oak. Well done.!

Thanks Melinda for that link, I had gotten permission from Fox Chapel to use some of the insets from that article in an inlay presentation that I did. I could not remember which issue. I will add that to my post. there is lots of good stuff in that article by James.

Your granddaughter solved your problem. I used several coats of satin lacquer on my Chickadee backer. These bass wood slabs are available at most craft stores.

Pine or spruce? spruce can be tough. Don't mess with the table. JMO

Sheila Landry has several " self framing" projects http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/category/self-framing-plaques. It uses the same principle as an inlay but you increase the angle so the the inset goes part of the way thru. The attached image is one that I cut in 3/4 pine at different angles as a reference. Note that I have the blade number and brand marked on it. Left side down is the table.the arrow is cut direction. Always remember to return your table to 0 when finished or it will bite you in the butt on your next project. Note: the pattern for this test piece was in the Fall 2009 SSWWC magazine in an article by James Colins. Thanks Melinda!

Welcome to the group. Looking forward to seeing what you create.

Nice work! did you make the EAT sign also?

Welcome! Once this hobby gets its teeth in you it won't let go.

Excellent work! I agree that they are a pair that belong together. Are these for you? How thick are the slabs? Charlie Dearing is a great designer.

I sign and date everything. For the most part I use a ball tip on my wood burner. I don't date my ornaments in case I don't sell all of this year. In my opinion signing and dating does two things, one if you keep it you can look at your early pieces and see that you (hopefully) have progressed and two it indicates to a customer that you are proud enough of your work to have your name on it. I do have a burn stamp but I only use that on toys and stuff like that. All intarsia is a hand signature only my first name the last one is too long for small pieces.

What blade did you use for the veining?

I totally agree with Stoney.! It was wise to return it. I looked it up and saw a 1 star rating. Good luck with your new saw, it is a great hobby shame to spoil it with a crappy saw. I tend to be a spontaneous buyer, not always a good thing. I would come home with something less than what I wanted and end up buying the one I wanted later on. Now if I want something I put money in my "toy fund" until I have enough for what I want. All of my fair money goes in the kitty only to be used for toys and other hobby related stuff. The rest is patience. Now all I need is more space.

My opinion for what it is worth. That is a great price. What does the bottom clamp look like? The older barrel type was a pain. Can you take it for a test drive? Look on Hawks web site if you have the serial number to get an idea of its age. Is it a top feeder? Hawk made some dramatic design changes with the release of the G4 series I am not sure of the time frame but I am thinking 2004. The clamps changed and the biggest change was that the lower clamp was now in FRONT of the table angle adjustment. It made clamp and blade access extremely easy for top and bottom feeding. If I were in the market that is the design I would look for. All of the current Hawks carried on with that design. Butch how old is older? I periodically see Hawks and other brands get bashed and then find that the saws people are using were very very early models. I was asked by a friend to have a look at a local carvers Hawk. It was a truly ancient one vibrated like crazy, better after I worked on it a bit. Had that one been my introduction to Hawk I would not have bought one. Some manufacturers never improve or do so reluctantly. Hawk has and continues to tweak them.

I was going to suggest a nylock nut, but it was already suggested. Another caution to use the correct bolt when replacing it. You certainly don't want a sloppy fit in the bearing. If I remember correctly that part (connecting rod) has a needle bearing in it that rides on the bolt. so the bolt has to be hardened Not stainless. too soft. Spent lots of time with a hand full of wheel bearing grease packing bearings. I now wear gloves when I work on my 46 year old car. Getting to be a bit prissy in my old age. I refuse to work on my new one, that is what warranties are for.

My would smile and agree.

Welcome fellow newbie. What saw did you buy?

The lower clamp support on the Hawks is adjustable using an allen wrench. It moves the lower clamp forward or back to almost true vertical stroke. The only true vertical was a design like the Eclipse used. Go to the Hawk web site ( sorry I can't seem to copy and paste?) Regarding the clamps. The original clamps that came with my G4 were an assembly of about 7 pieces two halves, two allen screws to hold it together. two internal hardened metal blocks that sandwiched the blade and of course the thumb screw with a nice rubber grip. Obviously an expensive clamp, I had to put helicoils in the assembly because my heavy hands stripped the threads. They were replaced by a simple one block design with a set screw and a thumb screw, this is what they use now. I have never had a problem with blade bending with them. What is nice is there is a hole down the center so no guess work in blade positioning and dept. I have since modified my upper clamp with the Pozgai (delta clamp) quick clamp ( no longer available thanks to Delta) Fret work blade clamping is almost instant. I keep several clamps loaded with blades, when one breaks I just pop in another and go.

I know this may surprise you Randy but I am not interested. I could see this saw being used by a model builder , for one it has a true vertical stroke like the really old saws with spring tensioning. But It has too many negatives for a serious scroller. Just my opinion. Doug Did you mean me? "Roly" I would love to have a BM 20, especially for that price. My problem, I have 0 space left in my shop.

Lots of old friends on this site. Spirithorse my intro was the first entry on this topic.