BadBob

I carefully aligned my EX21 to parallel the table and never touched the knob again. I have never had an issue using anything from #1r to #9r mgt blades. The same holds true for my Pegas saw.

They are mounted with magnets. The lamps come with adhesive-backed metal plates that you can put on nonmetal (plastic) surfaces. They stay put.

I use sewing machine lights. They are cheap, effective, and very versatile. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088ZBPNPH/ I have two magnifying lamps. I don't use them for scrolling; I find them annoying.

I use pegas MGT almost exclusively, and I have never seen them twist. This looks more like a bend than a twist.

Grim Reaper In A Potion Bottle I made this one larger—about five inches wide. These are a pain to make, mainly because the three layers don't match size-wise or shape, and I have to do a lot of sanding and filing to smooth the edges. My grandson claimed this one on sight.

I have these, and I like them mainly because they don't get crushed if I step on them. I have four.

I saw this video and added it to my wish list for or when my current system dies. https://rumble.com/v5hohn7-harbor-freight-just-changed-budget-dust-collection-forever.html

I have some plastic test tubes that fit the holders on my EX-21.

This time, it's bats in a bottle.

I have the Klingspor MAC Mop and the Klingspor Sanding Mop. The Mop is less aggressive and leaves a smoother feeling finish. I think mine are also 240 grit.

I use two plastic spring clamps. I like them because they don't loosen as I cut, and no tape is required.

I have a project to cut 250 small pieces from 1/2-inch bloodwood. They originally wanted hickory but switched to bloodwood. It sounds like I will need 250 saw blades. BTW: I love the heart tree.

What kind of blade did you use for bloodwood?

I am working on a custom order for some Christmas ornaments. They want them made from hickory. I know it is tough and very strong, but I have never cut any with a scroll saw or any saw. Do you have any experience with hickory?

The glue hasn't cured yet, and I am trying to decide whether to do anything else to it. I have never made anything like this before, and it was a bit more difficult than I anticipated.

I need a simple monkey pattern to make cutouts from 1/2-3/4 thick wood about 3 inches tall. I want something a child could play with and not be too concerned about breaking. I have not been able to find one that will work for me. Do you have any ideas?

You always need to run the numbers. I use a lot of poplar and would need to have it shipped to me or make a long road trip to get it. That would require me to buy a lot of wood per trip to make it worthwhile. I made a little spreadsheet and plugged in every source of poplar I could find. Surprise, the local big box stores were the lowest cost. Things that tipped the balance: Near zero waste and no additional shipping.

I rarely encounter warped or cupped boards. Because most of what I make is small, using small pieces, these are easy to flatten by sanding. I stack mine flat on wire shelving with no stickers.

I like them too. I have only tried the maple plywood panels. I have no local supplier, and Home Depot is a primary supplier. I get a discount and free shipping.

Every project I make involves measuring using rules or squares and sometimes both. I don't see how anyone could scroll without measuring unless they buy wood that is an exact fit for your project. If I need a 1/2-inch piece of wood, I look through my stash, measuring the thickness. I am measuring to see if a piece of wood is wide or long enough for the pattern. I measure to see if I can get two or three pieces out of a piece of wood. I use Inkscape to size patterns to fit the wood I have selected and sometimes to arrange parts. Sizing patterns to fit is measuring. Just yesterday, I printed patterns on half-sheet shipping labels and measured their size. Using Inkscape, I resized the pattern to fit the label and measured the size of the smallest internal cut to be sure I could drill a hole small enough for this size pattern to work. I make puzzles. If I have made them before, they are usually sized to fit 1x6 wood. In this case, I use the pattern to measure, apply the pattern to a longboard, and then cut it to fit.

I have heard that, but my blades vary in which end the notch is on from batch to batch. I have mounted blades upside down, using the notch as a guide. I feel the teeth to see which way they go.

I've had my new lenses for over a year. I have not had any issues with scrolling or anything in the shop. I don't wear glasses 90% of the time, only putting them on when I go outdoors, the same way I have done for years. I like to do a bit of competitive shooting, and so far, with handguns, I can shoot with or without prescription glasses. Shooting rifles with optics is not an issue, but I haven't had time to figure out iron sights yet. I studied the issues with different lens types, focal distances, and nearsightedness vs. farsightedness. I chose the nearsighted lenses with the highest contrast. I used what I think of as the 90% rule and asked myself, "What do I do 90% of the time, and do I want to wear glasses while I am doing it?" This choice was the opposite of most people's choices, and I had to explain my choices repeatedly to medical personnel. I have been nearsighted my entire life. Changing to farsightedness would significantly disrupt my daily routine, and then there are the reading glasses. I don't want to wear glasses whenever I need to look at something up close. So far, I have only made one adjustment. Because the focal length was closer, I had to move my computer monitors closer. I use two large monitors, and it was a pain to figure out how to mount them so I could read both screens. I bought some prescription polarized sunglasses for flying radio-controlled aircraft. Now that my prescription is not going to change, I decided it would be worth the money. Wow, what a difference! I can see much clearer with the polarized lenses. Now, I can look at the sky all day and not come home with my eyes feeling worn out.

My Pegas blades are notched on one end. I'm not sure why. Maybe @Denny Knappen will know.

Years ago (1980ish) I made a large batch of cars and trucks from Norman Marshalls "The Great All-American Wooden Toy Book". I still have a box of leftover parts, but not enough of anything to build another one. Most of what you see in the photo are truck and car parts. There is a bag of chess pieces, animal cutouts, and shelf pieces that were some of my first scroll saw projects.

It's man glitter. My girls both have two memories: Dad smells like smoke or wood dust.