rash_powder

I'm not really sure what material the Hawk is manufactured from, and I know these aren't 'mission/safety critical' items we use; but please be aware that graphite will cause problems on aluminum. The graphite is dis-similar enough that it creates a galvanice reaction and can electrically eat away the aluminum. A similar thing will happen with Simple Green and aluminum. We were informed over on the Triumphrat.net forum by an aircraft mechanic that the FAA will shut down a hangar/airport maintenance group for having simple green on the premises. It apparantly will eat aluminum, and the concern is it will find its way into cracks and such and not get rinsed away. I no longer use any form of graphite lube or Simple Green on the motorcycles or anything aluminum. Just an FYI. Please watch yourselves!

One of my personal failures is remembering to lubricate the arm bearings on my Hegner either every session or every other session. I simply forget and literally a week or more later lube them. Its amazing the difference it makes in the smoothness of operation. So I began thinking of a better lubricant than light machine oil. After much thinking on it I decided to get some high percentage moly grease - minimum of 60-70% moly as I have other uses for it as well. This sort of grease is actually rather expensive when you buy it, but the amount you use to lube anything is so small it will last years and years especially if only used on the scroll saw. I know that grease on a saw may seem a bad idea, but if you choose to use this stuff you will see that it isn't enough to cause dust build up issues. The grease I settled on is Honda M77 assembly lube. You should be able to find it at any bigger Honda motorcycle dealer. It is THE recommended grease for the final drive splines on Goldwings. That final drive takes a beating and is exceedingly expensive to replace so a $25 tube of grease is nothing substantial. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is an amazing compound. It is inert, and super slick. When the carrier oil burns off or wears away, the dried leftovers are still lubricating to temps far in excess of what our saws will likely ever generate. I put some on my saw several weeks ago and have not yet noticed the usual signs of lack of lubrication. When putting it on I cleared out the old lube/oil muck and smeared a couple tiny dots around the shoulder of the support bolt and spun it while sliding it in and out of the arm. I did this 2-3 times to be sure it was in and spread around. You will barely see it but it works super! I'm not sure the requirements of other saws, but the Hegner is recommended to be lubed daily. This grease will lessen that need significantly. Honda M77 is re-branded Dow-Corning M77. There are other greases too (such as Molykote G-N paste), just be sure that it is minimum 60% moly. The stuff at the local auto parts shop likely is not that high a percentage. Molykote M77 paste specs I am not telling you all to disregard manufacturer requirements and invalidate warranties and such. My Hegner is a 96 and my Craftsman is no longer in warranty. I do any maintenance on anything I can figure out how to maintain as thats just how I am. If you are forgetful or don't like to mess with maintenance often, this may be the lube for you.

Will, I should go open up the control panel on my Craftsman. I know not the same, but I bet the controller is the same just a different layout. My bet is its a SCR with a full-bridge rectifier behind it. There may be some noise suppression and filters after the rectifier. I can't say for sure, thats just the simplest way to do it. It could also be a PWM controller, in which case yes you will need a schematic. Those TV schematics you were talking about, we threw away two file drawers full of them at the power company I work for a few years ago. Ya, a power company. Seems the electronic techs were fixing EVERYTHING for everyone back then. It is quite sad too that everything is throw away now. Maybe check with a local school and see if there isn't an electronics class looking for some hands-on troublshooting or the like. Bet you get it fixed for parts then, and electronic components are quite cheap!

I honestly can't see the motor failing. The brushes may have worn too much, but they still run with the left over nubs; it just wrecks the commutator. Unless you have an A/C motor, then check the start/run cap or centrifugal switch. I would look to the control board myself, or that fuse if you can find it. My job is a telecom/electronics tech. In the few years that I have been doing that, I have seen a lot of equipment that was running die on a power cycle. Being a motor is essentially just a coil of wire it would be the least likely to fail.

So my upper clamp has been slipping A LOT lately and I did some searching on this. A Steve Good video popped up stating that Seyco/delta/DEWALT style clamps could be refurbished with a seyco kit. I took my quick clamp apart and found it is a set screw with a T pad just like Steve said and showed the others had. since I had it apart, I cleaned everything with mineral spirits except for the T insert as it has a wee bit of plastic on it. I tried to file some texture onto the T and the set screw but they are hardened so that didn’t work. does anyone know if that Seyco refurbish kit will fit my Hegner quick clamp? thanks!!

I measured sound levels last night just so everyone could get an idea of how loud my system is. With the vac motor behind my saw, my numbers are, according to my iPhone approximately where my head would be while cutting nothing running is 46dB just the vac is 65dB just my Hegner multimax 22v atfull speed is 72dB all running together is 72dB The app I used is called dB meter. Vac had a lot of room to speed up yet as well. I generally try to where ear plugs while cutting. If my room was bigger then maybe not.

This is a 230VAC motor, but it is a 3 stage and a universal type motor. I'm not sure the shipping charges from this shop, but its not a horrible price. https://www.surpluscenter.com/Air-Pneumatics/Air-Compressors-Vacuum-Pumps/Vacuum-Motors/230-Volt-AC-Ametek-3-Stage-Vacuum-Blower-16-1552.axd

For those of you who use them, how do you get them to work???!!!! I have tried and am failing. By the time I get all my pattern covered the glue has turned clear and isn't terrible sticky anymore. I switched from spray adhesive because I do most of my work inside, and the spray glue doesn't work outside in the cold. Tips or tricks???

The Larimore Pioneer Press is no longer around - I think. The local paper is now printed in Park River and is the Larimore Leader/Exponent. There isn't really too much left here, but Grand Forks is close, and Larimore is definitely NOT Grand Forks. I like it that way.

Jeremy Fielding knows more about electric motors than anyone likely should. His YouTube channel is Jeremy Fielding. He explains things in pretty basic terms which is great. For a low-budget motor controller, search YouTube for treadmill motor controller. The below vid is pretty good. If you aren't up to doing all this work the Seyco vac system was some of my inspiration. The vac they use looks an AWFUL lot like a Metrovac. They are wicked pricey new, but can be gotten on ebay for about $50. I'm not sure about speed control with them, but one of these takes care of a vac motor and post cyclone filter. Regarding my motor, yes, I did get an awesome deal on it. The downside was the vac port was a little loose so it would shreak at high speeds unless something was touching it and the power wires were cut VERY short. ANY of their vac motors should work, as long as it is a universal type motor. I found an old metal Milwaukee shop vac at the dump and harvested the vac motor from that. Its not a 3 stage unit, only a single, but it will work. It just can't suck as hard as a 3 stage. You could also do something similar to Mathias Wandell did and build everything and it runs at a single speed. His units seem effective, somewhere in his channel are flow tests and such. Google and YouTube DIY dust collector, DIY dust collection, DIY mini dust collector. Spend a lot of time reading and learning. For me, everything of this sort is on an open timeline so I can take my time 'curb shopping' for parts. My Dad helps too! Keep an eye open at Thriftstores, garage sales, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, any place junk shows up. There is an extraordinary amount of good stuff to be had if you know what to look for. Hopefully this gets the ball rolling for you. Let me know if you or anyone else should need help. I will do what I can to assist.

It was asked how I knew what to use and how to use it and such. I am a tinkerer. All this came from YouTube vids on salvaging useful materials from the rubbish. We have a spring cleanup here and it is quite common to see people 'curb shopping' before the city comes along to pick it up. The town I live in has a public dump and you can leave with more than you brought if you like. Lack of money comes into this all too. I have a prototype stand-alone dust collector that I made, and it is what started this all. This unit would benefit from an exhaust filter to catch anything that goes through the system. With a proper vac speed, I don't think it is much but really can't say. I do know full power will actually draw dust out of the jar. It also needs to be mounted to a board or something to keep it all from tipping, a proper box for the controller, a potentiometer with a knob, and a host of other things. More 'shopping' is obviously required, as is more 'engineering' if you wish to call it that. Hopefully this helps you guys, and gets some of you started on making similar units. Message me or post here and I will try to help with what I can.

So what is left now is the controller. As I said earlier the Ametek Lamb vac motor is universal, so I chose to run it on DC as it is far easier to control a DC motor's speed than it is to controll an AC motor's speed. This is also not the only way to do this. I can post links to YouTube vids of the other way if the controller I used is too difficult to find or source. My controller came from a treadmill. The specific type or model of controller is an MC-60. Best I can tell it is not manufacturer specific, which leads me to believe someone else builds them for the treadmill people. Regardless, they are on Ebay and can be found else where too. The 120 VAC inputs are clearly marked, as are the DC motor and potentiometer connections. Since I harvested my controller at the local dump, I kept the AC power cord but had to put crimp connectors on as the cord was cut free. I used a section of another power cord, again from the dump, with crimps again to connect the controller to the vac motor. I harvested the potentiometer from our scrap pile at work, I think its 0 - 5000 ohms. A 0 - 10000 ohms would probably work better as it would give finer speed control. The controller outputs 0 VDC to 90 VDC; I have found that about 30 VDC is perfect. Too much faster and the vac actually sucks the dust up from inside the Dust Deputy and then you get a cloud. Its quite quiet at the lower voltages also. Outside of the closet, at 30 VDC, its no louder than my Hegner saw. Draw backs to this are its a lot of messy wiring and the motor controller, as a safety feature from its treadmill days, has to have the potentiometer returned to zero speed every time it is turned off and back on. I guess they didn't want people flying off the treadmill. Just an aside, I have read people speaking of small work spaces and shops. Mine is a closet. Literally as you probably saw. It all fits and works so hopefully one day the kids move on and I will get a bigger inside room. But thats one day and a ways off.

I decided to break it up into several posts to be sure I don't hit a pic cap or size limit or something. So next I will show my saw and how that all is working. I have 2 packs of Loc Line 3/4" flex pipe attached to a 3/4" pvc assembly to allow the suction to be applied directly where I want it. Its pretty basic; I'm sure you have seen this sort of thing before as I easily found pictures of other peoples assemblies to follow. At some point this is going to get rebuilt as I don't particularly like it right now but that will be a later task when I build a new stand or overhaul the one it is currently on.

Sorry for the delay in getting these pictures up; i've been busy with the wife and kids and work and parents and and and and and......... I am also going to apologize for the big post and all the pictures but its the only way I could think to show it all easily. Also, please don't judge my highly-packed work/gun/hunting closet. Its winter in North Dakota and my garage is not heated. Please please note that this is a whole lot of redneck engineering and in need of some refinement yet, but it works soooo....... So first is the vac motor. It is an Ametek Lamb model 116565-29. It is a 120 VAC whole-home 3 stage vacuum motor. At 120 VAC this thing sucks HARD and makes a considerable noise, but it is not in an enclosure of any sort. I got this motor at a local surplus store for about $15. The important features on it are 3 vac impellers for better suction and it is what is known as a universal motor - it can run on AC or DC voltage. This motor is connected to an Oneida Dust Deputy mounted to a 1/2 gallon glass jar. I made the adapter flange on my wood lathe. The vac hose connects to the motor rather unsatisfactorily at the moment. I cut a piece of 1 1/2" pvc pipe a couple inches long, split it lengthwise, pried it open and pushed it on the vacuum's suction port. This allowed me to literally mash the 1 1/4" (I think, it could be 1 1/2") vac hose into it and keep it in place. You can just see this in the bottom of the pic that I am holding the vac motor in. The hoses don't fit the Dust Deputy natively, so I had to make adapters. This took a while to figure out but I found 1 1/2" pvc pipe caps fit perfectly on the in and out ports. I drilled holes through the caps with a 1 1/2" forstner bit and the vac hose fits VERY snuggly into the cap. With the hole centered there is plenty of clearance to attach to the Dust Deputy or a piece of 1 1/2" pvc pipe to make a dust wand or something.

If you should ever need, 1 1/4" vac hose fits VERY snuggly in a 1 1/2" hole; it also fits nicely over a 3/4" pvc connector or splice.

So I think I got the shreaking figured out. I slowed the saw way down to about 1/2 full speed, so 800ish spm. No more screaming unless I side load the blade too much. The first cut I did at this speed also seems to have come out better too, not quite as wavy as the first cut of the last project. I'm making trivets that are 7" diameter so the perimeter is nearly 24". Slower speed gave me more control over what I was doing. Took quite a while though to get around the circle! Thanks for the help guys!

I will try running the saw slower. There are several speeds my saw shakes very badly at; the stand I made is a bit inadequate. Also, I will see about getting some Pegas blades ordered. Is there a sampler pack of those like the Flying Dutchmen blades have?

The Seyco vac looks an awful lot like a Metrovac.

There is a wood substitute for decks - it’s a pvc type material. Very expensive but will last forever. I also recently saw 4’ x 8’ sheets of 1/2” HDPE at a local home center. That should cut very nice and will last FOREVER.

I built a similar device! mine uses 3/4” pvc, and suction is provided by a surplus Amstel Lamb whole home vac motor. I’m really going to have to take pics to show you guys! i also left my joints all loose to have clean out ability, and it’s great for swinging the pick ups out of the way.

I have a Jet 1100cfm dust collector in the garage, but unfortunately run my scroll saw in the basement of the house. I have pondered how to run a duct into the house, but haven’t come up with a satisfactory method. So I built a dust collecor for my scroll saw. i believe I saw the pic here, so I cannot take credit for the parts that attach to the saw. It is just 3/4” pvc and loc line flexible pipe. The collector portion is a 1/2 gallon jar that I made an adapter flange on the large for a dust deputy. I used 1-1/2” pvc caps with *I think* 1-1/2” holes drilled through them to adapt the dust deputy to 1-1/4” vac hose. The vac is a 3 stage Amtek Lamb I got from the local surplus center. I do not plug this into 120VAC; instead I use a motor controller from a treadmill which outputs 0-90VDC. The motor runs much quieter on DC, and the variable output means I can dial suction in to what I want. I have found 30V provides ample suction and I cannot hear the vac motor over my Hegner. A HEPA filter could easily be fitted over the exhaust if I wanted. It works very, very well. I just need to make a small cart or board to mount it all too. i unfortunately do not have pics of it on my phone, but can post some if people wish to see it.

I was cutting 3/4” poplar with 10.5 tpi olsonnpgt blades. A test cut later with an Olson Mach speed 8 tpi ( I think, something less than ten anyway). I have a Hegner 21” variable speed saw at full speed. Not sure if it matters but dust is very minimal as I have a home made dust collector attached that sucks up most all the dust as I make it.

I was cutting a trivet last night, about 7 1/4" diameter, from 3/4" poplar and came across a puzzling sound. As I cut around my circle and the decorations within, I found that as I went across the grain - dead perpendicular - no unusual sounds. However, as soon as I started cutting even a little bit with the grain, the blade began to sing/shreak louder and louder, peaking when going dead with the grain. Several different blades of differing tooth counts/configurations did this. It doesn't appear that anything was binding or slipping while the shreak was happening, and holding a finger nail against the back of the blade did not seem to help. Has anyone else experienced this? Its not affecting performance, but I would love for it to not shreak. Its bad enough I should wear ear plugs. Thanks!