Rick Kr

My granddaughter's fifth birthday is coming up and I would like to make a set of two or three horses for her. Either jigsawed but pinned together so there is movement but not a puzzle that comes apart. Or just some horse figures. I am interested in finding some patterns. She has been into My Little Ponies but the figures I've found have some details and thin sections that I think would not make good play toys. I'd like to find something other than My Little Ponies if possible. I think simple keys would best suit pinning. Any ideas appreciated. Rick

I stone the back edges of scroll saw and bandsaw blades using this stoning tool, made for this purpose: https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/bladeroundingstone.aspx For bandsaw blades, I just hold it against the back edges and rotate it while it is running. A few small sparks fly off now and then, but generally a very tame operation. I am careful to not rotate it far enough to ever touch the teeth (same for scroll saw blades). For scroll saw blades, I first mount the blades upside down and stone the back corners, and move up and down to be sure to get the entire length of exposes blade as it oscillates up and down. Then I turn the blade over and repeat. This is to ensure the entire usable length of the blade gets stoned. I do this for the two reasons stated earlier, to reduce drift and for making tighter turns. I used to use stones from my father's machinist tool box, but the above stoning tool is substantially coarser and handier to use. Rick

I had read that the new Pegas clamps were lighter than originals (of any brand, not just DeWalt?). Using a freshly calibrated Ohaus precision digital scale, I weighed mine. DeWalts: 63.3g, Pegas 73.8g. My DW788 is very new. Perhaps DeWalt changed their design to lighten their clamps. No matter, I like the Pegas clamps better. They are definitely more precision made and I really like the precision sleeves that extend through the clamps, on which clamps pivot. Rick

I just recently received and installed the same, Pegas Heads for my DW788. I was impressed with how well machined they are and how precision they fit, specifically the precision sleeves that go through the arm bearings and also through the head pivot holes. The stock DW cast heads ride on the threaded part of the mounting screw as the sleeves do not extend beyond the sides of the arm pivot heads/bearings. I started a review of them, but felt I should use them a bit first and have not gotten back to using them yet. One thing that I noticed and am concerned about, despite all the precision in the sleeves and head, the DW bearings (needle bearings) themselves have a lot of slop, so there is still a lot of wiggle in the heads, particularly the lower arm on the upper head. I wonder why there is so much slop in the bearings. Is there a design/function purpose for that, or just cheaper bearings. I checked the bearings to be sure the Pegas sleeves fit properly. The sleeves fit precisely into the bearings and the bearings would not take a precision gauge pin that was 0.001" larger in diameter, so that tells me the slop is within the needle bearings, not the fit between the bearing needles and Pegas sleeve. So, the heads were loose before pulling tension and trying a few small cuts. The heads tightened up a lot when tension was applied to the blade. I was very impressed with how much less sideways blade movement there is and the cuts seemed WAY smoother and easier to control. It was like I wasn't fighting anything anymore, turns were easier and the wood didn't seem to be jumping all over the place. So far, I am quite impressed and pleased. Rick

Nice system, Charley. And nice boxes. I'm new enough, my blade usage does not warrant more than the small tubes I'm using, so far. We'll see if things change. Rick

No, each brand, type and size goes in a tube by itself. I'm new enough to have not yet figured out what blades work best for me such that I can winnow it down to just a few. On used blades, I was thinking of painting the bottom ends white, but I like the idea of grinding a point on the top. That would be easier for picking unused ones from the top of the tube. Rick

I read somewhere that I should color code my blades. It didn't take long before I realized the value there. I started using just a single color for the half dozen blades I had, but then I acquired a much larger array of blades (brands, types & sizes). I have eight colors of those valve pump paint pens, so came up with a scheme for color coding. See the photo. Using the eight colors, there are colors for Brand, Type and Size. The colors are repeated between categories. I store them in plastic tubes and have labeled the tubes with the same information and have color coded the labels on the tubes and the lid/tops of each tube. I also code the tops of each blade. I am quickly becoming accustomed to the codes. What do some of you guys do? Rick

I tried it. It worked to a certain extent. I moved the lower unit out 0.050". Movement is now about 0.020" from the top to mid-stroke, rather than 0.030". That isn't much improvement, but I'll take it. The only downside seems to be about 0.005" rearward travel at the bottom of the stroke (beyond the zero point at the top of the stroke). Rick

Thanks. I saw that video, but I'm having trouble seeing how moving the lower mounts forward solves it. I can try it by removing the screws and clamping the lower unit out a bit further, but... I just don't see how that solves the arc travel path. Rick

I have a new DeWalt 788 that I've been learning some basics on scroll sawing. I'm exploring a blade movement issue, that of the blade moving forward and backward through the stroke. I've determined that the blade moves forward about 1/32" from the top to near the center of the stroke and then back again towards the bottom of the stroke, but not as far as at the top. Here is a video documenting that movement. The blade is essentially traveling in an arc, which I would have thought would not be the case, given the complex mechanics and geometry of the machine design. In this setup, a piece of brass 1/32" wide is held in the blade clamps upon which the indicator needle is riding. I've read the DeWalt Tune-Up material on Rick Hutchenson's site (http://www.scrollsaws.com/) but what I am seeing does not seem to be the same thing. I believe I read somewhere early on that the DeWalt has a design "feature" of the blade moving back away from the cut on the up stroke. But as I'm learning by trying to make tight turns and from reading that such a blade movement is not conducive to making nice tight, sharp turns, such as at sharp points in patterns. The blade is moving forward almost the distance of the blade width (#7 Olson PGT) and back again a little over half a blade width. I can see how that is not good for making tight, crisp turns. Has anyone observed this motion/behavior and is there anything that can be done about it? If there is no fix for this, I am not wed to this saw and wonder if there are other saws out there that do not have this problem. Rick

I'm new to scroll sawing and recently made a puzzle for my granddaughter (photos posted in the Introductions forum). This is a question I posted there also, but it has not received any comment, so I am posting it here. Here is the question: I recently learned of sanding mops and watched a video on how to make them. I have a good assortment of the hook/loop sanding media (Mirca AutoNet, 5" disk and 2 3/4" strip) and am considering making a couple of grit levels. Does anyone have experience with making mops in general and with this sanding media in this application? Thanks, Rick

Good friend of mine lives in Minneapolis. I travel through to meet up with him on our way to a bamboo fly rod makers gathering in NE Arkansas each fall. Rick

No, I didn't know, but I am not surprised. Sandwiching it between thin baltic birch plywood (1/8"-1/4") would be one way that I can imagine doing it. Rick

I agree, this is one of the most beautiful in Oregon. Joseph and Wallowa are on the north side of the Wallowa Mtns/Eage Cap Wilderness. Halfway is on the SE side, 16 miles from the Snake River. One can get to Joseph in about two hours on Forest Service Rd. 39 around the back (east) side. Going west and using freeways takes about four hours. Attached are a couple photos, one of the "downtown" area of Halfway. There is not one stoplight, only stop signs. If I have to wait for more than two cars at an intersection, it is a traffic jam. The second is the view out my back yard. Yes, you can come visit. All the beds in my house are full, but you can camp in my yard. There's a motel, a BnB, a hotel and a mountain resort lodge if you aren't into camping. Rick

About a year and a half ago, I moved from Portland to Halfway. Halfway is on the SE flank of the Wallow Mtn. in NE OR. It is an hour off of I-84, east towards Idaho. I had lived in Portland for over 40 years. The move was to be near my granddaughter. I love it here. I do still make fairly regular trips to Portland, so making it to a gathering would be easy. Rick

Hi All, New kid into scroll sawing. I just bought a DeWalt 788 so I can make puzzles for my granddaughter. I've been into metal machining and casual woodworking for a long time, starting with building and flying balsa airplanes as a kid. In my metal shop, I have a killer lathe (Monarch 10EE) and a modest mill, drill presss, a Tormek sharpening system, several grinders, and a huge amount of tooling. For woodworking, I have no real machine tools (planer, jointer, wood lathe, drum sander, etc), just sanders (12" disc, A4x36" belt, 1" belt), a 1954 Delta floor model drill press, a 1960 Powermatic 140 (14") bandsaw, DeWalt 12" miter saw and quite a few power hand tools. I am also a bamboo fly rod maker. I had never really considered a scroll saw, but on getting one, I'm discovering an interesting variety of potential projects. I've watched some informational videos on scroll saw setup, blade types and usage, and scrolling techniques. My first project, in 1/8" Baltic birch plywood, prior to watching the videos is posted here. I bought a couple of boards of relatively clear knotty pine, mainly for practice and early projects. I plan to do some practice patterns to work on scrolling technique before tackling thicker wood. My granddaugher loves the puzzle and wants to color it but I have not even sanded the fuzz off yet. On that matter, I recently learned of sanding mops and watched a video on how to make them. I have a good assortment of the hook/loop sanding media (Mirca AutoNet, 5" disk and 2 3/4" strip) and am considering making a couple of grit levels. Does anyone have experience with making mops in general and with this sanding media in this application? I realize this question may be more appropriate as a separate post, so will likely do that as a first post on the general forum. Rick