Wichman

I will add one note to this: To get a nice scrollable pattern, try this: In the word processor go to Format > Text > Outline Font Effect, select Outline Font Effect. Most fonts, including mychain, will now be in an outline mode, the color can also be changed to red ( or other ) .

Deleted post

Yes, the nodes indicate the image is the .svg and scalable. The other image is the original and is much less managable is you are trying to enlarge or reduce the size.

The panel is 14" tall and 30" wide 1/2" thick Siberian Elm, the numbers are 10" tall and 7" wide. The pattern for the numbers I found in the book "Classic Fretwork Scroll Saw Patterns" by Patrick Spielman & James Reidle. The blades used are FD New spiral #2/0 and 5/0, as well as FD Polar #1 for the inside fretwork. I used the 2/0 spiral to cut the outside of each number, Once the numbers were glued back in place I used the #5 new spiral to enlarge the kerf around each letter ( While cutting it was suggested that I back light the letters for more umph ). Finished with a day long dip in BLO, allowed to cure, followed by 6 coats of rattle can shellac.

It's funny but I bought some of the HF pinned blades for a test I was running (interrupted due to stuff) and they were better than the same size/style of Olson blades, go figure.

They do have a way. If you go to their website and look up an issue, they have extra patterns you can dl and print. The wand stand for the magic wands is one example. So the reason must be: people who get a digital copy and post it all over the net; various forum and Facebook groups.

When I am dipping detailed fretwork, especially thick fretwork, I will dilute BLO and shellac 50/50 with their thinners so that the finish will flow fully into the fretwork. I will dip for a few minutes or up to several days depending on the thickness of the item being dipped. Once dipped, I allow the excess to drain back into the dipping container, when the dripping stops I wipe any excess off with towels. If I'm starting with BLO I allow it to cure until the smell is greatly reduced, using mild heat after a day or so will speed up the cure time ( I use a furnace vent ). Once the BLO has cured I dip again in shellac, repeat the drain and wipe, then allow about an hour to flash off most of the thinner ( denatured alcohol ) then put back on the furnace vent. IMHO the reason the shellac sometimes stays tacky is water trapped in the alcohol thinner, using the warm dry furnace air helps evaporate both the residual alcohol and nay water left behind.

An update on the pattern. I've been limping along on my phone for three days, had to replace the battery on the laptop. I've found the commercial outlet for the pattern here: https://woodenteddybear.com/products/gsa186-barrel-racer The designer of the pattern is GSA - OLD GRIZ ; Made from artwork by Julie Popowicz with permission. Wichita

I found this post, which lists the artists name https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums/topic/46897-barrel-racer/#comment-497857

Welcome to the village from SE Idaho

Very nice cutting, Kudos

> Is there a general rule on the minimum radius for a cut vs the width of the blade or wood hardness/thickness? Am I > simply cutting my pieces smaller than I should? There are no real guidelines, there are too many variables i.e. wood hardness, thickness of the piece, speed, etc. Here are a few pictures to help you see what can be done. The wood is one piece of 1/2" Elm stacked with a 3/8" of Elm, for a total of 7/8" thick. I cut directly into a waste area and then slowly rotated the piece and came right back out the same kerf. In the first picture I used a #2/0 Polar blade, in the second I used a #1 polar blade. The saw speed was set at 1350 and I'm using the short stroke . The next two pictures show how tight a turn you can make, no extra pilot holes, I just followed the lines. I used the #2/0 blades here, the rest will be cut with FD Polar #1.

I keep a Can-O-Air next to the scroll saw, when I change blades I use the air to blow out all the debris from the clamp. I place the blade clamp in the holder, the wrench on top and gently tilt the clamp back with the wrench until I take out all the slop. Next I put the blade in the clamp and tighten until resistance is felt, I then pull the blade out just enough that the clamp screw doesn't move the blade; now tighten. Be careful not to overtighten the blade, and make sure the blade is square to the clamp, it the blade is not square to the clamp it will put undue pressure on the blade and reduce the longevity of the blade. To me, the puzzle blade looks and feels much like the Polar blades, the biggest difference is the Polar blades are skip tooth and the puzzle blades are not a skip tooth. You should, with practice, be able to cut a zero radius turn. I use this technique often. One practice cut I use is this: Using a 3/4" to 1 1/4" thick piece of scrap, set the scroll saw to cut at an angle ( 30 degrees works ), cut straight in about an inch, then carefully rotate the scrap 360 degrees, you should get a cone shaped "waste" piece from the bottom of the scrap.

I'm reading between the lines here, but I think he is talking about the blade turning 45 degrees while trying to cut the small radius's; if you look at the blade head on, and without power to the saw, turn the workpiece 45 degrees to the left, the saw blade will turn to the left. He's not pushing sideways on the blade, he's turning the workpiece to get the circle. Two complete turn's is the maximum tension according to the manual. When I use numbers to express tension I use 1/4 turns, so 4/4 would be one complete turn and 8/8 would be two. The manual states 2/4 (1/2) rotation as a minimum tension. I generally use 6/4 for my work. The hockey stick here is most likely caused by the wrong blade clamp, instead of putting pressure across the whole clamp face, there is instead a pinch point where the blade bends.

I'm reading between the lines here, but I think he is talking about the blade turning 45 degrees while trying to cut the small radius's; if you look at the blade head on, and without power to the saw, turn the workpiece 45 degrees to the left, the saw blade will turn to the left. He's not pushing sideways on the blade, he's turning the workpiece to get the circle.

There are a lot of questions here, so I’m going to try to take them one at a time. Blade breaking. Hegners have some unique issues, including the size of the blade clamps. From the Hegner manual: e) Other Blade Clamp Sizes Blade clamps delivered with machine are the medium, or 0.7 mm size. These clamps are suitable for the vast majority of blades. Other clamps sizes are useful as follows: 0.5 mm clamps are used for small blades, when they are either not held tightly enough, or if they show excessive breakage at the clamp exit point. If either of these problems occur with blades in size 4 or smaller when using standard clamps, using the CLO.5 blade clamps is recommended and should reduce or eliminate the problem. 1 mm clamps are used strictly for blades that are too large to fit into standard clamps. This may include bandsaw blade scrap, certain large metal-cutting blades, rod saws, and emery boards, which can be used for finishing and shaping work on your HEGNER. 1 mm clamps should not be used on blades smaller than size 9. Telling the clamps apart The medium clamps have a divot on the side opposite the tuff screw head. The other two do not have any markings, but it’s fairly easy to see the difference between those two. The puzzle blades are equivalent to a 2/0 blade, so you would be ahead to obtain a set of 0.5 mm clamps. When I started using the .5 clamps my breakage went down. Additional information from the manual: Blades break near ends Check blade clamps for burr on inside clamping edge Check blade clamps for straight up-and-down position when blade is tensioned Can clamps pivot freely? Check blade clamps seats for horizontal alignment Check for proper clamp size. Small blades should not be mounted in large clamps Blades break near middle Check blade chart for proper selection Check tension, increase if in doubt Check sawing technique (perhaps excessive side pressure) Check blades for factory defect, try other batch or size Stroke length You may want to try the saw on the short stroke length. When I converted my Hegner, it helped with blade breakage and control.

Have you tried to use AI to generate a whiligig pattern?

Welcome to the Village from SE Idaho

Welcome to the village from SE Idaho

The FD UR have every third tooth reversed. Very difficult to tell which direction on the smaller blades.

Can you show us a picture of the design you are trying to cut? The FD UR blades have 15 TPI all the way down to the 2/0 size, this still gives more than 3 teeth in the wood ( 15 / 4 = 3.75 ). The pattern and how sharp a turn you are trying to accomplish will go a long way in getting suggestions for a blade size/style. Welcome to the Village!

That's nice!

Welcome to the Village from SE Idaho

I have cut these heart boxes out of purple heart using a FD #1 Polar blade. I use the Polar blade because of the tightness of the curves and the size of kerf for the sliding dovetail in the top. I lost the heart shaped pin in the box and had to cut another to fit, these boxes start out life as a 1 1/2" cube of wood. Also, I used Varathane brand, "Black Cherry" stain on the first heart box shown, a very, very good match for color.

Welcome to the village from SE Idaho