funeralguy82

So I created a pattern of a skull wearing nerd glasses and decided to give it a try... turned out good and now awaiting stain. I also am attaching two finished monster of frankenstein projects. I need to dedicate more time to scrolling!

Thanks for all the compliments. I am looking into a card scraper set from woodcraft. I would really like to get a sand-flee but I just bought the Delta Scroll Saw! This hobby has a way of grabbing onto the wallet! I will also use the advice of using 1/4" stock for stack cuts from here-on. I was able to sand and stain one of these frankensteins... but the anxiety of breakage was a bit overwhelming! Also... is it wrong to stick with patterns that are more forgiving with staying on the line? I have noticed that scenery patterns and portraits (especially of ragged horror movie bad guys) are a lot more forgiving in the accuracy department!

I'm getting a better hold on this! Shout Out to RabidAlien for the tip on using bucket fill to find islands! I will probably resize this to a two-page pattern to help with the cutting details.

I made my first attempt at stack cutting today. Frankenstein on three sheets of 1/8 inch plywood. I used painters tape and spray adhesive to plant the pattern and wrapped the whole stack with packaging tape. I should have sanded all of the boards prior to cutting because 1/8” intricate spots will be scary to sand now. Tear-out on the bottom piece was pretty bad... I used a #3 FD new spiral... I have a dozen #2 pegas spirals on order, maybe these will work better?!?!?! I included my Jason Voorhees on 1/4” oak too! Fun pattern!

You weren’t kidding octoolguy! Just put the delta saw together using the pegas chucks! Minimal cussing involved! Once it was all buttoned up... WOW... it is a great upgrade to the craftsman it replaced! It is on the coffee table now... the delta stand arrives Monday. PLEASE NOTE... That is my daughter by the saw and it is now unplugged until the stand arrives. Thanks to everyone here for giving me hope that this saw is worth the risk. I can’t wait to tackle some more detailed patterns!

Thanks a lot rabid! I will give that a try... I would prefer my patterns in a different color anyways!

In the beginning, I often sanded to the line on projects rather than cut directly on the line... risking the chance of cutting into my piece. I know this was counter-productive... but it led me to an awesome sanding discovery! I had bought one of those Bladerunner Jigsaw Tables for $90 and realized it was useless for cutting... it was just sitting there collecting dust for two years. A quick internet search led me to a German company named Neutechnik that sells a similar saw setup... along with accessories. They have a kit that comes with two t-shank adapted sanding sticks (one flat and one curved). Both “sticks” have loop and hook velcro to hold sandpaper... and the shanks themselves are made of tougher steel. I ordered the kit (I believe about $35 shipped to USA). By cutting the stock red blade clearance plate of the Bladerunner larger... the sanding sticks fit! This sander helped me salvage poorly cut projects while I learned to scroll. I still use this saw/sander to soften edges (both interior and exterior) and I want to modify a regular t-shank blade to hold sandpaper so I can reach even smaller interior edges. I will attach photos of this setup in case others want to try it!

That is the Mrs... she is definitely a keeper... I try to let her know as often as possible!

Wanted to show my first portrait pattern attempt in gimp... I think it turned out okay. I will practice more and see if I get better results. I don't believe there are any islands. Watching Steve Good review Coyote Stencil Studio... I really liked that the software automatically highlighted cutout/island pieces and showed the final pattern on a wood skin background. Wondering if gimp has these features... time will tell! The photo was taken in Italy, where the weather was nice, the wine was flowing and the food was amazing... so no pattern will do justice to the original!

I just ordered the delta to replace my Craftsman... My main reason was to save on cost vs the dewalt. At the same time... I ordered the Pegas chucks... from what I can tell from reviews... the Pegas chucks make a great improvement to the saw. I hope I am happy with my decision.

Thanks for all the compliments and welcoming messages. My craftsman saw has treated me well... but I made the mistake of taking the scrollsaw 101 class at Woodcraft after getting familiar will the hobby. That Dewalt saw I used in class showed me that holding straight lines and cutting tight corners is MUCH EASIER without all the vibration. Now I’m ready to divorce craftsman! I love the idea of the Pegas saw with the pre-upgraded chucks... but convincing my wife to let me spend $800 is a chore I am afraid to tackle! Worst part about cheating on my craftsman with dewalt... every time I have a breakage or split in a piece... I can’t help but think... “that wouldn’t have happened if I had a better saw!”

I have spent about a year now playing with a 16 inch craftsman I got from a trade-deal at the local pawn shop. My endless research on finding a smoother saw led me to this site... I have frequented Steve Goods website for quite some time and bought his flash drive of patterns! I hope soon I can sell enough of my other toys to buy a 16 inch Excalibur... not too expensive, but a definite upgrade! Then I can submit some worthy items into bragging rights!