TAIrving

Thank you Don.

Do you have a pattern for the gnome? My wife is quite taken with it.

That looks like what I was looking for. Thanks Don.

My searches have all failed to find the desired post. I think it was earlier this year but maybe last year. The post showed a special type of paint/coating on a dwarf’s beard that really made it stand out. Any help much appreciated, thanks in advance.

I have not had this problem yet but will paint a white line on mine just for peace of mind.

My unit is the NEJE Master 2 Mini. It appears to be out of production and no longer available but they offer the NEJE 3 which appears similar and comes in several configurations. You can still get one for just under $200 from the NEJE website. The one Merlin mentioned looks similar in capability. I might have exaggerated slightly about the shoe box. The unit itself measures 9" x 10.5" x 4" and the box I store it in measures 10" x 12" x 6". It will burn and area up to 110mm x 120mm. I only use mine for engraving and have not yet tried cutting with it. Setup is easy; take it out of the box and connect it to power and the computer and you are ready to go. I use the software provided by the manufacturer and it works well for me. It will accept *.jpg images for burning. I create my images using standard computer drawing software. I think that adjusting the focus is a simple task but have not yet had the need to do so. Wear eye protection glasses when using a laser as they can damage your vision. The NEJE laser comes with protective glasses. Burning wood smells bad, so don't do your burning in the house. Any other questions? There are lots of YouTube videos about using these devices.

When it is not in use, I store my laser in a box about the size of a shoe box.

Do you sign your work? Show us an example of how you sign. Here is mine. My initials are TAI and the "Eye" bit is a takeoff on my last initial. I use a small laser to burn it into the work.

I suppose that is really the question, is it worth doing?

I have recently created a distinctive brand which I put on my projects, i.e. a trademark. And, as we mentioned in another discussion topic, I use a small, inexpensive laser to burn it onto my works. So far, that is it, I designed the mark/brand and I use it. Question: has anyone gone to the trouble to register their brand as a trademark? I am thinking about doing so but it sounds like quite and effort and expense to do so. If you have, could you share your experience? How did you go about doing it? How long did it take and how much did it cost? Any recommendations on how to do it? Background: I have advanced enough in woodworking that I am now getting requests for special projects and my lady is asking me to do special projects to use as gifts. And I am now marking my works with my own logo/brand/trademark. Thanks, Thurman

Kevin, @kmmcrafts I bought a small, inexpensive laser (about $200) just to do engraving on the back of my projects. As a bonus, I can make my logo larger or smaller to fit the piece I am engraving. This would not tie up your expensive laser from doing other work. Thurman

Juan, I also have a Grizzly G0555 14" band saw. I checked the Carter website for the stabilizers and it appears that they do not offer one for the 14" Grizzly bandsaws. Saw Blade Stabilizer - Band Saw Stabilizer | Carter Products Please let me know if you know of one for our bandsaws. Thurman

Very nice cutting Bruce. And the hybrid one is very nice also. I am a purist and appreciate the effort and attention to detail required to do a project like this on the scroll saw. When I see something like this I look for the burn marks that are a tell for lasering. They are apparent in the hybrid one on the right, and in fact make the veining stand out better. For that reason, the hybrid one actually looks better. But it brings up the question; did you actually scroll the words "Semper Fidelis" in the one on the left? It looks like it has the laser burn tell. And I am most impressed if you did that small, fine cutting on the scroll saw. Either way, great job!

My wife walked in the room while I was looking at it and is intrigued. So, one question: what size is it? And, where can I get the pattern? We have a forecasted high of 101 here for the next several days. I have a small wall-mounted AC in my shop and it is marginally adequate for this. I am looking for an upgrade to that.

Very nice bowls Pete. You can always make more but she only had the one chance to get bowls like this. We had great weather here for golf this morning.

Thanks Ray. The Wood Database says, among other things, "Not commonly imported to North America."

I tried to find some information about apitoa wood and could not find anything. It is not in the Wood Database. A web search comes up with amusing substitutions but nothing on the wood. The attempted web search makes its best guess and comes up with "Apito" which is a musical instrument and "Apitito" which is a restaurant POS system. Then when I search for "Apitoa wood" it changes it to "patio wood". I concede defeat. Which of the OHYO56 videos discuss the apitoa wood?

I am amazed and impressed (not) that someone has outdone HF at cheating cheaping it out.

I saw this on the local, Woodworkers of Houston, facebook page. It looks like a very nice shop stool but perhaps a bit pricey at $170. Adjustable Shop Stool With Casters | DEWALT. The post went on to mention a similar, if not identical, stool at Menards for $90 Masterforce® Premium Shop Stool at Menards®. I wish we had a Menards close to where I live.

Great job and I love the subject. I am currently in overload for cutting fonts and am avoiding such.

As part of my woodworking journey, I have experimented with many different woods. Tendency for dropouts, Bruce's original question, is one of the characteristics I have watched. Other characteristics include: how well they take a finish, tendency to have fuzzies, hardness, and of course, finished appearance. Along the way I have developed a sensitivity to wood dust, I get a skin rash from exposure. I have worked with walnut, pecan, hard maple, cherry, mahogany, red oak, monkeypod, paduak and mesquite, etc. I now have ready access to end pieces of mesquite, so that is my first choice for any project, but it is not appropriate for many projects. My biggest frustration was in trying to do fine fretwork using 1/4" monkeypod and my conclusion is to not try fine fretwork with 1/4" anything. My second conclusion is that monkeypod might have a slightly greater tendency for dropouts than other woods, or maybe it was just the piece of monkeypod I was using for that project. For projects where dropouts are a concern I would be more comfortable working with mahogany, hard maple, cherry and walnut. But there are many other factors to consider. Apologies for rambling but I enjoy studying wood.

What is an Alphicon pattern? Could you give us a link? An internet search was not very revealing.

I am jealous that you got a planer. One just wouldn't quite fit in my budget or my shop. So, for now, I resaw close to the desired thickness and then use the belt sander to get the panel to the desired thickness and finish. It is not as good as a planer, but good enough for what I do these days. The belt sander is loud and makes a lot of sawdust, maybe about as bad as the planer?

@Denny Knappen had an article about this in the ArtCrafters Scroll Saw Newsletter April 15, 2022 as follows: "Tip for those with the Pegas Chuck Head Sets for popular saws. The way the 2/0R MGT blades are made, they tend to break when the tension is applied. The black knob in the back is not to be used for tensioning, but it works as long as you remember to set it back. Tighten the blade in both clamps, move the knob one mark to lessen the tension and then flip the white lever slowly. No blade breakage. Remember to return the knob to the original position." I corresponded with him about this and he replied that this is what the good folks at Pegas suggested. I sometimes use the Pegas 2/0R MGT blades and I use the deflection method.

Very nice Frank! That goes up high on my Tp-Do list. Thanks for posting the pattern. As I recall from the last time I cut a tissue box cover (SG design) it came out that different brands of tissue boxes come in slightly different sizes. Fortunately, my lady is consistent about which brand she buys. I just have to make sure the box I cut fits the box she buys.