Dak0ta52

Congrats, Barb! And to think we have her here to share her experience and knowledge!!!

Welcome to the Village! Looking forward to seeing you progress as you learn the craft.

I have the Pegas 30" and can say I'm totally satisfied. The extra depth of the throat is seldom used but it is nice knowing it is there. This is a BIG and HEAVY machine! I can't comment on the Hegner other than I've heard from other members in the Village that they are good machines also. I purchased my Pegas from Denny at Artcraftersonline.com. He gave me a great deal and if Pegas is the way you decide to go, I highly recommend reaching out to him.

Welcome back, Don!

I was an instructor when I was in law enforcement. One of the classes I taught was personal safety. A huge part of that is being aware of your surroundings and identifying possible threats nearby. People have their noses buried in their phones so much now days that it's a wonder they don't trip over their own feet. It is so disheartening to go into a restaurant and see a family come in, sit down, and bury their face in their phones. No communication at all.... unless they are texting each other at the table.

Yes. Although I used an older blade that I don't use for delicate woodwork.

I'll take some pics this weekend so you can better understand. The picture you have above could actually work. The only difference is where you have the plywood on top of your sled, I use the metal ruler. The ruler is thin enough to allow for the notch in the framing material to ride against thus not having to calculate the difference to allow for the notch. The length of the ruler on the right would have the measurements so you can cut the frame to length. When you make your measurement cut, you have to measure at the point where the framing material notch falls on the ruler. May sound confusing but it's really simple. The pics I'll send will make it clear.

Paul, I set up a jig for my 45 degree cuts on frames and it works great. I used a metal ruler to make a 90 degree angle on a flat panel with the saw blade running 45 degrees to the ruler. The ruler on the right is marked in inches. I make the first cut on the left side to get my first angle and then move it to the right side to cut the second angle to length. What's nice is I can use the recess from the framing material to butt up against the ruler and can cut it at the actual length of the piece I plan to use it for. Another words, I don't have to figure the quarter inch or so when making the cut. Really, really simple. I've also made a jig to cut the splines. This one fits over the table saw fence and slides back and forth. I can raise or lower the blade on the saw to make the spline as deep or shallow as I want. I simply rip strips to fit the blade cerf. If the strips are slightly too thick, I'll sand them down until they fit snug then glue them in.

Between the weather and my health, it was good to finally get back into the shop and create some sawdust. The first is a Charles Dearing pattern (Lab Family) I purchased at the request of my wife. I stack cut 2 of BB with a BB backer. I used primarily Pegas #1 spirals and a few 2/0 in some of the tighter areas. I will say the pattern, purchased from Wooden Teddy Bear, had a few issues where I had to do some scroller editing to keep from having dropouts. The size with frame is roughly 12X18. The frame was made from pine. The second is a smaller piece (approximately 6X10) also of BB with a BB backer. I used Pegas MGT 2/0 and 0 blades. For the life of me I can't remember where I got the pattern and it didn't have the designer's name. If anyone knows the author, please let me know so I can credit them with the nice pattern. Finally is a Steve Good pattern I cut for Mother's Day. My mom is 92 and is in early stages of Dementia. I've cut pieces for her on her Birthday and Mother's Day since I've been scrolling. This one makes about 8 pieces I've cut for her and she has me hang them in her Dinette where she spends most of her time. This piece was cut from BB with a BB backer using Pegas 2/0 and 0 MGT blades. The first two pieces are stained using Ipswich with Pure Black stain for the backers. They were finished with several coats of Polyacrylic and sanded with 600 grit between coats. The frames on the first two pieces are also stained with Ipswich. I also added splines to the corners, but they are unseen from the photos. The Mother's Day piece is stained with Natural, and the backer is stained with Red Oak.

Thanks Paul. The Cath lab went... okay. 99% blockage in one artery that was cleaned and ballooned. 70% blockage in another artery couldn't be reached for repair through the wrist. Will have to go back in sometime in the future through the femoral artery. Regardless, that as done on Thursday so Friday left me some time to work on the frames. Was able to cut, glue, spline, sand and stain five frames. Now all I have to do is finish them with a little polyacrylic and mount the projects. It was nice being in the shop again.

Beautiful piece, Paul. I also have a few projects needing frames. I've started them but the cath lab got in the way. I'm hoping I'll feel up to finishing a couple this weekend.

Thanks Pete. There were some good ones in that batch. Unfortunately, a couple could very well apply to me.

I've thought about letting a portion of mine go back to nature but I primarily mow the 8-acres to help spot snakes. My land butts a 4300 acre tract of pulpwood land and the rattlers are plentiful. I have a 5-acre pasture I let a friend keep a few cows. (Keeps me from having to mow that also.) The rest of my 25 acres is wooded and also a haven for deer. Wife feeds them corn every evening. I'm hoping I can control the diabetes with diet. I've been borderline for years and recently put on about 20 lbs. Like your wife, I think if get that weight back down I'll be alright. Mom has been adamant that she doesn't want to go to a facility. Unfortunately as her condition declines it may become inevitable. She lives about 40-miles from me and my job is 40-miles in the opposite direction. I have an older brother but he couldn't deal with her sundowners and essentially has washed his hands of her. I move her in with me but between her and my wife, there would be a killing. Yeah, getting old isn't fun, but, what can you do... I guess creating sawdust at the scrollsaw will have to do for now.

Sounds like a great time was had. There are several members in North Carolina but unfortunately, at least for my situation, meeting up would be hard to do. I still work full-time, tend to my property (mow 8-acres), take care of honey-dos, and care for my 92 y/o mother with dementia, my calendar stays full. Additionally, my own health is failing. Already had 2 heart attacks and scheduled to go into the cath lab again next week. On top of that I was told by my company's clinic nurse yesterday that my blood work indicates I now have diabetes. Ain't life grand!!!