Dak0ta52

Excellent job on the cut and frame!

Outstanding job, Brend!!!

Very nice, Denny. I keep telling myself I need to get the patterns for these. I think they would be a big hit in my area.

Great scrolling!!!

My number one go to is the Scroller's Drill by Seyco. Seems to work bests and after several months of use I have yet to break a bit. My second choice is my drill press. Primarily used for larger holes. Third is a Dremel with the plunge router attachment. This works okay but there is play in the attachment and if you're not careful you will break bits.

Welcome to the Village from North Carolina. Prayers for a speedy recovery.

I admit I know nothing about that particular saw but I would ask if the insert around the blade is still available. That is a rather large hole where parts (pieces) could drop through as well as possibly creating vibration in thinner pieces of wood without the support on the bottom. It may be possible that you can cut a new insert. Good luck.

At the time I was limited on my wood stock but I wanted to see if I could complete the cut with smaller bridges. I selected this pattern because it didn't have any large areas with thin bridges. The previous piece I did of Jim's where the cowboy is sitting with a dog along side would have never worked. That one was very delicate even though I cut it 11X14. I have a "Last Supper" pattern I hope to cut when I have the wood that will be around 8X48. I'll surely need the extra depth as well as a couple side tables for that one.

Welcome to the Village from North Carolina. You'll find many various comments on the "best" saw. That will be reflected by each individual. I started with a $100 WEN that was very limited on features. After a year I purchased the 30-inch Pegas and discovered a whole new world of scroll sawing. When considering my purchase, I also looked strongly at the Seyco. The Seyco is an excellent saw and as many members here, I hope to own one in the future (in addition to the Pegas). Don't hesitate to ask questions and once you get started, please share pictures of your work. It is inspiring to see.

I have a Pegas 30" I purchased from Denny (Artcraftersonline.com) and I love the saw. I typically cut portrait type wall hangers and having the saw 10-months now I haven't cut anything that would require the extra throat depth. However, I do have a pattern that will require the larger saw and plan to cut in the future. The way I looked at it was the difference in the cost was just a couple hundred dollars and the extra depth was there if I ever needed it. If I had any negative to say about the 30" would be lifting the arm. I can't say that it is any harder than it would be if it were the 21" saw because I've never cut on a 21" saw. My first saw was the WEN which only had a 16" throat and the upper arm did not lift. As with any piece of equipment I did have to make slight adjustments when I received the saw. Initially the upper arm would not stay raised when lifted. Also, the blade was set for very aggressive cutting. The adjustments for these corrections are clearly indicated in the manual and were very easy to fix. Finally, the saw is BIG!!! And Heavy! I mounted casters to my stand that aid in moving but have recently placed it in an area where it most likely will sit for now on. My shop is not climate controlled and I purchased a 6X8 popup greenhouse enclosure and a 1500 watt heater cuts the chill nicely. If you have the bucks, go for the extra throat depth. But make sure you have the space to set it up once it arrives. Give Denny a call. I'm sure he'll do you right on price.

Welcome. Don't hesitate to ask questions.

This is Jim Blume's "Heading West" pattern that was designed to be 11X14. I decided to make it a little more challenging by cutting it into an 8X10. Baltic Birch stained Ipswich with a black backer and a Pine frame. Both cutting and frame were sprayed with several coats of Polyacrylic with light sanding between coats. This was a lot of fun to cut and surprisingly the reduced size didn't make it very difficult. Thanks, Jim, for another great pattern.

Nice work on your pieces... especially with a bum eye. Glad you're on the mend.

Nice job, Denny. I'm also looking forward to seeing your cuttings of the tiny bird houses I saw you post that you were going to start.

I've found when I can't perform a "trace>bitmap" on a particular file (picture), I'll do a Google search to convert the file to JPG. I'll then import the JPG file into Inkscape and the "trace>bitmap" works fine. It does duplicate the new file directly on top of the JPG file and you have to drag it out of the way to change the fill and stroke. If the fill and stroke doesn't work on the file you have selected, it is because you are still highlighting the JPG file. Delete it off the work sheet and go to the other image. Another way to identify the correct image is by the borders. The new file will have borders that are the exact size of the image you are working on. The JPG file will have a space between the pattern and the border.

I've been flipping back and forth between a harder piece (Jim Blume pattern 11X14 downsized to 8X10) and a few easier Steve Good patterns. These two were the Steve Good patterns.

Excellent work, Tbow. Open Range is on the top of my list for favorite movies. The destressed "Billy the Kid" cutting almost looks like the photos you find of him. The frames elevate the artistry to another level.

Nice one Charlie. Like your choice of wood and coloring!

Beautiful piece, Barb!!!

Both are great cuttings. I rather enjoy when patterns have heavy detail. I just look at it as "one hole at a time."

Hey Pete, what size blade did you use??? Just kidding. Really like the finish on the top picture.

Like Kevin, it depends a lot on the project. Typically I'll spend 45 min. to 1 hr. before I get up for a break. Usually that break is working on another project I have on the go or getting one ready to start. If I finish the cuts on a project, I'm usually have another project in waiting and will start cutting again without much delay. However, if I've just finished a very detailed and delicate project, I'll usually let my next project be something simple. I use spirals with most of my heavily detailed work and my easy project will usually be something I can cut with straight blades.

I built a stand for my first saw (a WEN) and it vibrated like crazy, The top of the stand was made with 3/4 ply. I removed the saw, replaced the 3/4 ply with a solid piece of 2X material and the little WEN would pass the nickle test. My be the difference in the top of your bench compared to where you had it previously. You may be able to strengthen it by glue and screw from the bottom side with 2X material.

I've been working to finish these two western pieces for a sale this coming weekend. They were both double stack cut and while one of the attached photos shows it is finished natural, the other is finished with ipswich. They have their mates but I wanted to show the difference between the two. They are cut on Baltic Birch with Birch backers stained ebony. The frames are knotty pine cut to size. The pieces are coated with several coats of gloss polyacrylic and the frames are done with satin. The patterns are by Jim Blume. The portrait piece was an easy cut but the landscape piece was a ... well, I'll just say it was tough. There are several areas that are bridged with single small pieces that made the piece very fragile. Regardless, however challenging, they were a lot of fun to cut. The door hanger is a Steve Good pattern and still has to be finished with polyacrylic. Wanted something a little easier to do after tackling the landscape Jim Blume piece. Finally, our new addition to our family. (My wife's Christmas present.) The Papillon, Chocolate "Chip," give us a total of four dogs. We still have the two cats and about 75 goldfish. Anyway, I did the pattern for Chip's piece which was cut from Baltic Birch and stained Ipswich. I added brown accents because he is what is called a Tri-color Papillon. It has a black Birch backer and the frame is cut from pre-fab framing material to match the ones I have done of the other cuts of the clan.

Looks like an outstanding job to me. I have set up a miter cut to do frames on my table saw. I first route the grove, cut the 45 angle with a jig, glue the frame, cut spline groves with another jig, then insert the glue and splines.