rafairchild2

No.. 1/4 was on the bottom. I tried everything. FD UR #1, 3, & 5's. Also Pegas 3 &5. Also the 1/4 was a different species, so that caused issues as it was a different grain structure. Lesson learned.

Thanks, Jerry. It was more so during the time I was doing the triple stack. 1/4, 1/2, 1/2. I got stubborn for a while and refused to strip it apart. When I finally let go of my ego, things went much better. Still, it wore me down by that point so even though I was having no issues on the single, I was just already stretched to the limit. It was a lesson in just cutting your losses when you see things are not going to work. Do not prolong the agony for the sake of saving some wood.

I finally finished my Sue May design, the Ressurection Cross. Cut from mahogany. I first started this as a triple stack. However, reality hit me hard, and quickly. The intricacy and precision required did no favors in the triple stack and it became a source of immense frustration. Blades broke frequently, (I never break blades) accuracy issues arose with the blade drifting off the liines, and the whole process felt more like a battle than a joyful craft. My ego and self-confidence took a hit. It became clear that I needed to step back and reassess. Continuing down this path would only lead to more frustration and potentially compromised quality. So, I made the difficult decision to set aside the original multi-wood concept. The project was reimagined, simplified, and refocused. Two layers were then taken off. And I had most of the bottom done, so a lot of wasted wood. I might try and lay a stencil over those cast-offs, but that might be near impossible. Right now I do not want to see this design ever again! Soaked in raw linseed oil for the finish.

Here's the finished product after being dipped in raw linseed oil and hand-wiped. The red in the bloodwood pops now.

The tray is an accessory item from US General (Buy at Harbor Freight), just like the drink cup holder you see in 2nd photo above, it is magnetized. I also have the paper towel holder too. They are reasonably priced.

Actually, it is only 1/2". If it was 3/4, I would have only gotten 15 minutes on a blade! It's the heat/friction that makes the blade wear faster. You can see the discoloration as it heats and turns blueish. I think it loses it tempering with all that heat, thus the tracking of the blade goes wonky, then you have to push harder. Nothing yet on the wood other than a tack cloth wipe. I will finish with a raw linseed oil dip. Yes, that thin insulation really does help as the sun beats on that door from 11 AM to sunset. Probably helps another 10-15+ degrees.

It's a 3/4-inch lock line from Amazon. (2 sets) Connected via a sleeve with a wooden insert RTV'd into place. I used two blast gates, one for the bottom vac, and one for the top so I could throttle the suction to the way I like. As you can see because of the flex hosing behind, raising and lowering the arm does not affect the top vac at all. It will go back into the proper position. Here's what it looks like from the side. This is just before trimming everything up and replacing the Excalibur in the background. And you can see I built the same top vac on the Excal too! 2nd photo shows it in place. 30" Pegas.

I have not been in the workshop for a month, it's just been too darn hot (95+ with 105+ heat index for weeks)and my little window a/c could not shed the heat. Even on days that the temps dropped a little I just could not find the motivation. Well, we are finally in the 80s, and I forced myself to work in the shop, 30 minutes at a time, getting back to an hour, then 90 minutes. It's a forcing function. But the heat this summer broke me mentally. Here is a tree of life (no roots though) that is a little nontraditional, but I think it came out pretty nice. 100% inside cuts, even the perimeter. I used Bloodwood, which is hard as heck and I went through blades about every 20-30 minutes. Used Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse. #5 for the smaller details on the right, #7 for the larger on the left, and #9 for the perimeter. Cut on a 30" Pegas, with Pegas chuck. Here are a few images. The finished piece, a closeup through my lighted magnifying glass, and the pan under the saw, I throw the waste wood and dead blades. It is magnetized, so I do keep blades that have a little life left stuck to the back.

Sorry, Jerry. I regret posting my NATO display and causing this $t storm. I will hold my tongue. My flag arrangement/application is correct, according to the Flag Protocol AND the Rules of Flags in an International Military Alliance known as NATO. Anything else mentioned by others is ignorance.

The flag protocol (of US flag higher) does not apply in this application. The flags in the plaza and inside NATO HQ are all national flags. Additionally, there is the main NATO flag (considered a national flag) and our Warfare Development Command Flag (my NATO HQ in Norfolk VA is called ACT, considered the same as a state flag). So at both NATO HQs. All flags fly at equal height. The ACT flag is considered similar to a state flag, which the flag code says it can fly at equal height. The only time a national flag is moved to the center of attention is during a "National Day". For example, another US flag was raised for the July 4th national day, and it was raised next to the NATO and ACT flags. After the ceremony, it was brought down. Next, my flag display is for my office at NATO HQ, again a different set of rules for Alliance display vs the US flag code. So yes, all are held at equal height, but I am allowed to put my national flag at the center of attention not higher. The 'state' flag (ACT) has to be to the right of the US flag. Remember we are not only a military alliance but a political one made up of 32 nations and subordinate commands. If you look at the flags at the NATO HQ in Europe, you will see the same thing. All equal height. Also, the NATO flag and the Command (HQ) flags are usually the flags at the center of focus. Here's a tidbit most people do not know. The Supreme Allied Commander Transformation in Norfolk VA USA is always a French 4-star (SACT). The Supreme Allied Commander Europe in Brussels (SACEUR) is always an American 4-Star. This was done for political and optic purposes. Below is the NATO HQ in Europe. Note the height and note the flags are always displayed in the same order. I think it is Alphabetical by country.

Thanks for the shoutout, Jerry. It came out nice. As to your self-sculpture, you seem a bit 'wooden' sitting at the saw. I think when I posted my flags a while back, it was brought up regarding height. My display is an exception to the US flag height rule. I am on staff with NATO, and my display (as are all the flags in our HQ flag plaza/parade grounds) is all on an equal level as a 32-nation military alliance.

Alex Fox on Etsy

Suffered an eye injury ~3 weeks ago. Debris blew up under my glasses when mulching on my 42" deck tractor mower deck. I have been pretty much blind in my left eye, due to corneal injury over the pupil area. It was like looking through a glass with thick petroleum jelly on it and darkened. The whole eye was bloody red. Quite a bit of pain came alongside that for well over a week. I was prescribed an ointment for my eye 3x/day and steroid drops 2x/day. I had my 3rd follow-up with my eye Doc today (went to urgent care when I was injured). My eye has finally superficially healed on the surface (that's good), and also improved 4 steps on the eye test this last week. Pressure also moved in the right direction. She was pleased that I turned the corner as she was concerned last week at the slow healing. Now comes the continued under-the-surface healing so we wait. Scheduled an appointment to be back in a month. No more steroids in the eye, however, the ointment is only 1x/day now... When I got home this morning after the appointment, I tried some scroll sawing I actually could see my lines! FINALLY!!! cut the remaining pieces and rattle can finished my 4-layer Memorial Day pieces, which I could not work on while I was blind. Gun, dog tags, boots, & helmet. When I tried working on it when I was first injured it was a major struggle and had to quit for a few weeks, did an hour on Sunday during my YT live stream, but that was a struggle... now it feels like I am almost back to normal. Not fun being blind in my eye, thankful, it was temporary. Ran out of black paint on one piece so I did not speckle it the way I wanted. Getting more tomorrow.

They have a plugged-in tool, with flex shaft for $45 https://www.harborfreight.com/flexible-shaft-grinder-and-carver-40432.html

Just sitting. I figured a 120 lbs saw, didn't need to be bolted.

The 30" weighs 120 lbs. Not sure how much more than a 24". I did not install the handles on the cart. I also used shorter bolts where the handles would have been. But yes, the mobility is a plus for sure.

Just be careful of placement, or have a cover. You'll get sawdust and small pieces in it if you place it under the table!

I understand that. But on your site, all of your saws are listed as ' out of stock, which to me means 'sold out'. That says you do not have any to sell. At that point, I went to Bearwoods. They drop shipped from NJ.

Thanks. I looked at your site, but it said out of stock. US General has some magnetic accessories for the cart. I just ordered the tool tray, which will be placed under the front of the saw, so I can have a couple of tools I use (pick and engineers square) and to catch pieces of wood dropping through), A paper towel dispenser, and a drink holder.

Thanks Since I am in a garage, where I put my convertible, I need flexibility. I pull the car out and have a lot of space for the weekend. Also when I am doing videos, I want to be able to adjust things as needed. Also, constantly evolving my workflow. This gives me max flexibility.

If they are toys and/or puzzles then go to the local PD with them for their outreaches or to hospital ER. Children's women's shelters.

I spent a few days getting my Pegas the way I wanted. Still shocked it only took 2 days to deliver from my order. I used a US General service cart as the base. (The red matches!) I added a power strip with USB plugs and a 25 foot cord. This way I can move it around in the shop for some flexibility. Here you can see it in position when I am recording live streams or other YT videos. Most of my tools are in a semi-circle, so I only need to spin around on my stool. My only negative right now is I have the magnifying glass/light connected to the cart (used to be on the wall), so I lose some cutting space. I really do not want to go back to my old long arm (you can see it on my workbench) from the back as it bounces too much, but I will figure placement in the next week. Other Shop Stuff: I put my old 10" WEN drill press back in operation and keep a pilot drill bit in it. My larger drill press further back is for larger holes, barrel and mop sanding. It sits to the left of my carving workbench. In this photo I have a whole bunch of toys needing to be profiled. You can see the blue legs of my frankenrouter and barrel sander behind that near the silver overhead door. I plumbed in the Pegas, to have not only the regular bottom vac, but also a top vac using loc-line. It then gets combined at the back of the saw. I can either hook up to the 10 foot 2.5" vacuum line at any port along the wall, or to my 4" dust handling line that I can roll out. Below is a closeup when I was plumbing everything in. I did have my old magnetic sheet on for a while, as the glare from my shop lights reflected off the black surface of the cutting table. I still have to get used to this saw. I started with a #10, as I was drifting to the left with the thinner blades, and worked my way down in numbers (at #5 right now), figuring out what setup worked. Every blade has a personality, as does the saw. In the photo below you can see my old Excal before moving out of that spot and rearranging things.

I got my stickers on both sides for videos! Mounted my magnifying light. I just started plumbing in my bottom and top vac. I'll use the loc-line from my drill press for the top, as it has similar fittings to my top vac on my Excal. I have something else for my drill press. The goal is to make this totally portable in the shop. Just one electric cable to an outlet and one vac line that splits for top and bottom vacs. When I am done this weekend, I'll start another thread and post pics. Maybe others will want to set up saws like this.

Yeah, I bought that cart last weekend (US General), and had it all set up for my sander and table jig saw. Figure tomorrow or Saturday, I'll buy another and get those back up on it. I had that red one all wired and such, so it made sense since I wanted to get this thing working fast.

Got it from Bearwoods, no sales tax saved me ~$75.00. They ship from NJ, so it is a quick drive down thru Delaware, Maryland, down the Eastern Shore over the 22-mile Chesapeake Bay bridge-tunnel, and 4 miles to my house!