David Hall Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 I'm a scroll saw noob. I had never turned one on until last night. I picked up an old 16" craftsman on CL for $25 so I figured why not. A few things I learned from my maiden voyage: 1. You guys make it look easier than it is 2. I need one of those blower things and a better lighting in that portion of my shop. 3. I'm officially hooked on scrolling now. 4. I must try reverse cut and spiral blades, all I have is some old standard blades that came with the saw. My first rough cut piece is attached. Doug, bobscroll and amazingkevin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobscroll Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Hello David and welcome to the village, Thank you for the intro, You are on the road!, You did well on your first cutting, Thanks for showing, Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hall Posted April 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 I also now understand what floaters are, the dot for the eye. Lol And be careful drilling pilot holes. Some moron accidentally drilled a pilot hole in the r... Oh yeah, that was me. Lol Rob Roy, mild_peril and amazingkevin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 That was good for the first cut. Welcome from Ohio.+Here is a couple of hints . Get some wax for the table I use Turtle past wax. It does 2 things It keeps down the rust and the wood slides easier.Let the saw all the work. Norw if you have any questions we have answers, and we like pictures. IKE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 You did great cutting the thin soft wood.Stop in often for daily tip's an tricks freely given! Thanks for joining friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Welcome to the Village David!....From the looks of your first try you are well on your way!...Scroll On! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleJScroller Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Welcome David! I'm new to this hobby as well and I have to say this group has been great at helping me out and answering all my many questions. I will say I know what you mean about not having a blower. I had been using an old Ryobi that the blower tube had dry rotted off and so I would have to sit there blowing the dust away as I cut. I ended up getting a $10 fish tank air pump and rigged up a homeade blower that worked quite well. Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kepy Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Welcome to the village. You have gotten some good advice. The fish tank air pump will work great and some Flying Dutchman blades will make a difference. Drilling holes in the wrong place will sometimes happen to everyone whether they admit it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bfreeman Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 You are doing good. My best advice is to start in the center and cut to the left and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courdorygirl Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Welcome David! I'm also a newbie and I agree that this has been the best place to get both help and feedback. These guys an gals are awesome! My blower doesn't work at all, so I feel your pain. I usually just turn on a big shop fan and that does the trick, along with keeping me cool and collected. I love love love spiral blades, because I never could quite the hang of sticking my hand behind the blade! I use Bosch brand from Lowes, and they break pretty regularly, but I scroll a lot, so I don't know which it is, lol! I want to order some flying dutchman blades just to see the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Hey David, Welcome and glad you joined us. Scrolling is the same boring process over and over: Find a piece of wood and sand it Put a pattern on it Drill a bunch of holes Thread a blade in the holes and cut for hours. Sand the wood and put a finish on it. Hang it up, stick it in a corner, give it away and sometimes sell it for 10% of its value. I love it! wombatie, Scrolling Steve and Larry A. Blakely 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Welcome. I used a double aquarium air pump for my old one. Small tubing and a 4-5in. piece of 1/4" soft copper tubing. It worked great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mild_peril Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Welcome David, another noob here too, been scrolling for just over 2 months. I've been here a week or so and have read through dozens of fantastic threads and had a look through hundreds of patterns, and I can safely say that there are some brilliant people here willing to encourage and share their knowledge and experience, so you're in good hands. And that's a great first attempt by the way, enjoy your new found hobby. Tommy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordster Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Hi David and welcome..your first cut was a good one...lots of answers here so all you have to do is ask the questions.. Gordie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Welcome David to our world wide scrolling family. You will quickly realize how helpful, encouraging and understanding everyone here are. You did a fine job cutting your first piece so I know you will be excited as you realize how quickly your skills will develop. Even after making a large number of pieces, times come along when we still occasionally drill a hole in a wrong place.. Not the end of the world but just a learning thing. I am not criticizing you but rather trying to give you a pointer here. The fuzzies caused on the back side of your piece is something we all have to deal with. I have discovered that when I get my pieces cut out I turn it face down on my work bench and sand it with my orbital sander. I used to be afraid to do that because I a felt sure it would tear my work into pieces but after I read that others did it on a regular basis and so I decided to try it and it worked. It does not remove everything perfectly, but I also read where some also use a stiff brush to remove what the sander does not get. I bought a toothbrush that is designed for false teeth and is about three times the size of a regular tooth brush and quite stiff. I simply brush the fuzzies fairly hard and that takes care of them for me. Some use a torch on them and there are several other ideas, which are all helpful.. I hope this helps you some. I suggest that you hone your skills on the simpler patterns and then challenge yourself as you go along. Cutting something that is really detailed, during your first efforts can end up discouraging you, so move forward with steps and not leaps. Just my take. different blades, other than the big box store blades makes all the difference in the world. probably the most important thing to do. Questions on blades will help you decide on which ones to choose. The main thing is to have fun and log on often, then we all can get to know you better and you us. Dick heppnerguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Hi David, welcome to the Village. I'm Marg from Australia. Your first cut is better than mine was and that was about 16 years ago now, and I still love every second of it. Ask all the questions you want and you will get an answer even if that question has been asked a thousand times before by a thousand other people. If you don't ask you don't learn. Also the suggestion about the aquarium air pump is a really good one, its cheaper than a new saw at this stage. Marg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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