Iguanadon Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 (edited) So, now that I've spent a couple of weeks using the Hawk and gotten used to it and it's less aggressive, "slower" cutting speed I decided to perform an official time test. I had 2 DOLPHIN puzzles prepped on boards, they happened to each be on similar sized boards. I pre-drilled the interior cut holes (4 on each) and then starting with the Hawk I started a stopwatch and cut the outline, did the 4 inside cuts, then cut it into it's pieces and stopped the timer. Then I did the exact same thing on my DeWalt. Times: Hawk - 12 minutes 20 seconds - Using Pegas Modified Geometry #5 blade DeWalt - 10 minutes 18 seconds - Using Olson Mach Speed #3 blade I had estimated it took a couple minutes longer to cut each puzzle on the Hawk and I was right. 2 minutes isn't a lot of time difference, but if you look at it percentage wise, it's 20% longer and if you multiply it out by 1600 puzzles that I hope to cut and sell in 2018, that's 3200 minutes or 53 hours and 20 minutes of extra cutting time over the course of the year. On a daily basis it's only 10 minutes a day if I cut my usual 5 puzzles per day. Is it an issue? I don't know, I'll have to ponder it. P.S. I installed a lift arm assembly on my DeWalt today and I highly recommend it for all DeWalt users. It's nice not having to hold the arm up when feeding the blade in from the underside for inside cuts. P.P.S. One of the scrollers who buys patterns from me told me he's using Old English Lemon Oil instead of mineral oil. He says it dries faster and more completely than mineral oil. I bought some Old English today and I dipped a puzzle in it and have it drying beside one I dipped in mineral oil and will report back as to the results of this test once completed. Edited January 16, 2018 by Iguanadon lawson56, OCtoolguy and Scrolling Steve 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjweb Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Thx Iggy for the updates, interesting, but I think you have to much time on your hands, just cut and enjoy yourself, RJ JTTHECLOCKMAN, SCROLLSAW703 and OCtoolguy 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Just now, rjweb said: Thx Iggy for the updates, interesting, but I think you have to much time on your hands, just cut and enjoy yourself, RJ LOL, I'm a numbers geek... I simply had to know. Sam777 and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 (edited) The time difference is not saved on the DeWalt, you would have to spend that amount of time working on the De Walt to keep it running..... maintence, repairs,,,, Okay I'm just kidding,,,, just funning you all. Oh, crap, I am boycotted for sure now. Edited January 16, 2018 by Scrappile Iguanadon, jbrowning, OCtoolguy and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 Glad you're liking the lift arm on the DeWalt.. I'd be lost without it on mine.. On the Hawk... Have you messed with the blade forward / back movement to try to help speed up cutting? They push this feature on quite a lot of saws now days.. and I kind of always thought by making it more aggressive that it'd cut a little faster? Speaking of the "easy lift" for the DeWalt.. This will be something to get used to on my Excalibur.. While the arm goes up and stays there.. It's quite stiff moving compared to the Dewalt and Hawk.. actually the Hawk just goes up on it's own once the blade is un-clamped.. I think the Dewalt with the easy lift used to but the spring has weakend some I imagine.. I've had that on the saw for several years now.. A tip on the easy lift.. Whenever I wax my saw table.. I also wax the slotted hole area where the arm and those washers slide.. help keep it lifting and lowering nice and smooth.. probably helps with wear too.. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) Will never be a fair estimate because you have way more time on a Dewalt than RBI. Called muscle memory. You will burn 2 dewalts out before you even have to touch an RBI for any maintenance. I say let someone match you using the same saw they are familiar with but they would have to be familar with cutting puzzles. I am faster on an RBI because I use it more than an occasional use of my dewalt or hegner. I bet I can thread a blade faster than you on a dewalt. RBI always had an aggressive setting to their lower blade clamp if you want to be more aggressive. The thing with that is you may get over or undercut on top or bottom and not be even. Could affect puzzles not sure I do not do them. Just can not see how one saw can cut faster than another. Same motion up and down. If speed is the same. Dewalts, excalipers, and jets all have the same arm setup and it is suppose to be the most true up and down motion as opposed to the longer arms of a RBI, hegner and other saws that use that system These saws are naturally more aggressive just because of the cutting motion. The older C arm delta saws were the worse for this. Being this is just for your purposes have fun. Just some facts for your input. Edited January 16, 2018 by JTTHECLOCKMAN SCROLLSAW703 and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 I have found, I use different blades on my Seyco than on the Hegner to accomplish the same thing. I use more aggressive blades on the Hegner than on the Seyco. SCROLLSAW703, GrampaJim, OCtoolguy and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 19 minutes ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said: Will never be a fair estimate because you have way more time on a Dewalt than RBI. Called muscle memory. You will burn 2 dewalts out before you even have to touch an RBI for any maintenance. I say let someone match you using the same saw they are familiar with but they would have to be familar with cutting puzzles. I am faster on an RBI because I use it more than an occasional use of my dewalt or hegner. I bet I can thread a blade faster than you on a dewalt. RBI always had an aggressive setting to their lower blade clamp if you want to be more aggressive. The thing with that is you may get over or undercut on top or bottom and not be even. Could affect puzzles not sure I do not do them. Just can not see how one saw can cut faster than another. Same motion up and down. If speed is the same. Dewalts, excalipers, and jets all have the same arm setup and it is suppose to be the most true up and down motion as opposed to the longer arms of a RBI, hegner and other saws that use that system These saws are naturally more aggressive just because of the cutting motion. The older C arm delta saws were the worse for this. Being this is just for your purposes have fun. Just some facts for your input. Muscle memory doesn't speed up cutting on a "straightaway"... the DeWalt is simply more aggressive. I can feed blades on both saws in the same amount of time, that's not an issue at all. As far as the blade adjustment to make it more aggressive, it doesn't help much, I tried it and it causes issues with the puzzle pieces sliding in and out from both directions. And again, I'll say it, I knew the Hawk was less aggressive when I ordered it. It's simply a matter of whether I can live with it now. It's all on me. SCROLLSAW703 and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 7 minutes ago, Scrappile said: I have found, I use different blades on my Seyco than on the Hegner to accomplish the same thing. I use more aggressive blades on the Hegner than on the Seyco. You bring up a point I forgot to mention. DeWalt, using Olson Mach Speed and Hawk I'm using the Pegas Modified Geometry which is much more aggressive and it does help speed things up. OCtoolguy and Scrappile 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 I better step away from this again because you are all about speed and I am far from that. Best of luck to you at whatever you do and God Speed!!. OCtoolguy and SCROLLSAW703 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 7 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said: I better step away from this again because you are all about speed and I am far from that. Best of luck to you at whatever you do and God Speed!!. Oh JT there you go getting your feelings hurt again ;-)... This conversation is about the difference between two saws. There's been a lot of talk since the beginning of mankind about Hawks and Hegners being slower cutters due to their cutting arm motion. I think even Fred Flinstone mentioned it during an episode. I took the time to quantify it and report to our wonderful community what my findings were, which is Hawks cut 20% slower than DeWalts. Whether it's speed, efficiency or just wanting to know what to expect with these two brands of saws, now folks know so that when they shop for a new saw they'll have some additional facts. And now that I've quantified it, I have to decide, that's right, ME, I have to decide if an extra 53 hours cutting in the year ahead is acceptable or not. I have a full time job and a new business that I've started. By the way, the Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony is this Thursday evening for my map company. So, with my puzzle making on top of all that, I need to know things like this in order to be sure not to take away any family or sleeping time. I cherish my 7 1/2 hours of sleep every night and I never cut after 6pm in the evenings. 8ft tall banner of the current version of our island map that I had made for the ribbon cutting ceremony... Sam777 and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackman Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 11 hours ago, kmmcrafts said: Glad you're liking the lift arm on the DeWalt.. I'd be lost without it on mine.. On the Hawk... Have you messed with the blade forward / back movement to try to help speed up cutting? They push this feature on quite a lot of saws now days.. and I kind of always thought by making it more aggressive that it'd cut a little faster? Speaking of the "easy lift" for the DeWalt.. This will be something to get used to on my Excalibur.. While the arm goes up and stays there.. It's quite stiff moving compared to the Dewalt and Hawk.. actually the Hawk just goes up on it's own once the blade is un-clamped.. I think the Dewalt with the easy lift used to but the spring has weakend some I imagine.. I've had that on the saw for several years now.. A tip on the easy lift.. Whenever I wax my saw table.. I also wax the slotted hole area where the arm and those washers slide.. help keep it lifting and lowering nice and smooth.. probably helps with wear too.. You can adjust how stiff the arm is on the EX by the adjuster on the back of the arm. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 8 minutes ago, trackman said: You can adjust how stiff the arm is on the EX by the adjuster on the back of the arm. Thanks, I had planned to look at that to see.. as the DeWalt doesn't really have an adjuster but the one screw that is at that pivot point can be loosened or tightened to your liking as well.. so I was going to look into doing that with my EX.. like I've said it's new and I've just set it up.. so I'll be fine tuning it to how I need it set up.. I think I'll love the saw once I get things dialed in.. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 43 minutes ago, Iguanadon said: Oh JT there you go getting your feelings hurt again ;-)... This conversation is about the difference between two saws. There's been a lot of talk since the beginning of mankind about Hawks and Hegners being slower cutters due to their cutting arm motion. I think even Fred Flinstone mentioned it during an episode. I took the time to quantify it and report to our wonderful community what my findings were, which is Hawks cut 20% slower than DeWalts. Whether it's speed, efficiency or just wanting to know what to expect with these two brands of saws, now folks know so that when they shop for a new saw they'll have some additional facts. And now that I've quantified it, I have to decide, that's right, ME, I have to decide if an extra 53 hours cutting in the year ahead is acceptable or not. I have a full time job and a new business that I've started. By the way, the Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony is this Thursday evening for my map company. So, with my puzzle making on top of all that, I need to know things like this in order to be sure not to take away any family or sleeping time. I cherish my 7 1/2 hours of sleep every night and I never cut after 6pm in the evenings. 8ft tall banner of the current version of our island map that I had made for the ribbon cutting ceremony... You bring up a very good point about the speed of these saws.. 20% doesn't seem like much.. and at the end of the day it's not very much.. but... going from cutting on an aggressive saw for several years.. then going to the Hawk.. I was rather bored with cutting on the Hawk.. Similar to driving on the expressway for 6-8 hours and then go into a town.. going 25-35 mph after driving all day at 70 mph you feel like you're barely moving.. which.. for me..It makes me want to push too much to feed the wood into the blade faster.. Hawk does an awesome job.. love the ease of doing sharp turns with it.. love cutting thin wood with it.. but can hardly stand using it for anything more that 1/2" thick wood.. which... I stack cut most anything thin.. and the rest is over half inch.. so I just don't use it a lot.. I have two positions in the lower blade holder for blade forward / back motion for a more aggressive cut.. I find with mine is that the more aggressive position is a little too aggressive for much of any detail work.. great for cutting the outlined project out or cutting bases for the clocks etc.. I don't cut very many bases with the scroll saw in general.. Usually use the table saw or band saw and rip down 2" wide strips then cut to length on my miter saw.. then sand them on a belt sander.. much faster than scrolling them out. Using different blades can and will help tremendously.. finding the right combo for a different saw.. can and will make the experience better.... I imagine for puzzles though you have to be careful on your blade selection so the puzzle isn't too sloppy.. so that limits you on speed to a very few select blades.. OCtoolguy and SCROLLSAW703 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 55 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said: You bring up a very good point about the speed of these saws.. 20% doesn't seem like much.. and at the end of the day it's not very much.. but... going from cutting on an aggressive saw for several years.. then going to the Hawk.. I was rather bored with cutting on the Hawk.. Similar to driving on the expressway for 6-8 hours and then go into a town.. going 25-35 mph after driving all day at 70 mph you feel like you're barely moving.. which.. for me..It makes me want to push too much to feed the wood into the blade faster.. Hawk does an awesome job.. love the ease of doing sharp turns with it.. love cutting thin wood with it.. but can hardly stand using it for anything more that 1/2" thick wood.. which... I stack cut most anything thin.. and the rest is over half inch.. so I just don't use it a lot.. I have two positions in the lower blade holder for blade forward / back motion for a more aggressive cut.. I find with mine is that the more aggressive position is a little too aggressive for much of any detail work.. great for cutting the outlined project out or cutting bases for the clocks etc.. I don't cut very many bases with the scroll saw in general.. Usually use the table saw or band saw and rip down 2" wide strips then cut to length on my miter saw.. then sand them on a belt sander.. much faster than scrolling them out. Using different blades can and will help tremendously.. finding the right combo for a different saw.. can and will make the experience better.... I imagine for puzzles though you have to be careful on your blade selection so the puzzle isn't too sloppy.. so that limits you on speed to a very few select blades.. You nailed it Kevin with your 70mph down to 35mph example and finding yourself forcing or pushing the material through the blade. I've adapted but I feel as though I can take a nap when cutting a straight line longer than 6 inches. LOL I just printed off another 150 patterns that I need to cut, in addition to the 350 I'd already printed. Looking at that stack really makes me want to move the DW back into my cutting area... Maybe I can teach my 3 dogs to cut... They're rather bright... OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sycamore67 Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 JT is very correct about muscle memory and being used to a saw. You have a long history of use on one saw versus the new one. While your test may be applicable to you, it is not generally applicable to everyone. So if the one saw is so much faster, are you going to sell the other one as it costs you 53 hours. There was no real need for this comment...yes I know you put a smiley after it but.... 3 hours ago, Iguanadon said: Oh JT there you go getting your feelings hurt again ;-)... Lucky2 and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotshot Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) For what you do, I'm really surprised you didn't go the EX or Seyco route. If I were in your shoes as a production cutter, and needed the aggression, I would be on the EX/Seyco in a heartbeat as the mechanics are very similar to the 788, except that you can adjust aggression to more or less than what you have on the 788 (while keeping the blade perpendicular), there is already a mechanism to hold the arm up, and they seem to last longer than the 788s. For you puzzles, it looks like the EX 16" would work. For highly intricate stuff, even the minimal blade travel I get on the EX (tuned for minimal aggression) is sometimes more than I like. The Hawk has other challenges for me, but I've set it up as my primary for coin cutting for now to see if I can make it work. But, after my testing, I suspect the EX will remain my coin cutting saw because of how it performs with very small delicate blades, but we shall see. I don't think there is "One" saw that is better than every other saw at everything. I think you have to match the saw to your own needs which are affected by your specific project types, your cutting style, and other requirements specific to your needs. -----Randy Edited January 16, 2018 by hotshot Lucky2, OCtoolguy, SCROLLSAW703 and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 9 minutes ago, Sycamore67 said: JT is very correct about muscle memory and being used to a saw. You have a long history of use on one saw versus the new one. While your test may be applicable to you, it is not generally applicable to everyone. So if the one saw is so much faster, are you going to sell the other one as it costs you 53 hours. There was no real need for this comment...yes I know you put a smiley after it but.... I'm just goofing around with JT. He had mentioned in another thread about people misconstruing things he says. I haven't decided what to do with the Hawk yet, but selling it or giving it away are absolutely options or keeping it as my backup saw. Time will tell. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 11 minutes ago, hotshot said: For what you do, I'm really surprised you didn't go the EX or Seyco route. If I were in your shoes as a production cutter, and needed the aggression, I would be on the EX/Seyco in a heartbeat as the mechanics are very similar to the 788, except that you can adjust aggression to more or less than what you have on the 788 (while keeping the blade perpendicular), there is already a mechanism to hold the arm up, and they seem to last longer than the 788s. For you puzzles, it looks like the EX 16" would work. For highly intricate stuff, even the minimal blade travel I get on the EX (tuned for minimal aggression) is sometimes a challenge for me. The Hawk has other challenges for me, but I've set it up as my primary for coin cutting for now to see if I can make it work. But, after my testing, I suspect the EX will remain my coin cutting saw because of how it performs with very small delicate blades. -----Randy My thoughts at the time when I was shopping around were that the EX/Seyco are similar to the DW and therefore would have the same issues with bushings and bearings and overall maintenance being required whereas the Hegner and Hawk are billed as simpler machines that run forever. I'd rather wear out a DW every year than an EX/Seyco based on cost. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry1939 Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 Scott, I feel sorry for you. In your kindness, you spelled out the facts that applied to you. You have probably made more puzzles than everyone else on this site combined. What you got in returned were comments from a lot of self proclaimed "experts" telling you what you should be doing differently. You have earned the right to be respected. It's sad to see this site go in that direction so quickly. jerry OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotshot Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) 52 minutes ago, Iguanadon said: My thoughts at the time when I was shopping around were that the EX/Seyco are similar to the DW and therefore would have the same issues with bushings and bearings and overall maintenance being required whereas the Hegner and Hawk are billed as simpler machines that run forever. I'd rather wear out a DW every year than an EX/Seyco based on cost. I think the consensus are that the EX style outlast the 788s. Years ago it was commonly said that they had better components, but that may or may not have been true. So, you might be right, it would be very interesting to test that theory. I think the 16" Kings go for about $600 (I'm assuming without stand). Edited January 16, 2018 by hotshot OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 43 minutes ago, jerry1939 said: Scott, I feel sorry for you. In your kindness, you spelled out the facts that applied to you. You have probably made more puzzles than everyone else on this site combined. What you got in returned were comments from a lot of self proclaimed "experts" telling you what you should be doing differently. You have earned the right to be respected. It's sad to see this site go in that direction so quickly. jerry Hey Jerry, it's ok. I post anything from new puzzle designs in the Bragging Rights area, to information about my other business in the Coffee House area, to information about saws or selling here in this forum. Everyone has the option of reading what I have to say, responding to it, or simply ignoring anything that says Iguanadon. As long as I know folks are interested I'll keep posting. There was a lot of interest in my adventure with the Hawk saw and I'm sharing things as I think they're noteworthy. I sometimes go back and read what I said to see what I may have said that triggers certain reactions, but at this point I never know so I've stopped trying to figure it out. I'm an easy going fella and much prefer to laugh than argue. My silly little puzzles make me happy and I know they make a lot of people smile, I see it at every event I sell them at. This is my form of stress relief and therapy. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 Iggy here you go again and draw me back into this. I know of no one who scrolls like you do. You come here tell us all how many puzzles you cut per year and then proceed to tell us how many saws you go through per year because of this intense scrolling. You now come here and tell us of a test you did comparing a saw that you have had for what maybe 2 months as to what have you been scrolling on Dewalts for how many + years and you tell us that you can fairly tell what saw is faster in the long run. Every saw will have characteristics that apply to that saw. Nature of the beast or else they would be all the same price with different colors. You have to decide weather you want to use a true production saw such as the RBI or a entry level saw such as the Dewalt and continue to replace or maintain every year and maybe twice a year. Maybe this will even increase now that you have stepped up production. The Dewalt may scroll or cut faster on the straight line and with all the twists and turns you have to make with a puzzles your cuts do not need that true accuracy that some fret work requires thus the speed thing comes into play. If i read correctly you did not even use the same blade for both cuts. The steps to insert a blade on a Dewalt is more than an RBI so time loss there has to be a factor also. Again the more you use a saw you will get faster just in this department. The longer you use a saw the more you trust the turns and you learn the nuances of that saw. It takes longer than 2 months. So for you to tell everyone that your test is the tried and true runoff between the two saws is just not fair. To you at this particular time with the cutting time you have on the RBI it may work for you. Everyone does not cut like you. I have never heard anyone wondering what saw cuts faster. when you get into scrolling you sort of know right away it is a tedious hobby that requires patients and if you get the chance to saw on different saws in your life time you may find out some of those nuances. I know you are in a business and you are juggling many things. Happy for you because this is what you chose. No one is forcing you into doing these things. Enjoy while you are still young and can do these things. There was a time in my life when I scrolled to keep inventory up. When I had 6 store locations and was doing 8 shows a year, I chose to do that and have to say my RBI saws came through all that and still not a drop of maintenance needed except a tension lever. To me this was my test of saws. Again nothing disparaging against you or what you are doing but my original post pointed out what I thought are facts that I have found in my many years of doing this too. The decisions you will have to make pertain to you and your style of cutting. It does not apply for all. If you find 2 minutes per puzzles means that much then your question has answered itself. Just need to decide if that time saved is worth the price in saws. Again I want to step away from this because it makes people uncomfortable as I read others comments. I am not here to put down what you do but sometimes facts need to be brought into a conversation. I again wish you the very best of luck with your many ventures and wish you good health to continue forward. I am sure you will make alot of people happy when they purchase your products and seeing smiles on peoples faces makes it all worth it. Happy Scrolling. OCtoolguy, JimErn, SCROLLSAW703 and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted January 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) 41 minutes ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said: Iggy here you go again and draw me back into this. I know of no one who scrolls like you do. You come here tell us all how many puzzles you cut per year and then proceed to tell us how many saws you go through per year because of this intense scrolling. You now come here and tell us of a test you did comparing a saw that you have had for what maybe 2 months as to what have you been scrolling on Dewalts for how many + years and you tell us that you can fairly tell what saw is faster in the long run. Every saw will have characteristics that apply to that saw. Nature of the beast or else they would be all the same price with different colors. You have to decide weather you want to use a true production saw such as the RBI or a entry level saw such as the Dewalt and continue to replace or maintain every year and maybe twice a year. Maybe this will even increase now that you have stepped up production. The Dewalt may scroll or cut faster on the straight line and with all the twists and turns you have to make with a puzzles your cuts do not need that true accuracy that some fret work requires thus the speed thing comes into play. If i read correctly you did not even use the same blade for both cuts. The steps to insert a blade on a Dewalt is more than an RBI so time loss there has to be a factor also. Again the more you use a saw you will get faster just in this department. The longer you use a saw the more you trust the turns and you learn the nuances of that saw. It takes longer than 2 months. So for you to tell everyone that your test is the tried and true runoff between the two saws is just not fair. To you at this particular time with the cutting time you have on the RBI it may work for you. Everyone does not cut like you. I have never heard anyone wondering what saw cuts faster. when you get into scrolling you sort of know right away it is a tedious hobby that requires patients and if you get the chance to saw on different saws in your life time you may find out some of those nuances. I know you are in a business and you are juggling many things. Happy for you because this is what you chose. No one is forcing you into doing these things. Enjoy while you are still young and can do these things. There was a time in my life when I scrolled to keep inventory up. When I had 6 store locations and was doing 8 shows a year, I chose to do that and have to say my RBI saws came through all that and still not a drop of maintenance needed except a tension lever. To me this was my test of saws. Again nothing disparaging against you or what you are doing but my original post pointed out what I thought are facts that I have found in my many years of doing this too. The decisions you will have to make pertain to you and your style of cutting. It does not apply for all. If you find 2 minutes per puzzles means that much then your question has answered itself. Just need to decide if that time saved is worth the price in saws. Again I want to step away from this because it makes people uncomfortable as I read others comments. I am not here to put down what you do but sometimes facts need to be brought into a conversation. I again wish you the very best of luck with your many ventures and wish you good health to continue forward. I am sure you will make alot of people happy when they purchase your products and seeing smiles on peoples faces makes it all worth it. Happy Scrolling. JT, in all sincerity, I appreciate your comments and your well wishes. We definitely seem to speak different languages at times, and holy cow it does make for some interesting dialogue. I smile whenever I read what you say and as I type responses. I have no ill feelings towards you in the least. Some things just seem to get lost in translation and in the mass of information. 1. I'm 54 years old 2. I've been scrolling for 2 1/2 years (puzzles for under 2 years) 3. I've burned up 2 DeWalt's in that time frame yet I still love the saws as they cut very well 4. I bought a Hawk for it's durability even after hearing from others that it cuts "slower" (not as aggressive) 5. I simply wanted to post a real test after having used the Hawk for a full month and gotten used to it. 6. I'm reporting MY results and findings because I see questions all the time about what is good, bad, different about various saws. If nobody reports this information, there is nothing to be learned from an open forum. 7. I love cutting my puzzles, I love selling them at the 28 events I've averaged each year the past 2 years 8. I work full time, a sales executive for a software company. I deal with asshole clients and asshole colleagues day in and day out. Scrolling is my stress relief while at the same time balancing spending time with my wife and our daughter and grand-daughter who live 2 blocks away. And I sleep wonderfully 7 1/2 hours a night 9. I enjoy staying active and "busy"... I never dreamed I'd move to the beach and end up starting up two LLC's within 2 months of each other... doing things that I very much enjoy. The ultimate goal is to get the map business up and running in 4-6 beach towns and be able to quit the day job and enjoy making and selling puzzles even more. 10. I greatly appreciate the support and feedback I've received from this site. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wouldn't have been nearly as successful with the puzzle business if it hadn't been for Scroll Saw Village and members like yourself willing to chime in and answer questions and even try to poke holes in ideas and thoughts. Don't you dare go away, who else is going to unknowingly stir things up out here? :-) Edited January 16, 2018 by Iguanadon JTTHECLOCKMAN, OCtoolguy and SCROLLSAW703 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 We do speak the same language but as i often said many times on other forums sometimes the typed word gets translated differently than if it were spoken face to face and that is just a common thing. I was a foreman for many years in the electrical industry so I dealt with many different personalities and they can be challenging for sure. I try also to impart some of my past experiences within this forum and love looking at others works. It gives me joy. May not be able to do what I use to any more but many projects brings back memories. One thing I am sincere at is I do wish you good luck and do hope you continue to make people smile and continue to share not only here but wherever you go and when people ask questions at shows be forthcoming and share. It is how we all learn. keep those saws humming and get back to work. OCtoolguy and SCROLLSAW703 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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