Lots of newbie questions

[Foxfold]

Please feel free to answer all or none as the fancy takes you. I realise that it can be quite irksome having someone constantly mythering.

1) The table on my saw feels as though it's not letting the wood slide nicely. Is there a solution ?

2) I bought some Danish Oil last week and put it into a container with a flat bottom, as I've seen on the Internet, so that I could just 'dip' my finished pieces. However, when I opened it tonight it has a thick, almost green layer on the surface, like you get when you don't close a paint tin and the oil underneath is quite congealed. ??? The container isn't 'airtight' is this the reason ?

3) If I have a pattern with lots of cuts, I have to stand up, loosen the knob at the back of my saw, loosen the front tensioner and then undo the clamp to release the blade. Then I have to do it all again in reverse before I can cut anything. Sometimes I feel like the proverbial yo-yo and I find it very tiring... Is there another way of changing blades ?

Thank you so much for your patience, it is appreciated.   Brenda xx

I have an Axminster Saw, like this

 

Edited November 29, 2018 by Foxfold

[meflick]

First, let me say - I am far from an expert and I usually hesitate to answer these types of questions and wait for the experts with many more years of experience then me to give their excellent answers so I apologize if I screw anything up in trying to answer you. 

1) The table on my saw feels as though it's not letting the wood slide nicely. Is there a solution ?

Many people "wax" their table tops to allow things to slide across more smoothly. I believe many use Johnson Paste Wax to do that.  It also helps to protect the table.

2) I bought some Danish Oil last week and put it into a container with a flat bottom, as I've seen on the Internet, so that I could just 'dip' my finished pieces. However, when I opened it tonight it has a thick, almost green layer on the surface, like you get when you don't close a paint tin and the oil underneath is quite congealed. ??? The container isn't 'airtight' is this the reason ?

I would suspect that indeed the problem is being caused by it not being an air tight container.

3) If I have a pattern with lots of cuts, I have to stand up, loosen the knob at the back of my saw, loosen the front tensioner and then undo the clamp to release the blade. Then I have to do it all again in reverse before I can cut anything. Sometimes I feel like the proverbial yo-yo and I find it very tiring... Is there another way of changing blades ?

I have never used a saw of the brand yours is so I have no real answers on this for you.  On my Excalibur, my Seyco and the Dewalt I started with, they have that tension knob in the back of the saw like yours does but you do not have to release the tension knob in the back of the saw.  You only have to release the tension flip at the front and then release the blade at the top or bottom. Since you indicate that yours has a front tensioner are you sure you need to loosen both the knob in the back and the front tensioner switch?  Now that said, I am not a very patient person, and having had a couple of cervical fusions done, I struggle a bit with trying to "see" to fit the blades in those tiny holes.  As a result,,  I am not a big fan of all those little holes and most of my projects are of different types of things then those detailed scrolled pictures with what seems like hundreds if not thousands of holes for those reasons! 

Melanie

Edited November 30, 2018 by meflick
typos (probably still some)

[OCtoolguy]

First off, I hate calling you Foxfold. You must have a regular name so somewhere along the line, post it, please. Put it in your signature at the bottom as you can see mine. Now, with that said, as to your tension problem, your saw is very similar to a Hegner if I am not mistaken so you should only have to set your tension once at the back of the saw. If I recall on my Hegner, I would tighten the knob in the rear, with the blade in place, to a point where all the slack was out of it. Meaning the knob/bolt in the rear. Once that is done, you pull the lever at the front of the saw nearest to you. That is what actually is applying the tension to the blade. You can make fine adjustments at the rear with the knob but once that's done, you shouldn't have to mess with it again until you change blades and possibly not even then. I'm going by memory on that. I'm going to give you a link to download/read the manual for the Hegner saw on Advanced Machinery website. I take it you don't have the manual for yours. If you do have it, it should tell you how to apply tension in the correct steps. So, here is the link.....
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1188/6562/files/Hegner_Scroll_Saw_manual.pdf?3248921969229599006
And here is a breakdown of the parts if you are interested.........
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1188/6562/files/Hegner_Multimax_18_DIAGRAM.pdf?3248921969229599006

There are other models of Hegners besides the one I gave you the links for so here is the link to Advanced Machinery. You can look around there and see what saw matches yours.
https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/pages/hegner-home

I hope this helps a bit.

 

[MrsN]

as for your table, like Melanie said, many people wax their tables to get a smoother surface. Be a bit cautious so you don't use a wax with silicone. Silicone is very fine and can get into the pores of the wood and wreak havoc on any finish you attempt. Johnson's paste wax is one of the more common ones here in the states, I don't know about the rest of the world. 

another option that some people use is to make an auxiliary table that has a more slippery surface. Melamine is a common material to use, it is the plastic layer that often gets bonded to particle board to make shelves, countertops and other store bought furniture.

[Fish]

I buy a pice of counter top laminate and cut it the shape of my table. Then wax it also. Works great. I use spray adhesive to put it on.  It holds it but is still easy to take off if you want to. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Start with the easy ones. Yes to your danish oil problem. I leave it in the ca untill I am ready to dip my project. Then using a funnel I pour it back in the can after use ready for next time. I clean the container out with acetone and wipe fairly well. Really does not matter if you do not fully clean it because it is a designated container for this purpose only. The film will dry hard so no big deal.

Table yes to some wax the table and a good wax is johnson's paste wax made for wood products. I have added an auxillary table to mine to make the work surface larger and made from 1/4" plexiglass you can get at home centers. I wax that on rare occasions but it stay pretty slick. Do not want it too slick. You want a bit of drag to control your cuts better. Be careful waxing any table that has texture to it.

Finally you should have to set the back knob once with each different size blade and the front tensioner should release enough tension to take blade out and replace again for next hole. If not then the tension lever needs adjusting and I have no knowledge on that saw so someone else can help there.

 

Good luck.

[Foxfold]

3 hours ago, octoolguy said:

First off, I hate calling you Foxfold

If you read my original mail Ray, I did, right at the end put.

Thank you so much for your patience, it is appreciated.   Brenda xx

I've put it at the 'bottom' now, but don't know how to make it 'Red'

Thanks for your answer though. I'll have a look at your 'links' in the morning.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Foxfold

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, Foxfold said:

If you read my original mail Ray, I did, right at the end put.

Thank you so much for your patience, it is appreciated.   Brenda xx

I've put it at the 'bottom' now, but don't know how to make it 'Red'

Thanks for your answer though. I'll have a look at your 'links' in the morning.

Ooops! My bad! I didn't see that. So sorry.

Doesn't have to be red. I just did it that way to stand out from the rest of the post.

 

Edited November 30, 2018 by octoolguy

[loftyhermes]

Hi Brenda, your questions have been answered but I'll give you mine. 

1, I give my table a rub with 400 wet and dry sandpaper then use Chestnuts Woodwax 22 and buff up. Don't use anything with Silicone in it, it'll play havoc with finishes

2, I always pour my Danish Oil back into the tin, leaving it in the container will do that. Having said that by the time I've nearly used up a 500ml tin it also is starting to thicken, the thinners have been evaporating every time I open the tin.

3, Once you've set the tension with the back knob leave it alone and just use the lever at the front, that's what it's for and why it's called a quick tensioner. 

[Foxfold]

Many thanks for all your answers, they are really helpful. 

I will get some wax for my table.

I'm a little miffed with myself for watching people like Steve Good dipping their stuff in a large container and then presuming that it was kept in that container. Thinking about it now it seems I put 1 + 1 together and made 3. !! At my age you'd think I'd know better !!! 

As for the 'tensioners' on my saw, I've tried just using the front 'quick tensioner' but I find I don't always put the blade back in at the exact 'depth' as it came out as when I tried this my blade snapped, so I just presumed I'd have to undo the 'back' one too.  Is there a way to put the blade back in with the same 'tension' that it was before you undid the clamp ?  If there is I don't know how.

I've ordered a Hegner Quick Clamp so this may help.

I love this place, no question is too stupid to answer and you are all so generous in sharing your knowledge. I take my hat of to you all.

Thanks. Brenda xx

Edited November 30, 2018 by Foxfold

[MrsN]

When you get your quick clamp it will help. As you clamp the blade in the top pull up just slightly on the blade and down on the clamp arm to give it some tension before setting the quick tension.

[Foxfold]

Aha.... Have just spoken to hubby, who was an engineer in a previous life, and he has explained it all to me in 'baby language'.

I never thought to ask him as he has no particular interest in scrolling, but as he says, a machine is just a machine. LOL .......................... He explained all the 'angles + dangles' about fulcrums and arms and technical stuff until my eyes glazed over   and then decide to tell me in ''Scrollsaw Dummy Sentences''

Now it all makes sense, I hope. I'll try it tomorrow and see how I go. 

[Rockytime]

Hi Brenda, I am quite sure you understood your hubby in spite of all the highfalutin words. You aint no dummy. We don't got no dummies here.

[Tomanydogs]

Hi Brenda. It looks like your table has a plastic insert where the blade goes through, mine has that too. Because I tape both sides of my wood before cutting sometimes the tape comes off the bottom and catches on the lip of the black plastic cover. Recently I taped cardboard on my table and took the black cover off now my tape doesn’t get hung up on the lip. Maybe your table doesn’t have a plastic insert. 

Irene

[Foxfold]

1 hour ago, Tomanydogs said:

. Maybe your table doesn’t have a plastic insert.

It does, thankyou I'll check it out when I can get to my saw as I too tape both sides. x

[JAC1961]

Brenda, just a couple more thoughts on your danish oil that I don't believe anyone else mentioned. You didn't say, but I'm assuming that you used a plastic container. It would be possible that the solvent in the finish began to soften the finish. There are so many kinds of plastic these days it's difficult to know what reacts with certain finishes.

Some finishes dry so quickly that they can react just from the air in a large container. Basically a 1/4" of finish left in a quart size container for example. This is why they don't recommend pouring finish back into the original can. Even the amount of oxygen absorbed by the returned portion can start the can to solidify.

Just my 2 cents.

[fredfret]

I never use a plastic container if I can help it. I buy or save aluminum trays, pans when I have several things to finish they hold the finish and can be cleaned and used again or trashed. For single items I have used zip lock bags for a quick dunk but never keep them for more than a few minutes I dispose of the bags in a metal trash can used just for oily rags an bags.

[Foxfold]

Have cleaned my table, it works great now.

I've bought some more Danish Oil but will keep this lot in the tin.

I've done this piece this afternoon and my backside never left my chair once as I now know how to use the 'tensioner'

Magical !!!  You are the greatest bunch of people I know.

Thank you All for your advice, so freely given.

[meflick]

38 minutes ago, Foxfold said:

Have cleaned my table, it works great now.

I've bought some more Danish Oil but will keep this lot in the tin.

I've done this piece this afternoon and my backside never left my chair once as I now know how to use the 'tensioner'

Magical !!!  You are the greatest bunch of people I know.

Thank you All for your advice, so freely given.

Looks very nice Brenda and I am glad so many people chimed in to give you, and all of us such good information. Glad you have figured out the tensioning of your saw and now have things gliding smoothly across it.  You will now be making many more things much more quickly! 

[Scrappile]

What I love here, I have been scrolling for several years now and have my ways of doing things.  However, I keep reading posts with questions and answers because I still pick up new ideas and different ways of doing things.  They don't all work for me but I never know until I try.  Sometimes even an old dog can learn new tricks.

[Rockytime]

I'm glad things are working out for you. I buy large disposable aluminum pans for dipping my projects. I use 50/50 BLO an equal amount of mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil. I do pour the unused amount back into the glass quart jar. It never hardens in the sealed jar. I also place a  piece of waxed paper on the mouth of the jr and then apply the cover. It makes removing the cover easier later. I briefly wipe out the pan. Not real well as it will dry hard and after a few uses I throw it out.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Man I have been using plastic containers for 30 years. I have been pouring the remains back into the original cans for that long and actually have Danish oil that is about 15 years old in the same cans half full and never solidified or went bad. I must be one lucky guy,