Tickled here. Ordered our Jet 18 inch scroll saw (just in time).

[Tallbald]

My Beloved Spouse and Shop Partner Penny and I are so enjoying time in our little shop learning to use our WEN 16 inch scroll saw. I made a riser for the foot switch as she's a foot shorter than am I. She's cut out rabbit profiles to represent our three grandchildren in a craft project, while I've drawn and cut out sunflowers. Loving our time together so very much. 

 For 4 months Penny has been urging me to order the Jet 18 inch saw, which is the best size for the projects we want to do. Ratings are great in so many respects and the price point is OK for Penny and me. I'd been tracking the price at a big chain home store, and it, along with a major online retailer had the saw for sale for $709. When the home store raised their price early this week to $850, I feared the online retailer would soon follow suit. I finally broke down and honored Penny's request to turn loose of some money and with some trepidation, pressed the "place order" button. Penny was right. The online retailer sure enough raised their price also to $850 this morning. Whew. I'm both excited and relieved!

As a "positive affirmation" some time back, and to use up some of the scrap pile of lumber, I kept moving in our seasonally cold shop and crafted a modified tilt top stand for either the new saw I'd hoped for one day or some other tooling. This one has a drawer and a sliding, removeable scrap bin, and room below for a small vacuum.

Anyway I just wanted to share our excitement here that next week the second of a scroll saw pair will arrive.

Don

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Tallbald

[Scrappile]

Congratulation!  Always exciting to get a new saw.  I do not read a lot about the Jet saws on this forum.  I hope you will keep us informed about your new one.

[OCtoolguy]

Congrats on your lucky buy. As Paul said, please let us know how it goes and what you are making. Remember though that we don't believe anything without pics.

[Dak0ta52]

Congrats, Don. I wish my wife would become interested and want to participate in the craft. Currently she is into dog training and hopes to get the final degree on our oldest dog and then she starts all over again with our newest dog. Oh well, I must say it is peaceful out in my shop.

I'm sure you'll enjoy you new saw. Maybe Penny will let you use it occasionally.

[Scrappile]

1 hour ago, Dak0ta52 said:

Congrats, Don. I wish my wife would become interested and want to participate in the craft. Currently she is into dog training and hopes to get the final degree on our oldest dog and then she starts all over again with our newest dog. Oh well, I must say it is peaceful out in my shop.

I'm sure you'll enjoy you new saw. Maybe Penny will let you use it occasionally.

Get her interested in quilting.  My wife has two sewing machines that together cost more than all the tools I own... He has probably more invested in material and accessories, cutters, rulers, this and that than I could spend on tools.  But it keeps her from being able to complain when I buy something for my hobby.  

[Tallbald]

Thank you each for the good thoughts. I agree about the scarcity of Jet talk. The Jet seems to live in the shadows of the Pegas, Hegner, DeWalt and Excalibers. This 18 inch one is the junior version of the full size Jet, and gets quite good reviews. I studied many videos and see many scrollers, as am I, are bottom feeders. So that shouldn't be an issue for me. Quality was big concern for me, what with reading of electronics failures, bad vibration problems and a few other things on some saw brands. I can only hope this Jet runs as well as our little 16 inch WEN. The Jet has a 5 year warranty that hopefully I will not have to test. The smaller 18 inch size will not be a limitation for Penny and me. Everything we want to craft will fit nicely into the 18.5 throat depth.

 In a positive affirmation I designed and made a second tilt top stand that builds on my first tilt top one. A 15 degree tilt, close tolerance hinges and steel pins that mate into moving parts keeps everything solid as on the first version. This one though has a large drawer and slide out lift-off waste and chip container. A 1 7/8 inch thick laminated yellow pine top, laminated 1 inch thick bottom shelf and better locking casters add to the package. All wood was scrap, pulled out of the home store trash can or from the home store 70% off lumber cart. 

Funny the suggestion was made that Penny take up quilting. Too late! She's a quilter from way back when before we met 17 years ago. Together she and I collected antique sewing machines, like our two Singer Featherweights and our 1920's hand crank Singer 209. She and I sometimes make quilts together. And she uses my saddle sewing machine Bertha Jo (300 pounds of sex in iron and steel). penny and I simply love being together. Crafting, talking, whatever.

Here are pictures of the tilt top table V2.0:

Thank you each again. Don.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Tallbald

[OCtoolguy]

4 hours ago, Dak0ta52 said:

Congrats, Don. I wish my wife would become interested and want to participate in the craft. Currently she is into dog training and hopes to get the final degree on our oldest dog and then she starts all over again with our newest dog. Oh well, I must say it is peaceful out in my shop.

I'm sure you'll enjoy you new saw. Maybe Penny will let you use it occasionally.

My shop is where I get away from my wife. Why would I ever want to change that?

[OCtoolguy]

16 minutes ago, Tallbald said:

Thank you each for the good thoughts. I agree about the scarcity of Jet talk. The Jet seems to live in the shadows of the Pegas, Hegner, DeWalt and Excalibers. This 18 inch one is the junior version of the full size Jet, and gets quite good reviews. I studied many videos and see many scrollers, as am I, are bottom feeders. So that shouldn't be an issue for me. Quality was big concern for me, what with reading of electronics failures, bad vibration problems and a few other things on some saw brands. I can only hope this Jet runs as well as our little 16 inch WEN. The Jet has a 5 year warranty that hopefully I will not have to test. The smaller 18 inch size will not be a limitation for Penny and me. Everything we want to craft will fit nicely into the 18.5 throat depth.

 In a positive affirmation I designed and made a second tilt top stand that builds on my first tilt top one. A 15 degree tilt, close tolerance hinges and steel pins that mate into moving parts keeps everything solid as on the first version. This one though has a large drawer and slide out lift-off waste and chip container. A 1 7/8 inch thick laminated yellow pine top, laminated 1 inch thick bottom shelf and better locking casters add to the package. All wood was scrap, pulled out of the home store trash can or from the home store 70% off lumber cart. 

Funny the suggestion was made that Penny take up quilting. Too late! She's a quilter from way back when before we met 17 years ago. Together she and I collected antique sewing machines, like our two Singer Featherweights and our 1920's hand crank Singer 209. She and I sometimes make quilts together. And she uses my saddle sewing machine Bertha Jo (300 pounds of sex in iron and steel). penny and I simply love being together. Crafting, talking, whatever.

Here are pictures of the tilt top table V2.0:

Thank you each again. Don.

Very nice! Thanks for great pics.

[Gonzo]

Congrats on the new saw!  Love the stand, very impressive 

[Gonzo]

1 hour ago, OCtoolguy said:

My shop is where I get away from my wife. Why would I ever want to change that?

Good one Ray

[Tallbald]

The tilt angle is 15 degrees. Penny and I tried several different angles until we found the just right tilt to reduce strain on our backs. Penny is a full foot shorter than me. The adjustable height shop stool helped find optimal angle too. Here's the custom-sized foot riser for Penny to firmly position our momentary foot switches. Mine is not as tall. Truthfully, Penny's comfort is more important to me than my own. We both have medical issues.

 Don

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by Tallbald

[TAIrving]

13 hours ago, OCtoolguy said:

My shop is where I get away from my wife. Why would I ever want to change that?

I think my wife sees it the other way - she sends me to my shop to get me out of her hair.  

Her methods work for me.  She makes certain that I have enough tools/toys that I enjoy me time there.  And she comes up with projects for me to work on.  All of which results in me spending much time in the shop and smiling when I come back.  

[barb.j.enders]

Congrats on the new saw.  The stand looks amazing.  Care to make me one??!!  I am glad that you both enjoy the hobby.  I wish, at times, that my hubby would get involved.  However, he has his hobbies to keep him busy.

[Tallbald]

Thanks to each of you for the kind words. Barb believe me, this stand is not difficult to put together. For me it was a matter of figuring out the scrap and waste lumber on hand and building to accommodate materials. This is an improved version of V1.0 I made for our WEN scroll saw (pictures of V1.0 are below). I'd be happy to share any dimensions if someone needs them. 

Yes, penny and I are fortunate to share hobbies and interests. But all is not completely common. Penny doesn't do leather (I have a saddle sewing machine and craft custom gun holsters and belts) and I do not mess at all with her Cricut machine and supplies. Just not interested myself really.

All my best to everyone. 

Don

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, barb.j.enders said:

Congrats on the new saw.  The stand looks amazing.  Care to make me one??!!  I am glad that you both enjoy the hobby.  I wish, at times, that my hubby would get involved.  However, he has his hobbies to keep him busy.

I wish my wife had some interest other than cleaning house and wanting me to go for walks with her. 

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Tallbald said:

Thanks to each of you for the kind words. Barb believe me, this stand is not difficult to put together. For me it was a matter of figuring out the scrap and waste lumber on hand and building to accommodate materials. This is an improved version of V1.0 I made for our WEN scroll saw (pictures of V1.0 are below). I'd be happy to share any dimensions if someone needs them. 

Yes, penny and I are fortunate to share hobbies and interests. But all is not completely common. Penny doesn't do leather (I have a saddle sewing machine and craft custom gun holsters and belts) and I do not mess at all with her Cricut machine and supplies. Just not interested myself really.

All my best to everyone. 

Don

Beautiful work. You go the extra mile with finishing. I build something and it immediately goes into service with the idea of "I'll finish it later". And that never happens.

[Tallbald]

Well thank you for your kindness. Yes, I push myself 95% of the time to complete to completion the complete process. But I go a fast and  easy route. The boiled linseed oil I favor comes in quart bottles or cans, around $15 at Home Depot, and is easy to brush on, leave minutes or hours and wipe off extra. The can lasts a loooong time.  I burn the oily rags in a fire pit right away though, as left in a wad they can combust on their own. After a few days the drying is complete it always seems to me. This is the stuff our grandparents sometimes used on garden hoe handles etc. Easy to touch up scuffs too.

Oh. Just learned that our saw now is arriving tomorrow which is Sunday. Good that it will be early but bad because we have church in the morning and a church class in the late afternoon. May have to skip church though because don't want a $750 package to set unguarded on our front porch...

Don.

[barb.j.enders]

21 hours ago, Tallbald said:

Barb believe me, this stand is not difficult to put together

The "put together" I can handle.  I don't do well at the cutting.  I don't have a table saw, just a small 4" circular saw & the scroll saw.