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Final event of the year was today and the weather was absolutely horrible. Cold rain to start, then the rain ended as expected, but the cold lingered. It was miserable out there but still a decent crowd. In good weather I'd have sold 80-100 puzzles so I was happy selling 43 and it put me at 1,013 for the year. Now I have 3 1/2 months to stockpile for next year with a goal of selling 1700 based on the events I've selected to take part in during 2018. Pictures of today's setup.

Birch plywood 4 mm, 7,5 x 11 inches Blades - flat blades #1 of LuxTools (Germany) Pattern by Alex Fox

This is jankowskis pattern from here, thank you sir for a great pattern. This is cut from an old oak kitchen cabinet door and framed with maple from a coffee table, the backing is plywood from the packaging my 31" Excelsior came bolted too

This is my attempt at the O Holly Night Nativity that is in the latest issue of SSW magazine. It is a Sue Mey pattern. I did change the placement of the star. The star is removable so it can be easily packed away after Christmas. Already starting on my NY Resolutions This helps cover the one of trying different types of scrolling other than concentrating on detailed fret pictures. Please feel free to critic.

Pattern in the library under new patterns. 1/4 " BBPLY I used a # 1 FD blade Hope Bob approves of what I did. What background do you like black or red?

A friend of mine lost his father a few years back He requested that I make this as a gift to his mother, and I assume as a type of memorial. The parents were married in 1964. So happens, that was the last year they made the Kennedys out of silver, so I got a little more experience cutting silver, and saving those shavings. -----Randy

I would have finished in one day but so many interruptions, visitors,dire needs,Etc. But finally caught up.i sent her pictures and she had me change a few things,no biggy.Bad part was i had to by $50.worth of new rattle cans as i can't get to the ones i have and she wanted each a different color.Which is fine by me as i like having on hand the color that the customer wants too and save gas and a trip to the big box storeig box store,

Base is Brazilian cherry and the scrollwork is Soft Pine material .Customer wanted this made to hang in his new home and this is the picture of it hanging In his new home . Any comments welcomed

Finished this Plaque today , wife made the pattern and did the custom paint job . She's a big help lately , for I'm still working full time at another job ! Hope the customer is happy , think she will . Any comments welcomed ........ MD

I would match the main line with the size of the vacuum. Otherwise, you start choking off the flow too early.

I have the system and am very pleased with the way it performs. ....This unit is quite and most of the dust is captured in the cyclone jar.....I have used it for several months and have only changed the small bag in the vac-unit once, while dumping the jar many times...I also have a 20x20 box fan near the saw with air filter taped to it.....I also have the shop vac air cleaner near by that pulls the finer dust from the shop.....Just my two cents....works for me.

Hello to All.... Having thoughts of investing in another way of controlling the Dust. Question is....Has any of you used this set up sold at SEYCO. #DV-10A Cyclonic Action Scroll Saw Dust Collector $155.00 Just looking for Pros and Cons at present. AND....I give Thanks for your Input..............Danny :+}

Cut on an elongated Eisenhower. Logo is really wide but not very tall, so it made sense to stretch out an Eisenhower to get more room. This could have been cut much smaller except for the eyes which don't scale down that far. In addition to the coin I cut, I added an extra picture to show the elongated coin before I cut it. I used a rolling mill to elongate the coin (this is like a train, except you can keep it in your house) :-)

A whole (hole) bunch of nice work there.

Nice work thanks for sharing

Thanks for the pattern Paul @Grampa I managed to get it cut today and he loves it . Cut from 6mm ply #5 Pegas MD

Nice work thanks for sharing

Nice work thanks for sharing

awesome job

I heard the question so often from the very beginning that my main banner at the back of my tent has a picture of my saw and I take used blades with me to show everyone that asks.

All work up until now has been on Dewalt... I plan on giving the Hawk a full, complete run this winter. If I don't like it, someone will be able to buy it for a bargain price when I list it for sale on Craigslist.

These are new to me!

Well i guess i better take my lap top down and let it catch up,on up dates i never though about it .I only use it when i go to the hospital.Thanks for the heads up .Also i just figured out why my pc is so slow,i running several firefox down loads at the same time.I figured this out because i couldnt post forvever andaday so imtryed chrome and its super fast like firefox was till i keep downloading the same thing .

the ol 1-2 he's down ,Looks real good .Fine job cutting!!

I like this a lot! Good job!!!

Awesome cut on awesome pattern.

Great job Paul nothing to critique as others have said out of interest though where was the star originally if not centre where you have placed it

The different woods just makes it look that more Beautiful!! Awesome job Paul

Excellently done Paul. That came out great. Thanks for sharing this with us. DW

Does that mean that your good lady wife was no help before?????????????????? Please don't show her what you wrote because she may never help you again. It looks great and your wife did a terrific paint job, I am sure the customer will love it. Marg

You did an excellent job Paul and I love the fact that the star is detachable for easy storage. Marg

I don't see anything to critique. Looks good from this end to me. I have this one on the ever growing pile of things to try and cut. However, if I recall correctly, when I went to copy it from the magazine on my home copier it was just a little to big to copy it. Thanks for sharing your version.

Beautiful piece!

This compound cutting is interesting and I would like to try it. What woods work well for this and where do you find patterns. I have not perused the various pattern vendors tho but I will. Many thanks for all the postings.

Hi Marge, it is pronounced "Two Eee" . They are beautiful birds with a tuft of white feathers at their throat which earned them the name Parson bird in the past. Rob

I recently posted a comparison of some scroll saw blades and got some good feedback. One notable thing was that several said that the Pegas Modified Geometry Blades were their favorites. I had not used them and ordered several different sizes. Once I got them, I wanted to compare them to my standard blade which is the Flying Dutchman #7 Polar and to the PS Woodshop #7 Super Sharp. Below is a picture showing a close up of the blades and also a table with the specifications and the cost per dozen. Interesting that the Pegas Modified Geometry has some reverse teeth on the lower part of the blade. I edited this topic and took out the references to the cutting comparison that was done.

Larry, Thank you for all the info you have given. It's people like you and Charlie that make the Village a great place to come and learn!

Yes, the choice of a scroll saw blade is a personal one based on use, saw, material and a bunch of other things. What I use will probably not be what others would use. I have done compound cutting with blades from a #3 to a #9 and typically will use a #5 or perhaps #7. However, the purpose of this thread was to try to provide some information to the newer scrollers who are asking what blade should I use. I wanted to try to give a comparison of a couple of blades so the newer scrollers might find some information. I provided the name and the blade number so they could have some specific information on what works for one person and maybe it would help them find the best blade for them faster. The thread was never intended for the experienced scroller who understands blades and what works for them. The question of what blade to use shows up pretty often and I think that it is worthwhile to provide a blade brand name and number to help provide a starting point.

Scroll saw blade choice is a very personal thing. There are several good manufacturers and each offers a very large variety of blades. I tend to prefer smaller blades than others when doing the same kind of cutting, but my preferred choice never seems to be the same as others. My only suggestion is to try different blade sizes, types, and brands until you find the blade that works best for what you are cutting and then use it for that type of work and wood. You will find that what works best for you will vary depending on the type of work and the wood that you are cutting it from. Years ago I started scrolling with whatever USA made blades that I could find and I had very mixed luck with them. Back then, blade quality varied all over the place and even from one blade to another of the same bundle. Then "precision ground" became available and this was a significant improvement. I now buy mostly European made blades because I have found them to be of much higher quality. Still, occasionally, I find differences between two blades of the same package, but over all they are a night and day difference than the blades that I was using 40 years ago, and blade technology seems to still be improving, so don't buy more than you can use in 6 months to a year, because newer and better blades will quite likely be made next year.. A three or four year old blade may not even compare compare to a new blade of the same size and style. Charley

Interesting. But, I think you need to experiment some more. Cutting a straight line is important, but probably the cut most scrollers spend the least amount of time cutting. And speed is not always real important, at least for us that do not sell at shows and such. It would, to my mind, take a lot of tests to determine chart-wize the best blade for which type of cut. There tight turns to worry about, type of wood, thickness, size of kerf, cleanness of cut, the list goes on. And, it all boils down to personal preference. I've been seriously scrolling for over three years now, and I have finally convinced there in no one best type, or brand. Of blade. I am still experimenting as I go. I do stick, at least so far, with what I feel are probably the top three brands, Flying Dutchman, Pegas and Olson, ( I really haven't tried Olson scroll saw blades but I have used their other blades). I guess I need to throw some PS in the mix now. I use several different blades on one project depending on what part of the project I am cutting. What is becoming more important to me, is how to organize it all! This is all why I shutter every time the question is asked, "what blade to use". To me it is the most confusing part of the scrolling world. I agree with you, people should try and experiment with other types and brands, and yet maybe not. If they can accomplish what they want with what they are currently using, maybe they reduce the confusion, and don't go around scratching their heads, mumbling to themselves, like I do, if they just stick with it. I had hair before I started scrolling!! But tis a hobby for me, I enjoy playing around and trying things. I could not just keep doing the same thing the same way all the time. Nothing wrong with it, just not my cut of tea.

Monti, it's very thoughtful of you to do this each year, it's something the students will always remember. Len

I made the bowl for our friend Betty because she saw the one my wife has and loved it. I made the Army Veteran for our cousin David. David is retired Army. I made the Air Force Veteran for our cousin Mario. Mario is retired Air Force. Not scrollsaw related but I made the big basket for my wife.

I got a notification that it wanted to do an update and I told it to do it during the night. When I got up, I turned on my computer and the screen looked different but all my icons were still there. I just had to reset my desktop picture back to what it was and everything else was good to go. Ray

Using Loc Line is also very good a top vacuum line and is easy to reposition. The consideration is also how much vacuum you pull thru a small hose.

Here is what I did for above table dust removal on my Hawk. I removed the blower pipe and added a 1/2" line that connected to the main vacuum line. This new line utilizes the original hold down hardware except for the foot. I can raise and lower the line to match board thickness and the line sits almost immediately behind the blade and is close enough to vacuum anything coming off the blade or even that would sit on the work. I started with a shop vac but then transitioned to an old junked Dyson floor vacuum cleaner that was repurposed out of my neighbors garbage carrier into my dust collector.

I just added this dust collector and I really like it. The VAC is quieter then my shop vac but still not as quiet as I would have expected. I'll be trying to fit some sort of "muffler" to the exhaust. The cyclone is absolutely awesome!!! There is barely any dust that goes to the filter. The dust collect only attaches to the bottom of the saw via a magnet. it does a decent job but it needs improvement on that one. there is no top dust collection. Seyco does supply a goose neck attachment for the top but you need to figure out how to attach it and how to connect it to the bottom hose. I plan to buy a ScrollNado and attach it to the Dust collector. Seyco also supplies a power spliter to attach to your foot switch so the VAC starts the minute you start scrolling. Overall, I'm happy with this dust collector. its not perfect but it does a very goo job at sucking up dust. Now to perfect the positioning of the hoses and that will be perfect!!

I've been meaning to ask these same questions.. and I'll add another question.. how easy would this unit move from one saw to the next? Since I have 5 saws now, LOL but in reality I only use one at a time .. no really out of the 5 I only intend to use / keep 3 of the saws.. Wish I could figure a way out to use two at a time.. I mean.. I've got two hands and two eyes.. shouldn't be that hard to do.. Thinking in my situation maybe I should look into a Festool vac.. and pipe it to the saws with a shutoff valve or just unhook hose from one saw to the next..

I showed the prototype before but all the dangles(19) ready for Christmas, We use as table place markers.

This came just in time as I just finished making gifts for my family. I decided to make rather than buy my gifts this year so here they are: for my grandson Yoda, another grandson soccer pic, my daughter alphabet, dil Noel, son eagle, my wife O Holy Night. Thanks to all the designers Steve Good, TD, Scroll Saw Magazine. I modified several to add my personal taste to the designs.