Leaderboard

Took a while - but these are finally done ..... This is my second "batch" of these guys - this time around I departed from the original pattern to better fit our towns theme as the Canoe Capital of Canada. So instead of a kayak there is a canoe, instead of a kayaking double blade paddle there is a traditional single blade paddle. Neither did I include the hanger for the Christmas tree - they are made to sit flat and be displayed (hopefully) year round. They are a pain to make - but their desirability makes the effort worthwhile ..... kinda ..... sorta ...... every couple years or so ...... maybe .... Thanks to Ruth Chopp for the original design - hope she doesn't mind the changes I've made. Jay

The price made me buy them. My 226 came about because I needed a larger saw than the 220 for the projects such as my mirrors and shelves I was making at the time. Now it is my backup. The Dewalt fell in my lap so to speak. Would never had bought it but deals a deal. The Hegner was a deal I could not pass up at a woodworking show. and had that before the RBIs . Have that now for my angle cutting. Had a dremel before that but sold that for a few $$$. Please do not ask how many routers I have. Lost count for sure.

Yeah, I'm with Scrappile, I like playing with saws, and enjoy figuring out how to efficiently operate each of them. There is no rational justification. To myself, I can always say, "well at least I don't have near as many as Rick Hutchinson.

5 weeks ago this coming thursday, I had two heart attacks & a lung embolism. They flew me out of here to a bigger hospital with a Cardiologist & all the fancy equipment to figure out what was going on. That's when they broke the news to my bride about the two heart attacks & my lungs. He said my lungs had 2 large blood clots in them, & a smaller one that was going to have to come out that day. The way the Cardiologist explained it to us was the left side of my heart & lungs were getting no oxygen what so ever. Basically, he said, I was slowly dieing. Those clots had to come out that day, no matter what! He said on top of the heart attacks, those are an emergency. So, 6:30 that evening, we were in the heart cath room to remove the blood clots. It goes without saying, it has been a rough 5 weeks. in & out of the hospital 3X, bad weather here, all that took a lot out of me. And my bride wound up with the flu, & has been tryin' to look after me. We have home health nurses comin' in for PT & meds. In the mean time, this bein' the only site I visit, I get on here & see what everybody is up to, as I'm not able to get back in my shop yet. I'd like to say I may sound a little out of sorts at times, but that's not any of you. That's the ol' truck driver in me. Thank you all for your friendship, & bein' here to just be friends. All I'm askin' is throw a prayer our way on occasion, & let me hang out when I can, & post now & then. I'll keep you posted as this goes along. Thank you again for the friendship & brotherhood! It has been part of what's keepin' me goin'! God bless & keep makin' sawdust!

As I've always been into puzzles, that's what I chose to cut and sell the past 18 months. I've tried putting them in shops/stores but they haven't done well and that's because they need to be shrinkwrapped as the stores of course don't want to have pieces of wood getting scattered around. But what happens is people don't grasp the concept of them being puzzles since they can't handle them, take them apart, etc. and sales have always sucked versus when I sell them at craft events and everyone can handle them and I can make my pitch. I finally had a brainstorm... I'm slow sometimes... What about doing them as non-puzzles and they can be displayed unwrapped and ready to go. I cut 2 of them today and will be showing them to my "focus group" (friends) and get their feed back. One of them is a shopowner that has some of my puzzles on display (2 of them unwrapped). This may be a new avenue to go down and be able to put them in various gift shops here in town. We'll see... Maybe it's my sales pitch that actually sells them. ;-) Iggy

I revamped my website so that ordering Harvey's patterns is more automated. They're now able to be downloaded when ordered instead of me having to email them out. In doing so, I spent over a day keying in all 450 patterns and setting up categories, etc. I realized I need to add images of the patterns with each one so folks can easily see what it looks like. But if I simply stick the image of the pattern, it could easily be "stolen"... so today I tried various things including making the images low quality so they couldn't print, but that failed so then I started looking at watermarks and found a way to watermark with a "logo" so I'm using one of my business card images to cover a large portion of the pattern... Take a look... I've gotten the cats done... 12 patterns down, about 438 to go... Multi-step process... 1) Convert PDF file to JPG using online free service 2) Download JPG 3) Open JPG, rotate it 270 degrees so it's facing the right way 4) Upload JPG to online free service to add the logo watermark 5) Download watermarked JPG 6) Upload watermarked JPG to my website 7) Link it to the individual item You can view the 12 cats via the drop down... https://www.woodcraftbyscott.com/collections/all-puzzles/products/puzzle-patterns-cats

I finished up my "Lord's Prayer" plaque and have it ready to mail out on Monday. Unfortunately I did not get the lighting right, but one of the many things that I am not, is a photographer. The round plaque is something that I make and give to all the spouses that loose their mates, who I know. It is the most appreciated and brought to my attention, many times after I have given it to someone. This month we had 4 friends who lost their spouses and I also gave one to my son so he could mail one to the good friend's wife that died also this month. So I made 6 of them and have one more ready when needed. I also made two of the Steve Good, grandma plaques, one for my wife and one to sell on my Facebook page. I also made several state plaque for a client as Christmas Gifts. So you see, I am not cutting like Kevin but I am cutting and having a lot of fun doing so. Dick heppnerguy

I buy saws when I find an awesome deal on them... not every saw I find a good deal on but.. LOL I had been using my DeWalt for a few years when it got pretty noisy and was picking up some minor vibration.. this all took place during he busy holiday season.. I took it apart and cleaned up grease etc and added fresh grease while taking note of the numbers on the bearings.. I was able to get through the busy part before replacing worn bearings etc.. Ran the saw for several more years.. and I kept a watch out for a bargain.. that's when I found my first Hawk 220VS for $100.. was said to be barely used... me not knowing anything about Hawks and the way the guy had it set up on uneven floor etc. I did test it but it was shaking rocking etc.. long story short and adding a couple hundred I finally got it running awesome.. Then I found an awesome deal on my Hawk 226 Ultra.. still packaged in the original box $400 couldn't pass that up.. Always wanted to try an Excalibur.. what showed up on Craigslist at a good deal? EX-21 still boxed $360..I only buy saws that I want to try.. Hegner is next on my list..LOL.. So I buy because it's a deal and I want to try that brand / type saw. with the intent to sell if I hate it.. as I get a good enough deal I can at least get my money back.. That said.. I like all the saws.. I most likely will be selling my first Hawk.. That one I'm pretty certain I won't get my dollar value back out of it.. I pretty much rebuilt the whole saw and added upgrades to the air hose and front tension mechanism is upgraded to the new BM style upper clamp etc.. I have about $350 into that saw.. and they seem to only bring 200 -350.. That said as for learning experience about Hawks etc.. and all the projects I've made with it..I've got my money out of it in that aspect.. As busy as my little business has become.. I plan to keep at least 2 good running saws.. at all times.. so 3-4 saws is probably what I will always have Oh, my 5th saw is a old Delta 2 speed saw that my dad bought new.. I don't really use it anymore.. but will always keep it as there is sentimental value with that one..

Once the scrolling bug bites, the thought of not being able to scroll if your main saw breaks down is too awful to contemplate. Been there, done that and now have a backup saw. Rob

I have two would like to have more. Why? I like scroll saws.

Yeah I kind of wonder about that.. the last picture is of the supposed 14 and.. it sure looks bigger than a 14 heck the table looks like it's at least the 14" LOL... Maybe it's not the correct photo though.. Maybe I should ask for a picture of the tag.... I'm not really in the market for one though. unless I sell my 220VS .. I have 5 saws.. and I've found it quite hard to cut on all 5 at once.. I can do 4 at once but not 5

Brad, Sorry 2018 didn't start well for you. I hope the rest of the year makes up for it. Be patient. Where I come from we say 'God does not close a door without opening another" Have faith my friend. My wife and I will keep you in our prayers. Sam

I don't set up more projects than I can get done that day. ben doing that for 30+ years I am now too old to change my ways. IKE

Hi Brad, Sorry to hear of your troubles! Prayers on the way to you and your Wife! All the best Bob

I clut the inside pieces s, then thhe outline and then the puzzle pieces, this is on animal puales IKE

I don't have any scrap wood. I burn scraps. I do have a huge amount of "someday I may need that piece" wood!

Tough it out and take care of yourself. Hopefully all goes well on the road to recovery and you soon get back to doing the things you enjoy.

May the rest of 2018 be much better to you. Get well soon.

Take your time to heal Brad. I'll be praying for your recovery. I'm glad you got on and posted. That's one step closer to being in the driver seat of the scroll saw. You know what they say, "Truckers never die, they just..." well, I'm sure you know the rest. Here's to a speedy recovery.

I use cheapo walmart brand spray adhesive. nothing special, whatever is the cheapest on in the paint department. If you spray a lot until its wet and put it on the wood it will be stuck forever and you will have to sand it off so obviously thats not the way to go. the trick is a very and i mean very light coat. maybe 2 seconds total for a sheet of paper. Now, let it sit for about 15 minutes. it will be barely tacky, if its more than barely, its too wet. 15 minutes means 15 minutes. Put it right onto the wood. bada bing. no tape, no shelf paper, no nothing, just the pattern on the wood. I make very tight turns in tiny spaces less than 1/16" and it stays put just fine. I only use 1/8" or 1/4" bb. If you are using something thicker and the blade is moving faster, than about 10 minutes dry time will work. Just not less than that as it will be a bear to scrape off.

Well I finally finished the project. My wife loves it. I have learned a lot that I can now better myself on other projects. I used Rapid Re-sizer to enlarge the pattern (42 pages of 8.5 x 11 ") cutting each staff piece individually and gluing together. This has been made from all 1 x 10 pine with the notes stained with dark walnut and the staff with semi-gloss spray. I left the staff to have a hand drawn effect hence the irregular lines/spacing.

Weather has been a little wet so I spend time inside to put some finish on some projects.

Sounds like you need to put those kids to work Kevin on those extra saws!

A person cannot have too many tools. I know. I used to sell tools for a living. My motto-----"Buy more"! Ray

I have 5 in my shop. 3 of them don't work at all or vibrate so bad they are unusable. Just haven't got around to throwing them out for scrap. The Excalibur EX-21 is my daily saw. The other is a back up so I can play around with stuff or if my Ex goes down.

I had a Delta P20 and it was a very good saw but they quit supporting it so I gave that one to my grandson. It was still in good working order but I was concerned about being able to get replacement parts. I now have a Hegner Multi-Max 22v and a old craftsman I bought at a garage sale for $25.00 for a backup. If my Hegner goes down and I need to finish a project before I get it up and running the Craftsman will do in a pinch. I have a small shop so I don't have room for more scroll saws. If I find a good deal on a better backup saw I would replace the Craftsman.

I had as many as 3 for a while, now down to just the one. I had the extras "just because". I had gotten used hegnar, but did't have the time to put in some maintenance to really make it sing, so I kept my old one. Then I got a deal on an Excalibur so I had 3. I had the room in my shop at the time so I would use them all depending on my mood. I sold the Hegnar at one point and then later got rid of the old porter cable when I got divorced and didn't have the room.

You have quite a team rooting for you - let me join the rest of your Scrolling Prayer Warriors in their prayers for a complete and speedy recovery for both yourself and your bride. Jay

I have 2 saws, one is for a back up in case my main saw breaks down and I'm in the middle of a project I need to get finished.

My prayers are with you my friend. I kinda know where you're at. I had a big heart attack last spring with a lot of damage to the bottom left. Had one stint put in. I also have an aneurism in the stomach that needs operating on when my heart improves. I do my regular excersizing at the track meeting friends and making new ones. Laughter really helps and of course faith knowing you will come out of this with a more positive outlook. So again Brad my prayers are with you both.

241 done... only the dogs left to go... 140 of them... Tomorrow... or Friday...

Brad, I will be praying for both you and your bride. Let's hope the ordeal is over soon and you can resume your lifestyle. A little warm weather might help too. Ray

I have ALWAYS printed on self stick full sheet shipping labels. I started with the expensive Avery labels and now I buy the cheaper ones, around $12 for 100 sheets pack. I also use the Peel & stick liners from Walmart. I have NO issues. Sam

I usually prepare as I go. I do print off patterns as I see them and think I might want to cut them (I have a stack in my shop of things I might want to cut) I find that if I have things prepared too far in advance I loose interest in the project and never want to complete it, or decide the wood would be better used for a different project.

I normally set and cut what I can do in a day or two.I also have one project as a fill in for work. These are normally something that takes a couple days to cut or the pattern is so detailed it wears the eyes out quickly. I'm always making progress that way in my shop. It does get a little difficult to remove the blue painters tape after a month or so. I think everyone has a system they work by and it all depends on is it just a hobby or do you do it sales and shows. My wife has us booked months in advance for shows so there is always work to be done. As you prgress in this you will get your own system that works for you which may not be good for someone else.

Plan the cuts in advance to avoid sharp turns! Sometimes this will involve cutting out the entire outline and sometimes not. Depends solely on the pattern. Most importantly, avoid 90 degree and higher turns if possible. bb

For standup puzzles (like animal puzzles) Outline, then interior, finish with the puzzle pieces. For picture puzzles I mount the picture then cut (I don't use a pattern just make connectors for each piece.) Carter Johnson has a video on youtube about how he cuts stamp puzzles using basically the same method. Fredfret

I have 2 or 3 set up or in progress at any one time. I use shelf liner and blue tape then 3m 77 the pattern to the tape or liner. I drill any holes for the project when I set it up. then I cut them as I get time. I sometimes get side projects and those I prep, and cut the same day if possible they simply get moved to the front of the line. I have had a project with blue painters tape set for almost 6 years and the tape came off ok. My projects are in the house not stored in the garage or direct sunlight. The only thing I have set up are the little cars I make and give to kids they are direct marked on the wood with pencil and I can have a couple hundred ready for when I only have a few minutes or when the blade I have mounted is near new and i"m switching to a project that needs a different size/styoe blade then I cut some cars to use up the blade. All my cars are cut fron scrap wood and wood salvaged from work (not pallet wood). Fredfret

I don't see anything wrong doing it that way. I sometimes set up maybe a half dozen patterns. Put my painters tape on and glue the pattern on and drill the starter holes and set them aside until I'm ready to cut them. I try to cut them within a week. Sometimes the pattern will lift in spots but I just put some packing tape over it to hole it down with no problem. Good luck.

Same as the master Iggy for me, it worked fine for me so far

Well, just to throw some mud in the water, I have been using 3M77 since I started scrolling. But a couple weeks ago I was buying a few supplies and was going to buy more 3M77. While standing in front of the Adhesives, I see a can of 3M45. I remember Iggy once saying that is his go to spray adhesive, so I thought good enough for Iggy I will give it a try. Now I have only used it on two pieces so far, but enough to know it works as good as 3M77, and there is a maybe better. Time will tell. But if at the least, it works as good it is somewhat cheaper, and I would be happy with just that. It is certainly not as messy as 3M77 either.

I use keylon easytackI get at michaels for It cost $4.50 to $5.6o depending on the coupond that I have I spray the pattern after I wait 15 seconds and it ery seldom comes up and when it does I use a walll paper r;oller and it works fine I do not use blue painters tape . On fret work it can be a big problem getting it off. the I remove the pattern with mineral or paint thinerl dlet it dry and dtake a rag ssoaked with meneral oil and wipe it off . IKIE

now all someone has to do is create a suicide knob for scrollsaws.

What kind of puzzles? Actual puzzle puzzle or animal puzzle? I can speak about animal puzzle... I use the 3 step method 1) Outline 2) inside and relief cuts 3) individual puzzle pieces (letters)

Further proof why SSV is the best online community... Don and Rob, thanks for suggesting Gimp, I can do steps 1-5 all in there... It's saving me multiple steps and once I figure out the little nuances of the tool I'll be able to get the remaining 300+ images done much quicker.

Wow...2018 has been rough. Sending prayers.

I'll be different... I use white tape...Bic glue stick..........No problems Just started testing the Bostick blue (color) glue stick...so far no problems Both sticks on special at the time $2.00.... Merlin....

And it wouldn't have been possible without the pattern i made for you. You're welcome. Russell

maybe too much tape?

Good idea Scott. You can also add watermarks to photos in Gimp which would save you having to upload to an online service and back again. I think you can even do batches of images. Google is your friend, All the best, Rob