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Dad just moved into an assisted living complex here in Grande Prairie, so I made this for him. Thanks to Kevin for telling me where to find the pattern (here in the SSV library). I modified it by just doing the lettering. Dad loved it more this way than with the fancy stuff on the sides. Jeff

Was looking for a quick and simple project for Sunday and remembered this squirrel pattern I had saved from Pinterest. When I did a site search to see where it came from I found the second pic and almost fell out of my chair laughing. Had to cut it. The site vk.com/asha_paper. Enjoy! Jeff

Made from rescued fence boards. It is 7" tall, 5-1/2 wide, and 16-1/2 long. No metal used and exterior glue to stand up from over-watering too. Some attachments were done with bamboo pegs. Design from T & E designs again. The pot is a 4" box store one. Fun to make and never a clone to be!

This is one I have been working on. It is a pattern posted here last month by Kenny Hopkins. I thought it would be fun to do because my son has a tattoo very similar to it. I have done two versions of it. The first picture is following the pattern. Second is my modified version Comments welcome.

Hi, my name is Steve and I am a bottom feeder,and like Paul i think i am a good person !

When I started scrolling I was a bottom feeder. As my eyesight started getting worse I found top feeding was much more efficient for me. I guess a lot depends on the saw but if you hope that a saw will last you a lifetime then consider having options as life brings unexpected changes.

I saw this on Lumberjocks (no pun intended) by Vinnie, but I changed the middle section from a smaller tree to a cross. I've sold quite a few and given lots away. People seem to like them. They are cut on a slight angle so the pieces interlock when pushed forward from the middle. I also like staining the different sections different shades. Sorry for the roughness of the pattern. I saw a little straighter than I draw.

I'm a devout and unapologetic bottom feeder. I'll leave it up to others to declare if I'm a good person or not. My first saw was a Craftsman, bottom feed only, so I learned that way. When I got my DeWalt and even when I upgraded to my EX, I stayed with bottom feeding, even though they are top feed capable. I tried it and didn't like it. I know I didn't give it enough of a chance, but I'm completely comfortable bottom feeding. It's like the metric system. I know it's easier, but I have no interest in converting and you would have to pry my Imperial tape measures and rulers out of my cold dead hands.

Well, I am left handed. When you are left handed in a right handed world, you learn quickly to adapt and be ambidextrous. As a result, I have found that since my saws allow me to do either, I sometimes feed from the top, and sometimes from the bottom. The bonus is, I can hang out with either group and fit in.

Top feeder . . . most of the time. It is nice in fretwork to just lift the arm and lower it and the blade right into the next hole. Leaning over to look under the workpiece and fish the blade up is great for some folks, but I'm too fat/old I guess. Also, for me at least, it's easy to see the hole against the backdrop of the white pattern. If I'm looking up from under the project, the holes aren't as obvious, and when I do find it, I often end up coming up through the wrong hole. But the advantage of bottom feeding, if you have a blade that fits the hole tightly, the blade doesn't catch going that direction. The second advantage of bottom feeding, is that you only have to thread one hole. When you top feed, you also have to be lined up with the hole in the table. Regardless of what you chose, going to any of these better saws will give you blade change improvements that will seem like a miracle compared to you current Wen.

I am a bottom feeder . For me ist is the easiest way.but I do help myself i use a awl pushed into the hole to make it a lot smoother and easier to see and hit with the blade, I got my awl with a screwdriver set from Sears ther cost are $5/$10 and in my openion they are well worth it. IKE

I'm also a bottom feeder.. and think I'm a good person / and hope others feel the same about me.. LOL Something else to consider on a saw.. is the fact that.. the top arm rises.. and something real nice is a saw where the top arm rises on it's own when the blade is un-clamped.. Might not be an issue for some.. but for me it is.. When I first got my DeWalt 11 years ago.. I hated trying to hold the arm up while trying to feed the blade.. ( many use a block of wood etc. ) at any rate.. I bought a "jim dandy easy lift" and haven't looked back since.. My Hawks both have the spring loaded upper arm.. break a blade.. the arm pops up and doesn't keep running trying to stab you hand until you get it shut down, LOL... My Excalibur you have to lift and lower the arm manually.. it does stay up on it's own.. but is annoying to me to have to manually do this with each cutout.... I love the Excalibur.. but also do have two complaint about it as well.. One being the manual arm movement. the other is the blade is out near the end ( front ) of the table way closer than my other saws.. doing larger work makes your work piece hang way out off the table.. Not a issue doing smaller items.. like most my clocks that are typically at most 10".. for me.. I'd never buy a large Excalibur due to price.. and I don't care for the blade being so close to the front.. so doing large work and having a large saw throat for me personally.. the EX wouldn't be my choice.. That's why I plan to hang onto my 26" Hawk.. But in doing your research. everyone has a different style of cutting.. and likes and dislikes about a saw.. I'd be nice to have a line up of all the brands at the stores that could be test run.. so keep that in mind when reading reviews.. I have had many entry level saws that while worked good.. but they lacked features and production cutting qualities.. I try not to knock down any brand of saw.. I have 2 Hawks, a DeWalt and a EX-21.. I think if I had to choose one saw.. It'd be a tough call between the Ex and the Hawk.. If the EX had the blade set back a little farther.. it'd probably be my choice.. I can live with the manual lifting arm.. since it stays up on it's own.. unlike the DeWalt (without the easy lift attachment ) .. I suppose my Hawk would be my choice.. for just one saw.. I find myself starting out in the shop on one of the other saws.. but I end up on the Hawk before the end of the day..

The 3-1 oil should be fine and is what I use on my Hegner. It is just for the bushings and any oil that will get in there will be fine.

Here is the thing, I am guilty of this too. You can come to a forum and ask which saw or which tool is the best but all you get is opinions and usually they are from someone who has a particular saw. It does not say that every saw is right for everyone. Some people are bottom feeder as some are top feeders. Each saw has its pros and cons and that goes for all saws. You can listen to others but if you have at any possibility to actually get up close to each saw and take them for a test drive it can help in your decision. Any one of those saws as well as many others will cut wood and do it well. It has been talked about here how there are certain saws that are just built for production but they come with a price tag. The motors used and the bearings and parts are higher grade and again it is reflected in the price. The saws you mention fall in the mid-range price areana and that is all they are mid-range saws. There are better saws out there as there are worse saws out there. You have been here long enough and seen these discussions before. There is a forum here that discusses different saws. Those saws all use the same parallel link arm system and bet they all come from the same factory. Attach a name or color and you charge different prices. Get into the Hegners and RBIs of the world and they stand alone and no clones are made of them. Why are the mid range saws cloned it is because that is what most people can afford simple as that. Same with lower end saws. Too many are cloned and from the same factory. Why because that price range appeals to even more people. I remember when I was looking at saws the woodworking shows that tour the country were the prime place to see up close and give a test drive on not only saws but any tool available. Over the years these shows have diminished and you do not see that different companies showing up. That is how I bought many of the tools in my shop. Plus I was fortunate to have a huge tool store in my area that carried tons of tools. They have since closed because the internet put them out of business. Plain and simple. It is too bad because with the internet you can not touch and feel. This has caused many stores to go by the waste side and again touch and feel is a prime factor that many people just overlook. You do not buy a car over the net or maybe you do and that maybe the next great thing that goes away, the car dealerships. I got off track here but my point is all the saws you pointed to are the same saw so pick one and go by price and available parts because they will break down. Good luck and start cutting something.

You are "bottom" feeding. And you are correct about top feeding. I am a bottom feeder, also known as a Carp!! Catfish would fit also. And don't let anyone tell you you are a bad person if you bottom feed, I am a good person who happens to bottom feed..... Either way gets the wood cut. Some saws you can only bottom feed on, like the Hegner, the older Hawks, some you can do either, like the Excalibur, Seyco, King and DeWalt.

I still use the old Imperial measurements. I'm too old to change. As far as frames, I make my own to fit the project rather than trying to size the project to a frame.

Hi everyone, Here is a pen holder I designed for several teachers. I used purple heart, maple, white oak and some other unknowns I found around the shop. One challenge was the cut around the ‘L’. Another challenge was cutting the Purple Heart - cutting pieces that thickness is not my idea of fun! The L was the school logo. Enjoy! file

I used to sell Howes Oil off my tool truck. I had a case or two of the little sample bottles. I gave them out and sold a ton of the oil in gallon jugs. I did keep a couple of the sample bottles and have been using it for years. Best oil you can buy. If you can find a vendor, they do sell it in small cans/bottles. I highly recommend it. Works for lubricating and as a penetrating oil. Great stuff. Ray

We are getting a little off the original purpose of this thread, however, let me add this an then I will but out. I also counter sink my holes when necessary, I also have a grinder close to my saw and every blade I use, I grind a sharp point in the top end. Takes but a second and really makes it easier to start the blade up through that hole.

I think you always risk offending someone. The key here is, if that saw if only worth $100 to you because of risk and condition, there is no way to get to 100 if you bid on a price that may not be considered a lowball. Anyone can take offense, but other than a little cussing, you don't risk a lot by bidding what you believe something is worth to you, regardless of the possible perception of the seller. If you hang out a little in a Pawnshop, those guys give prices that are "worth it to them", and they do offend, but the seller can always walk.

I don't agree that establishing value and risk on any saw is "just opinion" as there are very solid factors that influence risk and capability for each of these choices. No doubt there are some that are religious about their saws, but I think it is easy enough to take that into account, otherwise, we should just all buy Ryobi. All that said, good luck with your new saw.

Just a little Maint. Is required now and then .No matter what saw you end up with

Thanks all for the responses @Bill WIlson - yah but I asked for opinions and value everyone's positive advice - whether I take the advice or not is my decision. I went with the Delta for several reasons - I do like Dewalt tools, but unless I can get them refurbished they're just a hair out of my price range. I'm not a professional, or I wouldn't think twice about the Dewalt - perhaps even one of the other higher end saws. I've had no issues with my Delta TS so I like they're products as well IMO it's a roll of the dice no matter what you buy - I know others with my TS who couldn't wait to return it and get a cabinet saw. But IMO that's comparing apples and oranges. Just like comparing the high end scroll saws to the mid and lower range ones - it's all opinion and roll of the dice. Hopefully, my roll will come up good this time LOL

Fretwork I topfeed. Open work I bottom feed. What ever works best for you or what your saw allows is fine. Fredfret

Like John said, there are pros and cons with all of those saws. Personally, I would want to go with the larger capacity of the DeWalt or Delta. I have an EX-21 and like it a lot, but I got it before all the recent changes and have my concerns about the change in the country of origin for the new EX saws. That, plus the limitations of the 16" capacity, takes the EX off the list for me. I would want to see what their track record is after a year or 2 on the market to see if they experience quality issues. DeWalt did something similar several years ago. You hear people referring to type 1 and type 2 Dewalts. Well type 1's were considered the gold standard of mid-range scroll saws 15+ years ago. In the first few years of the type 2 production run, there were a number of problems and they were all well documented on forums like this. I didn't know about any of that when I bought my type 2 Dewalt. Fortunately for me, it was a good one and I used it for over 10 years with none of the problems that many others had. I sold it a couple years ago and it's still in use today. So if $$ is the major consideration, I would probably recommend the Delta. I haven't read many reviews of it, but know one guy who has one and he seems to like it. If I were buying a new saw today and was limited to your 3 choices, I would probably opt for the DeWalt, just because I had a good experience with my last one. Like John said, we're all just offering our opinions and you know what they say about opinions.

I graduated from a Dewalt to an EX about 6 years ago, I haven't regretted it. Remember - the EX-16 has a 16 inch depth while the Delta and Dewalt has a 21 inch depth. The only real CON I know of among the three is that Delta's seem to have a problem when you need parts.

I am also a bottom feeder. I think we did a poll once to see how many of us were each type.

one thing on the EX sold at home depot- it may be a knock off. if i recall, manufacturing was first in canada and then moved to taiwan. there are EX knockoffs made in china being sold. the serial# tag has the country of manufacture. i read recently of someone getting the EX from HD and the tag said made in china and he was having problems out of the box.

Very smart!!! Thanks for the advise!!!!

I've been a been a bottom feeder from the start. I'd like to think I'm a good person, too. I've had a number of different saws, 2 of them being Hawks. My CW - 40 can be used as a top or bottom feeder. It was the first 16" saw I bought new that had that capability. Some will disagree will that, but it can be done. I've had other saws that were just bottom feeders. My present BM -26 Hawk is a top or bottom feeder. It's a matter of changin' blade clamps. I never succeeded at top feeding, so am a bottom feeder for life. I guess. Choosing a new saw can be confusing. Look at all the angles, & what suits you. Otherwise it'll just be a boat anchor. jmo.

I would add that craigslist works on the haggle system. Would you buy a rusty dw788 for $100, $80. You can always wait a bit (so that the seller knows he is not going to sell it at that price), then make an offer. He says no, then you are no worse off. When you see a shiny table on Craigslist, you don't know that the seller didn't clean it up immediately before listing it. It is easy enough to test the machine out to see if it runs good, and if it is shallow surface rust, 10 minutes with a sander would have it shiny and new looking again. Not that the Rust wouldn't concern me, but at a certain price point, if it runs good, I can live with that risk.

Man.....now I need to make a change too....I like the Wen, a good starter unit, especially to see if it's a hobby that you are really interested in or just a temporary addiction! Maybe I'll wait a few months then pull the trigger!!

Stack cut one 1/4" and one 1/8" BB ply and used #3 ultra reverse blades. Jeff

I got the Delta from Amazon for my school shop earlier this year. It is holding up really well for all of the use/abuse it gets every day. I did have to take it apart once to tighten up the motor bolts, but since then it has been running just fine.

Newbie here. I'm a big fan of Amazon Prime. I just purchased a Wen 3920. I felt it was very poor quality. Because of Prime....no shipping cost, no question return. Packed it up and returned it. Delta 40-694 arriving tomorrow. Considering the shipping and return cost, I just paid for a year of Prime. ....also got to test the Wen at no cost. If I don't like the Delta, it will go back ....and so on and so on.

I have had my Ex21 from day one and love it !....If i could get another saw of my choice today I would do it again !

Yes 3 in 1 is fine What I do is place a rag under the bushings a few drops on the back of each bushing Tension a blade up and run it a few seconds then wipe off excess to keep the dust from collecting.I know it sounds like you are oiling an old singer sewing machine .But the bushings in my saw are the original 1998

I had a Dewalt for 10+ years. It was a type 1. I sold it and it is still going! i bought an ex 21. Token a while to get used to it, but I love it now! Get the best you can afford.

All my frames are made in my shop. I still use the Imperial measurements to do the rough cuts etc. I'm sort of familiar with the metric system and it seems things are all headed that way. Cars started switching over to the metrics in the 1970's and are completely metric now. Hated when that happen being a mechanic I had to purchase tons of metric wrenches sockets and stuff.

3 In One is a brand name of a light machine oil. If it says "3 In One", it's what you need.

I have the black labeled can in my shop. I don't use it for my scroll saw though. It cleans, lubricates and protects the pieces I use it on. The blue can seems to made for small motors 1/4 hp and up. If I was going to pack bearings I would think a good lithium grease would be better then oil. Just a few thoughts.

small motor oil it is a light weight oil. Home Depot carries a blue and red can. 20w https://3inone.com/products/motor-oil/

Yes you are a bottom feeder! All sixteen inch saws (except the EX saws) are bottom feeders. The DeWalt saw, EX type saws and current Delta saw as well as Buston Hawks have a lifting top arm to facilitate top feeding. However, you can still bottom feed if you want on these saws. I started on a Dremel 16" saw. On average, it would take two minitues to chance from one hole to the next. Now, as a top feeder, I can change from hole to hole in about 10 to 20 seconds! The benefit of top feeding is you don't have to lift the board up off the table to feed the blade. Instead, you release the lower clamp, raise the top arm then lower the top arm while lining up the blade to the hole then lower the top arm then reattach the blade to the lower clamp then tension. It's far more easier then it sounds. It does take some time to get to used to it but once you get the hang of it, you will never go back to bottom feeding!

Very well done. That is a prayer no matter how it is cut out has and always will have that power of calmness and spiritual uplifting. I am sure it will be cherished forever. Thanks for showing.

There are plans for a linen press in the new issue of Woodsmith Magazine. I thought it might be of interest here because the panel in their frame and panel doors, are scrolled leaves. Additionally it has some simple carving as well as the scroll work and a unusual paint treatment. Issue #236. I'd scan a post an image but I'm sure I'd be breaking some laws and perhaps hurting SSV too. So if you have an interest you'll have to make a trip to your favorite magazine seller. I wasn't sure where to post this so if it's in wrong category, please put it where it belongs.

In my estimation, the only negative referral to "bottom feeder", is when referring to attorneys or lawyers. They are true "bottom feeders". Ray

My wife purchased a lightbox from Amazon for my birthday several years ago.. While it was a great start.. the thing was made of cloth material.. and i had a hard time keeping the wrinkles from creating shadows and other distracting elements in the photos.. So.. I made just a cardboard box.. cut a large window in the sides..and taped white tissue paper over the windows.. I use the tripod lights that my Amazon lightbox came with to shine light through the windows.. I then bought a plastic poster board to tape to the top in the back and let it drape down with a natural curve at the back.. This has been by far the best box I've used so far.. Short of it being a little on the small side for photos of my "large" portrait cuttings ( 11 x 14 inch) .. I plan to get a larger box this year for the larger projects.. I do use the fotofuse web site.. and I have the pro version because I have over 2000 photos.. It is linked directly to my Etsy shop so once I edit the photos it will edit them for my automatically to my etsy shop.. That said.. I only recently went with the pro version because of my Handmade@Amazon site requires a certain size photo.. and fotofuze did that automatically for me.. with the upgrade.. it also resized the etsy photos for a nice large image when one hits the zoom button.. I think it's well worth the $5 for the larger photos. Once the photos are uploaded to the sites.. I can drop back to the free version..

Very nice. All the other comments sum it up.

Very nicely done. I especially like the cat. Thanks for sharing them with us. DW

Great job, Paul, Nice pattern, Kenny! I also like the modification. Color just adds a lot to practically any project. Thanks for sharing and God Bless! Spirithorse