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I have just finished these two plaques. they are both cut from Birch ply. The first one is finished in BLO/cellulose thinners then framed. the second one has just been cut and is not sanded or finished yet. All comments welcomed whether good or bad. Hope you like them.

Bamboo cutting board keychain,aromatic cedar happy Sunday, Pine Roscelis, Plywood happy Monday for the yoga girls counter, And Dani is one of the yoga girls customers.

A few Halloween Decorations I made. Steve good patterns on the Skull and the pumpkin with witches hat. The plain pumpkin was just a google search.

I was alone this afternoon when my wife took my granddaughter clothes shopping so I thought I would take advantage and cut something simple in my shop while I waited for them to return. So I opened up my pattern library on my hard drive and started searching for something that would be fun to cut. Almost immediately I ran across a pattern that I have had for some time and was not sure If I would ever cut it, but now this pattern of Birchbarks stood out as the one I was going to cut. I made one mistake and made the pattern quite small and it quickly became a little bit nerve racking. First of all, there were a fun cuts that were smaller then the drill bits that I presently had on hand. I did find a couple of smaller ones in my Dremel box and got by using them, even though I still needed them to be a little smaller. Secondly, as I began cutting I also discovered that the pattern was lifting from my board, as I must not have gotten enough spray glue on the back of the pattern. I worked around it and when my wife and granddaughter returned, I told them that I had cut a goat pattern. "A GOAT PATTERN?" they both said with a look of 'why would you cut a goat pattern?, on their faces. I went out and brought in the piece I had cut and showed it to them, and they both replied, " That is really cute". That my friends is why I choose to cut that pattern and now you know my story and I am sticking to it Dick heppnerguy

Just finished this little guy, 1/2" sanded birch ply for the body....1/4" ply for the rest.....spray painted....18"T x 12"W....it’s my daughters name......I made penguins similar to this a couple years ago......thought I needed snowmen this year.....comments are all appreciated... Thank you Dan

Hey Ray, it’s best to not use a reverse tooth blade as it wants to pack the sawdust up into to the wood. A skip tooth blade is best. For compound cuts I always use an FD Polar blade, which is a skip tooth configuration with longer and sharper teeth.

Got a few more done, the Honey and bee is a pattern by Sam Custodio and I did my own on the wording. The cross with the tree is from the "Foot of the cross Scrollsawart group. The U of K is my own, just took one of their clip art of the logo and added some bridges to it. The year of the dog is from a site with drawings of the different years and animals for each year. New grandson is year of the dog. jim

Just finished this pirate.

Just got back from doing the outdoor show, had a decent day $336, and square worked. Sold three car portraits, more then I sold at a car show.traffic was good started out real slow, lot of lookers which is normal. Now I have to make more items for the show in two weeks.

Don In Brooklin & Steve Good patterns. Sized to 3" X 7.25" 1/8" BBPLY

Very nice cutting. I remember the second piece from years ago and it still brings a smile.

kind of looks like it could be possible two things.. First.. check to be sure your saw table is square to the blade... second possibility if the blade is square. be sure you are not pushing the blade too hard and making it flex.. suppose not enough tension might be a possibility too.. At any rate the way the picture looks.. it looks as though the bottom side it thinner than the top.. which is why I suggested looking at the table to be square to the blade.. Quick and easy way to check it.. get a fairly thick piece of wood maybe 1 or 1-1/2 inch and make a cut just deep enough into the wood to get the blade all the way into it.. then back it out and try to insert the back part of the blade into the slot you just cut... if the table is square to the blade it should line up.. if not then you need to adjust the table and make another test cut.. keep doing the process until you get it to line up... Or if you have a small machine square you can also use that.

I also googled those numbers.. My first thought was that back in the day.. several of the scroll saw manufactures use to use a prefix number before the main model number to indicate that the saw came as a package with stand and light... though I didn't find anything pertaining to that with this saw and number so I don't know if those numbers are correct... On another note... is those numbers actually DW7880? If so that is the number for the DeWalt stand..

Here is my 2018 Grim Reaper that I completed this weekend. Walnut, Purple Heart, Aspen & Spalted Tamarin left off the magnolia

my Wife had this figured out for me. I love these challenges, even though they are only for fun and no judging is going on. I missed the back to school challenge and I knew I just had to get on the Halloween Challenge. I told me wife that I wanted to try and post the spookiest Halloween Challenge item of all. When I told her about it, she said," if you want to post the spookiest piece, that should be an easy one for you. All you have to do is make a self portrait and cut it." Right away I knew she was correct and so that is just what I did. Hence, here is my entry for the Halloween Challenge. Dick heppnerguy

All still unfinished, some still need sanding. all need oiling.

While browsing on Amazon the Scrollnado popped up on my screen and I looked at it and figured, why not and purchased it. I installed it today and aside from the fact that the instructions leave a lot to be desired, once I figured it out and hooked it up, I must say it does a fine job of capturing almost all the dust, from underneath and on top. I have it hooked up to my Dust Deputy and then to my Shop Vac. Anyone else using it? https://www.amazon.com/SCROLLNADO-collection-scroll-Dewalt-40-690/dp/B01KCNI77C

I just picked up a scrollnado myself and it works well connected to my festool midi. A little noisy going threw those small tubes on the scrollnado but I wear earplugs if too much noise.

Great job!

Bought this filter about one year ago and you will not believe the amount of dust this unit collected, I vacuumed the paper filter monthly and the material filter inside is still like new, nothing seems to go through. The only bit of problem that I had with it, it seems that the remote was affected by another remote, they send me a new remote and all is well now. Will recommend the unit and give it 5 stars.

Ok Ray, are you not using a jig to hold you blank while cutting? If so, you do not have to tape it back together as the clamp jig will hold it together. Mine have a sandpaper lining to hold the blank. Unless of course your jig is no as thick as your blank. If that’s the case, make a jig as tall as the thickest part of the blank. Tighten real tight. You won’t have to tape the blank together again.

When I first started scrolling, I briefly had the use of a Delta Q3, which, I believe was the predecessor to the P-20. I vaguely remember using it and really liking it. When I upgraded my Craftsman, back in the late 90's, I debated whether to go with the DeWalt or the Delta. About that time, as I recall, Delta discontinued the Q3 and replaced it with the P-20. I really wanted variable speed and didn't care for the belt & pulley system of the P-20, so I went with the DeWalt and never really looked back. I remember the Delta blade clamps being unique, but once you got the hang of them, they were great. Also, I could get more tension on the Q3 than I ever could get on any other saw I ever used. It's my belief that blades cut better and lasted longer on that saw because of the tension that could be applied.

If you happen to have a Delta P-20.. Those was awesome saws from what I've heard.. How it compares to a DeWalt? I can't say because I have no personal experience with the P-20 other than drooling over them in the show room floor back when they was new.. Those things was a tank.. but how they compare to a DeWalt.. there are a lot of variables.. one being..the P-20 is by now getting to be quite old.. many parts have been obsolete now for a few years... Parts for a DeWalt are still available... Believe the P-20 was not a true variable speed saw but had many speeds to choose from... which isn't a big deal to a lot of people.. most probably pick their speed and never change it much after that anyway.. and the DeWalt is variable speed..

Love it, very nicely done .

Thanks Iggy for posting about the Scrollnado. I also need to just bite the bullet and get one. I'm glad It worked for you.

I agree with the others, but could probably help more if I knew what saw you were using. Getting the front/back angle of your blade at 90 to the table isn't quite as easy as getting it 90 to the table in the side to side direction. A lot will depend on what saw you are using. Charley

Last batch of comic book covers for the show. Now i move to traditional cuttings. 45hrs a week at my job and 30+ hrs in the shop.

Thanks, John,I'm trying to get my health back slowly. I have worn out over a dozen and a half scroll saws since 2004 .

So nice to see any creations from your shop! They are all #1 projects!!!!!

My Grandfather had a sign along the lines of your second piece hanging in his dunny. Used to get a good laugh. Good job

Keeping your blade at 90 Degrees is critical. Make sure everything is square and take your time cutting.

Great Keith paperwork haa haa Roly

They are both fabulous but I love the second one, made me smile. You should pop in more often Keith. Marg

I love the second picture!

Nice to see you posting Keith! Very nice cuttings too!

well done on both, great looking work. jim

Both pieces came out great. Thanks for sharing them with us. DW

My shop is 24 x 32 with a upstairs that is 14 x 32.. I bought the expensive styrofoam sheets because there is only room for 4" on insulation up stairs since I want to keep it open rafters for storing lumber in the rafters.... so I bought R15 3" foam sheet.. then topped it with foil both sides bubble wrap.. The lower ( shop area ) I have R19 for some of the shop but not enough to do the whole shop yet.. Almost went with the spray foam.. and probably should have.. but I didn't want to have to conduit all my wiring etc.. it's been a work in progress.. and like you said Ray.. I'll never have it set up.. I know when I did the wiring.. I put in a lot of outlets.. ( or so I thought ) .. now I want twice as many, LOL..

Looks to me like there are short grain issues involved, also. The pieces broken out are at right angles to the grain, which means the section will be weak. When the grain is aligned with the cut, the parts of the pattern are good, since that is a stronger orientation. Those pieces also look to be slightly narrower, which would again weaken it. If you recut it, try making that part thicker to strengthen it.

Good thoughts Kevin. I'm cutting3/4 x 1 1/2 cedar. I'm trying to run the saw at a moderate speed. Not fast. I am very aware that cutting the tall side is going to generate more heat so I am using a #7 PS Woods blade to help clear out the kerf. I'm going to try an Olsen double reverse #7 tomorrow to cut the half in walnut. I'm almost done with the cutting on this critter. Then it's just the sanding and finishing before finally assembling it. I'll post a pic or two when it's presentable. Thanks to all for your suggestions.

What kind of blade speed you run on these? I'm wondering if the blade getting hot and sort of melting the tape / glue... I've never had this issue with any of my saws other than the DeWalt.. and it never happen very often even on that saw.. but would from time to time.. My other saws I don't run the blade speed quite as fast mostly due to the fact that the max. speed on the other saws is slower than the DeWalt.. Now I realize you'er using the Excalibur and they don't have a very fast speed either but I'm also assuming your cutting thick wood? I don't know.. just thinking.. it could be blade speed and or the wrong type blade for the job that is creating heat to melt small portion of the tape..

I have a two car garage. My small shop is partitioned off in the front right corner of the garage. 8X14. It does not to to the end of the garage because I allowed room for the garage door to open. The shop is insulated. I have a nice window and a small AC unit through the back wall and a small 210V overhead heater. The small area keeps me cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Heat is over rated... Cold make you work harder No, I have all of the upstairs insulated and have almost enough to get the downstairs ( shop area ) done.. in fact I have a little of the downstairs done.. But... that said.. I'm not real interested in heating the whole shop just yet.. mainly the cost to do so.. and I'm thinking about putting up a wall to block off a small area.. and just heat the scroll saw area up.. I don't need it to be T-shirt warm.. really most times its not bad until it gets below 20F.. I'm thinking I'd probably heat it at around 40-50F would be plenty warm.. and wouldn't cost much to do just that small area..eventually the whole shop will be able to be heated in case I take on another car or tractor restoration or just need to work on a car.. but I won't keep it heated.. Actually what I've been doing the last few days is cleaning ( vacuuming the dust off the walls and everything ) hopefully the wife won't see me doing this or she may see I can actually do a deep cleaning, .. then I plan to do a little different shop layout.. and possibly run my dust collecting piping to more of the machines.. Everything I've done in the shop has been temporary because I know I have to do more wiring and access the walls etc. for insulation sooo. my shop has never really been set up... the way I want it to be... just a work in progress..

I too envy your shop size and think your air cleaner will be a great benefit, but you need to get some insulation and some heat in that shop. I would go stir crazy if I couldn't comfortably use my shop all year long. Put a small furnace and some insulation in that shop so you can comfortably use it all year I have a window style heat pump that heats and cools my shop (but I'm in NC), and it doubles as my shop air cleaner. My dust collector is a re-purposed whole house central vacuum unit that I repaired and installed in my shop with a Dust Deputy connected ahead of it to separate out the wood chips and saw dust. It keeps the vacuum's filter from plugging up so well that I never need to clean the vacuum's filter. It works great for collecting the saw dust from the scroll saws, drill presses, sanders, etc. My planer gets used outside with a barrel and fabric cover attachment to collect the chips. My table saw and jointer cabinets collect the saw dust from them and I shovel it out every few months. I also vacuum the shop floor with the unit and have added an extra inlet port out through the shop wall so I can vacuum my cars and trucks with it. This isn't the best arrangement for a shop dust collector, but I don't have the room for a real shop dust collector. The vacuum unit and Dust Deputy had to be located in my shop's attic. Charley

yea that is one of the more modern ones. I bought mine when they first came out so no fancy stuff on it.

I do a lot of wood turning .Was told that wood cut in winter when sap was down the bark would stay on better. the other thing is a lot of CA glue

We have it Hobby Lobby, but it doesn't interest me because of all the blemishes. jerry

The live edge stuff I have is from the sawmill next door.. and my brothers sawmill from up the road.. They was green when I was given the pieces about 5 years ago.. I've had these stickered up in the loft all this time.. Many of these have shrunk and the bark has peeled off and or.. many of them split too.. I'll be able to use them for some projects anyway.. and I actually saved them from being turned into wood chips.. I have some BIG 4-5 inch thick pieces that I have no idea what I'll do with them.. some are 20+ inch wide.. hate to cut them down to fit through my little 13" planer..

Most hobby stores like hobby lobby and Michael's sell rounds for wood burning that are cut from basswood.

It sounds like the tension wedge that is way back in the upper arm is stuck. Either that or the tension lever itself is bound up. Either one is easy to fix if you are at all handy with tools. There are some great videos on youtube on how to disassemble the whole saw. It probably is a matter of taking it apart and cleaning and greasing the pieces that make up the tension mechanism. If you were closer to me, I'd do it for you. But sadly not to be. Try taking the blade out of the clamps and lifting up the upper arm. When you do that, are you able to move the tension lever a bit more? The mechanism is made up of a rod that connects to the lever and runs the length of the upper arm to a wedge clear at the back. That wedge slide back and forth to "lift" against the arm and put tension on the blade. Hard to explain. I can see it in my head but hard to put into words.