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Latest cuttings. Stack cut 1/4" bb ply. Cut with #3 mg blade. Finish is Danish oil - Fruitwood colour. Backer is card stock.

I have the Glue Bots, and I primarily used the Baby Bot. I stopped using it because the tip would clog quickly, and the cap broke. Fast Cap replaced the cap to their credit and sent me a bag of replacement parts. Today I use Mainstays 12 Ounce Plastic Squeeze Dispense Bottle from WalMart for my glue dispenser. I make toys and apply tiny amounts of glue on irregularly shaped parts. These are the best tools I have found for this. Dried glue peels off easily should I forget to clean them. The kit is available from many sources. I got mine here. I have used the pinking shear but found it spread far too much glue for my purposes. A piece of threaded rod works great, but you need to clean it quickly. I have used silicon basting brushes. They work well when spreading large amounts of glue. I use a Paint Tray Palette a lot for gluing. Dried glue pops right off and it works gret for paint too.

Usually when I make pattern I study the object of pattern, I am look throught a lot of images, in this case I also listen some tracks and I like it. Do you listen country music? What do you recommend, I think I like modern country more. And here is preview of my new pattern: 4 layers, recommended size: 7,5 x 8 inches, 1/8 - 1/6 inch thickness pattern at https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlexFoxUA

I am NOT trying to say anything about the poor quality of plywood now, (I know it’s bad). I have learned that when cutting feather tips that are very pointy, never finish the point coming out of the cut, it will break 99% of the time. I spin the blade and go down the side.

I just ordered a few Renewal Kits from Seyco, the second time I have purchased these from them. The kits work fine on my Pegas scroll saw. These parts are a normal wear item on the scroll saw and should be replaced when they show signs of wear, i.e. blade slipping. BTW, they are currently $8 at Seyco.

This is in my Pegas Manual.

Robert, I am sorry you are having this trouble. I also have had that issue so now I just use hardwood but typically 3/8 - 3/4 inch. I do have a wonderful bandsaw for resawing to the thickness I want, then use my Jointer (sometimes drum sander) and planer to finish it....pretty happy with the results.

I'm not certain but are you having break out or is the plywood outer layer tearing away from the inner layers. If so, that is referred to as delamination. The most common cause is cheap plywood. The better grades of plywood you get from the big box stores are very poor quality and will delaminate as well as have voids between layers. I'm limited as far as a wood source in my area and usually have to resort to the box store quality. One way I've attempted to overcome the delamination is by double stacking with the two pieces I'm cutting facing each other. That will help but not eliminate the issue. Also, some patterns require you always place the pattern on the front of the piece of wood. Examples of this would be words in the pattern or certain things that require left and right orientation. If you double stack face to face, one of the pieces would be mirror imaged. As Paul (Scrappile) said, quality wood is hard to find, especially Baltic Birch. If you do find it, the cost usually precludes the purchase. Another alternative would be milling down solid material but that can be very time consuming, and if you don't have the proper equipment, very expensive. I also try to keep sharp blades in the saw. Again, it doesn't eliminate the problem but reduces the chance of serious delamination.

Yes, I get it that the clamp bodies are better, but if the problem addressed in the OP is with the clamp screw and the set screw , then I submit that the Pegas clamps will eventually exhibit the same blade slipping problem. Thus, based on that narrow criteria alone, are no better than stock clamps on the Dewalt and/or Excalibur. I know this is splitting hairs. I'm not trying to demean Pegas clamps at all. I get that they are machined from solid aluminum (which I believe the EX clamp bodies are as well) and will hold up much better over time. They are also lighter, which may provide a slight improvement in balance and overall wear on the saw, but this benefit is anecdotal, at best. Bottom line is, I'm trying to determine of upgrading my EX to Pegas clamps really provides value for me. If I still had my Dewalt, it would be an easy choice, but I'm not convinced that they are all that much better than the stock EX blade clamps.

Reduce the size of the blade hole in your scroll saw table. I have a thin 3/32" piece of Baltic Birch plywood that I have drilled a small hole into that I place the scroll saw blade through as if going to begin cutting. Using the tensioned blade helps me get this piece of Baltic Birch positioned perfectly. I then apply a couple of pieces of double sided tape to the under side of this plywood and stick it down to the table. The close edges of this hole to the blade will help prevent the blade from splintering the edges of your project. Using smaller blades, and the "reverse tooth" blades with the lower inch or so of the blade toothed in the upward direction also helps. Keeping your blade waxed also helps some too, by reducing the friction on the sides of the cut. Cabinet makers use a "zero clearance blade insert" in their table and miter saws to minimize the gap between the table and blade for this same reason. Masking tape applied to the bottom of your project can hold the wood fibers as the blade cuts them and this can help too. Charley

A little different project this weekend. This is a ~30 piece segmentation of an Eastern Bluebird. Each piece has at least 3 different colors all done with a rattle can. This is the loose dry-fit stage as I have a 12x12 live edge backer coming in tomorrow so I can glue it up. I am just deciding if I want to put the scripture on the front (via Laser), or on the back near my logo. Plenty of room on either side. This is the scripture I selected: Psalms 104:12 - By them, the birds of the heavens have their habitation; They sing among the branches.

very nicely done. the blue one is my favorite.

Those are beautiful!!

Very well done Barb.

very nice job, love the color

I have been having break out, as a chunk of the core material will just fly out. I have talked to a millwright and he thinks, it's poor gluing of the layers, or just a bad spot within one of the layers. It's just frustrating when it happens half way through your project.

Oh, I am so sorry I forgot to mention that earlier. Wow, Charlie, you must be crazy fast to cut it three different times! I am still working on my second picture....Anyway, I am glad you finally got it done and I am sure your grandson will love it.

I bought a box of these panels to try and have been thoroughly disgusted with them. Nothing like being a few hours into cutting a project and hitting a void in the core or having the veneer chip off in large pieces. They may be useful to me if using the panel whole, but I won’t make the mistake of using them for fretwork again.

Regarding what Charley said about using a zero clearance type of insert, I use a playing card that I saw to the center and then use packing tape to close the slit and to hold the card to the table. As for what Paul was talking about, I think he is referring to project panels that can be bought at Home Depot. They are are 11 by 17 inches and come in different species of wood on top and bottom with a solid core in between. I've not tried them yet but from what I have read here on the Village, they work well. Just a bit more expensive.

Yes, the tip of the thumb screw and the set screw on the Pegas clamps will wear and cause the blades to slip. My Pegas saw is about two years old and the blades are slipping. I dress the tips regularly but am ready to replace the tips and set screws. The saw came with replacement tips, set screws and tension lever.

buying you plywood from Windsor plywood? I shouldn't say them, but that is where I have purchased my last few pieces and they have been, crap. Hard to find the good grade BB plywood anymore. There has been talk on here about sheet goods you can get at places like Home Depot. Hope someone will speak up about it because I cannot remember what it is called. It gets good reviews.

Thank your Charley, I do use a reverse cut blade (bottom portion) but it's not on the bottom this is happening. It is the top. I do hold it down tight against the table top. I also should say their were no voids in the ply that I could make out either.

I used to have a gluebot. Super handy, but over time, I found it took too much maintenance to clear the dried glue that builds up. Now I just use the regular glue bottle. When I do tiny stuff, I'll just squeeze a bit out onto some old recycling and dip into that with a toothpick. For medium-sized glue-ups, like edge gluing, I use a silicone glue spreader like the one to the left. Works really well and the glue peels off nicely. For large glue-ups, I just use an old piece of cardboard, I'll cut notches in them similar to how you do the credit card. Then I just toss the cardboard when I'm done.

The difference IS the metal used. Stronger, lighter.

You are one step ahead of me. I haven't tried epoxy.

Charlie, I am so sorry to hear that....The problem I have had with epoxy pours is if there are any air pockets under the wood, bubbles will come out forever...so to avoid that. I put a very thin layer of epoxy down (I use Jess Crows from Total boat....I get it from Woodcrafters) and use it as a glue to the back board. I paint it onto the back of the picture and the back board and stick the two together. Let that sit up for 4-6 hours (not too tacky) then do my next pour over the top. I also put really good packing tape around the entire edge of the picture so it doesn't leak out. My 2 cents.

I'm not sure how thick your piece is but I've seen some that were what I would call a mess run through a thickness planer or sander which made them look good as new. If the bubbles still show, dust it with some gold or silver glitter filling the holes then pour clear epoxy over the entire piece. Then the holes would look like stars. Sand it down to a polishing compound to bring out the shine. Just an idea.

Almost finished. 1 or 2 more clear coats to go front and back.

Travis I would like to see location maditory in profile. I find it odd when someone asks for where to buy something and you have no idea of where they live. Not even there country.

I say that whatever you do, I will be happy with.

I like the way we (colective) use the Q&A. I don't think it needs the upvote part. There arre always a ton of varied answers to a specific question. Most of which are usually valid...just from different prespectives. The individual asking the Question gets to use the information that best suits his/her needs. It is a great way to learn about a specific concern one might have. The General Scroll Saw Forum is a better location to provide; nswers/suggestions/guidence/technical information/etc. to a general topic before a questions is even asked. A place where "general" information if offered to the whole comunity rather than just an individual. So, In my opinion, both are needed but the upvote could well be eliminated.

So, I've been attempting some eagle cut-outs. I'm using a #2 blade, ply is Baltic Birch and in the intricate points between spaced feathers that are more pointed on the end the top layer of ply will break away. I have not tried to push the blade through but let it do the cutting and still I get this. So, I switched to ¼" MDF and it works fine, no chip outs or breaks, is this pretty much the norm? I use the ply because I can pick what way I want the grain to move through the project and I didn't want to paint it.

And then there are the governments dipping their greedy paws into the pie.

It's called Capitalism! But, is there a better system?

UNDOUBTEDLY. Any excuse for more profits.

So, yesterday before I read any of these posts I cut it again, this time in pine. I put down a thin layer of resin and glued the fretwork inside the frame as @MarieC mentioned. All went well until I did the second pour about 4 hours later. As I said I hadn't read these posts yet and I did not seal the pine. Sure enough, after about 10-15 minutes, thousands of tiny, milky looking bubbles came from the pine. What I now know as off gassing. I started the third cutting today, out of my favorite wood to work with, red oak. While I think I might have better results after two miserable failures, I'm not going to use resin this time around. I'm sick of cutting this thing out and don't want to risk it. I cut a piece of plexiglass the shape of the frame and will cover it with that.

That new batch you are waiting on will probably have a much bigger price tag??

If you purchased one from the US wouldn't you need to have a power converter or something? The reason it is hard to get a machine, it is called government control.

I'm back after a talk with Axminster Tools. The salesman there said that the next lot of machines MAY be fitted with a foot switch as the regulations are due to get changed. It could be 2 months before this happens so there is no rush. I would buy a machine form the USA but I don't see any stockists here and Customs and Excise in the UK would probably treat me as a terrorist for importing a machine/machinery that could be used to make things ?? Why is it so hard to get a machine from anywhere. ???