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Been a long busy summer and not much happening in the shop. Been camping a bunch this summer and gave a lot of pieces to unexpecting campers. Here are my 2 newest projects. The checker bowl is probably the favorite one I have made. Made out of poplar and walnut. The pipe holder is for my son. It was cut out of some old rough cut oak from the property.

This is a quick pattern to do. I had one at my last show that sold, yeah! Got this one done for the next show. Woods used: Pink Maple, Maple, Aspen, White Oak. Finish is one coat of Walrus Oil.

A Cute Pink Jacket Bear by Наталья Москвитина is a FB Intarsia Group November Project of the Month, otherwise referred to as PAM. This will be my first time entering this “competition”. Therefore, my intent was to reproduce the project as close as possible to the Color image of a Stuffed Bear wearing a Crocheted Jacket, Hat and Trousers, that was included in the pattern PDF the group made available, using what kinds of wood I had available. Wood used: Cherry(the most pinkish wood I had), Aspen, Mango, Monkeypod, Yellowheart,and Poplar. The Eyes, Nose, Mouth and the two deep shade areas are “Sharpie” Black. The Backer is 1/8” thick BB Ply and the assembled panel is protected with a multiple coats Clear Gloss Acrylic Finish spray. Approximately 7" x 10". Comments and critiques are always welcome.

This is a pattern by Steve Shears @Wood Logos Studio. He was the sponsor of last month's PAM project (FB). Although my project didn't "win" Steve generously gave all entries a couple of patterns. Woods used: Orange Osage, Spruce, Aspen, Canarywood, Quilted Maple, Wenge, Aromatic Cedar and the tip of a white pencil crayon. Finished with one coat of Osmo satin. I may mount it on a slab of Elm.

The truck body is cut from 2x6 pine and brush-painted with bright red acrylic. The wheels are finished with shellac. The hook is 1/2-inch baltic birch.

Based on my experience with these type of saws.. I don't think it'll be trouble free in 500 hours.. I'd say it'd probably be a miracle if it made it to 300 hours without the need for some bearings or some other part.. Maybe I've had lemons and or maybe my style of cutting or how I run the saw but I'd say around 250 - 300 ish hours you're going to start getting the bearing knocks.. One of these saws might make it much longer before they completely go to pot.. I don't know how long one could actually run one of these with the knocking and added vibration before it actually became unusable.. I've always taken them apart and cleaned / regreased or replaced parts when I get to that point.. which for me was around 250 - 300 hours on my DeWalt the two times I rebuilt it and same scenario with my Excalibur.. this is just my experience, maybe I'm harder on these than others are or maybe I got a lemon and also replacement parts were not great.. but based on my personal experience for whatever that's worth.. this is how these type saws last for how I use them.. your mileage may vary a little or a lot.. I just don't see these making it that many hours.. BTW there is a huge discrepancy in hours from those that say they are in the shop for X hours a week and actual saw runtime hours via a hour meter hooked up to the footswitch on the saw.. Type of cutting makes a huge difference in hours too.. ie if I am cutting puzzles instead of fretwork type stuff I can run 2 times the hours in a saw sitting time.. there is way more down time when swapping the blade out to the next hole to cut than one might think.. Doing fretwork it's tough to get 10 - 15 hours on a saw in a weeks time.. doing puzzles etc.. is much more easily done.

When I was looking for a scroll saw a friend said "Buy the best and only cry once". Our club has Dewalt 788's and I was tempted but the best at the time was an Excalibur EX-21. I have used the EX-21 nearly every day for 13 years and the only thing I have done is replace the blade holders with the Pegas blade holders. The clubs DW788's scroll saw have been rebuilt a couple of times as the bearings wear out. I look back and I think having a better saw has made the scrolling more enjoyable and when you amortize the the extra cost it was a cheap investment. I have not seen the WEN or the Bauer is person but I would check and see how easy it is to change the blades for you. The nice thing about the Pegas and the EX-21 is the ability raise and lower the arm. Small point but makes life easier. The Bauer on sale is tempting.

I made the pattern for this from an original painting by Terry Redlin called "Lifetime Companions".

This this pattern reminds me of our dog Rambo. Pattern by A-nder Yalmaz from pets patterns.

My old Hawk had a tension lever on the back, and I think the new ones also do. Once I got used to it, this was never an issue. I don't believe the pin would be a problem for me. It would simply be something new to get used to. My Pegas and my EX-21 both have a sweet spot where the vibration is the lowest, and I run them there most of the time.

As mentioned, buy the best you can afford. Years ago, I bought a Hitachi from Lowe's and returned it within a week. Bought a DeWalt (still have it), then an EX21, and now a Pegas. Several purchased the Bauer, but still too new on the market for reviews.

My Star Wars loving grandsons told me my truck looks like a Storm Trooper so I decided to lean into it. Guaranteed not to rust.

Looking to get into scrolling,,,I am tempted by the Bauer 22” from HF,, it is a heavy beast, 75 poundsl. they claim it equals the Dewalt 788, I don’t know…the Wen is highly rated, soo?//. then I looked at that low price Dremel,,,,really interesting. Not interested in the portable feature, but it has lots o good points, only thing I’m not sure of,, does it take pinless blades? So what do yu think..???

just finished this evening. Lettering is cherry , back board is Walnut and I framed the walnut with oak on the back. I had purchased the walnut from a widow years ago and when I planed it down I was disgusted when I hit a nail I did not see , it’s the first nail I had ever hit with this walnut so I was not expecting it. I of course ruined my planer blades but in my mind as I looked at it , the holes and black spots in the wood reminded of the nails on the cross .

If that be the case I feel sorry for owners of these type saws. To have to take apart a saw to grease bearings is beyond my comprehension. I guess that is why the top of the line saws are worth more. In all my years and many hours on my RBI saws I have never had to grease bearings. The only parts I replaced was that front tension lever because the cam wears down but very easy fix. The other thing is that plastic blade holder clip under the table. I replaced with a piece of spring steel. Well good luck to all with these type saws.

Very nice... You amaze me with how many projects so quickly. They are all so well done.

That bowl is outstanding!

Well cut and shaped

Multipurpose. Thats great.

I watched that video and have to say I do not know what speed he was cutting at but that saw sounded clunky. That was not a good sound. Now maybe if he speeds it up some it would go away but he had no problem cutting a thick piece of cherry at the speed he was cutting at so I assumed that was what he is accustomed to. The Pegas blade clamps would be a huge upgrade also on that saw. I guess you can call this a midlevel saw because the design fits in that category. Does it hold up, time will tell like with all saws. Needs to be proven. The warranty is what will drive this saw I believe. That back pin has to go. Just use a block of wood. You start putting pulleys and things like that you now can cause a problem when trying to spin large pieces. Has anyone looked at saws that basically come off the same line as to that pin. Do those saws use it too. I know Dewalt did not. Might even be able to use the Jim Dandy easy lift bar Dewalt used. Good luck to those purchasing these and after about 500 hours report back to us.

And I found top-feeding to be no problem and it is quick and efficient for me. There is a trick to it for either top or bottom feeding. It is easy once you learn the trick.

very nice

very nice work

I have the new Wen and have had no issues with it. The blades are quick and easy to change. It also has the lift arm. I have had it for almost 2 years and really like it. I stopped by Harbor Freight yesterday and they have the Bauer Saw on the shelf. It is a large heavy machine. I don't believe the table is large as the one on the Wen. It was on the top shelf so I really couldn't really look it over all that well. Steve Good has a video demonstrating the Wen you might want to check that out. I think he said he had a Bauer but hasn't had a chance to check it out as of yet. You could send him a e-mail and ask him if he has had a chance to look the Bauer over.

I was searching for something else, and this popped up on the list.

I have the same feeling, but I only have two saws. If I didn't have a second saw, I probably would buy the Harbor Freight saw.

If it were me the Bauer is too new and I would see getting the Dewalt. There are pros and cons for all the saws you list but agree the Dremel is the one to stay away from. But the Bauer has a good warrenty so may want to go that way. Heft is a good thing so that helps.

Chris, have you tried covering the bottom with shelf liner or a thin piece of cardboard (like a cereal box)? When I’m cutting 2-sided puzzles and want to minimize any fuzzies I put clear Contact shelf liner on the bottom. Works well for me and comes off very cleanly.

Very COOL !!!!

Made mine from a piece of tempered hardboard, about 8" x 11". Put some thin foam on the back to prevent slipping, and cut holes for magnets the same thickness as the foam. Cut a slot up the middle of it with a #3 or #5 blade. Put about 2 coats of polyurethane on it to make it even tougher. Once the finish dried, I waxed it up to make it really slippery. To put it on I just slip it over the blade till the blade is at the end of the slot. I have a hole at one end to hang on the scroll saw stand so it is handy for doing small parts. It is big enough that I don't need to worry about going off of it for most of my cuts. Tom

Really hard to beat the price of this saw and to get that warranty so I could wear it out before the 2 years.. makes me wanna go buy one, but why? not like I need the 5th saw in my shop.. sometimes wish I could use 2 at once though, LOL.. The older Hawk with the round barrel clamps is definitely a no to top feeding.. I have on occasion top fed on my Ultra but it's not really user friendly at all for that and it wasn't designed to be able to so I suppose that is why. The new Hawk is pretty simple to top feed.. probably easier than my EX-21 honestly. I learned to saw with a bottom feed saw only but I can do either fairly easy after much practice, however muscle memory kicks in and I just get into a rhythm so 99.9% of the time I bottom feed.. and really only time I do top feed is on very large projects where bottom feed is more of a hassle than it needs to be, so I consciously remember to top feed then.

Me Too!

Yea I guess we can teach ourselves new tricks. I just found bottom feeding no problem and it was quick and efficient for me.

Quick story. My Lady went to NC to be with her daughter to help during recovery from hip replacement surgery. Her Granddaughter also came to help. Her daughter also has a son and their house has only two beds and a sofa for sleeping purposes. Fortunately, the next-door neighbor had a spare room and offered it to my Lady to use at no cost for the nineteen days she was there. This neighbor has visited Africa, and they have a collection of African Art pieces on display. Upon returning home, my Lady asked if I could make a Scroll Saw African Elephant, that she could send them as a thank you for their hospitality. I searched, found, and procured a ‘Woodenmann’ Intarsia Pattern of an African Elephant bust that I felt was appropriate, and I interrupted a Christmas project that was in progress to make the Elephant. A finished ‘Woodenmann’ piece was shown online, that was done in two contrasting, dark and light, colored wood’s. I decided I would prefer to do it in a single, “more” Elephant colored, wood choice. I had just gotten a few pieces of Teak in the box of cutoffs I purchased, and it seemed like it would be a good choice. Of course, the Tusks are Aspen, and the Eyes are ‘Sharpie’ Black - sorry, no Eboney in my wood collection. Due to the limited amount of Teak that was available, I was not able to arrange all the grain-direction as I would have preferred. However, the wood has enough character that it is not too distracting or noticeable to an untrained eye. As I’m sure you are all aware, Teak is quite hard, so the cutting was slow. I did a decent job of cutting as the fit-up was quite good, with just some minor sanding adjustments needed. However, even though I attempted to cut to the outside edge of the lines to maintain the pieces full size, due to the fit-up shrinkage of this “top to bottom” pattern, the length of the Tusks had to be adjusted significantly. Shaping and fitting of the two Tusks took more time than almost all the other pieces, put together. I did add a 1/8” thick shim to elevate the head and trunk. I tapered the shim towards the bottom of the trunk. The backer is 1/8” thick BB Ply with edges painted Black. The assembly was protected with five coats of Clear Gloss Acrylic Finish spray with light sanding and buffing between coats. This will be shipped out early next week with a thankyou note from my Lady. Comments and critiques always welcome.

Not for me. I learned on a bottom feeding saw. When the DeWalt saw first came out, it was advertised as a top feeding saw. I so hated bottom feeding that I had to have one. I quickly learned to top feed and never went back!

Because Hawks and Hegners are built like tanks.

good job, good pattern and product is appreciated

Done by request for a favorite niece.

Saw a picture of this sign on the internet several days ago. I modified it to fit my Nephew's Garage. He and his day drag race and build drag cars for some other people. I just thought it would fit he garage well.

I had quite a few switch plate toppers and decided to use my new hobby to put a dome coating on them with some JDiction high viscosity resin. A little tedious being careful not to move the liquid too far using the little dotting tool tip. Now there's a thick hard, thick gloss finish I never could have accomplished with any spray.

This is a Steve Good pattern. My 7 yr old Granddaughter beat me three times. Oh well, that's what Grandpa's are for.

Great idea! I think combining yours and Jerry Walters idea (the foot stool instead of the floor) may just do the trick.

For some reason I had trouble using a foot pedal. I just use the switch on the machine. But I also have trouble chewing gum and walking at the same time. LOL

That sure is fine, Ralph. What wood did you use? Looks like the rings are of a different wood.

Made a fun pick holder for my 8 year old grandson who just got a guitar for his birthday. Highly imperfect work but OK for a first try. Got off a bit with my templates making one side of the lid a bit thinner than the other. Proves it's hand made I suppose. Louidjy will forgive me. If anyone is interested I followed the instructions from a YouTube video called Scroll Saw Guitar Pick Holder from Acutabove Woodworking.

Every now and then I do a project that makes me smile and I enjoy. This one has been on my list for a few years ( I worked at Disney World back in the 80's). Finally had a week free to make it. It'll go on the wall next to Donkey Kong. Chris

I really don’t do too many Baltic Birch portraits anymore, as I have been working more with thicker hardwoods. That said, a friend asked if I had ever done any with Johnny Cash or Waylon Jennings, or if not, would I consider doing them. So I have some 1/4” BB, checked Charles Dearing’s site, found some cool patterns,and with some minor variations came up with these two. The Waylon Jennings has some very delicate bridges, which were a little nerve wracking.

This is a gift for a good friend of mine. 1/8" BB for both layers. Bottom layer is a picture of the hill behind his Airbnb in Bulh Id with two kingfisher's ( his favorite bird ) on the rocks. Top layer is a pattern available in the library, artist is Grandpa. FD Polar #1 blades throughout. 11 x 14

My lady had found an Image of an embroidery Blue Dragon a while ago that she really liked and had asked me several times in the past if I could make a cutting from it. The image was not suitable to make a fret type pattern previously, but I felt I was now able to make a segmented pattern that would work. However, the resulting pattern I developed is made up of a LOT of very small pieces that was a PITA to re-assemble. I use a piece of clear knot free ¾” x 10” Premium Pine to cut the pattern from using Pegas #1 MGT R blades. The Piece is approximatele 8" x 10" and again, Intarsia techniques were used to sculpture the work. This project was also an experiment using water-based color dye to color the wood the blue and black needed. Dying the wood is easy but very sloppy and took forever to dry. The White highlights were done with diluted acrylic paint that when applied immediately dissolved the blue turning the White to a light Blue. The water-based dye also raised the grain that was hard to deal with because the pieces were so small. In the photo this looks like dust but it is the light reflecting off the textured surface. The backer is 1/8” thick BB ply with edges painted Black. The assembled piece was protected with multiple coats of Clear Gloss Acrylic Finish spray. My lady is happy (and you know what that means) with it and it will be hung in our home. Comments and critiques always welcome.

These two free patterns came from Judy Gale Roberts Website. They are Intarsia Patterns I made into Painted Segmented wall hangings that I will be sending to my son and daughter. Again, I cut the patterns from one piece of 1x10 clear premium pine board but added Intarsia techniques to sculpture as well as raise and lower parts to improve the presentation. I made no changes to the patterns except to delete the “floor” area under Santas’ feet. All cutting, painting and finishing details for these pieces are exactly the same as my previous post: Copycat Family Christmas decoration Gifts, so I will not repeat here. All I will add however is; Hoot was a hoot to cut and paint. Nom 7" x 12" Nom 10" x 12" Thanks for reading. Comments and Critiques always welcome.