Messages

46

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Scroll Saw Dust Capture

« on: January 26, 2021, 12:03:05 pm »

My 18" Jet is designed for dust collection.  My ever-indulgent wife got me the small dust collector Seyco sells (Steve has a link over to Seyco on the blog).  I went ahead and got it with their universal adapter which would definitely work for you.  It's just a small vacuum nozzle (the wide flat kind) on a flex arm.  You plug the hose into it, use the attached clamp to attach it to your stand, and then position the nozzle under your table where it can suck in the dust without being in the way.  I wound up switching to using my built-in setup by simply wrapping enough duct tape around the end of the hose to make it fit my saw's connector.

The vacuum is one meant for copier repair guys - it's scary powerful.  The included cyclone gets almost all of the dust and I seldom have to change the small bag in the vacuum.  It is a bit noisy though - I wear ear muffs while working.  But that's partly because I have some hearing damage from sitting next to dot-matrix printers in the 1980's and the small amount of noise a scroll saw makes is similar enough to the noise from a dot-matrix printer to cause me problems.  If I want to shoot video, or demo to someone I just turn the vacuum off.

It does make a huge difference in dust levels!  I can always tell when the bag is getting clogged (never gets full, just gets clogged with the stuff that's fine enough to get past the cyclone) or when my inlet gets plugged with the small bits that fall down by how dusty my car is getting.  I set up in my garage right in front of my car and normally it's just a little dusty from what gets blown off the top of the wood.

Yes, there will be some dust that escapes the system.  Steve runs a woodshop air filter that hangs up near the ceiling and collects all the suspended dust.  I'd like to, but no space or funds.

Hopefully some of the others will chime in with their advice and experience.

KCSteve :->

47

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Circle Cutters for the Scroll Saw

« on: January 24, 2021, 07:34:29 pm »

I know Steve has posted a circle cutting jig but I can't find it in my search.
I did find this post where he shows how to make round wheels by adding a sanding jig - https://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/04/video-demonstration-showing-how-to-make.html

If you want to search, the complete list of posts (which can take a long time to load) is here: http://www.stevedgood.com/sswslist.html

KCSteve :->

48

Introduce Yourself. / Re: Super Newbie

« on: January 15, 2021, 11:04:45 am »

Last year my ever-indulgent wife got me Seyco's small dust collection system for Valentine's Day.  It counts under our rules, which I think your wife will like as well.  To be a legal Valentine's Day present it must be 1) a 'traditional' present, or 2) have something red.  Rule 2 makes it much easier to buy for a guy.  The Seyco catalog has red print so obviously it counts.

Steve has a link to Seyco on the blog.  The little vacuum is a bit noisy but I just wear earmuffs over the headphones I'm listening to music through.  A small amount of dust still escapes - there's always the bit on top of the wood - but it's pretty easily dealt with.  The only way to have NO dust in the house is to have a separate workshop, and even then some will come in with you. 

Make her a few nice things and she'll associate the smell with presents.

49

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: DeWalt 788 blade clamp distance issue

« on: December 30, 2020, 10:18:28 am »

Definitely seems worth a try since you already have the replacement in hand if it doesn't work.

50

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Pegas 21" Scroll saw

« on: December 22, 2020, 09:36:53 am »

That looks like a great setup!

You can store patterns and such in the top drawer - heck, it looks like it was made for that kind of thing! 

I'm going to edit my cart today.  I got a better seat (Harbor Freight rolling stool with a saddle top - good but you need a pad on top because the front frame is NOT padded).  With the new seat my saw is 3" too high so I can either make my back or my legs happy.  Since you can't un-cut wood I've given it some time to make sure what change I want.

KCSteve :->

51

The Coffee Shop / Re: Christmas

« on: December 17, 2020, 09:15:09 am »

And a Merry Christmas to you and yours Barbara!

I'll also join you in best wishes and thanks to Steve and all the fine folks who make this forum work.

KCSteve :->

52

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Picture Puzzles

« on: December 16, 2020, 09:11:05 am »

The cold laminate I got off of Amazon but check office supply and art places near you.  The key is to get the thicker 3-mil.  Some thinner stuff I got at an Office Max just didn't cut it.

If you want to make the big investments I got the dry-mount tissue from DryMountTissue.com - https://www.drymounttissue.com/product/trimount-dry-mount-tissue/
and the laminate was from LaminationDepot.com  It's the 3-mil Digital.  I got the 25"x250' https://www.laminationdepot.com/laminating-supplies-and-equipment/roll-laminating-film/digital

You also need a big t-shirt press to use it, which I got through Amazon.  Usual caveats for picking a good supplier (all the presses seem similar).  Since I have an 18" saw I got a 16x24 press.

The hardest thing to find is the special rubber.  Do a search on "green rubber heat conductive" and you'll pull up several choices of the special heat-conductive pad.  Darn stuff costs an arm and a leg.  Search for the best price.  I think I got mine here: https://dyetrans.com/products.php?webmaincat=heat_press&websubcat=production_accessories&websubcat2=green_rubber

Give me an email and I can send you a document I wrote up with all the details.  But like I said, this is the expensive way to do it.  It is kind of neat having a t-shirt press around though.  I've also used it in making kydex holsters and yes, even a couple of shirts.

KCSteve :->

53

Introduce Yourself. / Re: New member in kansas

« on: December 14, 2020, 09:11:22 pm »

Hi Mikey!

I'm in the KC area myself (North end, basically Gladstone).  If you want to get up to speed with your scroll saw in one day go down to Branson and see Mr. M (Gaylen Montgomery).  Here's his website: https://www.mrmsworkshop.com/
I took his first two classes last year and am doing pretty well now.

For jigsaw puzzles go on YouTube and look for Mark's Custom Puzzles.  That's Mark G. Cappitella and Steve has posted about him and some of his videos here.  He'll get you going on puzzles if you want to get to the 'selling quality puzzles' level.

Have fun!

KCSteve :->

54

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Picture Puzzles

« on: December 14, 2020, 08:47:00 am »

rfielder,

Inkjet photos tend to be a bit fragile - easily scratched & such - which seems bad for a jigsaw so I put a clear laminate over the top.  At first I got some 3 mil (tried thinner - not worth it) self- adhesive stuff.  Now I've switched to a hot press so I use a laminate made for that.

Mark explains the basic cold process in his videos (Mark's Custom Puzzles on YouTube).  Use Super 77 spray to stick the image down.  Spray the board and the back of the picture, wait about 1 minute for them to get tacky.  Smooth it down carefully, then cover with baker's parchment, a layer of craft foam, a board, and some weight and let it sit overnight to get fully bonded.  If using something with a fragile surface like an inkjet print, I say add the clear laminate before you let it set up.

A tip for getting the sticky things in place right: put a sheet of baking parchment over the bottom layer (wood first, then image for the laminate).  Leave about 1" at one end showing.  Put the next layer over it and get it all lined up.  Now smooth the exposed surfaces together (not all the way to the parchment - you're just tacking it down).  Slide the parchment over a bit to expose more, smooth toward it, repeat untl done.  The silicone treated baking parchment is very non-stick so you can get everything lined up well.  By smoothing down just a bit at a time you get fewer bubbles and it's easier to smooth them out.

The hot press method needs a t-shirt press bigger than your largest puzzle you want to do, some very expensive heat conducting foam (it's called 'green rubber'), dry-mount tissue and a laminate that's temperature compatible.  The ones I use are called Tri-Mount tissue and Digital Laminate.  Both fuse at 195 so I set the press to 210 (need to get a bit above 195).  Takes forever for everything to come to temp before I can press a puzzle.  If anyone's interested enough to spend $1,000 on equipment & supplies I can give more details.

Can you guess how I've spent my time since March? 

55

Ask Steve a question. / Re: blades

« on: December 08, 2020, 09:49:00 am »

#5 blades will give you a very loose fitting puzzle.  Make sure your locks have really good necks and it will be ok - especially for kids.
#3 blades will be tighter but still loose.

To get the tight fitting puzzles you have to use some sort of puzzle blades.  2/0, 1/0, or ones just made for puzzles.  The problem is that the little buggers are wildly temperamental.  I tried four or five kinds before I found one that I could control on my saw (Superior Puzzle from Mike's Workshop).  Even then they can sometimes act like they're drunk.  Instead of the usual 3-5 degree offset they can cut at up to 45 degrees off the apparent line of cut.

Some tips for puzzle blades I've painfully accumulated:

Don't even bother trying to cut with a fresh, sharp blade.  You can slow your saw's speed way down and get more control but you'll still be fighting it for a bit.  I keep bits of scrap about 3" long and when I go to a fresh blade I cut a thin strip off of one edge to take that super-sharpness off the blade.  Sometimes I still slow the saw a bit for more control for the first few cuts.  And I'm using 1/4" rather than 1/8".

Go slow.  No, slower than that.  Any time you're trying to have control slow your feed rate down until you actually have control.

Remember the standard scroll saw advice: no one but you knows the line you intended to cut so just do your best to make sure the line you actually cut looks ok.  The key is to never let your lines cross or even touch.  I sometimes get a little closer to another line than I want - that's one place the 1/4" is nice because it's a much sturdier piece at that thickness.  Also, with 1/4" you don't have to put sacrificial layers around your puzzle.  You do have to sand the back when you're done though.

A puzzle blade in good shape slides through the wood like a hot knife.  A brand new blade shoots through like a red-hot chainsaw through butter.  As the blade dulls it slows down - it's like the wood gets stiff.   You can go until the blade breaks - just cut back from the other direction and try to match up neatly.  I change blades when they break or when it gets dull enough I start to lose control.

Go on YouTube and search for Mark's Custom Puzzles.  That's Mark G. Cappitella, the gentleman Steve posted some videos from.  He's got a ton of videos that will teach you almost all you need to know about puzzle making.  Some stuff he just knows so well after 25 years he doesn't think to mention it, some is stuff you just have to learn for yourself.

Puzzles are fun to do, but kind of a pain.  Scroll-Right.com is my landing page on the way to my Etsy shop that has some background info for those interested.

KCSteve :->

56

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Picture Puzzles

« on: December 08, 2020, 09:36:03 am »

Actually a lot puzzle makers use Christmas cards and calendars for their images.  Do do want to make sure you choose something that looks like it's at least a bit durable.

Me, for my puzzle making I'm using archival inkjet prints hot-mounted to 1/4" with a protective laminate over the top but that's a different kind of set up than doing a cool card for a friend or two.

KCSteve :->

(Scroll-Right.com will get you to my Etsy shop)

57

Introduce Yourself. / Re: New Member - David Giles

« on: December 08, 2020, 09:32:53 am »

SpiritHorse - those are some good tips!

I don't know if I'll ever do any Intarsia, but I saved those off just in case.

Thanks!

KCSteve :->

58

Tutorials, Techniques and Tips / Re: Trying to cut out a middle piece on old Scroll saw.

« on: December 04, 2020, 09:00:45 am »

It's better to bend the blade to the side instead of front / back, but there are still limits.

How easy/hard is it to clamp the blade top & bottom?  You might have to put the blade through the wood and then clamp it.  Might have to use a little blue tape to keep the  blade from slipping out until you get it clamped.

Not having an arm that lifts is a definite restriction.  Doesn't mean you can't do things, just means it's harder.  But therefore more rewarding when you do succeed.

Good luck!

KCSteve :->

59

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Baltic birch finishes

« on: November 25, 2020, 09:29:10 am »

Most things work pretty well.  It takes stains well and the edges can come out pretty cool.

I use the basic food-safe finish on a lot of things simply because it's handy - that's the 4 or 5 parts mineral oil to 1 part beeswax mix.  Do a search for 'food safe wood finish' and you should find plenty of descriptions & videos.

Some tips I've figured out: shave your beeswax into flakes - easier to measure and melts faster.  Use a double boiler setup and don't get it too hot.  Best to monitor with a candy thermometer because they say that much over 150F and you can get flammable fumes.  Once it's well mixed put it into a wide-mouthed container.  I have a 'tupperware' style bowl I got at the Dollar Store.  Smear it on with a paper towel, wait a few minutes and wipe off the excess.  Extra coats don't seem to make any difference.  Takes a day or two to get fully set and hard.  Gives a nice soft look.

60

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Love My Cats/Dogs Pattern

« on: November 25, 2020, 09:24:48 am »

I looked at the Cat/Cats pattern.

The two wedges are for making it a tabletop piece and you would glue them to the back of the photo mount board.

If you want it to be permanent then you would glue down the photo (I use Super77 spray for all that kind of stuff) and then glue the photo mount on to the back of the frame.

Better would be to drill the marked holes in the photo mount board and use screws to attach to the front piece.  Then you can change the photo.  I would mark the photo area on the board to make life easier.  A bit of tape along the edges will hold the photo in place well enough I would think.

If you want to make it fancier, get some clear plastic - a report cover or, if you happen to get something packed in plastic with a suitable size piece use that.  Make it larger than the marked space and then (probably) staple it along the bottom and one end.  That will keep it in place but still let you get the photo in and out.

Super 77 is the good spray adhesive from 3M.  I've tried the cheaper ones and they just aren't as good.  For permanent mounting spray the back of what you're mounting and the board and wait about 1 minute for it get tacky.  You can reposition if it goes down crooked but it's not easy - best to get it right the first time.  I also use it for putting pattern on.  Generally I put blue tape first, then a quick spray of the back of the pattern and smooth it down.  Since it's on the tape I don't care if it's hard or easy to get off as long as it holds for cutting (and it does).

Hope this helps!

KCSteve :->