Messages

466

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Magnifier Lamps, give us a report!

« on: April 24, 2012, 08:46:18 am »

Gabby, if the springs weaken, I find stretching heavy rubber bands from one spring end to the other restores the balance of the light.  The rubber bands will break in time but they do work.

I have a Delta 40-690 that came with a flexible lamp.  That lamp has a very limited range of movement and it is not as easy to place "just right".

Good luck in your search and I'll be interested in the results as I'm also thinking of upgrading my light.

Jim

467

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Opening a 40-690

« on: April 23, 2012, 11:15:06 pm »

termite, looked at your post, once I found it (my fault, wasn't looking carefully).  I'll be sure to check those two parts if I decide to open it instead of going to the Dewalt factory service centre.

I have been careful not to lift the saw by the upper arm but, after it's first visit, and only, visit to the Dewalt service centre, it came back with the pivot bolt tight enough that the arm would stay up on its own.  Don't know if it is wise to leave the bolt tight, or should I loosen it.  Until I get an Easy Lift, or make my own, I should probably use a block to hold up the arm, or learn to bottom feed.    

Thanks,
Jim
The first trip to the service centre was before Delta and Dewalt went their separate ways.
J

468

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Opening a 40-690

« on: April 23, 2012, 09:10:15 pm »

Glen, I don't mind taking it apart, it is fairly straight forward to get it apart but I was concerned that pulling the side off might release parts.  I'll be careful to watch for pinched cords when I re-assemble it.

I have been trying to adjust the rod under the tension lever  to minimize vibration and noise and was wondering how many turns will unscrew it from the "wedge block" at the back end.

I was just fiddling with the saw and learned that the knocking was reduced when I pressed gently on the side of the upper blade clamp, or on the top of the clamp, while the saw is operating.  (I know, be careful!) 

Thanks for the help,
Jim

469

General Scroll Saw Talk / Opening a 40-690

« on: April 23, 2012, 06:53:28 pm »

My 40-690 (the DW788 clone) has a metallic knocking that seems to come from the back end of the saw.  It's under warranty so I called Delta and they admit there isn't much in the way of factory service locations since Delta and Dewalt separated.  He said it's something that needs to be resolved but didn't know when it would be resolved.  The 5 year warranty isn't worth much if I can't get service.

There is a Dewalt factory service centre in Montreal but service of Delta tools will be at their discretion, and mine probably will not be their top priority.

I have considered looking inside the saw to see what I can see and wondered what your experience has been with the 690 or 788.  Is it best to lay it on its side?  If so, am I correct in assuming the motor side should be down?  Are there any parts that can fall or spring out when the side is removed?  Can I turn the mechanism by hand while the side is off?  Can I turn it using the motor when the side is off - to better hear the noise?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and hints.
Jim

470

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Easy Lift System...

« on: April 23, 2012, 06:10:12 pm »

bubbaloo, I'll be very interested in hearing how your order worked out, especially if the shipping is as low as they state on the form.  Let's hope there are no duties as it is presumably made in the USA - free trade.

Let us know how it works out.
Jim

471

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Easy Lift System...

« on: April 22, 2012, 10:40:19 am »

I'm working on making my own version of the Easy Lift.  The main problem is finding a longer bolt for the pivot point. Probably a small sleeve to go over the threads where the flat bar pivots would be a good idea as well.

Judy, what wears out on the Easy Lift?

Bubbaloo, I"m in Pierrefonds, another suburb of Montreal.

Have a good one,
Jim

472

Computer questions / Computer infection

« on: April 21, 2012, 11:30:55 am »

There has been an interesting event in the computer world.  Some computers have been infected and the user doesn't know it.  So far the FBI has been protecting Internet users but their protection will end soon.  This link describes the problem:    http://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-thousands-may-lose-internet-july-181324701--finance.html

For Canadians to check your computer automatically, follow this link  http://www.dns-ok.ca/  and scroll down.  Accept the terms and conditions and your computer will be automatically checked.  Green bars mean you are OK while red indicates you have the infection and should talk to a professional to have it removed.

US users can go to http://www.dns-ok.us/ where your computer will be checked immediately.

Other countries can get a link at http://www.dcwg.org/detect/

This www.dcwg.org  give more information, if you are interested.

Mine was clean according to the US and Canadian test sites.
Jim

473

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: EX21 again

« on: April 12, 2012, 07:31:16 am »

And once you have the grub screw in the right place, a bit of Locktite (blue, not red) will keep it in place.

Jim

474

Ask Steve a question. / Re: Hi New Delta 40-690 looking for something better than thumb screw and footswitch

« on: April 06, 2012, 09:06:30 am »

TT, about the lever, I would suggest you be very careful tightening the clamp, even with the thumbscrew that comes with the saw.  I have heard of people stripping the threads in the aluminum and having to buy new clamps.

I think I tend to over-tighten the clamp and keep telling myself that the aluminum  isn't very strong.  I find it doesn't take much to hold the blade in place and I always sand the ends to roughen the metal and to remove any residual oil on the blade.  Some in this forum wipe the blade ends with mineral spirits to remove the oil.

Having said that, some people have made their own from a piece of wood.

I got my foot switch at Busy Bee Tools for $20 Canadian.  If you are in the US, there are a number of sources for switches.  I selected the deadman type that stops the saw if I lift my foot but some like the type that you don't have to hold down to keep sawing, it's your choice.


Best of luck,
Jim

475

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Watching Videos

« on: April 06, 2012, 08:23:19 am »

I also find videos occasionally stop and start but it probably isn't the web site I happen to be visiting.  I have a good high speed connection so it's more likely the Internet between the site and my computer.  I don't think there is a real solution, other than doing as Billthediver says.  Getting a high speed connection, if you don't have one, should help but it will not prevent all hesitations.

Enjoy the weekend,
Jim

476

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Delta 40-690 / Dewalt DW788 for-aft blade movement

« on: April 04, 2012, 12:33:43 pm »

TT, I have just under 3mm forward/backward movement of my blade.  I don't think much can be done to reduce to movement to zero, it's the geometry of the saw, although some people have had some success with adjustments. Take a look at http://www.scrollsaws.com/ under Dewalt Tune-up (on the left hand side).  Your 40-690 is the same as the Dewalt 788, except for the paint job. (Edit - Oops, I skipped part of the title of the post.)

One adjustment some have made is to raise the back of the table until the blade is perpendicular to the table, when viewed from the side.  Take a look at http://stevedgood.com/community/index.php?topic=9265.0, there is some info on adjusting the back and forth movement and also on raising the back of the table.

If you take it to service, let us know what they did and if it was successful.  By the way, now that Dewalt and Delta are separate companies, who is doing the service?  Has Delta set up their own centres?

Good luck,
Jim

477

The Coffee Shop / Re: Lee Valley newest product

« on: April 01, 2012, 08:15:33 pm »

This is one of a series of products Lee Valley introduces every April 1.  Click on the "Click here for more information..." to get the detials.

Take a look at http://www.leevalley.com/en/home/Search.aspx?action=n for others in the series.

Jim
PS
If you like planing, you'll get a kick out of the low-angle jack plane.
J

478

The Coffee Shop / Lee Valley newest product

« on: April 01, 2012, 05:51:06 pm »

Check it out, it's http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=69302&cat=1,42401 really neat!!  Everyone using a plane should have at least one, and I am sure it could be adapted to other devices in the shop - for example, chisels or perhaps even saws or sanding mops.

Jim

479

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Home made shop air cleaner

« on: April 01, 2012, 12:12:39 pm »

Did some more work the the project and found some interesting results that might help others in their quest for a clean(er) shop. 

All the furnace fans I have seen have forward curved blades and I read that backward curved blades push less air.  I turned the squirrel cage of the direct drive fan so it was like a backwards curved cage.  It did reduce the flow somewhat but the fan vibrated too much at all speeds.  So much for that idea.

I also have a belt drive blower that happens to be the same rating as the direct drive.  Turning the cage around so it is backwards reduced the flow and the fan ran as smooth as silk.  That was a pleasant surprise after my experience with the direct drive.  There is also more flexibility to adjust the air flow by changing pulley sizes.

While I was doing the experiments with the blowers, I found a 10" diameter, 1500 rpm propeller type fan and installed that in the filter box I had made for the direct drive fan.  It is working very well so I think I will stick with that one for a while.

If you are thinking about building an air cleaner around a furnace fan, you might be happier making a larger box to enclose a belt drive unit, especially if you want to reduce the flow.

Happy April Fool's Day,
Jim

480

The Coffee Shop / Re: unwanted E-mail

« on: March 31, 2012, 12:35:26 pm »

I have essentially completely solved the spam email problem, at least to my satisfaction.  I use Mailwasher to screen the messages while they are still at my ISP.  If it looks suspicious, I can delete it at the ISP, without having to download it to my computer.  I can even look at the text portions to be sure.

http://www.mailwasher.net/ has a free version that works just fine.  I use the paid version as I have two email addresses and only the paid version checks multiple addresses.

I have been using the program and recommend you try it.  As far as I know it works with the majority of the email programs out there - check the web site for more details, and as with any program you might want to install on your computer, do some research to see others comments on the program before downloading it.

Good luck,
Jim