Messages

61

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 :->

62

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.

63

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 :->

64

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

« on: November 18, 2020, 07:11:18 pm »

I'm almost certain I'm wrong, but just in case.

I had a similar problem with blade length on my 18" Jet for a while.  That was before I figured out how you actually set the tension on a Jet.
That big knob at the back of the arm?  That's just for getting the arms parallel.  It does have an effect on the tension, of course, but that's not how you set it.  You set it by spinning the lever that closes the blade clamps and pulls them up.

When I was trying to use the knob at the back to set the tension I kept having problems with the length of the blades.

Like I said, I don't think this is  your problem, but I figure it's worth tossing out there just in case.

65

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

« on: November 14, 2020, 09:03:04 pm »

Not a Pegas user but until your real stand gets here you can probably knock a nice enough one together with 2x4's and some heavy plywood for the top.  Since you have the real stand coming it just has to be steady and sturdy.

Because I don't have a dedicated area I made a cart for my 18" Jet.  Put it on 3 casters (3 will always be stable) with locks.  Works well for me.

66

Ask Steve a question. / Re: Family name & initial

« on: November 12, 2020, 08:49:04 am »

Here's the link to the page showing every post - http://www.stevedgood.com/sswslist.html
It usually takes a bit to load, and for some reason right now it doesn't seem to want to load for me, but once you get it loaded you can (eventually) find what you're looking for.

KCSteve :->

67

Ask Steve a question. / Re: Signature coins

« on: November 08, 2020, 01:05:03 pm »

From what I hear you're better off emailing Steve - he doesn't get much time to get into the forum.

68

Brag Forum / Re: Alphabet puzzle

« on: November 04, 2020, 07:20:48 pm »

Cut another set with a #5 blade and they should be loose enough for the young ones.
(You might want to do a small test first just to be sure)

69

Ask Steve a question. / Re: Flaking

« on: November 03, 2020, 11:54:57 am »

I've also seen that happen when a blade is getting dull, when the wood isn't tight to the table (so the bits get ripped off the bottom), or when using a coarse blade.
Try an 'R' blade and/or put some blue tape on the bottom.  Both of those reduce the 'fuzzies' and the flakes are just an extreme version of those.

70

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Inconsistent Blades

« on: November 01, 2020, 01:04:13 pm »

I've tried various puzzle type blades.  The Bear Woods blades hate me - the ones I have are obviously drunk.
The Superior Puzzle blades from Mike's Workshop only taunt me on occasion.

And even with those, I have an occasional dozen that seem to go dull / wear out a lot faster than usual.  Getting the metal just right as well as the heat treat means that sometimes things will happen.

71

Pattern Requests. / Re: Looking for Pattern

« on: November 01, 2020, 01:01:47 pm »

Since I just grabbed it for another reply, here's the link to Steve's list of all the posts in case it helps you find it:
http://www.stevedgood.com/sswslist.html

72

Introduce Yourself. / Re: Hi all

« on: November 01, 2020, 01:01:04 pm »

Scroll through Steve's patterns - this link is the whole list of posts - http://www.stevedgood.com/sswslist.html
I guarantee you'll find ones that are both interesting and look like you can do them, whatever your skill level.
And whatever your skill level, odds are that some part of the project will help you stretch your skills.

I'm betting I know what kind of Christmas presents you'll be giving this year!

KCSteve :->

73

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: jet 18 inch scroll saw

« on: October 27, 2020, 06:35:39 pm »

Yep, bottom feed only.  BUT since the lower blade holder is a separate piece you can actually feed the blade up through the wood right at the front edge of the table - that's what that long slot is for.  Of course, then you have to slide everything back and get the blade holder into it's spot.  I've not had to do this but it's nice to know there is an option if needed.

And you can get 3-packs of the lower blade holders on Amazon for about $24 so you can have a set of blades loaded and ready to go making blade changes extremely fast.  Once again, not something I'm doing, just nice to know it's available.

74

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: jet 18 inch scroll saw

« on: October 26, 2020, 06:40:42 pm »

I also have a love the 18" Jet.  Blade changes are quick and easy.

One tip that might save you the 6 months it took me to figure it out 
That big knob at the back is NOT how you set the blade tension.  It's just to get the arms parallel.  It does do a crude job of setting the tension but the actual way is by rotating the lever of the blade clamp.  Spin it clockwise for tighter, CC for looser.  Once it's set, it's set.

75

Ask Steve a question. / Re: Prayers for Steve

« on: October 09, 2020, 06:49:52 pm »

If well wishes and good thoughts can cure then you should be fine in no time!

Best wishes Steve!