Messages

661

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Band Saws, Band Saws Everywhere! But which one to Buy..

« on: January 21, 2013, 09:55:23 am »

Hey guys,
It is just like anything else in life...."You get what you pay for". I realize that cubic dollars is the big issue but, as you've found out, if you go with the cheaper item, you will usually be replacing it in short order and that adds up also.
Did you consider that most of the saws on Craig's List are of the cheaper models and there are very few of the better saws listed? There is a reason for that you know!

Rog

662

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: lemon oil

« on: January 21, 2013, 09:47:49 am »

Can you just put the shellac and denatured alcohol in a mason jar or something or do you need to mix it fresh for every project?

Yes Becky, You can keep it premixed in a jar or any thing. As a matter of fact, I had about a half of a quart can of shellac (full strength) and just added the alcohol to top it up and keep the can sealed. I marked the lid of that can "CUT" so that I know that it is a 1# cut instead of the normal 2# cut that comes in the can originally. Be sure to stir it up good when you open it and you are good to go for a long time.
I use a lot of shellac in my shop both for sealing the wood and for a final finish on a lot of things.

Rog

663

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Finishing

« on: January 21, 2013, 09:36:09 am »

I made my "painters points" out of some round discs leftover from using a hole saw and 1/4" dowel about 2" long. Obviously, the larger the disc, the more stable they will be and the 1/4" hole is already there and dead center. I sharpened the dowel with a pencil sharpener before I cut them to length. There again, you can make them as tall or short as you want to as  long as they are all the same heights.
They work just fine for larger projects and I use them all the time.

Rog

664

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Wood Sealer

« on: January 20, 2013, 03:00:52 pm »

I use shellac for a sealer. I just slap on a coat of 50/50 Zinsser Bulls Eye shellac and and alcohol mix. It dries in about ten minutes  and do a quick sanding job with 220 grit sand paper to knock off the raised grain. (actually alcohol doesn't raise the grain as bad as water) Then go for a finish of polyurethane either brushed or sprayed on. I've used both oil based and water based poly with good results for both. For me personally one coat of poly just isn't enough so I sand with 400 grit paper between coats and finish with the brown paper sack one last time.

Rog

665

The Coffee Shop / Re: Honey do the math

« on: January 20, 2013, 11:00:46 am »

Which weighs more? A ton of feathers or a ton of led.

Rog

666

The Coffee Shop / Re: would a bandsaw be better? (sorry for all the questions)

« on: January 19, 2013, 11:11:11 pm »

About the only way to get good square cross cuts and/or rip a board to width with any accuracy is with a table saw. I have a Jet table saw and a Delta miter saw but no band saw.
Band saws do have their place in a wood shop (really wish I had one) but, when you think about it, they are just over grown scroll saws (but a lot more dangerous). It is just a lot harder to get good 90 degree cuts or hold a board to a given width when ripping long ways. Miter saws can give you 90 degree cross cuts and almost any degree miter cuts but, can not rip a very long board with much degree of accuracy.
I build a lot of different things....Bed headboards, whatnot shelves, end tables, small cabinets etc along with scroll sawing and I could not do a very good job without my table saw. 
Common sense goes a long way when using any power tool. I always plan my cuts before turning on the saw. I will actually go through the motions of the planed cut with the saw turned off and watch where my hands and the wood will be as it goes through the blade when it is running. If I have any doubts that it might not be a safe thing to do, I will stop and re-think what I need to happen to make it safe.

Rog

667

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Tried to make angle grinder into 4 inch saw

« on: January 19, 2013, 10:42:44 pm »

Measure with a micrometer, Mark with a crayon, and Cut it with an ax!

Do you juggle chainsaws for a hobby too?

Rog

668

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: lemon oil

« on: January 19, 2013, 04:24:22 pm »

I tried lemon oil and HATED IT! It didn't dry after a week and even left spray poly gooey enough that I threw the project into the trash can.
I use BLO.... Boiled Linseed Oil to pop the grain and seal the wood. It dries in about 3 hours and it dose have a bit of a smell when you are using it but, not strong or toxic and there is no smell at all after it has dried.
Another thing that I use a lot is shellac. It has a fairly strong odor when using it but dries in 15 minutes and is totally nontoxic. Very good for children's toys etc. 

Rog

669

The Coffee Shop / Re: Memory Problems.

« on: January 17, 2013, 11:00:56 am »

I did that for my wife once, and got the order correct but, I forgot what I went to the kitchen to get for myself! 

Rog

670

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: hanging it up for today

« on: January 15, 2013, 06:34:07 pm »

I sometimes drill a larger hole in the center of a B, R, P,O and even in an S so that all I have to cut is the square corners of the letter. That may be considered as cheating but, I don't care, it works for me. 

Rog

671

Brag Forum / Re: My Firtst ever Fob

« on: January 15, 2013, 09:36:55 am »

Marcellarius, I used Oak for that one.

the reason I asked was if I was curious on your experience how the "normal" wood does work with the key ring.
I always use slats form a bed made out laminated beech because I'm afraid "normal" wood will break much easier when the key chain is hanging on the keys and will be put everywhere.

I'm not Shogun but, I have cut quite a few of that style key fob's and always use hard woods. I have used oak, cherry , walnut, maple, purple heart and on and on. I've never had a problem with breakage that I know of but, I would stay away from softer woods like pine and poplar. The softer woods tend to crack along the grain in small areas and would most likely split in two in a short time. I have never tried plywood on one of these fobs but, it should work as far as strength goes, however, I don't think I would like the looks of ply.

Rog

672

Brag Forum / Re: My Firtst ever Fob

« on: January 14, 2013, 10:15:14 am »

Shogun,

Just a quick hint....I took a few examples of those key chains to a flea market one time. They were short names like "Joe, Bill, Pam, Sue etc" I priced them to sell at $3.00 each.  When I finally got a customer that wanted six of them for Christmas presents so, I had her write the names on a piece of paper with her address (she lived out of town) and told her that I would mail them to her. Well, when I looked at her list of six names, they were first AND last names of the "Hollingsworth" clan!!  The shortest name had 19 letters in it and ended up being about 5" long!!   It took A LOT more wood and especially TIME to cut the key chains than I had ever planned for!    After that, I started charging one dollar per letter! 

Rog 

673

Brag Forum / Re: Roll Holder

« on: January 13, 2013, 01:52:08 pm »

I made one similar a few years ago for a friend. Wish that I had added some clever decoration to it now.







It holds three rolls in the bottom and one at the top. The lid just lifts off using the finger hole to retrieve a fresh roll.

Rog

674

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: timers/stop watches

« on: January 12, 2013, 10:43:16 pm »

Who really cares?

Lets assume that you want to make $15.00 an hour. The project from start to finish takes exactly two hours and you add the cost of the wood used and finish at $3.00. It took 3 blades and you broke a drill bit while drilling holes, so there is another $2.00. I won't even estimate the price of the machines used or the electricity for the saw, light, heat/AC etc.. Then there is glue, tape, cost of pattern and so forth.

So, my question is, has anyone ever actually priced an item that has about two hours worth of work in it for $35.00? even if you stack cut two of them, are they worth $15.50 to your customers?

Obviously, I am a hobby wood worker and am not trying to make a living making things from wood. I do sell items from time to time and feel lucky to get the cost of materials and maybe $50.00 for things like, end tables , patio benches, bed headboards and the like that take me a week or two to build. Granted, I am slow and retired (so time doesn't mean much to me) but, I have a hard time selling a blanket chest that I spent 20 hours on for $200.00 when the wood cost me $150.00.

The "Art" that we do means something to you and me and we take great pride in doing a good job and making something that the average person won't or can't do but, will that same person let go of the amount of money that it is really worth when they can go to the Mall and get something "CUTE" for a gift and spend only $10.00?

Rog

675

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: BURNING WOOD....pyrography....

« on: January 08, 2013, 08:44:02 pm »

I haven't done any wood burning yet but, I have used a vibrating engraver to etch a few words and then rubbed stain into the groove/cut to darken it. After the stain dries I sand off the top surface of the project  back to the natural wood for contrast before doing the final finish.

Rog