Messages

1

Introduce Yourself. / Re: DeWalt Scroll Saw Blade Distance too far-Bought replacement on Amazon for $399

« on: March 08, 2024, 06:44:10 pm »

Have you checked a couple of things, like is the tension all the way up to 5 or above? That tries to raise the upper arm to increase tension and without a blade it can increase the separation. That being said, I have experienced this one other time. I put the blade clamps in upside down. Not upside down on the arms but upside down as in putting the upper clamp on the lower blade and vice versa. This was when I was installing new Pegas blade clamps and I couldn't understand why the Pegas clamps required a 7" blade. When all else fails, I revert back to the primary directive I received in 20 years in the Air Force - RTFM!!! I've worked on lots of DeWalts over the years and I'm betting something isn't set up correctly. Also, Gwinnett Woodworkers have some FANTASTIC YouTube videos on maintaining the 788 from the ground up. Highly recommended.

2

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: New scrolling problem for me.

« on: January 27, 2024, 03:17:00 pm »

Most likely culprit - sideways force. Inadvertently pushing the wood to the side, usually while making a turn. This bows the blade since both the top and the bottom are held in a straight line. Once you get a piece out, check that the sides are really straight with a good straight edge. This is my biggest problem with the scroll saw and I am constantly fighting it. I've taken to completely releasing the wood every 5 seconds or so to make sure I'm not pushing one side or the other. Unfortunately I don't have the automatic indicator that my wife and kids have - sticking my tongue out when I'm concentrating too hard.

3

Brag Forum / Re: Illinois State Fair

« on: September 04, 2022, 03:02:38 pm »

Karl,
The first one I made about 3 years ago was from 1/4" plywood and (I just measured) was 1 3/8" deep. I didn't really like the plywood. It was OK, but not great. This time I made it out of 1/4" alder (I have LOTS from a shelving unit I took out of an office back before I retired. I just resaw it down to 1/4" for scroll sawing). This one is 2 7/8" deep. My wife thinks it's a little dark (agreed), but the additional depth makes the cuttings stand out. And (if I can figure out how to put them in) the fairy lights will help a lot. The additional spacers give me room for the lights, where the original pattern did not. Also, the spacers can be stack-cut.

4

Brag Forum / Illinois State Fair

« on: August 29, 2022, 01:15:01 am »

My entries from the Illinois State Fair have been returned. There are only 6 classes in the Woodworking section and you are allowed only 1 entry per class. So I bent the rules a little and entered a set of 5 Christmas Tree Ornaments - all scroll sawed in the Holiday Crafts section. The Nativity scene is an adaptation of a Steve Good design. Steve's pattern has 5 layers. I added 5 additional layers to give it some depth. Also, I hope to be able to add some LED fairy lights before Christmas. The Christmas Tree Ornaments only have 1 Steve Good pattern, but they all were tricky.

5

Brag Forum / Christmas present for my mailman

« on: December 20, 2021, 07:31:29 pm »

This is an old Steve Good pattern that I had forgotten about.  Some nicely figured cherry.

6

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Scroll Saw Magazine

« on: December 20, 2021, 07:25:41 pm »

There is a woodworking magazine indexing service that you can subscribe to:

https://www.woodworkingmagazineindex.com/

The indices aren't all complete, but there a LOTS of them and among them is Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts. That starts around 2004 and goes up to today. It costs $9.95 a year and I've subscribed for about 10 years. Once you get the index you want, you can copy, cut, and paste it into Excel.

7

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Picture Puzzles

« on: December 09, 2020, 12:04:15 pm »

Trouble is, life seems more than capable of finding other stuff that needs doing faster than I can catch up!

Truer words were never spoken. I think I need to put that in a scroll saw sign!

8

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Arpop

« on: November 20, 2020, 03:14:25 am »

Karl,
You're a genius. I thought the sight was still active, but this at least gets me in to some of the patterns I was looking for. Thanks a bunch.
Dave

9

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Arpop

« on: November 19, 2020, 02:30:14 pm »

I tried a different email address. It still has to be gmail, but since none of my gmail accounts are recognized, I'm still locked out. Is there anything available once you actually can sign on that allows you to contact the powers that be to ask about how you get someone else invited in? I mean, somewhere they have to allow you to get the secret handshake. Thanks.
Dave

10

General Scroll Saw Talk / Arpop

« on: November 18, 2020, 12:33:16 am »

For those of you who don't know, there are a few other sources for scroll saw patterns. None as good as Steve's. His is the gold standard. But I used to go to Arpop as well:

http://fssp-arpop.blogspot.com

The problem is I haven't been there for a few years. Life just got in the way and I didn't go back. Well, now I'm trying to get back and there is a problem. No, I haven't forgotten my password. Nothing that simple. It's just that Arpop doesn't recognize ME! The site keeps trying to use my gmail account, which is one I didn't have when I was accessing the site. I don't think I even had a Google account at that time. Anyway, I thought I could just send him an email and maybe he could check his records and let me in. I've tried everything I can think of to find a way to contact him for the last couple of months and I've got nothing. It's not that I don't know my way around the Internet. I was on the Internet when it was the Arpanet and I spent 30 years working on and with computers and networks. But, honestly, I could contact Queen Elizabeth II on her private email easier than I contact Arpop. So I am putting out a request for anyone who has access to Arpop to see if they can find a way that I could be invited back into his good graces. If anyone can help me out, I would be very appreciative. Thanks.

11

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

« on: November 17, 2020, 03:28:57 am »

Rick,
I just had to go downstairs and look at my saw to make sure, but that looks right - or at least it looks like mine. So my idea was crazy. However, I did measure my saw. From the bottom screw of the TOP clamp (the one just to the right of the upper thumb screw on your first picture) to the top screw of the BOTTOM clamp (the one just to the right of the lower thumb screw on your third picture), the distance is 4 1/8 inches. This was the most universal measurement I could come up with since I have Pegas clamps. But if yours is over 5 inches, something is definitely wrong.

Now I'll give you some advice that just HAS TO WORK! Get on your computer, open your browser, and Google "Gwinnett scroll saw service." This will bring up several YouTube videos made by the Gwinnett Woodworking Club outside Atlanta and particularly done by a guy named Bob Brokaw. Bob knows more about the Dewalt 788 than Dewalt does. Since each of these 7 or so videos (4 from 2014, 1 from 2018, 1 from 2019, and 1 from 2016 on "DeWalt Scroll Saw Repair Up Keep Maintenance") runs an hour to an hour and a half, I don't suggest you view them all. But the 2018 and 2019 updates will probably at some point go over what you need to know to take your saw apart. The 2014 videos are COMPREHENSIVE, but they take about 4 hours. But somewhere in these videos you will learn how to take your machine apart (including the tools you'll need. You probably have them all except may the T27 torx bit. That I had to find), what it looks like inside, how it works, what goes wrong that you can fix (essentially everything), and (more importantly) how to put it back together. This is the best advice I can give you from Illinois. If I could, I would love to travel to Oregon and help personally, but we're not allowed to go anywhere right now. So good luck and keep posting so I can follow your progress.
Dave

12

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

« on: November 16, 2020, 01:28:01 am »

Rick,
OK, I'm going out on a limb here and don't think I'm criticizing you, but that's just crazy. And I have an even crazier idea that I'll float for your consideration. My 788 arms were never more than about 4 1/8 inches apart. I just can't see how they could be. That being said, I did have a problem like what you describe when I couldn't get the blade to reach between the upper and lower clamp. I had upgraded my saw with the Pegas blade clamps. And being a typical American male who can recognize a wrench 3 out of 5 times, I installed the clamps WITHOUT bothering to read the installation manual. Lo and behold! The regular scroll saw blade wouldn't reach between them. I spent a couple of hours trying everything I could think of, releasing tension, checking for bent arms, looking for 6 inch scroll saw blades, you name it. I knew the blade clamps were installed correctly. Heck the Pegas name was right-side up. Then it dawned on me, what if I had put the lower clamp on the upper arm and vice versa. It took about 15 minutes to uninstall and then reinstall the clamps and suddenly my blades had stretched to fit once again. Is there ANY possibility that your blade clamps could be installed on the wrong arms? It's been over a year so I don't remember exactly what the original clamps looked like, but I know they were never as far apart as what you are describing. It's worth a check, anyway. Incidentally, the Pegas blade clamps are absolutely fantastic (if properly installed) and I highly recommend them. I hope you find the problem.
Dave

13

Pattern Requests. / Re: mini shadowbox nature scene need to enlarge help

« on: September 21, 2020, 12:11:15 pm »

I've attached file for 8 1/2 x 11 that I converted through Inkscape. The distortion isn't too bad, just a slightly taller deer.

Dave

14

Ask Steve a question. / Re: Blade tension on Dewalt saw

« on: August 28, 2020, 12:56:31 am »

That's the Gwinnett Woodworking site out of Georgia. Pushing down on the top linkage does nothing. The arms are mechanically held and unless you have ruined the linkage, you can't get them any closer. You need to look at the Dewalt maintenance videos, specifically Bob Brokaw's, to get instruction on how to disassemble and maintain the saw. I suspect that your problem is involved in setting the tension with that little lever on the upper arm. If you can get the blade connected in both the top and bottom blade holders, that tension control will tighten it right up. Now if it isn't tight and the tension control is all the way to the left, then your blade holders are slipping and that's an entirely different problem. No matter what, the Gwinnett club's videos will show you how to correct it.

15

Pattern Requests. / Re: pattern designer

« on: December 13, 2019, 01:13:26 am »

I think you may be looking for H. Botas. He has lots of free patterns at:

https://www.customwoodportraits.com/

Dave