31
Brag Forum / Re: The Lord's Prayer
« on: June 08, 2021, 08:37:53 am »
Wow! 
That is a lot of detail.
That is a lot of detail.
News: Had a couple issues with the forum today. 1/19/2017. I believe I have them corrected now. Let me know if you have any trouble. Thanks.
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
32
Introduce Yourself. / Re: Hello, guys
« on: June 04, 2021, 08:36:52 am »
I get most of my wood out of the scrap bin at a local lumber yard. They have small fees posted but a lot of times I getting so little it's not worth their time in writing it up.
Ask around at pretty much anywhere that sells wood - odds are they have a scrap pile somewhere.
Ask around at pretty much anywhere that sells wood - odds are they have a scrap pile somewhere.
33
General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Thick Pieces
« on: May 05, 2021, 08:54:49 am »
A tip I picked up somewhere - take your clippers and cut the top corner of the blade off to make it pointy. It's a lot easier to get it into the holes that way.
The guy who taught me pointed out that you can bend a scrollsaw blade to the side just about as much as you want. It's the front/back bends that kill it. Obviously you can't make a sharp bend, but they are pretty flexible to the side. I also find good light helps a lot. I carry a little tactical flashlight and I often wind up setting it on the saw lighting the bottom of the wood when I'm trying to come up through a hole.
When you look at upgrading your saw you might want to look at a Jet. Not cheap, but worth it. They use a lower blade holder that's really easy to use. Comes with three (I keep different types of blade in each one) and you can get more on Amazon. The table has a slot almost to the front edge so you can, if you need to, pop the blade holder out of the lower arm, bring it to the front of the table, come up through your hole, and then slide the whole thing back into place. Lower holder is very easy to put in place and the top is a flip lever that locks and tightens the blade.
Important note: on a Jet you do NOT set the tension with the knob at the back of the arm. It's just for getting the arms parallel. It does have some effect on the tension, but it's way crude. You set the tension by rotating the lever. Clamp the blade, check your tension. If too loose, open the lever, spin it around one turn and try again. Once you get it set, it's set. Oh - put a mark on that back knob so you know if it has turned itself while the lever was open. I use a bit of tape. I'll occasionally see it having turned a bit. One time it was a whole quarter turn off position. Another tip I got here.
The guy who taught me pointed out that you can bend a scrollsaw blade to the side just about as much as you want. It's the front/back bends that kill it. Obviously you can't make a sharp bend, but they are pretty flexible to the side. I also find good light helps a lot. I carry a little tactical flashlight and I often wind up setting it on the saw lighting the bottom of the wood when I'm trying to come up through a hole.
When you look at upgrading your saw you might want to look at a Jet. Not cheap, but worth it. They use a lower blade holder that's really easy to use. Comes with three (I keep different types of blade in each one) and you can get more on Amazon. The table has a slot almost to the front edge so you can, if you need to, pop the blade holder out of the lower arm, bring it to the front of the table, come up through your hole, and then slide the whole thing back into place. Lower holder is very easy to put in place and the top is a flip lever that locks and tightens the blade.
Important note: on a Jet you do NOT set the tension with the knob at the back of the arm. It's just for getting the arms parallel. It does have some effect on the tension, but it's way crude. You set the tension by rotating the lever. Clamp the blade, check your tension. If too loose, open the lever, spin it around one turn and try again. Once you get it set, it's set. Oh - put a mark on that back knob so you know if it has turned itself while the lever was open. I use a bit of tape. I'll occasionally see it having turned a bit. One time it was a whole quarter turn off position. Another tip I got here.
34
Brag Forum / Re: some stuff
« on: May 04, 2021, 09:27:39 am »
Isn't it nice to be able to make some of those things? Got the ever-indulgent wife one of those Shark vacuums that's supposed to not get wrapped up by her long hair.
Turns out, it works. Also turned out it did not come with anything to hold the tools. I made a quick little hanging shelf with holes for the extensions and a notch for the vacuum to stand in. Works great, wife is happy.
Turns out, it works. Also turned out it did not come with anything to hold the tools. I made a quick little hanging shelf with holes for the extensions and a notch for the vacuum to stand in. Works great, wife is happy.
35
General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Thick Pieces
« on: May 04, 2021, 09:24:20 am »
Like Don I don't do much cutting of thick stuff but I agree - the key is a sharp blade and a lot of patience. Plan for it to take as long as it takes and just let it slowly chew its way along the line. The real temptation to rush in on curves & corners.
I'm assuming you have some thick scrap laying about now. Draw some lines and do some practice cuts.
I'm assuming you have some thick scrap laying about now. Draw some lines and do some practice cuts.
36
Ask Steve a question. / Love the Battleship!
« on: April 18, 2021, 04:01:56 pm »
Steve,
When you did that survey recently I mentioned that I have a lot of 1/4" scrap from making jigsaw puzzles and would like patterns that let me use them.
Boy did you hit it out of the park with the Battleship pattern (04/18/2021)! When I get a chance to do that one it will be all from my scrap pile. I hate throwing away good wood (so I never do) and this is a pretty cool thing that will let me use it.
KCSteve :->
(Scroll-Right.com for those who want to see the puzzles)
When you did that survey recently I mentioned that I have a lot of 1/4" scrap from making jigsaw puzzles and would like patterns that let me use them.
Boy did you hit it out of the park with the Battleship pattern (04/18/2021)! When I get a chance to do that one it will be all from my scrap pile. I hate throwing away good wood (so I never do) and this is a pretty cool thing that will let me use it.
KCSteve :->
(Scroll-Right.com for those who want to see the puzzles)
37
Ask Steve a question. / Simple finish gate idea
« on: April 05, 2021, 09:16:37 am »
Steve,
I've been thinking about a simple finish gate for the 04/05/21 racing game. The best I can come up with is a pair of pegs on the outside of the finish. Slot down the center of the pegs from the top, then string a strip of toilet or tissue paper across the track. It should either break or pull out of the slot showing which car won the race.
I was trying to think of something with a wooden flag and the best I could come up with was using gate bars hinged on the outside that pull out from under a center structure so it tips over into the winning track but it kept getting way too complicated.
I've been thinking about a simple finish gate for the 04/05/21 racing game. The best I can come up with is a pair of pegs on the outside of the finish. Slot down the center of the pegs from the top, then string a strip of toilet or tissue paper across the track. It should either break or pull out of the slot showing which car won the race.
I was trying to think of something with a wooden flag and the best I could come up with was using gate bars hinged on the outside that pull out from under a center structure so it tips over into the winning track but it kept getting way too complicated.
38
Introduce Yourself. / Re: Hey Everyone!
« on: March 20, 2021, 03:27:15 pm »
Welcome!
It's a friendly place here, although it can be fairly quiet. You might want to get the memory stick of Steve's patterns - it's a tremendous resource and you'll find the patterns can be fairly easy to do while still stretching your skills.
KCSteve :->
It's a friendly place here, although it can be fairly quiet. You might want to get the memory stick of Steve's patterns - it's a tremendous resource and you'll find the patterns can be fairly easy to do while still stretching your skills.
KCSteve :->
39
Brag Forum / Re: Finally built myself a cart - HUGE improvement!
« on: March 18, 2021, 12:16:04 pm »
Thanks guys!
As I said in the initial post, I took the idea from the video Steve posted and edited from there. I have the 18" Jet.
I have gone back and lowered the top by 3" - I based the height on the chair I was using then and then later went to a better chair.
I recommend getting your chair just right and comfy for all day, then figuring out where the top of your saw needs to be for comfort. Once you know where the top goes that minus the height of your saw tells you how tall your cart is. Don't forget to include the height of your wheels when you do the math - I think I did but I wound up cutting my cart down by just that much.
It's so nice to just roll the cart out of it's storage spot, lock the wheels, plug it in and lay down the foot pedal and be ready to cut. Well, I also set a small table up next to me to put stuff on and arrange a trash bucket and a few other things, but really it's about 5 minutes from stored to sawing. And just about another 5 to shut down when I'm done.
And remember - you made it, you can change it if you want.
As I said in the initial post, I took the idea from the video Steve posted and edited from there. I have the 18" Jet.
I have gone back and lowered the top by 3" - I based the height on the chair I was using then and then later went to a better chair.
I recommend getting your chair just right and comfy for all day, then figuring out where the top of your saw needs to be for comfort. Once you know where the top goes that minus the height of your saw tells you how tall your cart is. Don't forget to include the height of your wheels when you do the math - I think I did but I wound up cutting my cart down by just that much.
It's so nice to just roll the cart out of it's storage spot, lock the wheels, plug it in and lay down the foot pedal and be ready to cut. Well, I also set a small table up next to me to put stuff on and arrange a trash bucket and a few other things, but really it's about 5 minutes from stored to sawing. And just about another 5 to shut down when I'm done.
And remember - you made it, you can change it if you want.
40
Brag Forum / Re: only 2 months practive
« on: March 12, 2021, 04:32:07 pm »
Get Steve's memory stick of patterns, then start a collection of the ones from this year.
Whenever you need something to do, look through that giant heap. There's always something fun in there. And most patterns you'll be able to do pretty well. They'll stretch your skills, but that just means you'll then be able to do the next harder ones.
I was commenting to the ever-indulgent wife the other day about how much wood there is in our living room.
KCSteve :->
Whenever you need something to do, look through that giant heap. There's always something fun in there. And most patterns you'll be able to do pretty well. They'll stretch your skills, but that just means you'll then be able to do the next harder ones.
I was commenting to the ever-indulgent wife the other day about how much wood there is in our living room.
KCSteve :->
41
General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Kinked Blades
« on: February 16, 2021, 02:47:13 pm »
The lower holder for my Jet saw was kinking the blades (well, 2 out of the 3 it came with). One side is the knob you turn. I used a small Allen wrench to drive the screw on the other side just a tiny bit deeper so the end was flush with the holder itself. Now the blades don't get kinked.
As tbolt said, check your holder to see if you can make a similar adjustment.
As tbolt said, check your holder to see if you can make a similar adjustment.
42
Ask Steve a question. / Re: Steve, you're really killing it with the advice lately!
« on: February 03, 2021, 12:55:04 pm »
And here we show why a list of all the 'extra' stuff would be good to have. 
KCSteve :->
KCSteve :->
43
Ask Steve a question. / Steve, you're really killing it with the advice lately!
« on: February 02, 2021, 09:00:48 am »
I know Steve doesn't get on the forum that often, but I just wanted to say that his recent add on bits to the daily posts for new scrollers have been extremely helpful.
Heck, his little chart for ID'ing loose blades is well worth printing off. I had three blades stuck to a magnet but I wasn't certain which they were. Printed a copy of the chart and confirmed they are what I thought they were.
If someone (and I'm going to assume it will not be Steve) has the time, it would be great to build a list of all of the 'other' stuff in the blog posts.
This link: www.stevedgood.com/sswslist.html
lets you see the list of all of the posts (it can take a while to load) but it only shows the 'official' topic. It would be great to have a companion (possibly a post / thread on the forum) showing the other things Steve puts in, such as that blade chart, or the circle cutting jig / method we've been talking about but having trouble finding the post for.
Thanks again for all your hard work Steve, even if you may not see this thread.
KCSteve :->
Heck, his little chart for ID'ing loose blades is well worth printing off. I had three blades stuck to a magnet but I wasn't certain which they were. Printed a copy of the chart and confirmed they are what I thought they were.
If someone (and I'm going to assume it will not be Steve) has the time, it would be great to build a list of all of the 'other' stuff in the blog posts.
This link: www.stevedgood.com/sswslist.html
lets you see the list of all of the posts (it can take a while to load) but it only shows the 'official' topic. It would be great to have a companion (possibly a post / thread on the forum) showing the other things Steve puts in, such as that blade chart, or the circle cutting jig / method we've been talking about but having trouble finding the post for.
Thanks again for all your hard work Steve, even if you may not see this thread.
KCSteve :->
44
Ask Steve a question. / Re: Compound cutting
« on: January 31, 2021, 05:22:43 pm »
Yep, if it's square under no pressure (make a cut, flip the wood, see if the blade fits the cut) then you have to be pushing to the side when cutting which is usually from trying to go to fast.
Also check your blade tension. I keep tattling on myself on how it took me six months to figure out how to set the tension on my Jet. Turns out that on the Jet the big knob at the back is not how you set the tension. It's for getting the arms parallel which does have a crude effect on the tension but the way you actually set it is by turning the lever for the top blade clamp. With a standard #5 blade you shouldn't be able to push it more than about 1/8" to the side when tensioned. Steve has a little thing on the blog that gives you the sound of a properly tensioned blade being plucked.
Enjoy!
KCSteve :->
Also check your blade tension. I keep tattling on myself on how it took me six months to figure out how to set the tension on my Jet. Turns out that on the Jet the big knob at the back is not how you set the tension. It's for getting the arms parallel which does have a crude effect on the tension but the way you actually set it is by turning the lever for the top blade clamp. With a standard #5 blade you shouldn't be able to push it more than about 1/8" to the side when tensioned. Steve has a little thing on the blog that gives you the sound of a properly tensioned blade being plucked.
Enjoy!
KCSteve :->
45
General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Scroll Saw Dust Capture
« on: January 29, 2021, 09:13:24 am »
I have my setup mobile - built a cart loosely based on the one Steve has provided a video link to. That means my dust collection has to be part of the cart.
If you have a normal shop you can use a bigger/better dust collection setup where the vacuum isn't two feet from your head and there is no noise problem. But that does point out one thing for your shopping - check the noise levels. If possible see it live where you can hear how loud it is. I don't need to cover up for a few minutes work but after a while it gets to be problematic.
If I win the lottery I'll get an actual shop and it will have a dust collection system with noise abatement so I only need hearing protection when I use a noisy tool.
KCSteve :->
If you have a normal shop you can use a bigger/better dust collection setup where the vacuum isn't two feet from your head and there is no noise problem. But that does point out one thing for your shopping - check the noise levels. If possible see it live where you can hear how loud it is. I don't need to cover up for a few minutes work but after a while it gets to be problematic.
If I win the lottery I'll get an actual shop and it will have a dust collection system with noise abatement so I only need hearing protection when I use a noisy tool.
KCSteve :->
