Author Topic: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.  (Read 2531 times)

Dreklie

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Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« on: December 06, 2015, 08:46:59 pm »
I have just basically the basic brand of Scroll Saw (Skil one from Lowes for about 130 I believe). I was born and raised in Kentucky, and still live here (absolutely love it here), I am 28 and have recently took a huge interest into woodworking, so much of an interest I've spent about 1500 bucks in the last month on tools (this isn't including miter saw and some other stuff I already had due to being in the construction business).

I noticed the jump in Scroll Saw price is really steep, the lower end ones at 130 at cheap, but them it seemed like 300+ for the next "step up". I have been a rigid / dewalt fan for a very, very long time, is the Dewalt scroll saw that's about 400 actually that big of a different from a cheaper scroll saw? Obviously I know the quality would be much better, but as far as work pieces is there any difference in the quality there? Shakes less? Cuts better? Easier to change blade / align?

I've attached a few things I've done in the weeks I've been scroll sawing, they aren't anything special mainly just things I thought of on a whim, luckily I have access to an absolute ton of pallet wood / 100 year old barn wood due to being raised on a farm and my dad still living there with a few barns that aren't used in the fields.

I did have a question, the piece I did for my girlfriends dad who lost his dad recently ... I wanted the background of the boat and fisherman to be brown, but really couldn't think of another way other than staining a 1/4" piece of plywood and putting it behind it, I thought about a piece of construction paper but it was right where a floater was so I was a bit afraid to do that. How are you supposed to do that background?

Well that's about it, glad to be here and hopefully I can learn some tips from all the experts around here that have been doing it for longer than I've been living!
« Last Edit: December 06, 2015, 08:48:56 pm by Dreklie »

Offline julief

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2015, 07:24:14 am »
You did it right.  Paper is a bad idea.  It fades and does not look as rich as using wood or other solid materials.  As far as the saw goes, I have seen the most extraordinary things come off the cheapest saws.  It's what you put into it that counts.  I started on a Dremel.  That being said, I would not trade my EX 21 for anything.  The higher end saws make the hobby a real pleasure.  As a construction worker, you know that a good tool makes the job much easier and more accurate.  If you are planning to stick with it, start watching for a good deal on a better saw.  I'm Julie from Texas, by the way and we are real glad to have you.

Offline Kepy

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2015, 09:07:37 am »
Welcome from MO.  If you have a planer, that barn wood can be made beautiful.  I have the DeWalt 788 and it is great.  Have used Deltas for years and understand the new Delta is a clone of the DeWalt.

Offline dunk

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2015, 11:16:17 am »
If you actually cut out the script/text and that fishing pole and line.  You are already an accomplished scroller.  Welcome aboard.
Mike

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Dreklie

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2015, 05:45:23 pm »
If you actually cut out the script/text and that fishing pole and line.  You are already an accomplished scroller.  Welcome aboard.

The script was placed on there by my girlfriend with her Cricut machine I bought her, I did cut out the pole and fishing line though. Thanks for the welcome!

Dreklie

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2015, 05:53:15 pm »
You did it right.  Paper is a bad idea.  It fades and does not look as rich as using wood or other solid materials.  As far as the saw goes, I have seen the most extraordinary things come off the cheapest saws.  It's what you put into it that counts.  I started on a Dremel.  That being said, I would not trade my EX 21 for anything.  The higher end saws make the hobby a real pleasure.  As a construction worker, you know that a good tool makes the job much easier and more accurate.  If you are planning to stick with it, start watching for a good deal on a better saw.  I'm Julie from Texas, by the way and we are real glad to have you.

Oh awesome, I just took a guess at what people did haha, lucky guess! I have been buying Olsen / Flying Dutchman blades, are those pretty much the recommended higher end blades or no? I am pretty new to all this, but it is so fun I cannot stop spending money !!!! I have been looking at the DeWalt scroll saw, like I said previously, I am a Rigid guy (pretty much every tool is Rigid), but what isn't Rigid is DeWalt. You're absolutely right, you get what you pay for, I have thousands of dollars of saws / grinders / nailers, anything else you can think of ... I never thought I would enjoy scrolling this much! This little 130 buck saw I bought really isn't bad, the only fuss I have is changing the blade is a pain.

I am semi scared to put too much tension on it, not sure how others connect but this basically squeezes 2 metal or aluminum parts together but the tension is adjusted by the knob on the top and where you place the blade when you connect it. I know I have heard plenty of people say they recommend a "high c note" only thing is I have no idea what that means lol.

Overall I am semi getting used to the saw, I still cannot use the "straight" blades to save my life when trying to cut a sharp corner. Everything I've done so far has been using a spiral blade because I cannot seem to get the other blades down.

Dreklie

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2015, 05:55:44 pm »
Welcome from MO.  If you have a planer, that barn wood can be made beautiful.  I have the DeWalt 788 and it is great.  Have used Deltas for years and understand the new Delta is a clone of the DeWalt.

That is one tool I actually haven't bought yet, I haven't really dealt with any rough lumber yet, mainly just 1/4 birch plywood and some other 1/4 ply, some 1x4 pine just messing around. Looking at the exotic lumber prices would explain why I haven't lol ... the prices are insane! But boy is walnut and purple heart some beautiful wood? Easily my favorite.

If I buy veneer (walnut or cherry) does that basically make it "walnut wood"? I know it just gives the top layer the appearance that it's walnut, but that would be ok with me.

Offline KarlB

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2015, 09:47:42 pm »
Welcome to the forum Dreklie.  Your projects look good.

Karl

Offline Hawkdave

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2015, 11:54:08 pm »
Hi Dreklie...

Welcome to the forum. Some nice work to start with and I like your rustic frames, they add more character to your finished work.

Well done Mate.

Dave From Oz
My parents must have been psychic, as a child they were always telling me to 'Cut It Out'. So they knew a long time ago that I would become a scroll saw artist.

Offline Bill Wilson

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2015, 08:48:31 am »
Hey Dreklie.  Always nice to see folks getting enthused with scrolling.  I'll comment randomly in response to some of your questions/comments.

First, I have a Dewalt.  I bought it over 10 years ago, after starting out and using a Craftsman for a few years.  The Craftsman wasn't a cheap saw.  It cost me over $200 and that was over 15 years ago.  The difference between using the Craftsman and the Dewalt was huge.  The Dewalt is just so much more user friendly.  The Craftsman required 2 tools to change blades.  There was so much blade wobble that it was tough to start a cut at a precise point, because you just couldn't tell exactly where the blade was going to contact the wood.  My Dewalt runs very smooth.  Blade changing is quick and easy.  The upper arm lifts up which helps immensely when doing fretwork (get a Jim Dandy Easy Lift and it will be even easier).  Compared to the Craftsman, the Dewalt was a dream to use.  I'm considering upgrading to an Excalibur someday and one key reason is that it shares a lot of design features with the Dewalt, that I like and have gotten used to.

Regarding lumber, if you want the look of walnut, without buying the solid lumber, look at walnut ply.  Most of the major scrolling suppliers carry scrolling sized sheets of veneered ply.  Buying your own veneer means that now you have to make your own stock.  That takes time and other resources.  It isn't all that difficult, but not sure it will save you much money in the long run.  Some projects just look better with solid wood.  I'm not a big fan of the exposed plywood edges on many types of projects.  If you are into tools, then the eventual investment in a bandsaw and surface planer will open up a new world for you.  Resawing and planing your own thin stock is the way to go if you want ultimate flexibility.

Blades are very much a matter of personal preference, but Olson and FD are the 2 most popular brands, so you are on the right path there.  You need to try different sizes and tooth configurations to determine what works best for you.  Blades are designed to be pretty application specific, so what works well on one type of project isn't necessarily the best for another.  In the big picture, blades are cheap.  Don't be afraid to experiment and try to resist the urge to keep using a dull blade.

Generally speaking, more tension is better than not enough.  The blade tracks truer, cuts better and lasts longer, if it has enough tension.  By itself, I don't think too much tension contributes to premature breakage as much as too little tension.  Too little tension will cause you to push harder to keep the blade cutting on the line.  That flexing will lead to early failure. It may also be contributing to your problems with straight blades.  When cutting sharp corners, you can cut into the waste area to approach the corner from different directions and get a cleaner point, instead of trying to make the turn.  It all depends on the blade.  Some straight blades will tend to drift a little to one side.  Once you've recognized that, you can compensate by standing/sitting a little off center of the saw.  If the blade tends to drift off to the right, then slide over a little to the right on the saw, so you are essentially pushing the piece through at a slight angle when cutting a straight line.  It's a little counter-intuitive, but once you get the hang of it, it comes naturally.

Sorry for the long winded  reply.  Hope some of this helps.  Good luck and have fun making sawdust.
Nobody ever worked so hard that milk squirted out of their nose.

Offline busco

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2015, 04:02:19 pm »
Welcome to the board.  I myself have a cheesy 130 saw and I seem to do alright.  First off get on youtube and look for videos that teach this art.  If it had not been for youtube I would have given up already and now I cant stop once I get going.  It's kind of like playing golf for me.  But last year and this year I made ornaments for my grandkids and the extra's my wife took to work and gave away at a retirement home.  So this year in the spring I bought some patterns from Sheila Landry and between hers and some others I did, the wife took about 50 ornaments into work to hand out to the residents, made her feel good so I felt good.  But keep banging away at it and ask for help
Bill

Offline spirithorse

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Re: Hey everyone, newer woodworker here, about a month now.
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2015, 02:25:06 am »
Welcome to the forum.
Good looking projects and you seem to be asking all the pertinent questions and are
definitely thinking things through clearly.
I absolutely loathe Sears because of their crappy customer service and they do not
usually have any replacement parts in stock, thus you have to pay extra shipping to
order parts but, that being said, you can make a slight step up with a larger Craftsman
scroll-saw without jumping up $300 in price. Just something to look at, compare, and
consider.
God Bless! Spirithorse

 

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