Scroll Saw Blades

I stumbled across this article at www.ultimateclearlake.com about a woodworker who makes wooden spoons and sells them!

• Can you make something new with your router bits?
• Can you make something new with a wood carving set?
• What about with your scroll saw blades and scroll saw accessories?

Look around your house at everything and ask the question, "Can I make that out of wood?"  Who knows, you could wind up starting a new business!  I do know this, Eagle America has all of the tools and supplies that you need to make it happen, click over and take a look. 

After doing several projects using the scroll saw, I have come up my own method for changing the scroll saw blades for different  types of wood cutting. 

I have found that inserting the saw blade becomes time consuming.  By using a small clamp to hold the blade steady, it reduces twisting and holds the scroll saw blade vertical for placement.

I also like to keep my scroll saw blades organized.  I recently purchased from Eagle America a scroll saw blade container.  Eagle has a large selection of scroll saw blades and scroll saw accessories as well as other woodworking accessories. Have you tried out the new scroll saw sanders?  They really take the work out of  sanding!

My husband Mike is a very accommodating spouse. He is often called upon to make my ideas a reality. Knowing he jumps at any opportunity to use his woodworking tools, a friend showed me some cutting boards in a hen and rooster shape that I was sure Mike could make with little effort.

After I drew the shapes I wanted, Mike took one look and off he went to the lumber yard to purchase local hard maple. He cut the shapes using his band saw with the new bandsaw accessories (cool blocks) he had just installed.


Then he used his scroll saw blades to fine tune the shape. Mike first sanded the rough edges with his spindle sander and sanding sleeves. Then he used the Scuff Balls that I purchased for him as a Valentines gift. He used the course one and it worked beautifully.

As you can see in the picture, it left the edge very smooth.
I love my hen cutting board and I can’t wait for the rooster to be finished.

 

I saw this on the news the other day and had to share it with you.  I know I am a bit nervous when I use a powerful saw so I check to make sure everything is tightened down not once, but twice.  I can't even image how many times I would check a saw like this before using it...apparently the equipment operator doesn't feel the same way!

• Woodworking Router Bits
• Table Saw Blades
• Wood Bandsaw Blades
• Scroll Saw Blades
• Woodworking Clamps
• Sanding Supplies
• Wood Carving Tools
• And more!

Just click over to EagleAmerica.com to see more details on our homepage.  It's as simple as entering STPATTY in the Promo Code box during checkout.  Enjoy the savings!

March Madness Savings have come to Eagle America!  Starting now you can Save Up To 60% on 16 different woodworking accessories.  Click here to see the complete selection or scroll down for a preview.





SAVE $10 - Miter Gauges

• Fit any machine track with a standard 3/4" x 3/8" miter slot
• Adjustable stops at 45° and 90° positions
• 18" guide bars and a pivoting work support body with pointer and calibration readings
• Click Here

SAVE $20 - 13-Piece Carbide Tipped Brad Point Set

• A premium drilling accessory that will easily outlast conventional steel bits
• Feature a center ground point and two outer spurs for exact drilling control
• For use with 3/8" or larger chucks
• Click Here

SAVE $20 - Band Saw Tension Crank

• One of our most popular band saw accessories
• Makes fine adjustments simple
• Allows you to easily release the tension on your blades at the end of each use, increasing the life of your blade
• Fits 14" models including Delta (and Jet 12") and most imports
• Click Here

SAVE $10 - Router Bit Storage Tray

• Protect your investment in Router Bits!
• Trays will help you keep all of your bits clean, sharp and accessible
• The High-Density foam tray includes a wood case and holds up to 100 bits
• There are (50) 1/4" holes and (50) 1/2" holes
• Click Here

SAVE $5 - Scroll Saw Blade Container

• One of our most popular scroll saw accessories
• Protect and organize your scroll saw blades
• Measures 4"W x 5-3/16"D x 6"H
• Comes with 12 unbreakable, removable plastic tubes and identification labels
• Tubes and case are clear for easy identification
• Click Here

...that was just a sample.  Click here to see the complete March Madness Sale selection.

One of our regular Eagle America customers, Bruce Millward, is a skilled scroller and he has entered a contest on-line where he would appreciate your votes.  Here are some more details:


Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Magazine is holding their "Best Project Design Contest".  The voting goes until 2/14/2010, click here to go straight to the voting page.  Bruce is entered in the Traditional Fretwork category and his project is #18 and he is also #132 in the Best Overall Project category. 

Bruce isn't very happy with the picture that he submitted but he has more on his own website.  You can go to www.heirloomwoodsonline.com and follow the link under "What's New" to read a description and see more pictures.  Best of luck Bruce!

My weekly scouring of the internet for woodworking related articles this week led me to the Southern Oregon Mail Tribune web site.  They did a great article on J. Chester "Skip" Armstrong that I found fascinating.  He has become famous thanks to the art he creates using his chainsaw!


People like Skip amaze me.  I don't know about you but I have a hard enough time controlling a router or scroll saw let alone a chain saw!  I don't care how slow I go, I still have a hard time controlling scroll saw blades and wood bandsaw blades no matter how many scroll saw accessories or band saw accessories I use.  Sure, I am a novice woodworker and that explains the majority of it.  However, I am nervous to use a chainsaw to simply cut down trees, let alone to do intricate work like this.  There is no limit to the amount of sanding supplies I would need to fix all of the mistakes I would be sure to create.

One aspect of woodworking that I have not tried to date is wood carving.  I am sure with the right wood carving set or wood carving tools I could make SOMETHING out of a log, but something like this?!?!  Forget about it!

Which brings me to my point.  Artisans like Skip should not scare us into not trying something new.  It is tempting to watch a skilled craftsman and say, "there is no way I could ever do that" and then just give up without trying.  Don't be afraid to try something new, you will never know what you can accomplish if you don't try.

I just read a great blog post at The Professional Power Tool Guide about The Ten Most Dangerous Tools.  It made me think about all of the woodworkers over the years that I have met who have injured themselves while enjoying their craft.  Yes, a fair share of those happened with many precautions in place, but more often than not the people who hurt themselves wound up telling me how stupid they were!

• Over 37,000 people per year go to emergency rooms because of power nailers
• 39,000 ER visits per year are the result of chain saws
• 10,600 patients fell victim to their circular saws
• 5,800 people go to the hospital due to power drill injuries
• 3 people per year DIE using Wood Chippers

Those numbers are staggering and they don't even include injuries from some of the most common woodworking tools such as:

• Table Saw / Table Saw Blades
• Router / Router Bits
• Shaper / Shaper Cutters
• Bandsaw / Bandsaw Blades
• Scroll Saw / Scroll Saw Blades
• Etc., etc., etc.

My personal opinion is that if people would only slow down and take their time they would prevent the vast majority of injuries.  If they simply take the time to use the large assortment of woodworking accessories that have been designed to prevent injury they would live long, scar-free lives.  Use woodworking clamps to secure your work, use dust collection accessories to protect your lungs, use one of the many saw blade accessories to help you prevent kickback and keep your hands away from the blade.  Safety is serious business.  We at Eagle America care deeply about your safety and always encourage you to think twice and cut once.

OK, ok...I know you are sick of hearing it.  I know preaching safety can be boring, and scary, so what better way to lighten this post than to laugh at injuries!  Here is a long clip of THE EXACT OPPOSITE of being safe, thank you Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor.  Enjoy the laugh...but remember the real message.

This was the best way to go to market and it predated the internet as well as the vast expansion of "big box" stores like Home Depot and Lowe's.  When you needed woodworking tools, these shows were the place to be.  In those days it was much harder for you to find unique woodworking accessories locally such as the vast assortment of Router Bits that we offer, a wide assortment of scroll saw blades or unique scroll saw accessories, all shapes and sizes of wood bandsaw blades, etc.  The shows were THE place to find it all, all you had to do was come on down when the "traveling circus" would roll into town.


My how times have changed.  The shows are still out there but people don't have to go to them to get what they need.  Back in the day, if you wanted to find a router table system or router table stand, the only place you could see one would be a show.  Now all you have to do is Google it or (shop at EagleAmerica.com) and you can see all the different shapes and sizes from the comfort of your home computer.

My questions for you today are:

• Do you still go to woodworking shows? 
• If so, how often do you go?
• How far are you willing to drive to go to them? 

I am driving to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to visit the show and I will take pictures to share with you next week. 

Take care - Tim

On almost a daily basis we have discussions here at Eagle America centered around how certain products or programs will be received by our woodworking customers that frequent different marketing channels.  Here are some examples:

• Mark likes to shop for Eagle Router Bits at EagleAmerica.com instead of by using his catalog.  He prefers the layout online to the catalog because he only wants to see info about Eagle bits because they are all he wants to buy.  Online does this, the catalog does not as it shows both Eagle and PriceCutter router bits side by side.
• Martha likes to shop for her wood bandsaw blades and scroll saw blades thru the catalog.  She doesn't like to pay for things online and really doesn't care for speaking to people on the phone so she flips open her catalog, writes her order out on the order form, and mails it in via the US Postal system
• Bob likes to shop for his router jigs and router accessories at EagleAmerica.com because he can easily access product videos and product instructions right on the product page, something you can't find in a catalog.
• Karen doesn't know what the internet is and doesn't like to shop unless she absolutely has to.  She appreciates getting the catalog in the mail a few times a year, especially ahead of the holidays, so she can order her supplies to make gifts for her grandkids.

The point of this is that all woodworkers, like the projects that they create, are unique.  Each has a different set of needs that need to be met and wants those needs met in a way that is comfortable to them. 

I want to hear from you!  How do you like to shop for your woodworking tools and woodworking accessories?  Do you like to surf the web and then buy over the phone?  Do you like the web so much you don't want to receive a catalog in the mail ever again?  Do you like receiving our catalog but wish we presented things in a different manner than we do now?  Which is your favorite, ordering by the web, phone, or the mail?

Let me know what you think and I will do a better job of making sure you get exactly what you need, exactly when you need it and exactly how you want to get it.