Just ten days left until Valentine's Day.
This Valentine is 10.5 inches wide. There are some small cuts in the fretwork. I checked to makes sure that all the interior holes could be drilled with a 1/16" drill bit.
Scroll saw blades slipping out of their clamps on your DeWalt scroll saw?
This is a question I get several times a year. "How do I prevent the blade from slipping out of the clamp on my DeWalt scroll saw?"
Let me start out by telling you what not to do. Do not try to tighten the thumbscrew more to prevent the blade from slipping. That will only make the problem worse.
If you look closely at the photo above you will see the front of the clamp. Look even closer and you will see that the set screw and the thumbscrew are not meeting square. There is a small gap. This gap was caused by over-tightening the thumbscrew and bending the clamp.
Once the clamp is bent it will not reliably hold the blade. The clamp needs to be replaced. They are not very expensive. $15.38 at this link.
When everything is working correctly you only need to tighten the thumbscrew finger tight. Don't crank down on it.
Before you do anything else make sure the clamp is not bent. It probably is.
After you make sure the clamp is okay then we need to take a look at what started the problem. If you look closely at your thumb screws you will notice that the tips rotate. That rotation prevents the blades from twisting as you tighten the thumbscrew.
The tip is easily removable. Just pul it out. It is held in place by a rubber o-ring. These tips wear smooth and will not hold the blade as well as when they are new. They are a wear item and need to be replaced regularly.
You can order the tips and the opposite set screw in kits. You want to replace all four parts at the same time.
Some people will try to rejuvenate the tip by lightly roughing them up with sandpaper. That is okay for a short term fix but won't last long and you have the potential of ruining the tips with uneven sanding.
You can get the renewal kits from Bear Woods or Seyco
These renewal parts work on the Excalibur, King, Pegas, and Delta 40-694 scroll saws.
One last but not a common problem that causes slipping is contaminated blades. Every once in a while you may receive new blades that have some small amount of machine oil on them. This oil will transfer to the clamps and cause slipping. Use alcohol to clean the blades and the clamps. You probably won't see any oil but if cleaning helps then that may be the problem.
$12 per sheet of 12 coins plus $3.50 shipping
Inlay with a 1" Forstner Bit.
The perfect way to sign your work.
Email Newsletter Readers: Remember that the Newsletter is just a copy of the daily blog post. To see the post in its proper formatting click this link. If you ever misplace a pattern or any item you see here you can always find it on the blog. Everything stays on the blog forever.
Products for your consideration:
Every Scrollsaw Workshop Pattern from 2007-2019 on DVD
This DVD has over 2,900 patterns published from 2007 thru 2019.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.
If you use the DVD on a Windows PC there is a simple viewer program to browse through the patterns.
The DVD also works fine on a MAC. The viewer program is not MAC compatible but there is an included PDF with all the patterns shown as thumbnails for easy viewing.
All the same file but in an easy to use thumb drive. The USB thumb drive option is $23 plus shipping.
Now Available on USB Thumb Drive
Don't have a DVD drive on your new computer. No problem. Buy the catalog on a USB thumb drive.All the same file but in an easy to use thumb drive. The USB thumb drive option is $23 plus shipping.
Want to create beautiful wooden vases on the scroll saw?
My two "Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw" books make it easy.
The books are $12 each and available for instant download after purchase. Click for Video Demonstration.
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The Dust Deputy Deluxe Anti-Static Cyclone Separator 5 Gallon Kit
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