The Promising Rookie strikes again

[pegwinn]

Hi All how are we doing?

Well I just finished my very first ever stack cuttings. It was the "delicate Angels" from the SSW&C Holiday 07 issue. I think for a first effort it turned out great. But, just in case there are other rookies out there who are not as outgoing (or as my wife says "annoying") as me, I wanted to post my lessons learned.

One: If it looks easy it might not be. I overdosed on "how tough can it be" and almost ruined the cuttings. Moral of the story is relax but be detailed and precise.

Two: I learned that the blade must, must, must, be perfectly square. The bottom Angel will need some file and paper work to join her friends on our tree because the blade either wasn't square or it flexed.

Three: Don't use spray elmers for patterns. I did the instructions for a "temporary bond". It's temporary only if using a sander to remove it! The second stack of five now has painters tape on the wood and the pattern on the tape.

Four: Threading a blade from the bottom thru a 5/4 inch stack is tricky at best. It's trickier if your blade entry hole was drilled with a hand drill and isn't a perfect 90 degrees. Since my shop is based entirely on "found money" a top loading saw isn't an option today. But maybe a bench sized drill press....

Five: If you are going to post, take some pictures. I did. Then I found out that I cannot upload from my phone to the pc.

Six: My daughter and wife looked at the finished product and said "awwww" a lot. So I will count it a success. But, my daughter reminded me of her motto's. "Practice makes Permanent". It reminds me that if I do it wrong over and over I'll get good at doing it wrong. Next time I will take a lot more time setting up the stack, and setting up the saw.

Love the forum and hope this helps some of the other rookies who are shy.

Have a great weekend,

Phil

BTW anyone have a source on super cheap or free compound cutting patterns? That is my next techniqe to learn. I figure that it would complement my scroll saw and my bench top band saw. Thanks.

[unixpro]

Phil, congratulations on your success. Stack cutting can be a very fast and easy to work.

If you're cutting 5/4, and you're not using a big blade, then you'll get flex. There's not a whole lot you can do about it except go a little (OK, a lot) slower so you're not pushing the blade out of square with the wood. Even then, you'll experience some flex. Of course, it's much more pronounced and difficult with a harder wood than a softer one.

You're right that you need to relax and let the wood and blade work together to get a nice, clean cut. That'll be true for just about everything you work on. I know its time to stop for the day when I start seeing the blade wandering and I just get upset about it. Take some deep breaths and slow down, or shut down and have a beer.

[Mick Walker]

Phil, I assume you were cutting 5 pieces of 1/4" wood. That seems like a bit too much, I wouldn't stack more than 3, 1/4" pieces. What size blade were you using, unless it was a fairly large blade you will get some flex cutting that thick of a stack. You have already learned that a stack that thick should be drilled with a drill press. I use a hair drier to remove the pattern. Just my 2¢ worth.

[pegwinn]

Originally Posted by unixpro

I know its time to stop for the day when I start seeing the blade wandering and I just get upset about it. Take some deep breaths and slow down, or shut down and have a beer.

Excellent advice. In fact that is just what I did with the second stack.

Originally Posted by Mick Walker

Phil, I assume you were cutting 5 pieces of 1/4" wood. That seems like a bit too much, I wouldn't stack more than 3, 1/4" pieces. What size blade were you using, unless it was a fairly large blade you will get some flex cutting that thick of a stack. You have already learned that a stack that thick should be drilled with a drill press. I use a hair drier to remove the pattern. Just my 2¢ worth.

Yep five pieces of 1/4" Birch plywood. And the blade was a small spiral. I really need to order some other blades as the local suppliers are thin in that regard.

Great advice, thanks guys.