New to this forum. Gears Anyone?

[Steve Garrison]

Hello everyone. I have been doing woodworking as a hobby for about 16 years now and trying to get to the point where I can do this for a living. I have the DeWalt saw and like it for the most part. I use my scrollsaw for things that are smaller than I like to deal with on my 14" bandsaw since it is so much more aggressive.

Has anyone had trouble with the knob that tightens down the table tilt on the DeWalt saw? The arc-shaped piece of metal (trunnion?) bolted to the bottom of the table doesn't line up with the part of the base that it is supposed to tighten down against. I ended up making a shim out of a piece of 1/4" steel to take up most of the gap. I ordered the saw online and didn't want the hassle of sending it back. It works fine with the fix but that was a little annoying being a brand-new saw. I think there must have been parts missing.

Feel free to look at my woodwork on my web site Spirals By Steve I make sculpture for a few art galleries. Some of my work looks like nautilus shells and the smaller of those are actually made using my scrollsaw. What I have been working on most recently is wooden gears. I have devised a new way to make them using a scrollsaw - without gluing on paper patterns and sawing along the lines. The method actually generates the correct tooth profile. It is so much easier and more accurate. It also enables you to make helical gears - the kind with the teeth at an angle. Easy to do on a scrollsaw. There is a gear calculator I created that gives dimensions based upon pitch, pressure angle, and number of teeth (and helix angle if you are wanting to make helical gears). You mechanical engineers out there should find this very interesting. As it turns out, the scrollsaw is not the only saw that this works on, it works also on a router table and very nice on a tablesaw. I've got a video on youtube showing the types of gears this technique is easily capable of producing YouTube - Making Wooden Gears

Steve

[greatdane2]

Welcome to the crew, you site shows things I have never seen before. Beautifull work and design. Not sure what is wrong with your saw, I just got another Dewalt saw and no problems so far.

Alan.

[Steve Garrison]

Thanks Alan! I am always looking for something to build that is off the beaten path.

[skeeter]

Welcome to the site, this looks like something for me to explore after Christmas in the cold Jan. Minnesota winter.

[Mike Crosa]

I like your shells alot. Welcome to the forum.

[JohnB]

G'day Steve,
Welcome to the group.
You have interesting things on your site.

[Sandy Oaks]

Hi Steve,

Welcome to the site. I looked at your site and marveled at the beautiful shell.

Denny

[Wood Dog]

Welcome Steve to the forum.......I alway wonder how people can do the things they do.
Were you interested in this stuff as a child? That shell is awesome too.

[Ramjet]

Steve . Nice site . To check your parts , Google Dewalt 788 parts diagram . There is a washer part 91 . It also shows related parts . The gears look very interesting . Welcome to the forum .
Roger

[utbva]

Welcome to the forum. I do love your shells, they are really pieces of art. But you really have my attention with the gears. I am a mechanical engineer and I would like to know more about how you made the gears. That is what really got me into scrollsawing in the first place but after getting into scrolling I got interested in a whole different field and haven't even made any gears... yet.