March 9, 201511 yr I've been following some other Scroll Sawing forums and it sounds like Mike has retired and sold his business to Wooden Teddy Bear. It sounds like it was on his terms so enjoy your retirement, Mike!
March 10, 201511 yr MIKE FINALLY RETIRED ? ? ? ? ? ?? It's about bloody time. Known him for a long time - will have to give him a call - he was ready to call it quits when he had his hip replaced and then got back into after the pain stopped - his business was down in his basement so you know how many trips he made up and down the stairs every day - Wooden Teddy Bear, eh? Hopefully they will keep up his tradition of quality product at a decent price and fast delivery God Speed, Mike OK - got the skinny - here is his post: It is with deep reluctance that I have to inform the forum that I have sold my business to the Wooden Teddy Bear. Wooden Teddy Bear 1-888-762-9149Effective March 8th 2015. I can no longer accept any orders for any merchandise from my website. I would like to say a big to all my customers, it has been a pleasure doing business with all of you for all these years.Mike
March 10, 201511 yr Just got the e mail too Fred. I'm hoping The Wooden Teddy Bear keeps the prices down too. What can I say, I love those blades and go through them a lot
March 11, 201511 yr I talked (via phone - yes person to person - - - ) to Mike this afternoon. He said it has been in the mill for a while. He and his wife have been working it FULL TIME for the past year and just got too much for them. For an 86 year old, he sounded great. Said he hated "giving" his business away - after all, it was his baby and he is going to miss it - he told me that he doesn't have a clue as to the number of friends he has made over the years.
May 16, 201510 yr Just looked at the wooden teddy bear site and it shows Olson blades. Wonder if they'll take on the Flying Dutchman brand too?
May 16, 201510 yr Just looked at the wooden teddy bear site and it shows Olson blades. Wonder if they'll take on the Flying Dutchman brand too? Phone call Ernie, might be worth it to give it a try, keep business with the small entrepreneur.
May 16, 201510 yr Ernie They are keeping Mike's site up. And they are keeping his prices the same including shipping . I ordered a gross of blades from it to make sure and when I got the order ( quickly ) there was a note in it giving new phone numbers for customer service. Here is the link to Mike's site. http://www.mikesworkshop.com/
May 16, 201510 yr This is NOT the appropriate place to really ask but in a way it is because we're talking about Flying Dutchman blades. Can someone please give me a suggestion as to what blades to order. I'm about to get a scroll saw (Ryobi) and it WILL take plain end (as oppossed to pin end) blades. I've heard Flying Dutchman blades are the very best but what sizes and stylles should I order initially? Haven't been near a scroll saw in sixty years. I want to scroll portraits, ornaments etc as my skills improve and since 3 dozen is a minimum order what should I order. I will also be cutting pen blanks with the scroll saw as well and thought a 12 blade would be the thing for that. Any help would be appreciated.
May 17, 201510 yr Ernie Blades sizes per application change, quite a bit. I do believe they offer a sample pack. May be the way to get introduced. I have been scrolling for years and I have certain blades I use for specific jobs. If I was sawing pen blanks I wou;d use a #7 or #9 Ultra reverse. Smotth ends and long lasting. Don't feed too fast thought. Let the blade do the work ! For portaits I would use a #3 or #5 UR to control the outcome. I use a ton of #3 UR in my shop. It all depends on the thickness of the wood, what type and a lot more. Depends on your skill level. Personally I go for much more advanced stuff. Been doing this for several years and I love a challange. Curently working on a piece that has over 350 internal cuts and is made to fit a 8X10 frame. Loving it !
May 17, 201510 yr Ernie Blades sizes per application change, quite a bit. I do believe they offer a sample pack. May be the way to get introduced. I have been scrolling for years and I have certain blades I use for specific jobs. If I was sawing pen blanks I wou;d use a #7 or #9 Ultra reverse. Smotth ends and long lasting. Don't feed too fast thought. Let the blade do the work ! For portaits I would use a #3 or #5 UR to control the outcome. I use a ton of #3 UR in my shop. It all depends on the thickness of the wood, what type and a lot more. Depends on your skill level. Personally I go for much more advanced stuff. Been doing this for several years and I love a challange. Curently working on a piece that has over 350 internal cuts and is made to fit a 8X10 frame. Loving it ! So if I ordered a dozen each 3UR 5UR and 9 Ultra Reverse that would give me a place to start. Thanks.
July 14, 201510 yr I am so sorry to hear Mike has sold his business, but happy retirement, you deserve it.
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