Thanks to some Generous Friends, I am the proud and happy owner of a new Scroll Saw: A Ryobi SC165VS.  It will be used for cutting Pen Blanks to length and I plan to learn how to scroll.  That will be a little learning curve since I haven't used a saw anywhere close to this type for sixty years -- since I was in fifth grade Woodshop which had an old Delta "Jig Saw"..

 

 

Nice looking saw, Ernie!

Easy peezy, you'll get back right into it Ernie! Nice looking saw. Looks like it has some dust on the table, did you take er for a spin already?

Be sure to share with us some pictures.

Easy peezy, you'll get back right into it Ernie! Nice looking saw. Looks like it has some dust on the table, did you take er for a spin already?

 

 

Easy peezy, you'll get back right into it Ernie! Nice looking saw. Looks like it has some dust on the table, did you take er for a spin already?

Yep - Couldn't wait to give it a try. I was like a kid at Christmas with a new toy.  Come to think of it -isn't there a saying about "the only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys"? This is gonna be a lot of fun.  I cut some pen blanks to length: Maple, Mesquite, Cherry, Walnut and Bethlehem Olivewood.  All species cut very nicely and nice smooth cut.  Then tried a piece of plywood with a pattern I downloaded.  Didn't follow the curves as closely as I'd like. A lot may be my lack of skill but I also think I need a smaller blade.  I was using the one that came with the machine - a Pin End 15 tooth blade.  I'm gonna order some Flying Dutchman blades.  I don't really know what to order but have done some reading and think I'll start with some TC-5, TC-7. and TC-9 blades. two teeth and a reverse tooth pattern.   I've read that they're a good blade and gotta start somewhere.  They do have a sample assortment but it's all fives - just different styles so I think I'll try the different sizes - in the TC reverse tooth style  . 

Be sure to share with us some pictures.

 I will - once I can show  something that is decent.  Fretwork is gonna be a whole new experience to me.  Looking forward to learning how to do it.

Ernie,

Have fun!

 

60 years.....was that old Delta one like this?

Ernie,

Have fun!

 

60 years.....was that old Delta one like this?

100_0188.JPG

Nope - it was all painted grey and was cast iron .  It was belt driven with no belt guard.  Wouldn't fly in today's atmosphere of OSHA and MIOSHA but it did then.  Same with the drill press and lathe.  The table saw was belt driven but the motor and belt were under the table so sort of guarded.  I really loved woodshop.  Some of the others didn't so much but I really did.. The shop was pretty well equipped: Lathe, Jig Saw, Drill Press, Grinder Table Saw, Jointer, and planer.  About all you really need to make almost anything. About the only machine we couldn't run ourselves was the Jointer.  I liked it so much that I started getting stuff for a home shop.  My father helped me build a bench and I bought a vise, then a lathe, then a bandsaw and then a weird drill press that used a half-inch drill motor (that could be removed to use as a portable tool).  Bought the DP used.  BS and Lathe new.  Used a "work arbor" with a grind stone in the lathe to grind chisels. Bought a Millers Falls No. 4 plane too.  My Father had a Stanley which he didn't like me to use so I bought my own plane.  

Congrats Ernie. Looking forward to some of you work. Remember if you have questions, please feel free to ask

Ernie,

Have fun!

 

60 years.....was that old Delta one like this?

100_0188.JPG

 

 

Ernie,

Have fun!

 

60 years.....was that old Delta one like this?

100_0188.JPG

Nope it was simiilar to the Delta 40-440   

Ernie,

The saw itself would be a 1440, the 40-xxx designates what accessories it was bought with. (Stand, variable speed vs 4 speed etc.)

We had basically the same equipment in my 7th grade woodworking shop. I too liked woodshop.

 

The saw I pictured is a model no. 700 made by Delta from 1931-37.

 

My whole shop wouldn't/couldn't pass an OSHA inspection.  

 

Most of my bigger machines are older than I am. My newest is from 1958/59.

Ernie,

Have fun!

 

60 years.....was that old Delta one like this?

100_0188.JPG

https://www.popscreen.com/prod/MTI3NTgzMDIw/DELTA-ROCKWELL-40440-WOODWORKING-SCROLL-SAW-14-x-14-eBay.  It was  similar to this one.  Our shop teacher referred to it as a jig saw and Sears sold a Craftsman Jig saw at the time. Now I'm seeing it listed for  sale as a scroll saw.  Who knows?  I just knew it as a jig saw at the time.

 

 I seemed to be the only one in my class who had an interest in using it.  I did a large santa Claus (5 ft tall) cutout for our lawn, some smaller cutouts and a couple of jigsaw puzzles.  I used the lathe and the  jigsaw a lot.  Most of the other boys had no interest in either of them.

Since you are the forum host for old machinery, you might be interested that for five years I worked at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan and ran the line-shaft (diven by steam engine) machine shop and foundry.  A lot of old metal working machines there - lathes, planers, milling machines, shapers - even an old boring mill and a line shaft driven air compressor. When I started there the shop hadn't run since 1949 and all the machines needed rebuilding.  Same with the steam engine.  It was a lot of fun working on rebuilding the old machinery in the shop and then we worked on other machinery in the village: Clay making machinery in the pottery shop.  We rebuilt three steam engines.  It was a  blast.  Only woodworking machine we worked on was an old tredle lathe that  i rebuilt to make parts for foundry patterns. 

Since you are the forum host for old machinery, you might be interested that for five years I worked at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan and ran the line-shaft (diven by steam engine) machine shop and foundry.  A lot of old metal working machines there - lathes, planers, milling machines, shapers - even an old boring mill and a line shaft driven air compressor. When I started there the shop hadn't run since 1949 and all the machines needed rebuilding.  Same with the steam engine.  It was a lot of fun working on rebuilding the old machinery in the shop and then we worked on other machinery in the village: Clay making machinery in the pottery shop.  We rebuilt three steam engines.  It was a  blast.  Only woodworking machine we worked on was an old tredle lathe that  i rebuilt to make parts for foundry patterns. 

 

Ernie,

 

I was at the Greenfield Village (Henry Ford Museum) back in January 2001 when I went through my Skilled Trades apprenticeship.

To bad it was in January, and most of it was closed for the season.

I'll bet it was a blast working there.

 

I worked for AMC/AMC Renault/AMCChrysler/Chrysler/DaimlerChrysler, and retired in 2009 from Chrysler not caring to go through yet another merger.

(Didn't want to work for Fix It Again Tony)

The plant I worked at was the Kenosha, WI. plant that originally started out making bicycles, then Jeffery Quads, then Nash's, & Hudsons (Merger created AMC)

We were still using machines that predated WWII when we were making the 4.0 Litre inline 6 Jeep motors.

I remember reading an article in one of the trade magazines where they referred to us as "The Cave Men of The Auto Industry" around 1980.

All that is left of the plant is 93 acres of concrete foundations from the buildings now.

 

The 700 Scroll Saw will be used in a line-shaft setup, along with a 785 Band Saw, and a couple other machines that date from roughly the same era.

Most of my rebuilds are not original, in that I have used parts from later model machines to replace broken/missing parts.

I've done the modifications in such a way that they are totally reversable, and the machines can easily be returned to original.

Some of the modifications allow me to use accessories that were not available for the earlier models.