New tool arrived today and hi

[islanddave]

Just joined the forum so Hi to all. I live on the Isle of Wight and as we are as good as closed for Winter have more time for hobby work. Really am enthusiastic about doing scroll work after seeing the work done on this site. Decided after much looking to buy the Axminster AWFS18 which arrived today, what a weight! Certainly looks a great bit of kit, problem is the manual which comes with it, its written poorly and for anyone new such as myself made the setting up a little daunting, have done that now and ready to go but still unsure of a couple of things and rather then get my fingers shortened would prefer to ask on here. The clamp is one item that does not seem to have any use except to clamp the eye guard to, also a lot of users advise exchanging blades straight away from the ones supplied to a better brand, I will run with the supplied for now as with Christmas coming too late to change but any advice would be greatly accepted. Many thanks Dave

 

[JAYJAY]

Hi Dave,
sure someone will be along to answer the question about the clamp soon enough, but i don't own an axminster and have never seen one up close to give you an opinion there .....sorry.
As for blades, well there are loooooooaaaddds to go for mate and it can be a bit of trial and error until you not only find what works for you but also suits the type of projects you'll be doing. the best out there are the flying dutchmen or the olson blades, these are by far the best quality, but like i said there are a few to go at i'll use these but also have an assortment of others like the yellow label blades from always hobbies ( http://www.alwayshobbies.com/Store/Craf ... -$4-Blades ) they're nice and cheap but also do a pretty good job as far as i'm concerned
i'm sure there'll be plenty of others along shortly Dave to give you tips and advice bud, but i'd also say keep havin a browse through some of the older threads for extra info, happy scrolling and welcome!
all the best
Jay

 

[Blacklabradorman]

Welcome Dave,

How is the IOW at the moment? Haven't been over for a while. Welcome to the forum!

I think someone else said something about the paper manuals. I think if you look at the Axminster site the electronic versions are better...

Sean

 

[islanddave]

Hi JAYJAY,
Many thanks for your reply and the link to the blade site. Will have a good look later on. As you say trial and error. Also I have had a look through the older threads and managed to find a site where you can download the manual for the Henger saw which is pretty much like the Axminster, so thanks for that, theres plenty of pages of info on that which is a great help.
Dave

 

[islanddave]

Hi blacklabradorman,

Thanks for the reply, The island is pretty quiet at the moment which is nice at least you can get around the shops this time of year!! (The few we have). Yes just seen about the manual on a previous post, almost written in Chinese! Will look on Axminsters site for the electronic manual to. Also as a start am going to try and cut some Christmas figures for decorating, I have printed some bits off the net, snowman, angels etc, what would be the best way to transfer that onto wood, is it best to trace or just stick down with glue and then cut?
Thanks Dave

 

[kenf]

If you look at a previous thread (about 14 before this one) you will find that a link was kindly provided for a PDF manual.

I haven't yet started scrolling but I have read nearly every thread to gain maximum knowledge of machines and skills before I buy a machine and start. It saves me asking too many questions.

 

[Blacklabradorman]

It's a matter of personal preference really and it's usually the removal of the pattern which decides the matter. I tend to cover the wood with clear tape and then glue the pattern to the tape. Others use spray adhesive which peels away easily but I haven't been able to find any yet.

For patterns and stuff have you signed up to Steve Good's blog? He sends out either a pattern or a tip almost every day, plus there are vidoes on YouTube - http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/

You can search through his library of patterns too if you want something specific

 

[Mike Wingate]

Some of Steve Goods patterns are really great. There are some terrific Xmas Tree decorations.

 

[chrispuzzle]

http://www.axminster.co.uk/downloads//100104_manual.pdf

Is a much better manual for the machine on the Axminster site.

 

[JAYJAY]

I prefer to glue the pattern direct to the wood i'm gonna cut but this is just the way i do it for my x-mas dec's, as i'm sure you'll have gathered don't think there is a right or particular wrong way just the one you find you prefer i like the '3M Scotch weld 75' this is a lightweight re-positionable adhesive and comes off pretty easily as long as you don't go mad with it. there's a ton out there though just put repositionable spray adhesive into your search engine ..google comes up with loads for amozon ..e-bay and various other sites and manufacturer's
happy scrolling mate!

 

[Eda]

Hi,
I got a AWFS18 recently so have a look at the thread I originated for lots of advice.
I agree the paper manual is useless, there is a link on the thread for a PDF which is much better.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37132

Good luck.

 

[Mike M]

Hi Dave,

You might find some help here:

http://www.mikesworkshop.com/whatblad.htm

http://www.mikesworkshop.com/Q&A-FP.htm

Mike

 

[islanddave]

Hi all, many thanks for all your replys. I have managed to cut two reindeer complete with antlers! I managed to lop a shepherds crook off so bit of a failure there, but best of all I find the actual scrolling is strangely satisfying which is great. As soon as I finish 1 job I just look forward to the next. At the moment my attempts are pretty basic, but heck its so enjoyable to do. I really must take my time though, I do find myself rushing along, patience is needed.
Many thanks Dave

 

[islanddave]

Hi Eda, Thanks for the link to the PDF, everything looks so much clearer now with the proper manual. How you getting on with your Axminster AWFS18? Weighs a ton! I am using mine in the lounge at home because its just too cold in the garage so its not bolted down or anything yet, but it sits well on a work bench next to the christmas tree. But best of all the saw is so quiet, even the cats stay asleep when its running.
Good luck Dave

 

[Tenko]

Hi Dave,

Get the Scheppach Deco 402 2 weeks ago and was initially very dissapointed with it and its poor construction quality. To me its very loud and vibrates and slides down the bench.

I bolted it to a piece of MDF which fits to my workbench with 2 coach bolts and wing nuts and its performing better. Using the pinned blades was a bit of an art but I removed the pannel on the left side so I could access the bottom block and it got easier with practice. Haven't tried pinless blades yet.

But in fairness, it does seem to cut well once you get going with it and ignore its faults.

My first go was ......

And my second was ....

Mick.

 

[Eda]

Hi Tenko,

There are Scheppach Decoflex saws in the school's workshop and I was originally considering getting one, but was put out by the fact that they seemed very loud, even in a workshop environment, so could not face having one of those in my dining room.
Got an AWFS18 instead, which is OK noise wise at low speeds.

 

[islanddave]

Hi Tenko,

Love that cat and that edge is superb work. Now that Christmas is over looking forward to some more cutting practise.
Dave