Introducing myself

[Jim-Iowa]

Hi I go by Jim-Iowa on most forums.
Am 55 and work as a Sales and Customer Service Represenative for a National Distributor in Des Moines. Live in Colfax, Iowa a bedroom community of about 2,500 25 miles east of Des Moines.
After a 5 yr layoff, moving etc. I am getting my workshop put back together.
Besides some general woodworking I enjoy scrolling.
Started Scrolling about 10 yrs ago with a 16" Dremel saw. It gave up the ghost, toasted the motor. Am now planning to get a new saw and get back at it. I found I really enjoyed fretwork and my wife has done some really nice Intarsia. She is as avid as I in the woodwork and scrolling.
While looking at replacements for the Dremel, I test drove an RBI Hawk at the State Fair, am pretty sure that will be my next saw.

[Stan Elliott]

Welcome Jim,
I live in Nevada Iowa. I have an older RBI Hawk 220. Have had it about 13 or 14 years and still runs strong even after a 5 year span when it did'nt see much use. I am also just getting seriously back into scrolling. I mostly lurk here but you will find everyone on this forum is ready to help.
Later,
Stan Elliott
Nevada Iowa

[SharonW0111]

Welcome to the friendliest ( most times ) group on the internet . If we can help we will . Happy scrolling .

[Jim-Iowa]

Thanks for the welcome

Sharon, I have lurked around here for a while and joined because this seemed like a friendly group.
Stan, I think we have met? Just a month ago my office was moved from 79th & Hickman to Ridgemont in Urbandale.
Do you still work at the Hobby shop on 86th street?
I knew you did some woodcarving, but did not know you were a scroller too.
Metal detecting and prospecting were what slowed me up in getting back to the woodshop.

[heavykevy]

Hello Jim
I'm another Iowan. I live in Shambaugh, a little town of about 300 in the Southwest corner. If I might make a suggestion on your next saw. By all means go with the G4 hawk 26" well worth the money. Mine is out of service right now( waiting on new lower arm) but otherwise a great saw.

Kevin

[Jim-Iowa]

Hi Kevin! Schambaugh is one of those place you have heard of but was never quite sure where it is. After reading your post, I looked it up on map quest.
Am real sure I`ll go with the RBI but have not settled on a model yet.
After studying all the top end machines, I found none that I thought had a distict advantage over the RBI. One in particular has many interesting features, but it looks funny?
Probably go with the 20" machine, it has been around a long time and I have rarely talked to anyone not satisfied. Since I started with a 16" saw, it would be a big jump up for me. I can not think of many projects where I need 26" of throat. I thought it was odd that when the saws were displayed at the Fair, the G4 being the flagship model sat idle and the demos were all done on the 20" saw? I have read that there are some growing pains with that model, as long as RBI has been around I have no doubt they will get them ironed out.
I did run the 20" and am convinced its capabilities will exceed my ability for quite some time.
If I like it as well as I think I might, I`ll probably have to get a second one for me because the wife will take this one over anyway.

[sheltiecarver]

Jim,

I have an RBI 20 that I got last Christmas-time. I, too, jumped up from a 16" machine, and I have not encountered anything YET that even challenged the 20". As for the performance of the saw, it is a honey!! A huge increase in quality from the delta (don't know which model) I was using. You will love it, if yours is anything like mine. As for the size, I think you should look pretty carefully at the kinds of things you think you will be cutting. The difference in $$ is not too much between the sizes, and if you get one that is too small for things you really want to do, it would absolutely cost more to buy a new one than to have gotten the right size all along. Of course, I guess you could give the "dainty" one to your (lucky) wife, and buy a bigger one for yourself!

Anyhow, you're gonna love it!

Let us know what you get, and how you're doing with it.

Sandy

PS. Welcome to the group!

[heavykevy]

Jim-
If you can wait in May of each year RBI has a Scratch and Dent sale in Harrisonville,MO. That is where I purchased my 26" I got it for over 1/2 price and a 5 year warrenty. It was a front office demo. My father-in-law purchased one of their router tables for 298.00 over a 500.00 savings it was missing a 3.00 knob and was like new.I am headed back in the Spring to look for one of their planers or a router tadle if the price is right.I met a bunch of guys from Kanas at the sale.that had driven all night to get to the sale. It was fun just talking to everyone before the sale began.

[Jim-Iowa]

Thats interesting Kevin, I had heard people mention their scratch & dent sale but had no clue when it was. I am not sure I have the paientce to wait till May though? Will keep it in mind though.