The following tips were collected from The Village Square Newsletter (no longer being published). What's your favorite tip? Leave a comment below and tell us your favorite scroll saw tip.
Seeing Better
- Leaning over your scroll saw for an extended period of time can strain your back and shoulders. Try putting a 2x4 under the back legs of your saw. This will tilt the saw slightly toward you. It is much easier to see your work and will relieve some fatigue during your long scrolling sessions.
Used But Good
- It drives me nuts when I have to change to a different size scroll saw blade part way through a project. The blade is still good. But what do you do with it? Don't throw it away. Try this instead. Go to your local craft store and pick up some magnets. The rare-earth magnets are especially good. Hot glue or epoxy the magnets to your scroll saw table. This will hold your gently used scroll saw blades until the next time you need it.
Pattern Removal
- An easy way to removing patterns is to use mineral spirits. Use a old Windex bottle or rag to wet the pattern till it turns translucent in color then wiping away the excess spirits along with the pattern with another rag. ---Blame
Air Scrubber
- Many people use their scroll saw in their home instead of their unheated/air conditioned garage. But this can cause an awful lot of dust which can irritate your better half, and (more importantly) irritate your lungs. Here's a cheap and easy way to create an air filter: Buy a box fan. These usually run about $12-14 at most stores. Also buy a furnace filter about the same size. Duct tape the furnace filter to the back of the box fan. Just like that, you have an air filter. The box fan will pull air through the filter and clean the air of sawdust particles. It'll not only keep the dust out of your lungs, it'll also keep it off the living room furniture.
Using Adhesive Paper On Photo Puzzles
- I used a photo mounted to a 1/4 bb ply and it was coated with triple thick spray. You have to make sure the what ever you use to mount the picture is totally dry and you must use a protective coating over the picture. I let both dry for about 12 hrs and had good results. The paper peeled off pretty easy and it only left a little residue hear and there. What it did leave behind actually rubbed off with my finger. I used Sloan's adhesive paper. This is not really any faster than any other methods but it does work! ---Firedkm
Tearout
- Sometimes wood will splinter on the back of your workpiece when drilling pilot holes. This is frustrating when it interferes with threading the blade. The tearout can even ruin a project, especially on delicate cuttings. So next time when you're drilling your pilot holes, place a piece of scrap wood below your workpiece. This will support the wood as the drill bit penetrates your workpiece. You'll be left with a clean hole with no tearout.
Cleaning Your Bed
- Sometimes the bed or your scroll saw will get gummed up with residue which makes sliding your work piece around difficult. Here's how to clean it. Get a can of WD-40 or similar oil and spray down your bed. With a scouring pad (detergent free), scrub down the bed, then wipe clean with a paper towel. This will remove any glue, pitch, and dirt on the scroll saw bed. Follow this up with an application of furniture paste wax (silicon free). Rub it in with a paper towel, then buff it out with a new paper towel. Not only will this protect it from rust, but it will also make your work piece slide smoothly across the surface.
Blow Off
- After you've finished sanding your project to the final grit, use an air compressor to blow off any dust. This will get the dust off between the fretwork, as well as the surface. This will provide a clean surface for the finish to adhere to. Don't have an air compressor? Go to your local office supply store and pick up a few bottles of canned air. Canned air is used to blow dust off computer keyboards and cases. It works great too!
Too Much Glue
- Sometimes we get carried away with the spray adhesive and leave a nasty residue behind when we remove our pattern. Don't throw away your project just yet. Use some mineral spirits to loosen up the adhesive and wipe as much as you can away with a paper towel. Do this several times until it looks clean. Then re-sand the surface. You should be as good as new.
CD Glitter
- I thought I would e-mail an idea I have came up, I've used it a lot and it works. I have taken old CDs that I've collected threw the years and sanded the silver part off. Then when I had a Christmas Ornament coated with Poly . I took the silver dust and sprinkled it on the wet Poly to make it stick. It looks like glitter and looks great too. Believe or not, it added that great touch that only a Christmas Ornament would have. ---Marshall Border
Organized Patterns
- I hate it when I lose the pattern inserts from my favorite scroll saw magazines. Here's a simple solution that will keep you organized. Buy a 3 ring binder and some sheet protectors. Sheet protectors are clear sleeves used to protect documents. They have an opening in the top to allow you to insert your paper. These can be found at any office supply store. So next time you get your latest issue of your favorite scroll saw magazine, remove the pattern insert and safely stow them away in your 3 ring binder. Your magazine is now easier to read without the bulky insert, and your patterns are now organized and easy to find.
A Tight Fit
- Here is a handy intarsia tip. If two adjoining pieces don't fit tight, take both pieces to scroll saw. Hold the pieces tight together and saw between them carefully. This will even up any gaps for a nice tight fit. ---Hosie
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