Why Scrolling?

[Travis]

My wife jokes that my main hobby is collecting hobbies. But it got me to thinking. Of all of the hobbies out there, why did you choose scroll sawing? What's the appeal? Why do you stick with it?

[Lakelad]

Looking for something to do when I retired. Had no interest prior to that. Started just doing some wood working in general, building yard ornaments etc. Found myself on various blogs and some how got on to the scrolling sections and finally bought a Ryobi, didn't want to spend much till I determined if I would like it. After a couple of years decided I must enjoy it so upgraded to the DeWalt and have been with it since then. Enjoy making things to give to friends and family.

Gary

[Firedkm]

There are just so many different projects that you can use with a scroll saw. Of course my favorite is doing puzzles! I also enjoy making boxes with fret work.

[Vector01]

As mentioned, the scrollsaw is a very versatile tool. It allows me a creative outlet that I can use on a daily basis. From fretwork to portraits there is no limit on what you can imagine and create. In addition, because I have limited space to work in, the scroll saw fits the bill perfectly.

[c_lang]

For me it really wasn't something I even thought about doing as I use to mainly make miniatures and used the scrollsaw for that after selling the big woodshop I had. And like mentioned, I found myself on different forms and boards and blogs, so seeing all the great projects everyone made and started playing around with scrolling and before I knew it I was mostly doing scroll work. Now, I rarely do a miniature as I have found that there is more of an intrest in scroll work than miniatures unless of course it's dollhouses and still no one really wants to pay the price for a well built by hand dollhouse so, I got hooked in scrolling and been doing it since.

[yost69]

I am like some of the others. I started out making larger stuff like tables and pie safes and stuff. I needed a scrollsaw to cut a design in a project rather than use a jigsaw. Went to lowes to take a look at what they had. I will be honest I leaned towards the hitachi because of the looks, went home to do some research then went back and purchased it.

 

After I bought it I had to do something with it to pay for it. Started looking on the net for what it was used for, I had a basic idea but had no clue as to how many nice patterns there were available, and found a wealth of information. Well now I don't do big stuff anymore, except for the occasional project, because I got bit by the scrolling bug.

 

Ben

[grampa]

I have made a lot of the same stuff, toys,toy boxes, beds you name it, I got bored with doing the same stuff over again , then I tried scrolling portraits and I never get tired of doing them every one is different

when you peel of the paper and see where the sawdust was still gives me a thrill and as long as I feel that way I will still fill my bag with sawdust.....Paul

[Scrollcat]

i chose scroll sawing because as an artist-wanna-be i had a lot of creative ideas in my head but couldnt get them out of my fingers looking the same way i imagined them in my minds eye.

i tried sketching, painting, various other artistic styles but wasnt satisfied.

i find i can draw,paint, use various medias and styles to create my art using woodworking as a base, and this i seem to have the talent for. one of the only art forms i do find satisfying.

[Dan]

I was looking for an outlet to relieve stress. I told my wife I needed to do some kind of woodworking indoors (at the time I was living in Alaska with no garage). She bought me my first scroll saw for Christmas. The rest is history. At first it was just fretwork and portraits. The I saw some intarsia. Next was segentation and compound cuts. Then inlays, bowls and pens. What's next?

 

BTW, great topic.

 

Dan

[Barry5180]

I had seen a fretwork clock years ago and fell in love with it. I've always wanted to work with wood but space has been limited. I've made smaller useful pieces like cradles and such but always remembered that clock. Three years ago I bought my first scrollsaw, a cheapo from Harbor Freight but I seemed to be able to make it sing. I eventually upgraded to a 21" craftsman. This year I will be upgrading to a DeWalt. Purchased a Midi Lathe 1 1/2 years ago but have not have near enough chance to work with it as much as I would like.

 

There is something very zen like happening once I begin working. Needless to say, I'm hooked.

 

Barry

[Kepy]

I was introduced to the scrollsaw by my Grandfather in the 60's. Bought my first one in the 70's at a yard sale. Started out by creating dated Christmas ornaments for all the family members. Had not seen any patterns but designed my own each year. After my job was terminated in 90, moved to AR and bought a craft business from a retiring couple and began doing custom cutting for tole painters. Closed the store in 02 and continued working from home. Finally moved to MO in 09 and am still working from home and waiting for the time when I can do some of the things that I want to do with the multitude of patterns that I have accumulated.

[Clayton717]

I have always been into woodworking, but after my brother in law let me use his scroll saw some 17+ years ago I became addicted. Now thats what I spend a lot of my free time doing. I make a little extra spending money, and truthfully it relaxing to just go out and scroll something. when I retire someday(20 years) I will have this addiction(hobby) to fall back on.

[Christina]

I like the way Barry describes it.........a zen kinda thing. It's that way for me. People would think I was a great candidate for the nut hut if they ever really watched me lol. I love the feel and smell of wood........I always have. I will turn it over and over and almost pet it, stop and smell it and then start over again before I actually cut something. It really is a zen thing for me. To create something beautiful out of not much of anything is very satisfying to me and always has been. But with wood..........well it's beautiful before you begin to make something out of it. So you have to find what makes it more beautiful........how to enhance the wood as well as making the wood create what you envision. It's really rather difficult to explain how scrolling makes me feel. Most times I don't even care if someone likes my projects or not...........I make them for me. It's a need deep down inside of me...........a need to create. It's alot like painting for me. The idea of taking canvas and smearing, brushing and smoothing this colored paste on it and making something beautiful out of just that and an idea in your head. Of course I want those who receive my work to enjoy it and be able to use it...but it's really mainly for me and it's kind of a let down when the project is completed lololol. I think I need that perpetual project!

Christina

[wombatie]

My husband is a carpenter and a wood turner, so theres always been wood around but I alway did the girlie things you know like sewing and knitting. Then about 15 years ago we went to a Woodturning Show and competition and I realized women could turn too so I started going to classes. I was also doing folk art at the time and my instructor was asking my husband for different shapes like teddy bears, dolls, cats etc. and so he brought a scroll saw. He had had it a couple of days and I was in the garage and it caught my eye, I asked him how it worked and as they say the rest is history. Since then he has never been on it and I have never been off it. I did upgrade a few years ago and I got a DeWalt. But I finally found something that I really liked to do and that I was good at. I am hooked forever now. I hope to teach my Grandchildren in the future.

 

Marg

[jowshu]

Like Barry, I saw some fretwork way back when and always said to myself I really like that. Never having the time to get into it I would pick up the occassional magazine or catalog of patterns, glutton for punishment. Finally got a saw after talking my wife into how easy it would be to make a pine wood derby car with my son. Since then I haven't looked back, it's a great stress reliever (except I started selling at shows this holiday season which seemed to counteract the stress relief somewhat, last minute decisions aren't always the best ideas). All in all I too find it very zen like, can just go out in the shop and lose myself in what I'm cutting, so far I haven't found anything else like it.

 

Don

[amazingkevin]

I started out with a tiny dremil someone gave me .i never used it as he said he used it to build airplanes .lost my interest right there. Then i aquired another one years later and found a book about things you could do with it.My friend was dieing and i wanted to scroll out his name ,rank and serial number regiment ,squad etc.you should have seen his face when i gave it to him .He said i was really trying to get on the good side of him.Then being out of work 1/2 a year i came up with an idea to make people keep me on there mind with the handyman stuff i do . I know they are going to throw out the flyer of stuff i can do sooner or later but if i make their name on a stand with a painted beach scene across the name w/ coco trees ,coconuts,clouds etc they won't throw that away .I engraved my name ,handyman and bible verses on the bottom of the stand.I made 774 of these and so far only one lady called.She was the biggest dollar customer i ever had in 30 years.I took well over 1/2 an hour to do one letter.Most names i did were 5,6,7,8,9,letters long.That was my scrolling warm up for the things i do today.Patience pays.It's very relaxing to do scrolling and thats all i want to do now.Keychains are my specialty.All finger movement and the hands stay stationary.intreages me to do them.I'd love to try words but saw blade blurryness won't allow me to do them.Thats really the cats butt to be able to do them i think.Probably the hardest type of scrolling to do in my book.well that me in a nut shell!If you click on the flyer to view then view in 50% magnification, then in 50% magnification you can read it easyer. The philippines name is an example of the time and work i did to all the 774 names i did.Thanks for looking