Dumb question #another - What do you cut?

[new2woodwrk]

Sorry about all the questions, but the more I read the more confused I get...

When cutting a pattern, do you cut the White or the black?

I'm confused on what I'm supposed to cut.

For example:

This I think is a silhouette, so I cut around the image and lose the outside, correct?

 

But what do I cut for this the white part or the black?

 

How do I know which to cut - some patterns 'X' out the white and others say nothing.

Thanks in advance

 

[dgman]

On either one of your examples, you cut away the white. In the second one, the shading is the "wood". But not al patterns are the same. For example, the first one could be cut either was. You could cut away the the black and have a portrait style project. Or you could cut away the white and have a cut out or silhouette type project. I will always study a pattern before I cut it. Sometimes you will come across a pattern that does not have any shading or black at all. I will study it and decide which is the waste and which is the project. Sometimes I will even shade the project side just to keep track of the pattern.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

You showed 2 different styled scrolling patterns. The first is block scrolling. No fret work. Usually used for puzzles, toys and other basic scrolling needs. The second is fret scrolling and it has the cutouts throughout the pattern. Most popular. Then there is the combination of simple fret work in block scrolling. As far as telling what to cut out, just stand back and look at the pattern. After awhile it comes to you what you want when all said and done. The second pattern you of course want the dolfin left and not the tiny pieces. The first one you want to hold the duck and not the out line of the duck. Now there are cases that you may want the outline so again it depends on what you want to hold when done cutting.  

[Bill WIlson]

It depends.

For the first one, do you want a solid duck shape or do you want a board with a duck shaped hole in it?  You could cut it with either goal in mind.

As for the second pattern, you would typically cut the white areas.  Look at the large white sections in the body of the dolphin.  If you cut those out, they become holes or "frets" in the larger piece of wood that is the gray area.  If you cut the gray shaded area out of  the larger board, then these white areas become free floating, loose pieces of wood.  Normally in scrolling you would avoid this.  Look at the pattern and determine what the contiguous parts of the shape are and what the "fret" parts are.  The fret parts are those that aren't attached to anything else.  Cut out the frets.

[new2woodwrk]

Thanks all - so on the 2nd one - I would not be able to have silhouette/portrait cutout - I would have for lack of a better term, a statue?

[OCtoolguy]

26 minutes ago, new2woodwrk said:

Thanks all - so on the 2nd one - I would not be able to have silhouette/portrait cutout - I would have for lack of a better term, a statue?

Just imagine in the second one, that you extended out the base line to the right and put the name "Dolphins" on the top of that line. You would end up with a "plaque" that could be mounted on a flat base for a shelf or desk ornament. It all depends on what you intend to use your "cut-out" for. Many ways to look at the same picture.

Ray

 

[Bill WIlson]

46 minutes ago, new2woodwrk said:

Thanks all - so on the 2nd one - I would not be able to have silhouette/portrait cutout - I would have for lack of a better term, a statue?

The way that pattern is drawn, yes.  If you wanted a silhouette cutout, you would need to modify the pattern to eliminate the unconnected "floaters".

[amazingkevin]

On 2/3/2018 at 12:21 PM, new2woodwrk said:

Sorry about all the questions, but the more I read the more confused I get...

When cutting a pattern, do you cut the White or the black?

I'm confused on what I'm supposed to cut.

For example:

This I think is a silhouette, so I cut around the image and lose the outside, correct?

 

But what do I cut for this the white part or the black?

 

How do I know which to cut - some patterns 'X' out the white and others say nothing.

Thanks in advance

 

This is not funny!lol After all the years of cutting I've done , Now and then I too forget which to cut.Maybe it's a day I didn't have a coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Little things can slow you down,lol