I told myself that I wouldn't post til finished but......

[OCtoolguy]

I have been working on this for a while and a few of you have suffered through my trials and tribulations of scanning and working on the patterns. Well, I told myself that I wasn't going to post pics until it was finished but heck, I'm getting to the point where I will be sanding, gluing and finishing pretty soon so here is where it's at right now. I have finished all the compound cuts and everything is fitting pretty well so tomorrow, I will be sanding. Then this weekend I will glue it together and put on the finish. I hope it goes smoothly from here. Any advice or comments are welcome.

 

Edited November 6, 2018 by octoolguy

[rjweb]

Very nice cutting, you should be proud of that, RJ

[kmmcrafts]

Whoa! That's really cool Ray.. Very nice cutting.. 

I always tell myself I'm waiting to post photos once the project is completely done... Not very often I actually follow through with that.. LOL... 

[OCtoolguy]

14 minutes ago, rjweb said:

Very nice cutting, you should be proud of that, RJ

Thanks RJ.

 

[OCtoolguy]

12 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Whoa! That's really cool Ray.. Very nice cutting.. 

I always tell myself I'm waiting to post photos once the project is completely done... Not very often I actually follow through with that.. LOL... 

Yeah, I got impatient for the "atta boys".

 

[scrollingforsanity]

Excellent work. It will be beautiful when you get it finished.

grizz

Oregon

[Tomanydogs]

Thats really nice you did a great scroll work. Can't wait to see it finiished.

[OCtoolguy]

10 minutes ago, scrollingforsanity said:

Excellent work. It will be beautiful when you get it finished.

grizz

Oregon

Thanks Grizz, I appreciate it.

 

[OCtoolguy]

8 minutes ago, Tomanydogs said:

Thats really nice you did a great scroll work. Can't wait to see it finiished.

Thanks, I will post pics once it's done. I have some experimenting to do with finish. I think some kind of clear but who knows?

 

[SCROLLSAW703]

Howdy Mr. Ray,

A W E S O M E work, my friend! I am very anxious to see the finished product, Sir! And all this time you been barkin' at us about you bein' a beginner! I sure hope yer britches don't catch fire for tellin' that story again!  

You're gonna make a fine scroll sawyer when you grow up, Mr. Ray! before ya know it, you'll be better'n JT, Rocky, Kevin, and me. Well, maybe almost. 

Some mighty fine scroll work ya done there, My friend! Keep up the good work!!!

Brad.

[OCtoolguy]

16 minutes ago, SCROLLSAW703 said:

Howdy Mr. Ray,

A W E S O M E work, my friend! I am very anxious to see the finished product, Sir! And all this time you been barkin' at us about you bein' a beginner! I sure hope yer britches don't catch fire for tellin' that story again!  

You're gonna make a fine scroll sawyer when you grow up, Mr. Ray! before ya know it, you'll be better'n JT, Rocky, Kevin, and me. Well, maybe almost. 

Some mighty fine scroll work ya done there, My friend! Keep up the good work!!!

Brad.

Thanks Brad, that means a lot coming from someone who is as talented as you. I am a Beginner. Truly. I just have a tendency to bite of more than I can chew and have to really take my time to get it right. If you look closely in one of the pics, you can see a stack of blocks in the background with a few of the sides cut. They were cut in the aromatic cedar that was giving me so much trouble with separation. I had to change to mahogany after that and then all went well. Also, I had already cut the top and bottom holders for the sides out of cedar and I didn't like how they looked so I redid them. The top one that doesn't show is out of some 1/4" maple that I had and the bottom is out of walnut. I think they will work much better.

[Rockytime]

That's some mighty fine cutting Ray. You nailed it, but good!

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Well here is another "ATTABOY" that is coming along really well and is going to look good all finished up. Some talent in that piece for sure. 

[SCROLLSAW703]

Howdy Mr. Ray,

You're very welcome, my friend!:) You've done a fantastic job, Sir! I encourage you to keep tyin' into more difficult projects as you move along, Sir. That's how ya learn this hobby. And remember Sir, we are always here if you get yourself in a tight, or have questions about a project, blades, etc. And you can always call or email me anytime if I can be of help to you, as well, my friend. Don't hesitate!!;) I would also encourage you, if you haven't already, to go to Utube and look up a couple videos on blade sizes. You will be surprised at what information you can learn from just that itself. 

Your project looks great to me Mr. Ray. I would caution you when it comes time for finish work, though. Food for thought, Mr. Ray.  Maple and Walnut have a tendency to not take finish as well as other hardwoods. I don't know what you have in mind for the final finish, but were it me, I believe I would just hit it with a couple coats of clear lacquer, then shoot it with two, maybe three coats of Watco clear coat and leave it be for three or four days to cure out. 

My experience with aromatic cedar has been if I sand it smooth before I even attempt to start working with it, I have much better luck with separation, and it's easier to handle as well. A lot of times, if aromatic cedar has been sitting for awhile, it kinda gets sticky, like pine does. I have even went so far as to fill a spray bottle with turpentine and sprayed it on the cedar, then wiped it down. That cleans off the sticky mess on the surface of the cedar, and then I could work with it. 

Best of luck to, Boss. Keep in touch!

Sawdust703(Brad)

[OCtoolguy]

4 minutes ago, SCROLLSAW703 said:

Howdy Mr. Ray,

You're very welcome, my friend!:) You've done a fantastic job, Sir! I encourage you to keep tyin' into more difficult projects as you move along, Sir. That's how ya learn this hobby. And remember Sir, we are always here if you get yourself in a tight, or have questions about a project, blades, etc. And you can always call or email me anytime if I can be of help to you, as well, my friend. Don't hesitate!!;) I would also encourage you, if you haven't already, to go to Utube and look up a couple videos on blade sizes. You will be surprised at what information you can learn from just that itself. 

Your project looks great to me Mr. Ray. I would caution you when it comes time for finish work, though. Food for thought, Mr. Ray.  Maple and Walnut have a tendency to not take finish as well as other hardwoods. I don't know what you have in mind for the final finish, but were it me, I believe I would just hit it with a couple coats of clear lacquer, then shoot it with two, maybe three coats of Watco clear coat and leave it be for three or four days to cure out. 

My experience with aromatic cedar has been if I sand it smooth before I even attempt to start working with it, I have much better luck with separation, and it's easier to handle as well. A lot of times, if aromatic cedar has been sitting for awhile, it kinda gets sticky, like pine does. I have even went so far as to fill a spray bottle with turpentine and sprayed it on the cedar, then wiped it down. That cleans off the sticky mess on the surface of the cedar, and then I could work with it. 

Best of luck to, Boss. Keep in touch!

Sawdust703(Brad)

Thanks Brad. I might just give you a call one of these days. I have watched just about every video there is on youtube that applies to scrolling. Some of them more than once. I've pretty much settled in on Pegas blades and I have a couple of sizes. I just bought a gross of #5 MGT. That's what I have used on this project and they work well. Anyway, on the finish, the one in the magazine is shot with spray varnish. I saved a bunch of the walnut scraps and also the mahogany. I'm going to play with finishes on them. The only cedar that is still in the project is hidden from view unless you are looking for it. I will probably do as you suggested though. I'm going to shoot a few of the scraps with the clear finish I have in spray cans and I do have a can of Watch Danish oil in clear. I just don't know anything about mixing finishes as you suggested. If I shoot the whole thing with clear lacquer, what does the Watco oil do? I would think at that point, the wood would be sealed. That's where I am totally ignorant about finishing. Both staining and otherwise. So, I'm all ears on that subject. I used to leave all that up to my wife but she no longer is able to do it for me so I guess I have to learn. Sort of like learning to operate her space-age washer/dryer. Too many controls for me. So, anybody who might be listening in here, all suggestions are appreciated.

[SCROLLSAW703]

Howdy Mr. Ray,

You could use your danish oil finish, too, if ya have a mind to, but I would try it on some scrap pieces first because it may not be the look you want. 

The secret to finish work Mr. Ray, is decidin' how you want your project to look in the end. Every stain, tung oil, danish oil, clear coat, semi clear coat, will make it look altogether different, so keep that in mind when you're gettin' a mindset on finishes. Personally, and like I said, this is just my thinkin', Mr. Ray, so don't take it as gospel. When I'm done with a project, and have the final sandin' done, all the dust blown off it, and it's sittin' there in all it's glory, I want my projects to be "attention getters." A good share of my projects get sanded to 400 grit just for that reason. The actual surface of the wood is smooth as a baby's butt! The next question I'll bet you're goin' to ask is "how do ya get the finish to stick to it?";) Well Sir, Nearly all of my projects, large or small, even my feathers, get shot with my air sprayer, and are sittin' or layin' flat on my project table on stickers. I shoot clear lacquer over the projects, allow it to set an hour or so, then hit it again with another round. Depending on the project(s), usually two coats does the trick. The lacquer seals the wood, and where I've shot it with my air sprayer , there are no brush marks, runs, or anything else to sand out. In about three hours or so, when the lacquer has dried enough to touch without leavin' fingerprints in it, I flip the projects over, or around, whichever, and shoot that side the very same way. 

A lot of times, once my feathers are dry enough to handle, I'll run a small piece of copper wire thru them and hang them on hooks I have in the ceiling of the shop. Then just let them cure out over night, and the next morning, everything is ready to be shot with clear coat.

I'll set everything up just like I did for the lacquer, and get the first coat of clear coat shot. Let it dry and cure out, then lightly sand the surfaces of everything with 220 grit sandpaper before the final coat of clear coat is shot. This cleans up any rough spots, ridges, or little runs, and also gives the final coat something to grip to. Then I hit it with the final coat of clear coat, let everything dry about a day and a half,  wipe it all down with a clean lint free rag sprayed with just a little bit of furniture polish, and the project then sets and finishes drying and curing. 

I don't stain anything unless the customer requests it. That's part of the reason I don't use anything but hardwoods in my projects. I have learned over the years that all that stainin' and prep work takes time and money, and most folks aren't willing to pay the shop rates to do the work. So I went to using hardwoods, lacquer and clear coat. I haven't had any complaints in the last 20 years about it, it works, and it's faster than all the stainin'.

There ya have it, Mr. Ray.

Sawdust703(Brad)

[WayneMahler]

Ray

I have the pattern but never cut it. After seeing this it got added to my list of things to create . Thank You. Great job  

[OCtoolguy]

4 hours ago, SCROLLSAW703 said:

Howdy Mr. Ray,

You could use your danish oil finish, too, if ya have a mind to, but I would try it on some scrap pieces first because it may not be the look you want. 

The secret to finish work Mr. Ray, is decidin' how you want your project to look in the end. Every stain, tung oil, danish oil, clear coat, semi clear coat, will make it look altogether different, so keep that in mind when you're gettin' a mindset on finishes. Personally, and like I said, this is just my thinkin', Mr. Ray, so don't take it as gospel. When I'm done with a project, and have the final sandin' done, all the dust blown off it, and it's sittin' there in all it's glory, I want my projects to be "attention getters." A good share of my projects get sanded to 400 grit just for that reason. The actual surface of the wood is smooth as a baby's butt! The next question I'll bet you're goin' to ask is "how do ya get the finish to stick to it?";) Well Sir, Nearly all of my projects, large or small, even my feathers, get shot with my air sprayer, and are sittin' or layin' flat on my project table on stickers. I shoot clear lacquer over the projects, allow it to set an hour or so, then hit it again with another round. Depending on the project(s), usually two coats does the trick. The lacquer seals the wood, and where I've shot it with my air sprayer , there are no brush marks, runs, or anything else to sand out. In about three hours or so, when the lacquer has dried enough to touch without leavin' fingerprints in it, I flip the projects over, or around, whichever, and shoot that side the very same way. 

A lot of times, once my feathers are dry enough to handle, I'll run a small piece of copper wire thru them and hang them on hooks I have in the ceiling of the shop. Then just let them cure out over night, and the next morning, everything is ready to be shot with clear coat.

I'll set everything up just like I did for the lacquer, and get the first coat of clear coat shot. Let it dry and cure out, then lightly sand the surfaces of everything with 220 grit sandpaper before the final coat of clear coat is shot. This cleans up any rough spots, ridges, or little runs, and also gives the final coat something to grip to. Then I hit it with the final coat of clear coat, let everything dry about a day and a half,  wipe it all down with a clean lint free rag sprayed with just a little bit of furniture polish, and the project then sets and finishes drying and curing. 

I don't stain anything unless the customer requests it. That's part of the reason I don't use anything but hardwoods in my projects. I have learned over the years that all that stainin' and prep work takes time and money, and most folks aren't willing to pay the shop rates to do the work. So I went to using hardwoods, lacquer and clear coat. I haven't had any complaints in the last 20 years about it, it works, and it's faster than all the stainin'.

There ya have it, Mr. Ray.

Sawdust703(Brad)

Thanks Brad, that's great info. I don't have a sprayer though. I have thought about one of those turbine sprayers but they are quite pricey. I'm not sure about the one from Harbor Freight. Also, when you say lacquer for a sealer and then the clear coat, what exactly is the clear coat? Isn't clear lacquer a clear coat too? I just want to get it all clear. I totally agree with you on the staining. I have never been any good at staining especially if I'm trying to match stain that is already there. LIke I said, I may be calling or emailing you in the near future. I want this project to come out great as it's for the wifey. And, I'm somewhat of a perfectionist anyway so I might as well learn how to do it right. Do you have a clean room where there is no airborne dust? I certainly don't. Whatever I do, I have to try for a very still day. Very early in the morning. Thanks again, I"m going to re-read your post and try to get it into my head.

 

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, WayneMahler said:

Ray

I have the pattern but never cut it. After seeing this it got added to my list of things to create . Thank You. Great job  

Thank you Wayne, that means a lot to me. I need all the positive reinforcement I can get.

 

[SCROLLSAW703]

Howdy Mr. Ray,

No Sir, there is a difference between the two. It's actually shellac, Mr. Ray. My apologies for the confusion. I buy it in quart size cans here. The brand name I use is Bull's Eye. It's in a yellow can. You can buy it in different shades, and tints, or tint it your own self. You can even buy the shellac flakes and make your own, too. That's to much trouble for this ol' cowboy, though. It's just as easy to get it already made. 

I keep it around in the rattle can, too, for touch ups and such, but I don't know if you Californians can buy it that way. You kinda have to be careful with the shellac because it makes a sticky mess. Make sure whatever you're spraying around is covered. But just spray in light fast strokes over your project, and you will see the shine where you've sprayed. Like I said, I usually use two coats just to make sure everything is covered. Now there is a secret to shellac, Mr. Ray. Each coat has to "meld" together in order for it to look right. Some folks use it for their final finish, but I use it as a sealer and extra protection for the wood. So spray on light coats of it, and you'll be ok. Don't try to get it all on in one coat, because you'll have a hell of a mess if you do. 

As far as the clear coat, you can get it in quart cans, rattle cans, whatever too. I've been usin' Watco for years, so that's just a preference. I like the Minwax gloss clear coat, too. It has a real perty glow to it! I use gloss clear coat myself. Some fellers use semi gloss, which ain't quite as shiny as the gloss clear coat. But I use the gloss clear coat as my final finish because like I said earlier, I want my projects to have an "attention getter" look to them so when folks display them in their homes, they have something that folks will notice and want to talk about with them.;) I get a lot of feedback from my customers about how their projects get lots of compliments and folks are really fascinated with the the detail and finish work. That's what makes this hobby worth the time and effort, Mr. Ray. To hear compliments like that, and have folks braggin' about your work.;) You know you have accomplished somethin', my friend, and their ain't nothin' like a satisfied customer!:)

Call me anytime Mr. Ray!

Sawdust703(Brad)

[Jim McDonald]

Great work. If you don't get in over your head every now and then, you will never know the depths of what you are capable of.

[meflick]

That looks really nice Ray.  I am sure it will really pop when you have a finish on it.  Thanks for sharing.

[Heli_av8tor]

Pretty cool. And you call yourself a beginner. I guess there's hope for me.

I tried to find where to buy the back issue containing this article but didn't have any luck.

Do you know where I can get a copy?

Thanks, Tom 

[daveww1]

very nice. looking forward to seeing it finished

[Old Joe]

Very cool!