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Greetings from sunny Arizona


Ken Lotts

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Greetings from sunny Southern Arizona!

I am new to the SSV.  I wasn't aware that it existed until just last month.

A little about me, 
I retired from the Army in 1993 (where I worked as a "96H" crew member in the OV1 Mohawk) and I retired from Valley Telephone in 2018 (where I worked as a core routing and switching technician for their ISP).

My other hobbies that compete for my time are ham radio projects (AA7JC) and endlessly cleaning my garage.  I am interested in building balsa R/C planes but I am at the early stages of getting anything in the air.  

About ten or more years ago, I stumbled on Steve Good's treasure trove on scrolling and the bug hit (thanks Steve!) so I bought a Dewalt and what a surprise when I discovered that scroll saw blades have a mind of their own.  I remember trying to cut jig saw puzzles the first time and thinking this is great, when I screw up nobody can tell (Lol!)  I made a lot of puzzles for a while (with those evil puzzle blades)

Back then, I was still working full time plus commuting three hours a day.  It was easy to get overwhelmed with life issues so my hobbies were often just a dream on the back burner.  Scrolling was one of many a dormant activities but then a few years ago I retired (for the last time) and I walked into the garage and tried to make sense of everything.  

What I discovered was that I had collected an unrealistic amount of retirement projects.

I had shelves of heavy old tube radios waiting for restoration and radio kits waiting to be built.  (You can see a few of my radio projects at the QRZ website)

One day some friends from church visited and they were intrigued with a simple ornament I had cut on my scroll saw.  Fast forward to this year and I got a request to make some gift ornaments for them...   Sharon, (my wife) decided she too wanted ornaments.. Lots of them..   So, I dusted off my saw and started struggling.  I think I cut like fifty or so and soon they started looking pretty reasonable Lol!   

Over the last month I got adventurous and bought some oak and walnut and started cranking out some pretty nice stuff for the 2020 Christmas.  You can see a few of them that I posted in the bragging rights section of the forum.  Sharon surprised me with a vote of confidence when she gave the go ahead to purchase a Hegner one evening and it arrived the day before Christmas (woo hoo!).   She wants to have a go at it as well.  

So that is where I am at.  Just another old retired hobbyist struggling with wood.


 

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13 hours ago, LarryEA said:

ReaLLY PLEASED YOU JOINED OUR GROUP.

I would like to see some of your ornaments please.

Larry I wish I had taken a picture when they were stacked up in little mountains ready to get wrapped and packed as presents.  Lol!  
Sharon has hers all packed away now.. 
I have a snap shot of some that went out though..
They are all Steve Good patterns.  

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42 minutes ago, LarryEA said:

aNOTHER GREAT PLACE FOR PATTERNS IS  Sam Custodio Workshop & Designs

Wow, What a collection.  I was scrolling (on my laptop Lol!) for half an hour.  It was a shock when I finally hit the end.  Found a handful of possibilities that I downloaded.  Very diverse stuff.  I need to get off my butt and learn Inkscape.  I enrolled in a course on Udemy.. just need to buckle down and do it.

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Another Tennessee welcome to the Village. Glad you found us. Lucky you with the Hegner for the holidays. Let your wife know that there are quite a few women here in the village and we would love her participation too as she begins to learnt one scroll. I got lucky almost 5 years ago and found this site shortly after starting with the saw. Between the Village and a couple more forums and Steve Good’s blog I have learned so much more then I ever thought I would.

Edited by meflick
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1 hour ago, meflick said:

Another Tennessee welcome to the Village. Glad you found us. Lucky you with the Hegner for the holidays. Let your wife know that there are quite a few women here in the village and we would love her participation too as she begins to learnt one scroll. I got lucky almost 5 years ago and found this site shortly after starting with the saw. Between the Village and a couple more forums and Steve Good’s blog I have learned so much more then I ever thought I would.

Thanks Melanie,

I put together some classic practice boards for her to get her feet wet with (when she finds the time).   So I am ready when she decides its time to dive in.

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Welcome friend !!! You really dedicate your self to what ever interests you big time. Love all your ham gear and the knowledge that goes with it! You sure made an impression on me !!! Keep coming back and hope you become a regular!!!

Edited by amazingkevin
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Welcome from another Arizonian. Having really good saws is a big help in this game. I am glad you have decided to join us as we are friendly and helpful people here. Should you wonder North to Casa Grande, give me a shout and hopefully we can meet up. I always look forward to meeting people from The Village. Do remember to post your work for all of us to enjoy as well. 

Dick

heppnerguy

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