Stagecoach

[amazingkevin]

Absolutely incredible talent to cut a project like this!!! Stand up and take a bow !!!

[red river]

that's beautiful rodney. superbly crafted.

[heppnerguy]

On 7/23/2022 at 9:52 PM, Dak0ta52 said:

This is the Jim Blume stagecoach I've been working on. The darker one is 1/4 Oak ply and the lighter one is 1/4 Birch ply They were cut by stacking and using Pegas 2/0 spiral blades. I lost count on the number of blades. My upper arm does not lift and the pieces are so large I would inevitably bend the blade when trying to feed them which eventually caused them to break. The Oak was finished with Minwax Colonial Pine stain while the Birch was finished with Minwax Natural stain. Both have a 1/4 Birch ply backer painted black. Each also has six coats of clear with light sanding with 600 grit between coats. Both frames are pre-made framing material. The darker of the two originally had a rough gray finish. I gave it a light sanding and then covered it with Minwax Espresso stain. I then gave it 2 coats of clear. The lighter one is Maple stained with Minwax Natural and also has two coats of clear. Both frames have shim splines in the corners to add strength. Total time including the frames I have about 40 hours in these pieces but I feel they were worth every minute. Thanks again to Jim Blume for a fantastic pattern! By the way, the reason the Oak piece is facing the opposite direction is because I messed up when I stacked them and put the finish side face down rather than face up.

I'm jealous as I have been eyeing this pattern for awhile and it is one that I really want to do. You did a magnificent job on it and you are right, it is well worth the time invested in it. I like the lighter  wood as it stands out better, in my opinion. Superb project. I do not expect to I will be able to match  your skill here, but I am going to do my best anyway and not worry about not being able to match  yours.

Dick

heppnerguy

[Dak0ta52]

2 minutes ago, heppnerguy said:

I'm jealous as I have been eyeing this pattern for awhile and it is one that I really want to do. You did a magnificent job on it and you are right, it is well worth the time invested in it. I like the lighter  wood as it stands out better, in my opinion. Superb project. I do not expect to I will be able to match  your skill here, but I am going to do my best anyway and not worry about not being able to match  yours.

Dick

heppnerguy

Dick, I've been scrolling for only a year and a half so I'm sure, with your knowledge of scrolling, you will do an outstanding job. When I cut this I just looked at it as "one hole at a time." I'll be anticipating your finished product and good luck.

[heppnerguy]

1 minute ago, Dak0ta52 said:

Dick, I've been scrolling for only a year and a half so I'm sure, with your knowledge of scrolling, you will do an outstanding job. When I cut this I just looked at it as "one hole at a time." I'll be anticipating your finished product and good luck.

I love the fret patterns more than any other type patterns i have cut. I am always been in a hurry to finish my project so my poorest part is one of the most important parts. That being the finishing. I am just this years realizing what a big mistake that has been. Now I am trying to learn more about the finishing process. It is something I should have paid attention to from the beginning.

Dick

heppnerguy

[Dave Monk]

Awesome pattern and cutting.  I think you are as insane as @Jim Blume to tackle a project like this. 

[rdatelle]

Great cutting. How the heck did you do all those holes without little pieces falling out. Fantastic.

[Dak0ta52]

8 hours ago, rdatelle said:

Great cutting. How the heck did you do all those holes without little pieces falling out. Fantastic.

I'll admit it was a little tricky, especially since I printed the pattern a little smaller than what it was designed. I did tape some of the weak spots after they had been cut in some of the areas. Give it a try. I'm sure your skills would get the job done.

[Freddie]

Absolutely great work!  Thanks for sharing all the details to create this piece. I do have a couple questions if you don’t mind. 1) Did you spray or brush the clear coats (I struggle with getting poly inside all my cuts with brush) 2) Did you prep birch with sealer before staining to prevent blotchy look  3) Did you glue artwork to frame. Thanks in advance

[Dak0ta52]

5 hours ago, Freddie said:

Absolutely great work!  Thanks for sharing all the details to create this piece. I do have a couple questions if you don’t mind. 1) Did you spray or brush the clear coats (I struggle with getting poly inside all my cuts with brush) 2) Did you prep birch with sealer before staining to prevent blotchy look  3) Did you glue artwork to frame. Thanks in advance

Thanks Freddie. I use spray clear gloss aerosol for my finish. Usually about six coats with light sanding with 600 grit between coats. When I spray, I spray from all four sides to get into all the little nooks and crannies. I keep the piece I'm spraying flat to prevent any runs. I did not prep the birch with a sealer. I use a rag to wipe it on and do this pretty quickly. I then take a dry rag and wipe it off which, as been my experience, removes any blotching. I do not glue the artwork to the frame. Once I glue the frame itself together, I cut slots and add splines to the corners of the frame. after sanding the splines down I finish the frame if it is not a pre-finished frame. In the pictures above, the top piece has a pre-finished frame. The bottom, Maple, I stained with Natural to help bring out the grain. Both frames were sprayed with the clear with sanding between coats. After the frame and piece have cured, I attach the piece to the frame using a Logan Point Driver. Hopefully this answers your questions. If not, don't hesitate to ask.

[Eplfan2011]

I haven't even made my first cut yet...

But this looks absolutely amazing !

[Dak0ta52]

Thanks Colin. Don't be afraid to jump in and grab the bull by the horns. I look at it as I'm cutting one hole at a time. Although this pattern was a little tricky because I printed it slightly smaller than how it was designed. That makes the holes and bridges a little smaller. Regardless, even though it took around 40 hours, it was a fun cut.