Grumpyguard Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Hi all, I was gifted a new scroll saw for Christmas. After watching some YouTube videos I purchased my first accessory for the saw. I went to Harbor Freight and got a foot pedal. I haven't ever used a scroll saw so I don't know where to begin. I have little experience in wood working. I am an avid wood turner as I have been making pens for the last few years and wanted to expand my knowledge. I have a question regarding the patterns. How do you know what parts should be cut out? RabidAlien, ChelCass and OCtoolguy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctutor Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 welcome to the slide to temptation. Depends on who drew the pattern usually the dark part is left. Sometimes the artist will leave a dark or red line around the part to be left. If you study the pattern you can visualize the parts to be left. They are always anchored to a side . Might say good by to your lathe. After 20 years working one I must admit I like cutting patenrs. Try Alex Fox in Ukraine. His patterns on Etsy are neat but challenging. Darryl OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpyguard Posted January 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Thank you, Darryl. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meflick Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Hello and welcome to the village from East Tn. Look forward to your participation. As noted, it depends on how the pattern designers creates the pattern. For lots of free patterns, be sure to check out the pattern library here in the village. You will also want to check out Steve Good’s blog. https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/gallery/category/2-pattern-library/ https://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com OCtoolguy and ChelCass 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak0ta52 Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Welcome to the Village from North Carolina. You'll learn quickly how to select and cut patterns. As Melanie (meflick) said above, Steve Good is a pretty good place to start. His patterns seem to be a little easier. On a scale of 1 to 10, his patterns range from a 4 to 10. The patterns in the Village library are a little more complicated and I would say they range from 6 to 12. Regardless of what pattern you select, remember you are only cutting one hole at a time. It doesn't matter if the pattern has one inside cut or 2000 inside cuts, you can only cut one hole at a time. You'll find the members here are very generous with their knowledge. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Read some of the past topics and remember to post pictures of your projects. We are usually pretty gentle on our critiques and big on praise. Welcome to the addictive hobby of scrolling! RabidAlien, OCtoolguy and ChelCass 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Welcome from Ohio! I also turn pens, and dishes for the granddaughters. For a while I was incorporating scroll work in pen turning. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe W. Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Welcome to the Village from Delaware. Start practicing the phrase: "I can stop anytime I want." (It's that much fun). Ditto on the Steve Good website. Tons of valuable info he has shared over many years. And a good group of folks here with tons more experience they are willing to share. OCtoolguy and ChelCass 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveww1 Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 welcome to the village OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Welcome to the forum. glad to have you join us. If you click on "Resources" in the blue bar at the top portion of the page, the drop has "How to & Articles". Great place to start. The other thing is ask and search the forum. There are very helpful people here. OCtoolguy and ChelCass 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Welcome from So Cal. I was in your shoes about 8-9 years ago. It's addicting for sure. There is a ton to learn but the curve is easy. Whatever your first completed project is, sign and date it. Put it away for a year. You'll be able to see how much you've improved in that first year. Practice patterns are boring. Find something fun to cut even if it's above your skill level. Just have fun. Ask questions and post pics. We all love pics. Tell us about your saw, where you live, anything you want to share. The Village truly is the friendliest group around. Glad you found us. ChelCass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaughn Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 Hi Matt: Welcome to the Village from snow and frozen Minnesota!! Bruce OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 Welcome to the Village Matt. You do realize that scrolling is an addiction that you can never get away from? Some patterns tell you what parts to cut out. Marg OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidAlien Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 Mornin!!! As others have said, there's no set, hard-and-fast rule regarding what to cut out, dark or light. I've put together patterns and don't use just one or the other, it kinda depends on the picture. Most pattern designers will put on the pattern "remove black" or "remove white", or put a red border around what needs to be cut (with a small enough pilot hole, just follow the line and you can't go wrong). When I'm looking at a pattern that I like, I'll find an "island", a spot of one color that's not connected to anything around it. For most patterns, unless you're doing segmentation, the islands are going to be the color you want to remove. "Peninsulas" are just like the geographic feature, they're usually sections of the pattern that were floating, but integral to the pattern, so they're connected back to the rest of the main pattern by a thin "bridge". Here's an example of islands, and what I look for in a pattern to determine what to remove: OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 Welcome to the Village forum from Tennessee OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Johnson Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Welcome Matt from CANADA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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