Scrolling ~ snail's pace!

[jimmyG]

After 6 weeks with my new hobby I was hoping to be a little faster at it. I did have some issues coming up with the correct blade to use but I'm totally embarrassed to admit it took me almost six hours to scroll this yesterday. 

[Sycamore67]

Why are you in a hurry?  Is this a hobby or business?  If you keep pressuring yourself on time, it will be difficult to enjoy it.

I spent a career in a very time pressed production environment and now I want to take my time.

[kmmcrafts]

I agree with Larry, enjoy the time.. I do this as a business but still take my time to enjoy the process.. IF I don't enjoy making it then I don't sell them.. 

I make a lot of different things as trial runs to see IF I Enjoy it and IF I can sell it reasonably priced.. IF the answer is can't sell it or don't enjoy it.. then I give it away to someone that likes it and it never sees the websites or the craft markets.. Because if it's a really hot item and I don't like making it.. then when it's seen by the masses.. they try persuading me to make more of something that I don't enjoy making.. then this fun business becomes a job!  

[Bill WIlson]

56 minutes ago, Sycamore67 said:

Why are you in a hurry?  Is this a hobby or business?  If you keep pressuring yourself on time, it will be difficult to enjoy it.

I spent a career in a very time pressed production environment and now I want to take my time.

Wise words.

[jimmyG]

I'm not really in a hurry, I'm  just trying to gauge my progress so far...  If one of you could knock this pattern out in an hour then I know I have a very long way to go.  

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

First nice job on the cutting and you being only six weeks into the hobby you are doing very well. You are going about it correctly by starting with projects that are not to complicated and have nice flowing lines. This helps you understand how the saw you are using cuts and reacts to your movements. The more you saw the faster you will get believe me. It becomes muscle memory and your hands just do it. You start anticipating when turns are coming way before you get there. You become more relaxed and hey work faster and truer. Everyone goes through this as beginners. Right now i bet you are tensed as you cut and not wanting to mess up. This will all go away in time. Keep doing more projects like this you are well on your way. I bet if you did that same project again it would be less time for sure. Yes many of us could scroll that in an  hour and a half probably but that is no way to gauge your progress. Faster speeds will come with time for sure. Good luck and have fun. Do not worry about the clock. That is what makes this hobby fun just relax and enjoy the ride.

[Sycamore67]

Wow.IMHO..I think you should find another hobby to enjoy.  You appear to think of this as a competition.  You think you need to do it as fast as others.   All of us take a different amount of time to do a project. It matters very little to me if it takes 1, 2, or 8 hours.  I do not time any project in my shop.  I am here to enjoy the journey.  My last project, T Rex, took months and I enjoyed it.

I hope you can find some enjoyment in scrolling and stop worrying about how long or how good or how others did something similar.

[Scrappile]

The most important thing is how well you did.  You did a very nice project on this cutting... I look at the smaller objects and I do not know how you could improve on them, The seagulls are really cut perfectly.  Nice work, be proud of it.  Now go get something more difficult. If you want to improve on your time, that is okay, but it does not make a much difference. 

[Gene Howe]

I'm in my 80s so nothing is fast, for me. I've been scrolling about a year...off and on. Staying on the line is an obsession for me. I use a 5 diopter, head mounted magnifier, run the saw at what I think is about half speed. Lately, I've been cutting out router templates in 1/2" BB for several different toys. Most are vehicles and, only 5"-6" long. All have cut outs for windows. I'd guess it takes me 30 minutes to cut each one. Longer if there are more windows, like a bus. My saw is a DW788, outfitted with the lift kit. That thing is a life saver! 

[Denny Knappen]

All good comments.  Progress is not measured in speed, but the quality of the project.  I tell new scrollers to keep their first piece and as you advance, you will be amazed at the progress.

[kmmcrafts]

I see some folks as extremist on both ends of the spectrum here.. some not worried about time the slightest and some obsessed with it either how slow or how fast.. 

I don't see anything wrong with keeping track of the time it takes on a project.. then you have some sort of reference or value in each project.. I get people saying all the time when showing some of my projects "wow how long did that take" or "wow I bet that took a long time" so in some respects having an idea of the time involved is important "in my opinion" because it gives people perspective that " no it wasn't put into a machine and push a button and 10 minutes later here it is.. no it's not how it went.. 

The more important thing is.. you not worrying about what everyone else is able to do or not do... You will progress as you go.. many of us on here have been scroll sawing for 20+ years and make things "look easy" 

[rafairchild2]

Like everyone else said, speed does not matter. However, you have to ask what is your goal when you sit down to scroll.

I am one of the really slow guys, I am the turtle... but I have been at this for a long time. I get into this zen mode and just enjoy creating, letting the process take over. My main goal is to nail my lines perfectly every time I cut.  I mainly do Intarsia and multi-species wood puzzles so I am cutting each of the pieces separately and then they need to fit together as if they were cut from one piece of wood.  I do not want to mess around with fine fitting, I want my pieces to fit right off the scroll saw. Thus deliberatly slow. 

Below is something I just got off the saw.  I cut the walnut piece by itself last night and then did a stack cut on the cherry one (so there's another lurking) this morning.  From start to finish it took me 3 hours to cut out just one piece and one base. Of course, I still have sanding and glue-up to do.  I am waiting a 36mm Forstner bit to come in tomorrow so I can make the tea light "cup". They are small 1.25" flickering LED candles. That will sit in the little circle behind the nativity scene.

I have noise-canceling earbuds, that are blue-tooth and I listen to music as I cut. I just relax and enjoy...

PS to add: I looked closely at your piece.  That's some damn fine cutting you did for a newbie!  In particular for thin wood.  Keep the same pace and relax and don't worry.. You will be just fine!

Edited October 6, 2023 by rafairchild2

[Bill WIlson]

I bought my first scroll saw around 1996.  To this day, I do not regard myself as a fast scroller.  In fact, compared to a lot of other veteran scrollers I know, I'm pretty slow.  I've been a member of a scroll saw club for almost 20 years.  I've seen, first hand, the work of true masters.  I will never be able to measure up to them in skill or accomplishment.  I long ago realized that putting added pressure on myself to meet some sort of "standard" was not the way to enjoy this hobby.

[preprius]

1 hour ago, Bill WIlson said:

I bought my first scroll saw around 1996.  To this day, I do not regard myself as a fast scroller.  In fact, compared to a lot of other veteran scrollers I know, I'm pretty slow.  I've been a member of a scroll saw club for almost 20 years.  I've seen, first hand, the work of true masters.  I will never be able to measure up to them in skill or accomplishment.  I long ago realized that putting added pressure on myself to meet some sort of "standard" was not the way to enjoy this hobby.

Absolutely.  

I dont do this for a job. Time is not a factor.  A 20 hour project. Is just as satisfiying as a 1.5hour project.  But I personally get a kick from projects that get used.  So a 1hr can opener might be better than 27 team tokens. But I wear my 20hr proj (hat) every time I leave my house.  So that gives me the kick. 

My other hobby has nothing to make.  Visually looking at space objects has nothing to deliver. A 3hour session is enjoyable. Having 3 million old photons go to your eyeballs for enjoyment purposes only.  It took me a awhile to understand that.  But the thought of space stuff is so cool.   Neptune has only gone around the sun once since we invented telescopes.

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by preprius

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

I just came back to this thread because I remembered I posted in here and see many have added their thoughts and Jim lets say this first, there are very good scrollers here that are basically telling you all the same thing. Time is irrelevant. This is a hobby and even if you turn into a somewhat so called business you have to be able to enjoy what you are doing or else it is not going to be fun to sit at a scrollsaw for any amount of time no matter how fast you become. As I said from your photo we can see your work is great for being fairly new to this. You will get faster believe me all those people here that say they are slow, maybe so but I will bet a month's worth of lunches that they were alot slower when first started. A good saw will help in the speed and accuracy ends of scrolling. You are not constantly fighting a drifting blade and other problems you can encounter with lesser saws. I have been sawing for over 40 years and I have had that question asked to me many times as to how long does it take and to this very day I never told anyone an hour time because I do not know and never want to know. This thing about doing for a business and having formulas that require hour rates is something I never adhered to and to this day still do not even in my new hobby of pen turning. Never have I sat down and done a piece from start to finish so hours is not known. The older we get and I am speaking for myself, more breaks are needed. I will always tell people an answer of like many hours was put into that.  I gave up the idea of fighting what people think is laser cut over hand cut long ago. Today especially you see more laser cut work than ever before and will continue to grow. I know what a piece will sell for from years of experience. Running into that one person that has deep pockets is rare so just be honest and stay the course if you go into this as a money maker. 

I know I went off the rails abit but the bottom line is do not worry about time and just do the very best you can. The rest will take of itself. be proud of the work you are putting in front of people's eyes and you will do well. Good luck.

Edited October 6, 2023 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[BadBob]

Be accurate; speed will come all by itself.

[barb.j.enders]

I haven't read all the comments but skimmed a lot of them.  Same advice - it isn't a race.  A few years ago I totally stressed about time.   I stopped reading lots of posts because they were giving time estimates.  Steve Good even will do that.  When I stopped reading those, the enjoyment returned.  I have noise cancelling headphone, tune in to some good jazz or 70's soft rock and zone out!!  Enjoy the hobby - you are not in a competition.

[BadBob]

I don't obsess about time, even though I probably should since I sell things I make, it would be nice to know how long it takes to make something. Making things in batches is faster per piece than making one at a time. The first piece I make takes longer to make than the second piece. The more times I make something the faster I get at it to a point.

[rafairchild2]

2 hours ago, barb.j.enders said:

I haven't read all the comments but skimmed a lot of them.  Same advice - it isn't a race.  A few years ago I totally stressed about time.   I stopped reading lots of posts because they were giving time estimates.  Steve Good even will do that.  When I stopped reading those, the enjoyment returned.  I have noise cancelling headphone, tune in to some good jazz or 70's soft rock and zone out!!  Enjoy the hobby - you are not in a competition.

Don't do fine work scrolling while listening to the guitar solo of Free Bird!!!

I made that mistake this morning!!!

[JessL]

I'm a slow scroller too but that is the way I like to do it. I'm enjoying fretwork at the moment and there isn't much speed to be had there. I'd be breaking tons of blades if I were to rush it . I tend to use thicker wood so that also slows me down. I just put on a good audiobook, pop my earphones on, and forget about time.   To each there own I say.  If you want to increase your speed, then work towards that. It's all about your personal preference. Just be sure to enjoy it! 

[Norm Fengstad]

On 10/6/2023 at 1:51 AM, jimmyG said:

After 6 weeks with my new hobby I was hoping to be a little faster at it. I did have some issues coming up with the correct blade to use but I'm totally embarrassed to admit it took me almost six hours to scroll this yesterday. 

I was told "first you get get, then you get fast".  I have been scroll sawing for many years now and still working on getting good so patience my friend. People and friends will only admire your quality. The light house is quality. For me going fast only increases my anxiety, frustration and produces reject pieces.

[James E. Welch]

On 10/6/2023 at 2:51 AM, jimmyG said:

After 6 weeks with my new hobby I was hoping to be a little faster at it. I did have some issues coming up with the correct blade to use but I'm totally embarrassed to admit it took me almost six hours to scroll this yesterday. 

I heard someone once say, "first you get good and then you get fast". Take your time and don't beat yourself up about it taking a while. This is a good time to practice technique, speed will come naturally as you practice. 

[Wichman]

Even the military uses "Crawl, Walk, Run" in their training.  Just go with the flow for now, you're doing fine.

[MarieC]

Jimmy, I am late to this thread.   I started sawing a little earlier this year and like you thought I should be faster. Because my previous work was so much into being fast and productivity...then I said to myself, "hey, I am retired, I  can go as slow as I want" and do a beautiful job instead of hurrying...that changed how I scroll saw now....  Enjoy the journey!

Edited October 10, 2023 by MarieC

[wombatie]

Slow and steady wins the race.  Relax and enjoy the journey.

Marg