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Had computer problems and spent all night working on it.Then my friend ,the pest calls and wants me to be on stand by in case he needs parts as he's changing his rotors and pads on his car.So i kept awake doing some scroll work as he bought me a coffee! And someone showed up for breakfast too!

Been meaning to do this for a long time, this is originally a Steve good pattern but I altered it to fit the piece of wood that was the correct thickness, stack cut two. If you did not know using a wooden comb apparently has benefits for the scalp and hair. This was a trial and with the grain going in the wrong direction but IMO it still strong enough. Going to try another wood and with the right direction... It feels great on the scalp....

I really hope I don't get on too many peoples nerves, but... attached is something I just put together listing the different things I use such as the shelf liner, shrink wrap bags, mineral oil, etc. Since a lot of folks ask me about this stuff I finally put it all together with links to where the items can be bought. Obviously this is just a listing of what I use, not necessarily the best options or choices, but things I've found to be useful or good quality. Let me know if any questions. Iggy _Woodcraft By Scott - Items Used In Puzzle Making and Selling.pdf

As you may have already discovered, the simple answer is "It Depends". I'll give you an example from my own experience. I started scrolling about 20 some years ago. I had no mentor, no outside resources to help me learn, just 15-20 years of experience making sawdust as a carpenter and hack woodworker, that taught me a lot about tools and wood. My first projects were pretty decent, nothing I would be ashamed to give as a gift or hang on my own wall. At that point my expectations were relatively high, because I already had some experience working with wood and knew what I should be able to do. However, after a number of years of scrolling on my own, I found and joined a local scroll saw club. I'll tell you, the talent and skill those guys had (have) was amazing and I was thoroughly intimidated to bring any of my stuff for show & tell at the meetings. I've outgrown that and after all this time, feel that my best stuff would stand up next to most anything those guys did. That's not bragging (at least it isn't intended as such). It's just that it took a long time for me to reach that point and be comfortable putting my work next to theirs. The point is, becoming proficient is a relative thing. It's relative to what it is being compared to. If you stick with it and keep practicing, you will find that your skills should progress pretty rapidly, to a point. How far you go beyond that point and how long it takes, will depend on how committed you are and what you are striving to achieve.

Hey, I know I haven't been around much lately due to a bookkeeping snafu ( post abut this later in the week ) and I am now just dropping in post a picture of my latest "ornamental firewood" LOL Had a request for a Aston Martin desk clock.. so I put together a pattern.. showed the customer the design and she loved it but told me to make sure I change the spelling as I had it "Aston Marton" Guess what? I changed it alright.. see photo.. I didn't even catch this until I was listing a add on the website..and my spell checker went off on a typo i did and not even on the car name.. on another word but then I looked and somehow caught it.. I had already sent out the invoice to the customer and was getting ready to mail this out today.. glad I decided to make a Made To Order listing on etsy where I caught the mis-spelling.. LOL.. Anyway enjoy the good laugh while I get back to work.. many orders to fill this week and the bookkeeping snafu.. I probably won't be around much this week yet.. just had to drop in to say I'm still around.. just very busy..

I went to Wally World this AM to buy shelf liner which I did find. While there I bought a couple of 1/4" bamboo cutting boards. I don't know how well they will cut but they are inexpensive. I could not buy the same at Woodcraft the the same money. I cut nothing that deserves more than pine or BB plywood. It looks nice.

Like when I cut a keychain for my wife and mispelled her name (we'd only been married for 25 years at the time. Luckily, my daughter caught it before I gave it to her. Stupid - I didn't toss the bad one and the wife found it in a shop drawer a couple of years later. Then she though it was funny. She still has it and pulls it out to tease me every now & then.

Going to say something, Ray,,, I think the reason there are so many back problems is probably most of us scrollers are getting pretty "long in the tooth". We already spent many years abusing our backs and the rest of our bodies. We are bound to feel pain. Getting old is not for the faint of heart. We just hobble along and wish we had been better keepers of our carcasses.

I make another one clock with the passion of Christ. The wood i use is for oak. .

A baby shower gift.

Cut from an unknown species of repurposed flooring, I had new Zealand but it was broken in the process and I tried to get it back on but it didn't look right. Backing is walnut engineered flooring sample, the frame is repurposed Douglas fir flooring

I couldn't decide what to cut after leaving the hospital.i had broncidus for a week and didnt know it.

I can't find the files, so a picture of a picture will have to do.

I like to look like a professional as opposed to the one trick pony hack that I am. LOL Yes, I use 2 blades... one for the word puzzles out of poplar and one for the kids puzzles out of pine. :-)

I have one similar to Iggy's as well and have test tubes.. As for stickers.. I made some of my own with inkscape and printed them out on my shipping label papers.. cut to size , peel and stick..

Here is a picture of the replacement.. I do at least one stupid mistake like this every year.. then I get to relaxed and don't check / double check. Last year was gluing a backer and mistakenly glued to the front side LOL

If they weren't marked in the package they came in, it would be a total guess as to what brand, type, size, etc. Best thing to do is buy some variety packs of Flying Dutchman or Olson, or whatever brand you're interested in and be sure to keep them in the packaging they come in until you set up a blade sorting system. P.S. You'll drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what blades to try/use. :-) Just don't overthink it.

Test tube holder and plastic tubes. I use the sticker from the baggy the blades came in to wrap around the tube. I need to buy some stickers for blades that don't come with a sticker.

In my early years of scrolling I used lots of methods to clean up the edges of my cuts. My favorites were sanding files by Olson and sanding belts by Olson. Both are things that you put into your scroll saw like a blade and sand the insides of cuts. As I spend more and more time with the scroll saw I got better and had to sand less. Now I only have some fuzzies on the back of my pieces, and rarely have to sand an inside cut. Getting good blades and slowing your cutting down (keep the saw speed in the medium-high range) and lots of practice and you will eventually be in the less sanding group.

Oh Dear I would not burn that I would cut a straight line just above the wording and have it as a standard car clock desk plate it will sell still, I think it is to good to burn, I got it I got it keep it as reminder not to do it again

You have gotten some good advice. I would totally second changing your wood and blade for better results. I would also recommend finding a simple project that you would want to display as your next project. Sometimes working on something real rather than practice makes it easier to like the result. One more thing, Take pictures and show us. We are a pretty gentle audience to show things to and we will let you know if you are being too critical of yourself.

I never did have a problem right from the start. Just a matter of getting the techniques down so that you relax when cutting. Being tensed up means alot when cutting and the ease. I sold the very first piece I made. I will say this it took a little time to learn the tricks of pushing the wood, types of wood cut differently, blades cut differently, saw speed has meaning and as mentioned each saw has its own little quirks that you learn as you go. It is a learning process but is quickly picked up. I will say this also yes we are our own worse critics so do not be so hard on yourself. Also some people for the lack of better words have the shakes and it cause runoff when cutting and probably never will be correctable. But do not let that deter from this great hobby. After about 5 or 6 projects it is time to step up to some better materials and put those experiences to work. Work at your own pace but you will notice the faster you start cutting the better your mind lets you stay on the lines and the cuts get smoother. The eye works in conjunction with the hands. Hand/ eye coordination. Good luck and start posting.

Jes, this is a loaded question, there is so much that depends on you getting an answer that applies to you and your outcome. The major one, is how critical you are of your own cutting capabilities. And just a few of them are, your god given abilities would be #2. By that, I mean how well you take to the task of scroll sawing, and the issues that pertain to it. The accuracy at which you can follow a line with the blade, and the level of difficulty of the pattern. The quality of the saw you use, and the quality of the blades you use also. And as mentioned above, using the proper size of blade and material to cut. There are a whole bunch of other things that, will depend on the quality of your work and feeling like it is worthy of displaying it. Others will be able to add to what I've mentioned, as there is many differing ideas on what it takes to be proud/confident enough to show others you work. Len

I'd say if you are planning on selling, you will need several copies of everything you cut. So instead of cutting 1/8" material, stack to or three and cut that. You will find, I think, that a little thicker material is easier to cut blade control wise. That is also where you may want a #5 blade, but gibe a #3 a try also. Also do not be shy about trying different "types" of blades, you may find one that works better for you.

Hi Jes: You're on the right track, you are asking the experts here at the Village Never be afraid/shy to ask - As you are making designer firewood, you will get a good response to your questions You have already from Ike and Scott Feel free to post your work for us to see, and we will get you on the right track So, for now, Sounds like you should be changing your blade and wood choice You will notice an immediate difference in the way your projects turn out Looking forward to seeing your work Good luck and most of all, keep it fun... Fab4

I would forget about useing 1/8 hard board I have herd that the fumes from it are harmfull . Home Depot has 1/4 (actual 3/16) plywood for under $20, they will cut it to 2'X4' pieces . just get some and after 2 pieces of 4x8 ply you should be ready to take pictures and hang on the wall. IKE

Every one grows at different speeds. I can tell you most of us are way to critical of our own work. Let me suggest something. A #5 blade is too big and aggressive for a single piece of 1/8 th material. I would use a #1 blade.

Wen I first started teaching 1st year electrical students at our state college, I was presenting the material as if the students already had some experience. I will never forget what my Coordinator told me. "You need to remember that the students don't know anything about the subject. You have done this kind of work so long that you have forgotten that you didn't know it at one time." Something we all need to remember when someone new starts asking questions. At one time we were all new to scrolling. Phil

I have 2 herniated discs in my lower back no chance of surgery yet too young and have not exhausted all avenues of pain relief yet so at the moment I take strong meds Morphine and codeine and diazepam for the spasms, I also have a regular epidural injections under xray to the affected area I have trouble sitting and standing for any length of time I tried all chairs stools etc in the end got fed up with trying and them not working so made my own to suit my size height etc out of stud frame timber I now use that and stand sit as I feel comfortable to do then go walkabouts when it hurts too much but it has allowed me to carry on tinkering, at the moment I have my saw flat on the bench no angle I found this worked better for me for some reason at an angle it hurt more may of been the neck position looking down onto saw or something not sure but it is easier for me to have saw flat others find it easier angled but here is my chair I know it looks like Jack and the beanstalk giants chair but it is made to my exact height no struggling getting on or off and a great high back I also now have cushions pinned to the seat and back, I have yet to get her indoors to let me bring it in the house The main thing is to use something whether bought or made to keep you in the shop now and then as there is no better medicine than being in the shop no pill will ever be as good as making something with your hands and mind that is the best therapy for any ailment in my view so whatever you need to do to get there do that

Painless blades are a good idea, but I meant Pinless blades. LOL

Oh my - I think it must be a generational thing - I can't tell you how many teachers I've had that were terrible teachers - in fact most of them should never have been given a license to teach. I know this because during the early 80's I developed computer curriculum for and used to teach at a technical school in California. As I looked back on the self serving, favorite playing so called instructors that called themselves :teachers during grade and high school, I have to laugh. It was because of them not due to them I became what I became in my life. These so called teacher only taught to students who excelled, the rest of the class was left behind to fend for ourselves and discarded as lower class students. Yeah, right! I can honestly say, there are only a few real "teachers" I had before I dropped out of high school during my Junior year and went to a GED training academy! One of them was a typing teacher - she knew I was a young aspiring musician and taught me to type by showing me how to relate it to playing the piano! By the end of class I was the fastest typist in class and still today I can easily type 60-70 wpm (words per minute) - maybe not without errors, but that is what error checking is for LOL An english teacher who knew I hated to read (at the time, now I love it) and gave me very short books on interesting topics to me to read! No Shakespeare, no Hemingway until I was ready. In school I could barely get through algebra let alone geometry! The teacher used to hit me behind the head when I failed to divide properly calling me "stupid" With my GED teacher, I was able to get through college level II Calculus! Yeah, he was terrific In fact I modeled my own teaching style after the few good teachers I actually had: Teach students in terms the pupil can understand, not in the terms you WANT them to understand. Teach students using examples THEY can relate to, not what you WANT them to relate to. If they don't get it at first, it is the teachers responsibility, not theirs to help them understand and learn - no matter how long it takes It is not the fault of a student who wants to learn and can not, it is the fault of the teacher who does not prepare lessons appropriately and takes the "easy" path to Tenure. Do not teach to the best in the class, teach to the middle and have the better students assist others when possible with proper tutoring techniques It's a shame what has happened to our educational system Oh yea, this is a very sore subject for me...

Our lawn mower and leaf blower are battery operated. I always try to make things easy for my wife.

I was directed to this forum fortunately by someone in another and it seems this is the right place to be for everything scroll sawing. I've never used a scroll saw and have a very small budget (about $120) and currently researching low end scroll saws. I doubt I'll ever do anything major on it as I'm also not very good at woodworking in general. It's a hobby and I'm learning as best I can. Probably only cutting a few small things like clock number, maybe a few small patterns etc. I doubt I'd ever get to the point of doing anything intricate. I've read quite a few of the reviews here already, and of course the ones I'm interested in and are within budget have terrible reviews LOL Anyway, hopefully I can gleam some information about which saw I should be looking at purchasing for a new woodwork and newer still to scroll sawing. Feel free to direct me or advise me as needed Thanks in advance

I did cut some of the tablet holders with bamboo cutting boards. There was an issue with it breaking on the grain. Because they were for personal use, just glued it back up.

The turntable that came with my saw had 13 upright tubes made of 1/2" PVC. All I did was to drill 13 more holes in an inner circle back of the ones that were already there with a 3/4" forstner bit. I epoxied them in the holes. I am thinking it might be overkill at this point though. I'll bet that I'll end up using a half dozen different blades in the end. Oh well.....it was fun. Attached pics of carousel and the Hegner I picked up for $300. The carousel is meant to clamp onto one of the saw's legs but I'm not sure about it yet. Ray

I use something like Iggy's holder - It was a Steve Good pattern he created. It can be found here: http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/2017/01/scroll-saw-blade-holder-pattern.html - he lists a site to get the test tubes from on Amazon but that is not the ones I got. I ordered some previously from another site. Mine have flat bottoms and are plastic with a plastic lid. I had 24 test tubes so I modified Steve's plan so that it would hold 12 each (his pattern has 5 each side so 10 each.) I also do like Scott and Paul and cut the labels off and roll and insert inside the tubes for each blade type. I don't use as many different types of blades as Paul shows (yet ) so this has worked well for me.

Thank you Jeff. It was actually pretty fun to make. I just got back from the post office to mail it off. It is not my most intrigued piece I am made, but it was my biggest sale per piece, that I have made. I really liked it also, The first one I made took me a lot longer and was extremely challenging but this one went quite smoothly. I said I was never going to make another one but when the order came to me and they were insistent on purchasing it, I could not refuse. I learned a couple of things from it so I am now happy that I took it on. Dick heppnerguy

I veryseldon have back trouble due to sawing. I have a wooden floor cement is a killer even with a rubber mat. IKE

We all have made designer firewood at one time or another. I hope your customer is not too upset about the delay. I hope you can salvage some part of the clock, It is a wonderful cutting apart from the spelling.

Not Kevin, but will add my $.02. Depends on what you are wiping it down for. If it's just to remove sanding dust, I would suggest vacuuming it first. This removes most of the dust. Taking it outside and blowing it off with compressed air works as well, but you want to avoid doing it in the shop, because you are just introducing a lot of fine dust into the air that you could do without. Wiping it off with alcohol or mineral spirits (MS) works to remove the last remnants of dust and gives you a brief glimpse at what the wood may look like with a clear finish applied. This is good to make sure you've removed all surface defects/scratches and any glue squeeze out. Alcohol will flash off quicker than the MS and doesn't smell as much. Wear gloves though, because all of these solvents contain nasty stuff you don't want to absorb into your system, through your skin. I would recommend against using water, because it may raise the grain of the freshly sanded wood, causing it to need more sanding.

I worked in the Machines shops standing on concreet floors for 8 to 10 hours a day, that's hard on the back too. I made me a wooden slatted platform to stand on and It really helped a lot I found that it was better than rubber mats. A wooden platform about 3/4 " above the floor would probably help. My shopn is a wooden shed 8''X12' with plywood floors. when sawing I useally take a break every 3/4 to 1 hour and I can work all day with out my back bothering me much at all. My saw is on a homemade stand wit the baack up about 2 " at the hight of standing with the stool that I use. I am 78 years old so pain in the back is a common thing but I just bear it. IKE

Wonderful job on all Dick, really like the Lord's prayer. Jeff

I am a lot like the others here with back problems, can't stand for very long. One of the best things I have gotten for my shop is a drafter's chair, basically an office chair that can be raised to the height of a bar stool. It has a back on it for support, and arm rests if you want them (I don't use them, they just get in the way). It is on wheels so it is easy to move from one work station to another. Most of my working career was as a drafter, so this was a no-brainer for me.

This is what I have been using. I first used it on the drill press but have found I like it best on my lathe. Cheeeep too.

Oil based polyurethane does not have very good adhesion, even to itself. That is why the manufacturer recommends that you scuff sand the surface before applying additional coats, if the previous coat has been allowed to dry over a certain amount of time. Scuff sanding provides tooth for the next coat to grab on to. Shellac has been called the universal sealer/barrier coat, because it sticks to just about anything and just about anything sticks to it. The one exception to this statement is waxed shellac and oil based polyurethane. With shellac, the conventional wisdom is to use de-waxed shellac, as John mentioned. Zinnser sells a couple different products in their line of pre-mixed shellac. In its natural state, shellac contains wax. The one you want for use under oil based polyurethane is Seal Coat. It is de-waxed and provides an excellent base for just about any top coat.

Wow you have been busy and doing very intricate work, lovely. My only negative comment would be that the Forever Remembered plaque would be better will a name attached to it. Just my thoughts. Keep up the great work Dick. Marg

Very beautiful & intricate work Dick .

Thanks everyone for the responses! I finally found some time to sit at the saw and try the vinyl flooring. Wow am I impressed! As I said before, we had a bunch of life proof vinyl flooring from Home Depot left over from our house. It’s the kind with the underlayment pad attached to the bottom. Anyways, the picture below was done with 1- #9 Olson pgt blade. It really cut well, no sanding/staining/finishing necessary, and I really like the distressed look. Let me know what y’all think. The other picture is the under side.

Birch plywood 1/6 inch (4mm) finishing - gloss varnish blades: inner cuts - #0, outer - #3 of LuxTools (Germany)