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I downloaded this free pattern from Berry Basket, about a year ago and after have cut the Lord's Prayer plaque recently, decided to go ahead and try this one. I really did not have a choice as when my wife saw this pattern she said she had to have that one. So it is now mounted in our living room. Sorry the photo is so poor. I took the photo on my phone and the light outside was not very good. I did not wish to turn on the light as it seems to cause me to get shadows in the photo. I guess I just should have hurried a little more and finished it when the sun was higher in the sky Dick heppnerguy

Haven’t posted in quite some time..... had some time in the shop yesterday, I made this welcome sign for my front porch......created textured weathered boards from common pine....letters are 1/4” sanded ply.....1” upholstery tacks for the “bolts” look.....comments are always appreciated.....Thank You

I made this Steve Good "relief" wood spirit a couple of weeks ago, but I was not crazy about the mustache area, as it just too big and too empty. I am planning on making another one with a few changes but I have been busy with other issues.Meanwhile I decided that too much work went into the piece to be so disappointed with an otherwise pleasing piece, so I came up with an easy fix. I stuffed some steel wool in both the mustache and eyebrows.

Well, thanks to all the great advice I managed to finally complete the cut. I switched to my new fav blade the Pegas 3R and split the stack in half and did the cut in 2 projects instead of one. It took less than 15 minutes to finish each stack, which before took me 15 minutes to cut one flower pedal LOL Here's the result of a Steve Good Easter pattern before filing, sanding and finishing: Thanks all for great advice! You all rock big time!

Well after many tries from different photos, Frank and Mahendra were able to come up with something. Both patterns were good but I went with Mahendras because there was less detail to cut. Thanks again Frank and Mahendra and all the pattern makers out there. I think he will like it, if not he can use it for fire wood. Thanks again guys for all your help.

I finally finished these, both patterns were done by Bobscroll. Thanks Bob. I have been working on things, and I said I'd never sell stuff in a store. Well, I am but only to help my sister pay some medical copays- There is a place called ArtZ Studio in the White Oaks Mall in Springfield Illinois. They are on Facebook too. Thanks Mike and Karen for helping us out- There are some incredible artist's selling things in there. I have taken a lot of stuff I've done over the years, 40 plus crosses, portraits ,etc. Anyway, Bob your patterns have really helped and I have several more to do. Thanks

I have a nephew who is an Industrial Arts teacher, and an excellent craftsman if I may add. Many times I have asked him about ways to finish a project. He has replied with various ways, i.e. Tung oil, Danish oil, BLO, etc, and when I tell him that takes too long, his reply has always been, "How long did it take you to make the project? Why rush the finishing end when you took all that time to make your project." Keeping that in mind, most of my projects do take a long time, but man, is it worth it. P.S. I'm curious as to how many of us have ruined a project, because of rushing the finish. I know I have.

Big, 2 day event in nearby Southport at the end of March. I now have 3 items specific for them and will be cutting 15 of each to take with me. They have a HUGE 3 day 4th of July event that I'll also be doing, so the one next month will give me an idea of how many I'll need for that one. My first event of 2018 is this Saturday. First time working with this group of folks. I hope it goes well and look forward to joining them for more.

Just finished cutting this Steve Good Easter Bunny. I had originally stacked 4x1/4" BB but thanks to the replies I got I split the stack to 2 each and managed to complete the cuts this morning. Cut on 1/4" BB with Pegas 3R blade interior and 5R exterior- base cut on TS Next is filing, sanding and finishing. Lots of fuzzies but I'll get to them

For the worst event I've ever had!!! LOL For the record, I just got home and told my wife "If I ever tell you I'm thinking of signing up for some little festival or market, kick me in the testicular area as hard as you can and say "This is to remind you how painful it is to waste an entire day sitting around at an event not selling anything."" LOL Absolutely perfect weather today, great little venue... but a total bust. Sold 10 puzzles and 9 of them were my cheap kids puzzles. A horrible start to the year. But I wanted to give this local organization a shot that arranges for various pop-up markets around the area. I figured if it worked out, it would be nice to fit in whenever I didn't have something else going on. Now I know... stick to the top events only, quit wasting my time with these little things. OK, back to focusing on my big 2 day event in 5 weeks.

Having fun in Panama City Beach scrolling outside, but now time to play golf.

Inspired by a friends pregnancy I made this out of 3/8 oak scrap wood. I call it "birth".

Very nice fretwork - thanks for sharing

I generally like the FDUR blades, but for something that thick, they are likely part of the problem you are having with the stack lifting. FDUR blades have more reverse teeth than a regular reverse tooth blade, so they will tend to be a little more "grabby" on the up stroke, especially in thick material like you are cutting. You can probably get away with using them if you cut the stack thickness down, as has been suggested, or choose a different, larger blade with less reverse teeth, as has been suggested.

Scrolling is a hobby. The very first rule is to relax and let the saw do the cutting. It is not a fast hobby in that the projects you work on are not going to be spit out in record time. It is a hobby where hand eye coordination takes over. It is a hobby where touch and feel are important as well as listening to the saw. You feel with your hands and become aware of what needs to be done. You learn the pressure points, not only pushing but downward and also sideward. This is all learned over time and becomes muscle memory and once you acquire it and you will, it does not go away like riding a bike. As mentioned you are challenging yourself a little too hard in that 1" of plywood is tough to scroll even for the best of scrollers. With plywood you have wood grain direction to contend with as well as the glue used to hold the plys together. This all wears out blades that much faster. The blade you chose is part of your problem in that it is too small for the project and the type makes it difficult to control because of the teeth direction. I too love FD penguin silver reverse #5 blades. These are my go to blades and have been for years. Not to big or too small and last a long time. yet the small amount of reverse teeth on the bottom of the blade does help with fussies. Tough to explain the pressure thing for as I said it is a feel thing but if you know what to look for it helps to read what is happening. See when you are fighting your cuts you now are not relaxing and too many bad things will happen. I suggest the first thing is cut that stack in half and go from there. As you get better at it you can increase and push the limits. But you need basics first. Good luck.

Any blade with reverse teeth will want to lift the project some the more reverse teeth in contact the more lift. As mentioned by others feed rate/pressure is just enough to allow the wood to move and the plade to keep up. Let the blade stay in contact with the wood but not bend enough that you can see it is bent while still cutting. It will take time to get the feel for feeding the wood into the blade. I might recomment that you use the hold down on the saw so you don't need to hold the wood down as muchas you indicate. Fredfret Wichita, Ks

I too like to keep my stacks to around 3/4, and as Wayne said, the UR#3 might not be the best blade for a thicker stack like that. It may cut a little less aggressively, but my favorite blade is still the FD Penguin Silver Reverse - and I use almost exclusively the #3 size. It cuts really smooth, and the skip-tooth design keeps it cool.

well this morning i cut 4 covers. break for lunch brought downpours of rain. i did get one cover glued and am heading out to finish the other 3. i was surprised 2 cuts would sell the 3D (pic 1) the elbow on the left ended up less than 1/16" from the edge so when i finished the cut i pulled out the blade and slid the cover to the edge and added a spine before attempting to lift it off the saw. (pic2) just waiting for a few coats of semi-gloss (pic 3)

That's a good size welcome sign Dan. Looks terrific. Now people will definitely know they are WELCOMED.

Unfortunately this can happen to anyone doing a show. Expect the worst going in, and sure enough ... I recall doing a show three hours away. Set up in a hotel display room and the event was even advertised. This was a two day ordeal, or should I say pure punishment because not a single person showed, Half way through the second day and I had it. Packed up and got out. Lesson learned. Yes Scott most people will have at least one bad show. Thank God it doesn't happen too often. All the best with your next showing. This could be a good start of others that wish to chime in - MY WORST SHOW

A few years ago, I read an article on Steve Goode's blog on making sand mops -- http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.co...-on-cheap.html So, I ordered some Gold Flex sanding rolls from Klingspor and tried it. It worked great. But did I save any money? A little bit. At Klingspor, a 2" wide roll cost $14.95 and the mandrel cost $9.95 = $24.80. A pack of 48 pre-cut strips cost $29.95, with the mandrell = $39.80. But you have to consider the cost of drilling and cutting the strips. You will be cutting cloth backed sandpaper, so blades do not last very long. I use the FD-HD blades which cost about 50 cents each. It takes 6 - 7 blades to cut the fingers in the strips - add $3.50. One of the pictures, below, shows what happens to blades after cutting 6 2" lines. You need to drill a 1/2" hole through the strips. Don't try that unless you have a method for sharpening drill bits. I use a Drill Doctor, but not everyone has something like that. By making your own, you will get 60 strips out of a roll of sand paper, vice the 48 that comes in a pack. So, you will have a bit larger mop than a precut one. A well used mop will last two or three years (at least mine do). Now that I only have to buy the sanding roll and blades I get away with a cost of $18.50 per mop - plus the time it takes to make it. Compared to the $29.95 for pre-cut strips, I save money. But, I'm a retired hobbyist. A production shop whould have to reconsider time & materials. Something to consider - save a little money by rolling your own.

Hi Dan, I'm so glad My patterns have been of some help to you, They do look really nice...the cutting and the wood you used on the projects, Thank you for the photo's, Bob

Ron, your list is pretty complete. I do use a lot of 2 sided tape when there is not a lot of room for a clamp or I only need to hold something temporarily for marking or small pieces when I don't want my fingers getting too close to a blade. I make a fair amount of boxes and Rocker's squares are perfect for glue ups. Several years ago I bought some 1/4" thick glass shelving. When we moved, I lost the dowels but kept the glass. (safety) They are great for perfect flat surfaces and glue ups. Any residual glue cleans up with a razor blade. I also use them for lapping uneven surfaces. I'll double side tape a sheet of sandpaper to the surface and start sanding in a figure 8 pattern. I'll mark up all the surface to be sanded and when the marks are gone, the surface is even. BTW, I also use a white pencil when ever I'm working with dark wood. I also use artist/draftsman clear plastic squares and French curve kits along with various circle and square templates. Most hobby or art supply stores carry them.

You are getting there. Over time you will get a feel for how many to stack. It will vary based on the materials and pattern.

I'm getting back into the social aspect of scrolling after an 8+ year hiatus. I used to be a very active contributor on a host of scroll saw boards and forums, including designing custom patterns for other users, offering Intarsia lessons (which had an honorary mention in Scrollsaw Woodworking & Crafts magazine), and being an all-around dork. Some of you seasoned scrollers may remember me from those days. Hope to see some old faces and meet new ones, as well as share and learn with you all.

These are all great suggestions! I have made several boxes with 1/4" solid wood tops and hinge mounting screws are always a problem. Most screws that come with the hinge are 1/4" or 3/8". I typically recess the majority of the hinge in the base and flush mount to top. That still leaves a screw too long. I will depth stop drill for the screw and wax and prethread the screw until just before it break through the other side, then back it out. I used a small vice grip and take it to the belt/disc sander and knock off the 1st few threads. It always works for me but it is important to get some wax on the threads (wax off? Ha!) to set the screw.

I also use those stiff bristle brushes (think bottle brush). The smaller ones work good for getting in the nooks and grannies. Russ https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Drinking-Glasses-Keyboards-Jewelry/dp/B01F0VI294/ref=sr_1_25_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1519488439&sr=8-25-spons&keywords=stiff+bristle+brushes&psc=1

Cutting any material 1" thick is going to be a challenge for someone relatively new to this craft especially plywood. Until you have racked up many more hours on a scroll saw I would recommend against it. Take the time to learn what are the best blades to use in different situations. I don't want to discourage you from asking questions so slow down and enjoy yourself because if you get in a hurry you will become frustrated and we don't want to see that happen. Good Luck.

Very nice sign. I'm thinking you will have some requests from local business for some similar. Good work.

You certainly have come up it a unique way to create pieces. Clever, I must say. Nice work.

That came out awesome!

Good job. Jeff

That's a BIG Welcome sign. Interesting vertical design and choice of finish.

Someone told me when I first started when cutting it is like driving a car the steering wheel is always moving and so is the wood when you push it through.

Awesome job thanks for sharing it

That is a lot of very nice Scrolling !

Thanks Bob ,Showing the photos here means more to me than the project!!!!!!!!!!

I lost one good provider but she was very persnickety so bye bye baby , I made good coin with her but she was very trying, hard to please and made me deliver.I don't miss the loss but it hurt.I don't need much income to do what I do but I'll survive!Thanks Frank!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL, and the midnight oil it seems ,Thank you Bobscroll!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cut out wasting my time seeing too many doctors for no good reason.Now my time is mine!Thank you, Frank for looking!

Thank you Roly,Are you still scrolling?

What Mr. Fred & JT said. first things first. As mentioned, you are attemptin' to cut a 1" stack of ply with wood in different directions all thru it. And with a #3 blade. After you break, bend, dull, & burn up your 25th blade, so to speak, you'll see what's bein' said. Cut it it half, & be done with it. You're askin' about down pressure, in front of & behind the blade. Unlike some, I NEVER touch a movin' blade for any reason to prove anything when I'm teachin' newbies. It can be proven that the scroll saw is a safe tool w/out gettin' your fingers on the blade. Like JT said, learn to relax at the saw before you even flip the power switch. This is a hobby. The next thing I tell people is it's like drivin' a car. Put your hands on your project with your thumbs about a 1/2" on each side of the blade. You've got the rest of both hands to guide your project, & down pressure. When you begin to cut, use your thumbs for slight down pressure at the blade to keep your project from jumpin'. Now that you've begin to move, pay attention to your blade & look AHEAD of ya. If your blade is startin to look like its bendin', back off your pressure, just a touch side to side, or slightly turn your project to straighten the blade or project. Remember, every ounce of down pressure with every move you make is goin' to show up at the blade. It's just part of the deal. So, remember, just enough down pressure to keep your project on the sawdeck, & movin', & of course, to keep the blade runnin' straight. Just like your car. A little bit of correction brings it back to a straight line, right? Same with your project. Just a little bit here, a little bit there, if your arms get tired, you're puttin' to much down pressure. Ease up til you feel comfortable. Your blade size & material will have alot of bearing on your rate of feed & speed. The thinner the material, the smaller the blade. The thicker the material, the bigger the blade. My advice to you would be to find a type of blade that works for you best, & stick with it. Whether it be skip tooth, penguin, polar blade, etc. Try the polar blades. They are a good newbie blade, & last longer than some. I use Olson as a personal preference. Hope some of my .02 pennies worth helps. God Bless.

Awesome work Dick. Well done. Marg

Top notch cutting you get lots of the ATTABOYS today.

A nice piece Came out extremely nice..I have the pattern in my file. guess I will also have to get around to cutting it soon. Thanks for showing it to us all Dick heppnerguy

1" thick stack is quite a few.. I do not "like" to cut more than 3/4" thick stacks.. and many times only stack 1/2 -5 /8 BB ply.. That BB ply is some tough stuff to cut through.. and the blades dull pretty fast comparing to cutting solid wood.. Really hard to describe how hard to feed the wood in words, LOL My best advice is.. watch the blade.. you don't want to push so hard that you are flexing the blade back.. Maybe watch it and push until you see a slight flex? then back off just a tad? Maybe someone else will be able to describe it better than I can..

Nice! I find myself using cut-offs from my "real" woodworking projects for at least half of my scroll-saw projects.

Re; the 2nd paragraph above. If I get in trouble, I move the chair to the right and trick the brain into thinking that the "back" of the saw is actually to the left of center.