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Haven't showed much lately so I figured I'd upload a few pics. Wood Spirit by Steve Good from some scrap mahogany, Spoiled Cat by Steve Good from some scrap pine, Leopard from who knows where I got the pattern out of some scrap poplar and finally a JGR intarsia eagle out of aspen, basswood, red oak and walnut.

I had my car worked on by a guy from where I work, it's his hobby/after work job and he's pretty good at it and cheaper then a normal garage. So I made him this as a thank you tip, Found it on pinterest so the pattern maker is unknown. (Werkstatt = workshop).

After I cut this pattern, I started to wonder what it would look like if I "Freed" the pattern from the outside coin. I don't know if it is better or not, but I like it. I pictured the before and after. (I tried a marathon session to try to finish most of this in one session, so the cutting started getting a little sloppy as I fatigued and started to hurt. If I ever do it again, I'll cut it over days instead of hours. There are 62 cuts in the initial design and cut on an Eisenhower. This is somewhat of an optical illusion, your eye might immediately see flowers inside of circles, but if you looks closely, the whole pattern is just interwoven circles.

I've enjoyed making several variations on this for friends. First one is on oak pallet wood. The second is pallet wood also but I'm not sure what kind. The third is heart pine from my wife's great grandfathers barn. I got the birds from a clip art pic and the words are Daydreamer font from Microsoft word.

The round Celtic is a pattern from Bobscroll. Got the round wood from the thrift shop, it is a base for one of those cheese display things that were around a long time ago. Have no idea on the type of wood but like it. The Eagle is by Kenny Hopkins. Not sure on the wood on this one either, just a piece of live edge I had around and this pattern fit it just right. jim penquin

One thing I can recommend about d1/4 sheet sanders is to try putting sandpaper on before you buy it. Last week I found one in the back of a cabinet at school covered in the wrong type of dust It didn't take me long to figure out why it had been forgotten, the paper clamping is super awkward. It took me several minutes and more than a few tries to finally get paper on the stupid thing (I was at school so no naughty words or throwing the stupid thing)

Greetings scrollers! ......is that correct....scrollers? Justdraftn. Front range of the Colorado Rockies. I have at least.....maybe 6hrs of experience w/a scroll saw under my belt. It WAS a Wen 3920. It only took me that long to realize that if I was going to do this, I had to have a real saw. It was sent back. Delta 40-694 will be arriving Wed. Much better reviews here and else where. So.....why scrolling? I'm a band saw guy. I make band saw boxes. Current works. My lastest projects are puzzle boxes. Inside the puzzle boxes are very intricate hidden drawers. These come down to some pretty delicate work. Even the 1/8" blade on my band saw is too big..... so....me thinks scroll saw. The 2" cutting depth on a scroll saw should be big enough for this work. I can just make the hidden drawers to fit the work on the scroll saw. Off to the library....remember libraries?.......for books on scrolling. Found plenty. So new ideas for adding some pizzazz to my boxes. Cut out the scroll pieces and attach them to the boxes. It will also make creating handles for the box drawers much easier. With the band saw I have the capability to size wood to anything I need. Can not wait to get into some of the projects I found in the books. Me...... Grew up 3rd hand helper to a carpenter /cabinet maker. Appreciate fine tools and what can be done w/them. Quit college to go look for adventure in Alaska. Found it. Worked construction for 11yrs before stumbling back into school. Came out w/a degree in computer electronics.....actually solid state physics. Provided me w/a 35yr career in IT support of all kinds. Semi-retired in April last year. 4 1/2 day weekend every week. I have a basement shop where all the fine work gets done. If I'm not in my shop you will find me in my garden or out on my bike. Skinny tire. Fast and far. Looking around the site, have found plenty already to stimulate the gray cells. Thoughts/comments/suggestions welcome.

I've been here a few weeks, have asked more than my share of questions and you all have been not only patient, but accepting, welcoming and helpful in your responses. I just want to say thank you to you all for everything. You are a great bunch of people, and this community is one of the best I've found on the internet! Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program....

Here are the most recent pictures I have cut. I haven’t framed a couple of them yet. These were all stack cutted in 3’s. 1/4” Birch plywood with veneer core.

Her are some of my recent cuts. Hope y’all like them. They are modified versions of Steve Good Patterns.

This has nothing really to do with anything but for what it is worth the Hawk is made in the good old USA. That being said I have a lot of imported tools that work well.

Kevin, I agree with your assessment. I just scroll so I can admire some nice sawdust. The only things I give away are puzzles I give to my little friend Hope. Hope is a little adopted Chinese girl who unfortunately is missing either an X or Y chromosome. My puzzles are good for a nice hug. I know her through my Bible study. I think I have made a friend for life which probably not be that long. :>)

The thing about pressure is that most folks use too much. The old adage of letting the tool do the job applies in all these cases, even the paint brush. Use a good quality paint brush. It will hold a lot of material. Draw the brush across the board and let the material flow off onto the surface, rather than push it down and try to force the finish onto the wood. It's all about technique, just like with the scroll saw and the sander.

For scrolled projects, my go to finish is shellac, sprayed on with a HVLP gun. Shellac is very easy to spray and even easier to clean up. I will occasionally dip smaller pieces in an oil, but it's difficult to get finish into all the nooks & crannies of most larger fretwork. This is where shellac excels. It dries extremely fast and is best applied in light coats, so you can hit it from multiple angles without it building up like some other finishes. Also, clean up between coats isn't even really necessary. The denatured alcohol in shellac will soften hardened shellac, so I've left shellac sitting in the gun for an hour and had no problems picking it up and using it again. Sometimes I don't even clean after I'm done using it, just put it away. When I use it the next time, I just run a little DNA through it and it's ready to spray again, just like it had been put away clean. If you want to add some color into the piece, without the separate step of staining, you can mix up shellac flakes that are available in different grades, from a very deep, dark amber to almost water clear. I use mostly the clear, pre-mixed stuff from Zinnser, which imparts a nice, light amber tint to warm up most woods. Shellac is just about the ideal finish for me. I sing it's praises just about every chance I get.

Well, I am not going to lose the box. I may end up going back to it. I got that box from Harbor Freight when i purchased a cheap set of carving tools. Never could make the carving tools carve anything nice, (must have been something wrong with them), but I have gotten quite a bit of use out of the box.

Looks to me like you are well on your way. Where did you order the BB from? I am going to have to look at ordering, it is getting really difficult to find a good grade of BB locally.

Real nice work! Looks like you've been scrolling for quite a while!! Do you have any problems using plywood? I seem to have a splintering issue with plywood......I've been using a 1/4 inch poplar wood from Home Depot. Only problem is that the widest width is only 6 inches......

I'm two years new to this too, and what I found helps the most is to stop watching video's of the "pro's" cutting something. (Sorry to those who spend the time doing that) I see the speed and accuracy they exhibit and it makes me want to do it too, when I find myself doing that, competing so to speak, that is when I have problems. I feed the piece slowly, probably drive a "pro" nuts watching, but I find I enjoy it more and there is less fuzzies to deal with when I am done.

I made an Easter Basket. Made from 1/2" cherry. The pattern is from Alex Fox.

Haste makes waste for sure.

Very nice!

I made a holder from Steve Good's design.

I have been trying to build some inventory for my next craft fair but seem to be selling it almost as fast as I can make it. Nice problem to have I suppose but still inconvenient! First off this pair of hearts cut from a rimu drawer box Then these horses from a Charles Dearing pattern. I started this one months ago but couldn't get around to finishing it. Once I got my new Hegner, I decided I had to finish it: I have cut this Beatles plaque before but this time enlarged it to 150% Then some more NZ hearts: and finally a Harry Potter wand turned from a length of old handrail. Not sure what the timber is but it is lovely. Thanks for looking, Rob

I don't think discontinued is the word. Part of General is now Chinese owned. China and Taiwan are not really best of buddies, so the Taiwan Manufacture just kept on making the saws for everyone but General. General had to bring up a whole new production line in China, which they did, and those saws are now on sale at Home Depot and Rockler. So, it looks like two completely different manufacturers are making the saw. At this point, since King/Excelsior/Carbatec/Axminster/Pegas are still coming from the same factory, and the Excalibur line in new, I think I would trust the Taiwan saws over the Excalibur branded saws. So, all that to say, you can buy a brand new Excalibur by General today, but I'm not sure you would want to. And if you want to by parts from the manufacturer that originally made your saw, that would be the Taiwanese flavor, or King in the U.S.

One thing I do know is that you should not cut when you are in a hurry, because you put excess pressure on the blade and snap it. I learnt that one a couple of times. Marg

Thanks Aggie for the pattern!!

Made this one for my friends new babies room. The whole room is a Jumanji theme. Made from walnut and ash. Measures 21" L by 6" W.

Aww, shucks! Thanks , Jes, I agree with you 100% about the great bunch of people here. God Bless! Spirithorse

Thanks, I've been scrolling for a very long month and half LOL - seems like forever! I no longer use ply from the box stores - it's really low grade. I get my ply from ebay and it's very good B quality ply - here are the 2 I get https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-8-3mm-x-12-x-12-Baltic-Birch-Plywood-for-Laser-CNC-and-Scroll-Saw-40-pc/351972469846?hash=item51f331ac56:g:EKcAAOxyxnJR6A4O https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-6mm-x-12-x-12-Baltic-Birch-Plywood-for-Laser-CNC-and-Scroll-Saw-23pc/272247092328?hash=item3f6330f468:g:EKcAAOxyxnJR6A4O Thanks, I'm getting my good wood from http://ocoochhardwoods.com/plywood.php And my ply from https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-8-3mm-x-12-x-12-Baltic-Birch-Plywood-for-Laser-CNC-and-Scroll-Saw-40-pc/351972469846?hash=item51f331ac56:g:EKcAAOxyxnJR6A4O https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-6mm-x-12-x-12-Baltic-Birch-Plywood-for-Laser-CNC-and-Scroll-Saw-23pc/272247092328?hash=item3f6330f468:g:EKcAAOxyxnJR6A4O It comes sanded (I still do a light sanding of 60, 150 and 220 before cutting) and get plenty in a box It's also nice that if I screw up a project, I'm only out $1.25 or $2.40 rather than $30 or more - ply is very expensive here and good ply is no where to be found

Terrific cutting. I like the Fender and the lever action.

I have both, but rarely use the palm sander. I always seemrd to have more trouble with swirl marks left behind by the palm sander, but that may have been as much my technique and the paper I was using at the time. I've used random orbit sanders, with good quality sanding discs, for so long now, that I don't have much need to use the palm sander anymore. The ability to connect the ROS to my shop vac & Dust Deputy was a game changer, for me.

Nice cutting on all of them.

I tend to put too much pressure when cutting thick wood that is just going too slow for me.. When I first started sawing I was cutting thin wood.. the cutting was going so fast for me I had a hard time staying where I needed to be cutting at.. so then I learned about stack cutting.. I started stack cutting and learned that it's easier to control my cutting with some thicker wood.. I got used to "how to cut" by cutting stacks.. at a comfy pace... then I started cutting different things.. Most people don't learn this stuff over night. When I started being successful with selling my crafts.. a good friend of mine wanted a piece of the action too.. and thought he'd make some easy money ( I made it look easy ) so he started shopping scroll saws.. found an awesome deal on a brand new Hawk 216VS that was .. $100... I gave him about 3 blades of every blade style and brand I had and some pieces of ply to get started.. He did make some stuff but found it not as easy as I made it look.. One thing that set him up for failure right away was the fact that.. His sole purpose for scroll sawing in the first place was what? ( Make some money ).. I see this all the time.. people browsing handmade sites such as etsy and whatnot and thinking they want to make some easy money and choose a craft style or item that interest them.. and they want to do that.. without really knowing what the craft actually involves. Sorry I got off into the business topic again.. I always do that somehow I only mentioned it because much of what I gather from you're post make you sound much like my friend... Most all successful crafts business's start by accident rather than on purpose.. They find that they love what they do and can make some money doing what they love. Iggy didn't start his puzzle empire by going all in and getting a saw etc because he seen some puzzles online and thought he could make a business doing that.. He started making them for his grand-kids.. then started giving them away.. because he enjoyed making them..one thing lead to another and now he's making money doing what he likes.. same for me.. As JimErn said.. watching you tube videos of the pros.. you won't start out like that.. and not many people will video their failures.. or they might video them.. but they won't end up on youube.. because most people will not admit failures. LOL.. and actually.. it might be a good idea to video yourself and then play it back to watch for yourself.. you might learn something about your cutting by watching what it is your actually doing.. I hope you don't take offence to what I say here.. just take your time in learning the hobby.. relax it's not a race.. you'll enjoy more and learn much better by just taking your time.. scroll saws aren't fast cutting machines unless your purposely trying to go slow

Ray, I use both the ros & a palm sander. And I also have a drum sander. Most everything goes thru the drum sander with 110 grit on it after the planer. IF I need to clean up some planer marks or somethin' on the lumber, I run my ros over it about mid speed. I've got my ros hooked to a 2 gallon shop vac. I think it's a 2 gallon. Anyway it has paper bag dust collection. Then I start in with the palm sander. I get all my finish sandin' done before I start a project. To be honest with ya, your sanders are like any other brand of preference, Ray. Depending on the conditions they're used in & how they're taken care of, one will last just as long as the other. IMO. TOMSTEVE give ya some good advice about throws. A palm sander, Unless you're goin' to use it alot, a harbor freight one & their replacement plan will do ya well, unless they're like Mrs. N said & it takes til 6 minutes after Sunday to change out the paper. Ya just have to find the ones like. good luck, Sir.

I started puttin' my blades in pvc with capped ends from the start 26 yrs ago. And I took the blade size label off the little bag they come in & taped it to each tube. What the pia for me is, I've got so many different blade sizes in inventory, it takes about as long to find blades as it does to cut a project! I like your idea, scrappile, with the way you've got them set up. I've thought about gettin' me some of those tubes & makin' a wood box for them that you could close up when ya ain't usin' them. But time never lets me rest long enough to do that.

Just avoid the new Excaliburs if you want to stay with the original factory. That said, I don't know that there is anything wrong with the new Excaliburs. Some brave sole needs to test the waters . . . . King/Excelsior, Seyco, Jet, Carbatec, Axminster, and Pegas are all still made in Taiwan and are the safe bet right now.

Good to know Seyco still has parts, thanks.

Actually Seyco still sells parts.. most of the main parts are the same as the Seyco saw.. too.. and also King would be a source of parts..

The way I see it, we can divide them up by mfgr. and that would be 3. Then by size. Then by tooth configuration. It can become very intimidating. I was thinking of making two of them so I could have one at each saw but I think I will just make one and move it back and forth. Someone is going to come up with the perfect one right after I make mine. It always happens. Ray

Thanks to all of you for your replies. The ROS that I have is a single speed from H/F. I think after reading all of your replies that I will end up buying a better ROS sander. I used to have a Makita palm sander and a Dewalt ROS with dust collection but they unfortunately got sold when we went out on the road. I will start shopping the used market first. Thanks again. Ray

ray, i think something to look at with an ROS is the orbits per minute and the size of the throw. i have 2 different ROS. well, actually 3, but ones specifically for auto detailing-the porter cable 7424- massive throw and i can polish up a finish real nice. the other 2- a porter cable and dewalt 5" both have different OPM and throws. i used the porter cable on fretwork as it has a smaller throw and less OPM.

Never heard of the Timberline blades

Exactly... I've heard of them I believe from another forum several years ago.. That's the extent of my knowledge on them though

Never heard of them. Sorry. The best way to answer your question is for you to order a pack and try them. Blades are one thing you can ask 10 people and get 10 different responses.

It's all perty much been dumped in your lap. I think I would add a couple things to it, though. Dan & Cowpoke said it best! You have to figure out what works for you. Depending on the thickness of the material you're cuttin', the blade you choose to use, blade speed, & how well you're lookin' after your saw deck, all play into pressure. Learn to listen to your blade. Every blade has it's own voice. If you try to put to much down pressure on the project, relax a little bit, let the blade do the work. And Speed creates heat. Learn to cut at a speed you're comfortable at, & progress. Sanding? I do all my sandin' before I even consider puttin' a pattern on. Depending on the size of the project, I run it thru the drum sander, both sides, a couple times, then use a palm sander & sand it down to 220. The reason I use a palm sander is bcause there won't be any circle marks from a ros sander. Pressure on the sander is just enough to control it. There ain't any need to work yourself to death sandin'. Let it do the work for ya. Same if ya start with a belt sander, or use a ros. The more pressure ya put on it, the more wood the sander is goin' to eat, in turn, more marks to deal with. Common sense kinda kicks in for most folks. I use a craft knife to clean the entire pattern off the the finished product. Then lightly go over it with a palm sander & 220 grit paper. Then do the back side, too. Hopefully I didn't over step my bounds. This is most of what I do. jm .02 pennies worth.

I think it's because it's something that you just have to develop over time and experience. If you never get the "feel" for what you are doing, you are not cut out for working with power equipment. Nothing like experience. It's still the best teacher. A certain amount of common sense enters the picture too. Ray

I found them!!! Most of these I made as pendants, but you can make them a bit smaller for earrings. It is a bit surprising how light weight wooden jewelry can be. The line on the top is the middle. Drill a hole to attach a jump ring or bail. The pdf called Necklaces, is an article I wrote a few years ago about jewelry making pieces and how they work. Also, never underestimate a simple shape with pretty wood. Some of my favorites are not the most intricate. I would be happy to help if you have any questions. Katie Jewelry Patterns.pdf Necklaces.pdf

Dick, Beautiful job. Such a nice clean cutting.

You went for the challenge Dick,and met it head on..you did a great job on it.

I love my new Hegner. They are more expensive but I was wanting a work horse.