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Haven’t been too active on scroll saw lately. Busy outside with the summer weather also been getting into some whittling projects. But Here is an xmas ornament and a couple frig magnets I got done.

Did a portrait on my B-I-L from many years ago. 1/8" BBPW on 1/4" base, lacquer finish. Plaque is for his nephew. He trains K-9's in Germany. 1/8" BBPW on 1/4" backer. Time to give the portraits a rest for a while.

I figured since I had been resizing puzzle patterns to make them as ornaments.. I could do the same thing with my car clock patterns.. this is the first of many I plan to add into my website inventory.. Should be awesome sellers as my clocks always fly off the shelves.. I'll also add the duster clock cutting.

My BF is a big Red Wings fan so I made this for him. The red felt has been cut to size and glued on the back.

In the past I used real candles. I got thinking about the liability issues with them and switched to the flickering LED ones. I have done a few Schibbogens and only use the battery led lights. They do a great job on lighting it up too.

Spray lacquer for me quick drying and easy I LIKE EASY. Roly

ok, now that my family has gotten several presents made by me and has put my name out there this year a lot of friends are asking me to do Christmas/Birthday projects for them also. I thought i had asked this question a while back, but i couldn't find the replies. So how do i go about figuring out what to charge for these projects? I've pondered trying to keep track of how long it takes me, but i'll get distracted and forget to stop or start my timer for each sessions i'm working. I estimated the cost work materials that's fairly easy, but it's the time invested that i just can't figure out. I'm not out to gouge anyone, but it would be nice to be compensated for the time involved. Most of the patterns i'm using i've bought so i'm not having to factor in designing. i've enclosed just a few samples of what i've done. right now i have 29 offers for Christmas! Glad i've started early! LOL thanks, gang, for all your tips, replies and advices in advance. ray johnson

I make this clock with Diego Maradona.

A bit fishy today out in the shed first of all half a dozen fish puzzles then to finish of the evening Jonah and the whale puzzle

Had this pattern hanging around for a while so I finally decided to cut it out. It's 1/4 inch B/B with 1/8 B/B backer. Sprayed the front with gloss enamel. Measures around 9 x 10. I may hang it just the way it is. Found this pattern online.

I like the Duster, great job! My first new car was 72 Duster. You can't buy a good used for what I paid for it new $2700.

Check on some scrap to make sure the shellac dries properly. Standard rule of thumb is that pre-mixed shellac has a shelf life of 3 years, provided the can has not been opened.

The beauty of this process is the ornaments are dry and ready to string or tie in 30 minutes. I sell 100's of ornaments each year and this is real time saver. Gonzo I have never had an evaporation issue. I mix and store in an old shellac can. Unlike poly or tung oil or lacquer shellac is thinned with denatured alcohol.

Just paint. What paint - don`t now. Daughter did the paintwork and pattern.

Puzzlemobile is loaded... one snapshot shows the 530 puzzles I'm taking, and then the rest of the "stuff" piled on. Leaving in an hour to stay with friends. Early morning tomorrow, up at 4:30am to get to the venue and setup.

If the ornament is in wood, I dip in tung oil let dry well and spray with poly. Most of my ornaments are in Baltic Birch and I don't like the edges so I paint. Usually I spray with rattle can - white or gold. I use the Rustoleum gold Glitter for the if available. Often I the white spay the with Glitter Blaster silver of gold. I have then sprayed with a sealer (not very often as expensive). Sometimes I high light leaves or bells with craft paint.

Lots of ways to address this. Bending wood you need to make a form and a steam bending box. Long process but works great. You can also cut it on a band saw depending on your equipment. You can make a jig and create the inside on a table saw carefully. Then trim the outside and sand the to a finished dimension. But JT probable stated the easiest way cutting staves and gluing together. I've done this in all the processes described but it comes to the wood of choice and the properties of that that wood.

I use tung oil for the most part. Dries quick and leaves a nice finish look.

Hi Kevin, well I cut the cowboy boot out with the spurs as the interlocking pieces. Took me about 1.5 hours just to cut it out, I still need to sand it tomorrow. I'm pretty happy with it, I think there a couple pieces that won't go together from the front and back. So I'm still pretty happy with it.

That looks like my first saw only over here in Australia it is known as a Carbatec. & they sell for $800 Australian dollars.The saw served me well for quite a few years until I upgraded to a EX21. Cheers Peter

Depends on the time of year as to what finish I use for any of my items other than portrait work.. During the warmer months.. I use Danish Oil.. have used the 50/50 BLO / Mineral spirits but I find that Danish oil does the same thing and ads a sealer to it as well which is IMO better.. In the colder months when things take longer to dry etc.. and to avoid mailing out a strong smelling package I use a homemade brew of beeswax and mineral oil.. this finish can be applied and mailed out the same day.. actually I believe as well as many of my friends and family that this mix actually looks better than any of the other finishes.. BUT... it is a tedious job brushing the mix on the wood and getting it into all the fretwork areas etc.. then heating it up to melt it into the wood as a liquid.. once dried it gives a very nice sheen that i cannot get with any other finishing types. But.. for durability and ease of use.. I do use the Danish oil as much as possible.. Portrait work is the only thing I finish with a poly spray.. everything else is the above mentioned..

My answer is do not bend it. Not worth the effort. If you need the curve then make staves and do it in pieces. Angle cut the sides so that it forms the arc needed and glue back together. Much more stable.

I have always used rattle can sprays and have used several types such as Deft (can't find that locally anymore), Minwax polyurethane, Krylon Clear, Rustoleum Polyurethane, and the last two cans I bought were Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel. I seem to get the same results with any of those brands so, if you choose to try any of those, I suppose you can just let the price be your guide! Just follow the directions and apply thin, even coats and two coats should be enough protection for ornaments. God Bless! Spirithorse

I dip mine in a 50/50 mixture of shellac and denatured alcohol.

Ooooh Ecky Thump, I've bought it.. I got it for £200. A bit of wheeling and dealing perhaps, but us oldies have to 'bargain' LOL. I do hope I like it otherwise my other half may not be so happy.

Finished this piece up today it's 2 pieces of 1/2" plywood glued and screwed together. 10"h by 20"w with to coats of sanding sealer on it and 3 coats of spray polyurethane.

Ya, John, I have that problem.... finally got my with trained to warm me when she is approaching. I wish others would let me know also. It can be dangerous some times.

I always jump when a blade breaks and I have broken more than my fair share over the years. What makes me jump more is when I'm lost in my scrolling with a good old Country CD playing and my wife or Grandson come into the shed and talk or touch me. I leave my boots behind

If you think breaking a scroll saw blade is scary, try standing still when a bandsaw blade breaks. Pallet wood can be made of most anything, largely dependent on where the pallet is made. It's typically low grade wood that isn't suitable to be sold for anything else, but for scrolling, you can find some decent material. A couple words of caution though. First, the wood may not be kiln dried, so it may not be very stable, especially after planning. Also, only select pallets that are clean. If they look like they've had stuff spilled on them, you have no idea what it may have been and it could be toxic. Different countries have different regulations about using native lumber for shipping crates and pallets. Some are very restrictive so as to prevent the introduction of invasive species of bugs and organisms that may be harmful. Others, not so much. So you really don't know what you are getting. Inspect the wood very carefully before sawing or planning. If it looks like something may be living or growing in the wood, do not bring it home. We get crates and pallets at work from all over. I've seen walnut, cherry, oak, pine and maple mostly, but many years ago I scavenged some wood from a crate that I believe is either Sapele or some type of Mahogany. It wasn't fine furniture wood, but it made some interesting projects. I think I still have some of it.

Construction sites (especially remodels!) are great places to rummage for wood scraps that you won't have to worry about making firewood out of. Those big industrial bins out front (we call 'em "skips" here in the US, for some reason) where they load all the trash? Find a foreman and ask if you can grab a board or two, usually they'll get someone to dive in and start handing boards out to you! Also, old pallets can be good, if they're in decent enough shape. You can either pry the slats off, or use a metal saw, slipping the blade in between the boards to cut the nails. Then put a Phillips screwdriver on the newly-cut nail shaft (easy to find, it'll be nice and shiny), give it a tap, and that'll lift the head so you can get a claw hammer under it without gouging up the wood too badly. A little bit of effort, and boom, easy scrap wood for playing around, getting to know your saws better, and honing your skills.

Thank you all for your kind words. It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one that has been so startled by a blade breaking. I'll go back to the saw in a day or two perhaps. I only use Baltic Birch as that's all I have, fortunately lots of it in varying thicknesses. I'd love to work with wood one day, but that's for the future when I have more experience and am less likely to make firewood out of it.

And hearing that from the Master scroller Luperez548, I'm highly honored sir!