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Started cutting this one yesterday afternoon, finished up this evening. Having a full-time job, family, and delusions of getting back into shape ("hey...I *have* a beach body!!! Ever see a beach without sand dunes? I'm a dune. You're welcome."), there's not much time left in the evenings. So after finishing the cuts and some quick edging with a nail file to get rid of the worst feathers, I'm calling it for the night. I'll finish up sanding the two Steve Good patterns tomorrow, and try to get a coat of stain on em. I'm thinking dark walnut.

These are very simple & fun to make....1/2" sanded ply with black construction paper backer.....I used my router table to roundover the edges....can make any combination....mine are 6x6.....comments as always...ty

After a dismal difficulty day in the shed yesterday I had another go and with Jessica’s help we produced this from a piece of old pallet wood. She had great fun painting it.

Well I have made a few Crosses,I managed to get down to my shop for a few days.I went thru some old patterns and came across these Crosses.I Love the Big one 16inch.Took some time to cut.The Heart & Dove was the easiest.Now on to some Ornaments.

Well I gave this pattern a try that Wayne made for me. I want to thank Wayne for doing this so quick for me. It's made out of 1/2 inch Oak with 1/4 inch backer board. I did have a little trouble with the logo part. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to cut the black lines or the white part of the logo. Well I cut the black lines and the pieces started falling out. I didn't want to start over so I continued to cut all the black lines around the logo. When I was done cutting everything out, I just glued the pieces back onto the backer board. I think it looks ok to me. What do you think. He's decided to hang it on his wall so I didn't have to make a stand for it.

When drilling holes with my Dremel Router the knob used to tighten the depth needs to be slightly loose to effect the up and down motion. Because the Dremel has a little vibration that knob tends to work it's way too lose and I have to thread it a bit. I made a simple fix. I added a nut to the knob then screwed the knob back into the router. I can now tighten the knob to prevent it backing out. The threads are metric so I don't know the thread size. I just found a nut in my junk box.

I was given a lot of thick free epay today. I was told it's very dense and hard and heavy. I asked if it can float for being as heavy as it is. My cutting is off, the wrong blade I think. First time trying Epay. The wood makes you slow down.

Today I had the day to myself as hubby had to go and see his consultant. So, I thought ''I'll have a go at something outside my comfort zone and see how it goes. Well I chose a portrait as I've never done one before and wanted to try my new blades. All went well initially, I got my pattern the way I wanted it, I cut my wood to size, I stuck my pattern onto the wood and then meticulously put 'entry holes' in all the places I thought I'd need them and boy there were quite a lot, but I was careful and did them all perfectly Then it all went to hell in a handbasket. I was cutting away, feeling quite pleased with myself,,, then I made a mistake in my cutting. Not that it concerned me too much BUT.. I realised that if I hadn't put all those entry holes into the wood, I could have used it for something else, but unfortunately I'm just left with a big square colander. that is neither use nor ornament. So my question is... When you all do something quite 'intricate' do you put all your entry holes in at the beginning or do you put them in as you go along? Or do you just not make the 'newbie' mistakes I made ? Brenda xx

Everyone can use a colander. I've mad several. Once I start drilling I can't seem to stop!

This topic has been touched on in some past postings and I have run into a similar situation like you. I did an airplane plaque with text. I drilled most of the holes and started on the text. I was into the second letter (A) and the middle broke off, then that piece fell to the floor into the netherworld of sawdust and wood chips never to be found again. So much for salvaging that project. If I had not been so ambitious to drill all the holes outright, I could have used the rest of the wood for another project. Its always fun to cut away big pieces on a project but its better to work on the fine detail cuts like text or eyes or mouths on portraits, first. If you screw up, you can still use those undrilled blank pieces for other projects.

"Scary" projects that I have done.

3/4"oak Jesus and a softwood cross 1/2"

depending on company they will have a tact rating on the side of the wraper when you buy it. Blue is med range and green is light range. Less tact with green as opposed to blue. Purple is another low tact tape color. Some cheap companies just color the tape and means nothing. 3M is good along with Frog tape Never use plain tan masking tape. You will have a real hard time getting that off. The longer you leave tape on the harder to remove. Some people use heat to remove easier and some will soak in MS. I have no problem with blue. If I have a real delicate project I will use purple or green. Those are my thoughts on the subject. Please read my second post to explain a little more about how no two tapes are equal. So be aware of this and do not make a blanket statement. Sorry if there is any confusion. Read the labels to be sure.

Not an introduction, but an update. I have finally made the move from Sacramento to my new home in Kansas City, MO. My son and his family moved here a year ago, and I missed them too much to stay in California. Happy to be reunited with them and to be in our new home. Bonus feature...I now have a large indoor room for a workshop! I can't wait to get started equipping it.

Scroll reverse FDSR#7 blade,so sharp and a joy to use again!!!

This is a 6 layer cutting. I used a pencil torch to highlight the Indian and horse. If you have never tried a torch on your cuttings side. You can practice on the backside. Don't over do it. You just want to scorch to highlight. John Old Dust

I sat down this morning to do my regular thing on my computer. I hit the space bar to bring it out of "sleep" mode. I heard the hard drive spool up and I waited for the screen to come on. Well, it didn't. I rebooted and it still didn't. I checked all the cables to make sure nothing had come loose. Nada. So, I hooked up a spare 15" monitor I had and it came to life. So, long story short, the monitor that I had been using for the last 12 years or more finally bit the dust. I know it was Mama's turn to buy something but she knows how important my computer is in our lives so, I got the go ahead to buy a new monitor. I found an Acer on Amazon that will match the box that I am using right now. That's another long story. Anyway, while researching that unit, I found that there were 10 factory recons with full warranty for $92. How can I go wrong. I'll even be upgrading to HDMI. And yes, I have a port for that on my box. So, one week from now or sooner, I'll be looking at a 23.5" LED HDMI monitor that should last me to the grave. Or not! Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for your patience.

My wife bought the computer then did not like it. Sooooooooooo she bought a new laptop and I have the HP. It works great, saves space and you are correct when it quits I'll go shopping.

Oh how I wish I had enough experience to expect the 'errors' to be rare, however, I should concentrate on what I'm doing in the moment instead thinking of what to cook for dinner, shopping, getting the ironing done, all running round in front of my blade while I'm cutting something.

I thank everyone who has contributed to my knowledge in this thread. My biggest take-away is that I would be wise to stick to what I know and the masking tapes that I know and trust for various jobs are: 3M tan, 3M green, and 3M blue.

I put them in as I go along. Used to do them one at a time but now I will do a small section of holes. Cut that area out and keep going like that. If i dont i end up with double holes or some of the holes get filled with sawdust and I have to drill them out again.

Nice job good clean cuts, good finish and cute as can be Dick heppnerguy

I have never had an issue cutting one side vs another. Though in the above design I would properly cut the complex side first. What is most important when cutting projects like these is keeping ALL the pieces in place until you have cut everything. For my compound pieces like above I always piece the piece in a holder. It keeps it together and provides stability and areas to gripe to prevent your hand from getting hit on the down stoke. After cutting the one profile I would wrap with clear tape or even "scotch tape" before cutting the other profile.

Howdy Mr. Ray, Thank you Sir. Make no Mistake, Sir, I don't aim to ramble on like I do, but here I kinda feel like I am able to just relax and "chatter" if that makes sense. I ain't the best at talkin' about things, but I can put it in words a lot easier. And, most times it gets drug out longer than it needs to be.:( It is embarrassin' at times, Mr. Ray, but my few rocks in the pond need clearin' out sometimes, ya know what I mean? Thank you for your kindness, My friend. Brad.

Well done Brenda. Not noticeable.

Howdy Mr. Ray, you have a good point, Mr. Ray. My sincere apologies to the womenfolk. It weren't intentional, I had just been chattin' you, Mr. Ray, and Mr. Chris, and just never thought about it, I reckon. I'll see to it I change that in the future, Mr. Ray. Thank you for bringin' that to my attention, and no offense taken, my friend. Brad.it

Howdy Gentlemen, I sincerely appreciate all your thoughts, prayers and concerns. It truly does mean an awful lot to us! That is the one MAIN reason I stay here is the family type setting, and the welcome feelin' a feller always gets when he's here, no matter what his situation is. You folks are the best bunch of fellers a man could ask for! I mean that from the heart, boys. Not just spittin' out words to see where they'll splatter! I've always been the type of feller to help folks where I can to the best of my ability, even when I was trucking. My Father raised me to stop and lend a hand if at all possible, no matter the situation. You never know what you might be steppin' into, but in them days, folks weren't a feared of folks like they are now a days. I cannot begin to tell you the number of tragic accidents I have helped with, womenfolk I have changed a flat tire for, or gave them a jump because they didn't have a set of booster cables. Gave them and their kinfolk a ride to the next town to a motel til the next morning so they could call a mechanic to work on their vehicle. I have stopped for pregnant womenfolk and their husbands right here close to home and brought them to our home so they could call their kinfolk to come pick them up from where ever. I have been blessed with a wonderful bride, 3 great step children, and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, with another grandson on the way. How my bride has put up with my career of 30 years of trucking is beyond me, but she has, and trust me when I tell you, I have put her through hell with it. Snow storms, icy roads, Rain & hail, tornadoes, 2 hurricanes, and years of blizzards and ice. She is 18 years to my senior, but she is my rock, gentlemen. The last 15 years I was on the road I was out anywhere from three weeks to two and a half months. It pulls hard on a marriage. Somehow we made it. The woodworking was all her and our Sawbones' idea. They seemed to think I needed a stress reliever for the 36 hours I was home. My Sawbones told me when him and Mary Ann made this executive decision, that if I didn't stop thinkin', eatin' breathin', & drinkin' trucks, there was goin' to be a mighty small funeral right here in St. Francis. Mine! He said I'd best take heed to what they were tryin' to do for me! So, I tried to slow down a little, and not knowing a damn thing about wood or woodworking, my bride marched me right down to our meager little library, and I began huntin' books on wood species, woodworking, tools for woodworking, and took them books along with me on the truck to read on my sit time. Some of them I read more'n once. When I got back in, I returned those books, and found a few more. Some on scroll saw projects, blades, routers, etc. About a month later, my loving bride had it set up for us to go and have a look see at some used tools. This feller had passed on, and his bride had some of his construction tools up for sale. Weren't nothin' fancy, but I didn't want anything to shiny because I was just a greenhorn then. He had a Craftsman RAS, a miter saw, Craftsman router with a few burnt up bits, a square, a palm sander, a Craftsman circular saw, a single speed Craftsman scroll saw, and a few other odds and ends hand tools. We wound up with the whole lot for $200. A decent buy we thought. Everything worked. I still use the sander and miter saw. The RAS finally bought the farm. And we have since replaced it, and added numerous other tools to our arsenal. Probably more than I will use the rest of my life. The point of all this is, it ain't about what's in your shop or how shiny your tools are, it's about the friendship and the camaraderie we have amongst us to support one another when we need pickin' up and holdin' up. The listenin' ear that is always there when one of us need it, a shoulder to lean on when the time comes. We don't know one another personal like, but we are all here because we are interested and involved in scrolling. This gives us a common bond to start with, and from there, friendships begin to build like wild fire! And it is an awesome thing to see! I enjoy everyone here, and have personal contact with a few of you. Please, don't hesitate to email me or pm at anytime. Your thoughts and support are always welcome and very much needed right now. Thank you for allowing me to ramble. I apologize for the length of this. I hadn't planned on this bein' so drug out, but it is. Thank you all very much again for your support and thoughts! We sincerely appreciate you all! Brad & Mary Ann.

It's Fall Y'all Pumpkins & Spooky Cat I got the idea for the pumpkins and cat on Pinterest. I didn't use any one particular photo but several to which I incorporated some of my own ideas. I cut all from scraps of 3/4" Baltic birch ply and 1/4" pine ply. I already had some bases cut from pine with scrolled edges that I made during my practice with the router. I used one of them and scrolled a hole big enough to hold a piece of 1 1/2" x 1/4" ripped pine left over from a cabinet I made last year. I attached a PKG of 20 battery operated mini lights to the back (that are a little hard to see in this picture) but look great in low light, then finished it off with artificial leaves to get the balance of fall color I wanted.

It means you are one super Goodfella!

Amazon sales have been keeping me busy so I haven't made much "New" stuff lately.. did find time to finish up these clocks today.. and cut the Bacon LOL

Can't remember when I bought our present monitor.It has been awhile.Hope yours arrives sooner.

Wish I could paint as good.

Cedar is brittle and heat makes it worse. Reduce your saw speed. Forget pine. Because of grain patterns it is really not a great compound cut wood. Try poplar or even basswood if available.

I was just notified that I earned a Heart. I don't know what that means but it must be something good. And, I hit 1000 on something else too.

How could you not have a great day, with a cute little helper like that!!

Personally, I do both. Some times I drill all the holes.. sometimes I get tired of drilling and stop that and scroll a while then drill some more... I have created colanders before and probably will again! Goes with the hobby.

Very nice cutting!

Never heard of epay wood. But way back in school I had a teacher tell me “he could build a world around what I didn’t know & put what I did know in a thimble.” LOL

Best to read the labels on the tape. It should tell you how many days you have to get the tape off cleanly. Most are either 7 or 14 days. The green tape works best for dirtier surfaces and will be more sticky. If I'm masking on concrete or stucco I use the green tape from the paint store that says right on it "for brick or concrete". My local box store doesn't carry this type tape. I wouldn't recommend it for wood projects. Even the blue tape has different purposes. Some blue tape is used for smooth surfaces and others are used for uneven surfaces. I'll add to the pot and just say read the label and you'll be fine.

Just confirming that you are "all Heart" Ray.

Love it.Fantastic job!! I'm also a Dune.

The biggest problem with small bandsaws like that is heat. Being it is a smaller travel distance for a smaller blade it has to work 2 or 3 times harder than a full size. heat will stretch those blades and the constant heating and cooling and they do not last long. That is why I would love to own a 16" Laguna. Also the blade guides are probably metal so as they run on the side of the blade they add heat. The motors are undersized but have to really work hard if cutting hard woods or acrylics Just food for thought.

Howdy Mr. Kevin, Good to hear from you, my friend. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, Sir. Things have been kinda hectic around here since the end of July, to be right honest about it. My bride had her knee scoped, and started physical therapy. Then managed to get herself dehydrated and passed out on me three times in one day. The third time she passed out, she went down on her right knee, the one that had been scoped 5 weeks earlier. When she hit the floor, it made a loud "pop" and she was unresponsive. So, I called an ambulance and they took her to the hospital. Her knee was ok, just bruised, but she was severely dehydrated. Our Sawbones pumped 2 liters of fluids in her, and said her sodium level was extremely low. We moved physical therapy from here at home to the hospital, and the longer that went on, the worse her pain become, so we wound up seeing her surgeon. They done some imaging of her knee, and it is sitting bone on bone. Now we are preparing for a complete knee replacement. Two weeks ago, I tore my back up perty good. I tied into a couple of boxes that were bigger than I anticipated they were, and I had to tote them up steps into the house to boot. By the time that was over, I was in bad shape. So I have been going to PT myself. And being involved with these online classes I am taking, I don't have much spare time to hardly think, much less get to the shop. I miss getting back on here to see what everyone is up to and the projects going on. How have you been, my friend? Bought any "new" scroll saws lately? Keep in touch. Brad.

Ray In looking at your ceiling can't you just lay two 2 x 4's to each side on the shelf's and just set the Wen unit on top in the middle of the room ? Just a quick observation?

Perfect fitting present,!!!

its not an easy cut for sure, obviously depending on what wood you use and how thick it is. The one I posted was 3/4 red oak and the grain really made the piece what it is. I have people come to my place and spend a significant amount of time with it. While not seeming to be tough it is harder than it looks especially when you get to the really intricate few that are really really small parts as they get to the twister, also the two corner pieces top right and bottom left should NOT be saved till last. You should cut those prior to cutting everything on either side. I almost lost one but saved it. I ended up using tape to keep a lot of them together while cutting the rest of the piece as they seemed like they could break anytime. I would think that if the material you use is too thin it may not be strong enough

That turned out great !

Still smiling

I used a hammered textured spray paint. https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-7215830-Hammered-Finish-12-Ounce/dp/B00106C9CK

I have found that a lot of people that have no knowledge of the foot control assume that it is like a sewing machine control. Variable speed.