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Is there such a thing as segmentarsia? if, not i just invented it! This piece is actually all 1/4 inch wood but built up to look like it is a true Intarsia. I couldn't afford to buy, and in some cases even find the thicker pieces of wood needed to make a true Intarsia piece, so i improvised. the walnut is the only wood not shimmed up to give the different levels look. now ome questions i have: even after cutting all the pieces out when i tried to put them all together i ran into many that simply wouldn't fit together. i spent many a hour sanding and shaping to get them to finally fit. so what exactly did i do wrong when cutting them all out? I know this isn't exactly the forum for questions, but i didn't want to post this twice. thanks, ray

Cut this over the spring, but just now posting it. I have decided I HATE cutting letters out like that. It's soo much harder to cut them I had to tape a playing card down to the table to keep the opening tight so the letters wouldn't just fall through. Made with curly maple and some walnut.

This flashback memory popped up on my wife's Facebook page this morning... 5 years ago today, my first craft event. Then versus Now... It's been an absolute blast and a fun journey. I wandered down to that market the previous Saturday, asked who managed it, showed him a photo on my phone of one of the puzzles and he said "Nice. Be here next Saturday." WHAT??? I had never done anything like this, didn't have a tent, tables... heck, I didn't a banner, business cards... or even INVENTORY!!! LOL But it was a great first week and has been amazing ever since.

Actually, I was told long ago by an admin that the Intarsia/Segmentation subforum was created for people to discuss questions and problems related to those areas of scrolling but that it was intended for finished projects to be put in the “Bragging Rights”. They wanted people to be able to see the finished pieces and not everyone goes to that subforum. I know that many of us, myself included, still tend to put our finished pieces over there, but they are more then worthy of being bragged on here as well.in this instance Ray is showing his piece and asking a question so either place works I think. it’s a beautiful piece Ray. Usually, in my experience, when pieces don’t fit well together it’s because I am pushing the pieces when cutting and thus they are going out of square. Another cause can be not being careful on the cutting of the line and being consistent in where you cut. Some people try to split the line, others try to stay to one side or another. The May key is to take your time and be consistent in what you do. As far as using “raising shims” to give you more depth to woods that you want to appear to be thicker, that is common practice by many an Intarsia artist, including Judy Gale Roberts. She teaches doing so in her classes. She just doesn’t do the outside pieces so you wouldn’t see from the edges. Judy has lots of good help articles on her website if you have never checked it out. This one relates to Scroll Sawing for Intarsia for example https://intarsia.com/blogs/news/scroll-sawing-tips

Firstly I wanted to make just tractor, than added grass and fence, then decided to add background - barn and trees, so came out whole countryside scene. Tractor pattern Video of making tractor project

I decided to make this for my wife's return home after 3 weeks away from me. I thought it just might be better for me if I made her a return gift, since I have been busy in my shop making requests and nothing for her. See, I really am a little smarter than you all thought I was. This is a Steve Good pattern that has a riser on it so that it really is not totally attached to the backer board so when the lighting is right, it looks almost 3D. I made another frame attempt to set it off. I hope she likes it when I bring her home tomorrow. Dick heppnerguy

Howdy all. Looks like SSV crashed. Thanks to @meflick for letting me know. If SSV is down and you can't access it, feel free to email me at travis[at]scrollsawvillage.com to let me know. I only pop in a couple times a day to check on things. This week, I'm on holiday, so I'm a little less frequent. Otherwise, I won't notice until I try to log in again. An email will allow me to get thing fixed right away. Thanks all!

I finished another car pattern. This one stems off my very favorite automobile ever....the 1935 Ford. Ford made some design changes from the 1935, the following year but pretty much saved the best of the 35 and made a little different look to it. I figure, this way when a person bought the new 1936 it was recognized as a NEW car. Anyway, I struggled tremendously when I cut a detailed 1957 Chevy and was at my wits ends with all the problems I had with it, so much so, that I came really close to giving up scrolling. Luckily for me, I calmed down and finished it. This time I decided to have a go and hang in there and just get this project finished without loosing my cool. I did run into a major problem when a fairly large part broke off but I was determined to not get upset and not give up. I glued the broken part up when I mounted the car on the backer board and commence to make a frame for it. I made it with 1/4 inch BB Ply and made one choice that I wished I hadn't and that was to cut it with a spiral blade. I felt pretty comfortable the last time I used a spiral and decided that if I did not use it more often I would loose what little spiral blade ability I had worked to achieve. I guess I should have not done it on this pattern but I made it for myself so I can live with my mistaken choice, if it did not turn out to be a good choice this time. So here is what I ended up with and it is going to hang in my den with my 1935 Ford that love looking at daily. Dick heppnerguy

Heres a few of the ones Ive done in Aluminum

Another one for the books. This was a request from a co-worker for her nephew. Steve Good pattern. Personalized the collar. Walnut craft plywood from KJP Hardwoods. The dog is poplar. Not sure what the collar is, just a small piece from the "garbage bin". Finished with tung-oil.

Nobody mentioned that the bandsaw can only cut outside lines. The scroll saw can cut both inside and outside. I have both types of saw as well as a cheap jig saw. I don't make decorative stuff. I like to make things that have a function. Boxes, bowls and baskets so far have been my interest. In my mind I think I see what you want to make and I can see where you might want both a bandsaw and a scroll saw. If you do decide to buy a scroll saw, stay away from any of the under $200 saws. They will more than likely just frustrate you. For that same amount or maybe a bit more, you can find a good used middle to top end saw. I just purchased on Craigslist a Hegner 18" Multimax saw that retails for $1500. I bought it for $250. I'll pick it up tomorrow. There are so many used saws for sale that you should be able to find a good Dewalt, Delta, Hawk, Excalibur or Hegner for under $500 and that's the top figure. So far, I've not spent more than $300 on any of the used saws that I have purchased. I now will have 3 of the very best saws made and none of them have the "Made in China" label attached to them. That is a real "plus" in my book. Best of luck in your decision making but I don't think you will go wrong with a scroll saw. They can be used for many things. And welcome to The Village. Many great and knowledgeable folks here. I came here a total newbie knowing nothing about scrolling and these great folks have helped me every inch of the way. Thanks to all!

I have to admit I have my scroll saw in a heavy duty metal welders table, so I get zero vibration. And I had top blade slippage problems. I had to rework that situation, now I need two hands to tighten the top blade. Also need to change out the screw and nut out every few weeks. Time consuming yes, but doable. If you saw my saw setup you would think “what the heck”. Do I think a better saw would be nice, yes I do, but this one works for me. I wish my saw could accept 2.5 “ thick wood.

Thinking a little differently. For the fishing rod holders, use a jig saw to cut them and a router for doing the edges with round overs. Need to cut a straight line? Use guide it is pretty easy. Jig was are very versatile and a decent one with good blades will last a very long time. Mine is about 14 - 15 years old and still going strong with almost daily use. Band saws are great for cutting thicker wood, re-sawing boards and cutting curves. This band saw boxes. You are limited by the depth of the throat and the power of the motor. Scroll saws are quite versatile. They can cut delicate art to some more bulky items. The thicker the wood the slower you go and using the right blade. All things have a learning curve. For scrolling, this is the best place you could ever find. Great people willing to help and supply answers or suggestions. I use a scroll saw for a lot of things, I do have a good one though. Before investing a lot of money to get a decent tool sit down and think of the types of projects you want to do. Then get the best tool for the job you can afford. You can always grow and learn new things as you go along. I have been at this for a good while and still learn something each and everyday. So grab a coffee a comfy seat and give some serious thought as what you want to do. You will be much happier and satisfied in the end. One last thought. There is NO one tool that does everything never has been, never will be.

thanks everyone who commented and gave advice, suggestions. coming from all of you on this site means a lot since there are so many on here that have inspired my whole endeavor into the scroll saw world several years ago. all of you are simply the best! ray

First... Beautiful piece! My attempt to answer your question. Ever cut you make you lose a small amount of wood due to the thickness of the blade. It sounds like your work was cut from one piece of wood as segmentation. When you piece them all together you can lose a lot from the kerf. In intarsia, the pieces are mostly cut individually to the exact size or very slightly larger, then sanded to fit perfectly. My experience with intarsia is to cut a few pieces the fit them together. Then cut an adjacent piece and sand to fit. Then keep repeating. In my little brain it makes sense, I hope it makes sense to you.

Thanks for getting it fixed so fast after my email Travis. I tried a couple times earlier in the day and waited a bit “just in case” it might resolve before I attempted to check with you to see if it was in fact down or if it was maybe just a problem on my end. Glad it’s resolved. Was missing my village friends.

Yes ..The Eagles are out of 3mm aluminum cut on a jet 22b scroll saw with a No5 reverse ...Just need to go at slow speed and try not to let blade bite into the metal or it pulls it in ..Here are a couple of better views of them ... I do quite a lot in Aluminum

I hope she likes it. If not, she will probably say she does, anyway. So then I get one brownie point from you and one brownie point from her. That sort of make me a winner. Dick heppnerguy

Browny points for you Dick, you did an excellent job.

I've thought about trying to make a plexi table covering for zero clearance.. But I don't really cut out things to keep that would need it. So the playing card worked for me.

Your playing card idea to create a zero clearance for your letters, was a pretty good one. I bought a saw from Scrappile about 4 years ago and he had made a 1/4 inch, smooth table covering, for lack of another word, and left an inch circle cut into it when he cut a piece with a small hole, just big enough to put his blades through and that created a zero clearance. I have to recut a piece every six months to keep the hole small Dick heppnerguy

For me.....as I cut my pieces for intarsia or segmentation, I place the pieces together in place, just to see how they look and how well the cuttings match. If I find the new piece is a little off in matching or I don't like the way that piece of wood matches, I cut another. After I have all my pieces cut and have the fit that I like, I start shaping and again returning the pieces in the finished position. When I have the finish on all my pieces, except the bottom part, (and my backer board it cut with all the pieces in place on it ), I start on the largest outside pieces and and glue them onto the backer board, resting tightly against the other unglued pieces, that are still in place on the backer board, and let them dry well before I do any more gluing. Once the glue has dried well, I start to glue the pieces that butt up against the glued ones, using the already glued pieces as a barrier. That way I can keep all the pieces matched up well and tightly together. That way I can help to stay away from ending up with a piece that has slid a little out of place from the slippery glue underneath it and making unneeded spaces later along the way. I love your project, by the way. You did an amazing job. I expect to see more of this kind of work in the future from you. Very exciting project. Dick heppnerguy

I had to really be determined to even finish it. I do the best I can and I found this one to end up being another learning piece. I know I should be able to do a better job on it, if and when I can get around to cutting it again. I have so many patterns that I want to cut. Thank you so much for your nice words of encouragement. I am so grateful for you to take your time to send me those. Dick heppnerguy

You have every right to brag about this piece! It is really nice. Meflicks advice is spot on! So I will repeat some of it. Regarding Intarsia tips and techniques the intarsia section may get you more specific guidance. That said, for fit Cutting precision is crucial, be consistent, as crazy as it may sound I try to split the line to the outside, trying to minimize what you lose with the blade Kerf. I also try to use the smallest thinnest blade I can get away with. An example the Pegas MGT 3 12.4 TPI cuts a kerf .014" so on your wing where there are 11 pieces, depending on how you cut it. If segmentation 5 cuts remove .07" of material. So it is easy to see that cutting to minimize the kerf loss on a large piece becomes critical. I do use the MG 1R kerf .0114 so the same five cuts remove .057

Well done. Like Tomanydogs, I thought the hook would be on the paw.

Sorry about that Ray, I was talking about the Kirjes sander and its attachments. One of those senior moments I'm afraid. I need some bits for the Kirjes sander as I want to try those scroll saw shells by Steve Garrison. Don W

Beautiful............Awesome work Bernd. Marg

Just to clarify. My entry level could not hold blades. It didnt break them. My unit did not have a lot of vibration but my neighbors did. I was trying to saw 2.5 inches of wood also. The blade always came out of the bottom clamp. So I had to run with less blade tension. I was trying hard wood and needed higher tension.

Really sweet. Looks like a lot of detailed cutting!

Very nice, the colors go together well. I have had the same problem learning to do intarsia. I cut out all my pieces and then tried to make them fit. I tried Dan's method and it works much better for me.

That’s great. Looked at the first picture and thought he must be putting a hook in the center of the paw. Looked further at the second picture and thought what an awesome cool idea. Well done.

What a beautiful piece, I think you should be very proud of your work. @meflick is right. As long as you show us your work and we can marvel at it.

Yeah, cutting letters is hard depending on the font, size, etc. - BUT - the extra time spent getting them right pays off in an impressive piece - LIKE YOURS. GOOD JOB!!!

I went through this question recently. My situation did have a difference. Should I keep my scroll saw or sell it to get laser cutter? I joined this group 6 months ago to learn what I can do with scroll saw. I learned that my entry level scroll was limiting my creativity. Because of frustration. Not being able to hold blades very well was a big reason. My midset started off what can I do that laser cutter can't. So just starting off and trying some hard projects with entry level saw was a bad idea. But because I had a want to do something that a laser can not do I got advice from this village to get a good saw on craigslist. With everyones help here I found a great saw Hawk for $400.00. A lot of my frustration instantly went away. Lasers cutters can not cut at an angle. So I made bowls from single board. I tried successfully to angle cut to inlay top wood into bottom wood. Stack cutting at small angle. That is cool. I tried to cut a pattern into a small diameter branch. I found and kinda got hooked on "intarsia" art pieces. Notice I tried different stuff. I have not tried "fretwork". Yet. Lasers can do this BUT these guys here do some amazing stuff. So I will try fretwork soon. There is functional wood art, Kinectic art. This sounds really cool also. So your question is found through out this site. My advice is get a good saw to start with. Craigslist or local ebay. Make your fishing pole holders. Then start asking yourself what else can I make. If you do not like the saw. Sell it for more money you paid for it.

Scroll saws are at their best cutting wood 3/4" and thinner. They can cut thicker wood, but not easily. I think most can cut up to 1 1/2", but that is a pita. They also have a limited cutting capacity, with the depth of the table's throat limiting the area that can be cut. If a cut is farther from the edge of the board than the depth of the throat, it cannot be cut with that scroll saw. Also, scroll saws are not the tool of choice for cutting straight lines. That is what a table saw or track saw is for. If I were building fishing rod holders, I would choose the saw based on the thickness of the wood, which would probably be 3/4", so a scroll saw would be a good choice for any curved areas. You could cut the straight parts with the scroll saw and then plane or sand them to the straightness required. The main reason I would choose the scroll saw for this over a band saw is that the edges cut on the scroll saw require minimal sanding, mainly to remove the fuzzies on the corners of the cut. If you are going to rout the edges, then even that is not necessary. With a band saw, all the edges would need sanding to remove the saw marks and smooth the curves, which can take a lot of time. This could also be cute with a jig saw, but the edges again needing sanding. For more on choosing a scroll saw, you can look for some of the videos by Steve Good on You tube. He and many others have discussed this topic in great detail. Tom Wilson

Really very nice and good job with the frame. Fits very nicely.

I did something similar to that.. You did a great job on it.

That is so nice, I’ve put it on my to try list. Thank you for posting those are very inspirational.

I’m glad to hear that. I too have a very loving and happy marriage like yours, and I’m thankful everyday.

Thanks Meflick! I should have done it too. I noticed it early this morning but figured Travis was doing some house work.

No, I am the lucky one. she is a wonderful woman and we love each other a lot. Our marriage is the most important thing to us. We have been together since our high school days and both feel really blessed to still be alive, in pretty good health and still in love.

I know exactly what you mean. I to have had a lot of errors in my years of scrolling. I loved to see how fast I could knock out a piece and this contributed to my breakouts and errors. Now I have slowed down and i am trying to improve my work in my old age but I still have me problems. The good thing is I am still learning from my mistakes and I think I will continue to improve if I keep the speed down and the attention up. Thanks for all your nice comments. I do appreciate them a lot Dick heppnerguy

Beautiful job Bernd! Bubinga was an excellent choice for this. In the first picture, the end grain of the top seems to match the end grain of the piece below it. Where did you get the pattern for this?

You definitely kicked it up a notch, heck, several! It came out fantastic and you nailed the grill!

I have not found one coat solutions. For me it's spray, sand, spray, sand spray. That's a minimum for me. The first layer raises a bit of wood fiber. Subsequent layers are smoother. I usually have a terrible time with finishing. Guess I'm not patient enough.

I think you did great..... I only hope I can do nearly as well...

It was the middle name of my favorite Aunt.

Nice work. It's a leash holder, correct? Hangs over the tail?

My co-worker was very happy with the piece. Showed it to everyone in the office!

Eagles are made from 3mm Aluminum ..14 inches high ..bird is made of ply