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Commissioned heart shaped box made of Padauk and Maple with a velvet bottom.

Sheila Landry Pattern Measures 12x16

Did a portrait of my sister. She likes it so I guess it's a win. 1/2" red oak.

Not sure about blades but I think it takes 3 licks to get to the center of a tootsie roll tootsie pop. LOL

When I show something I've cut to others, the first question I usually get is "How long did it take you to make that?" People are often disappointed when I them I have no idea. I also have no idea how many blades I go through on a given project...unless & until I run out. I will admit that I sometimes wonder about blade life, but usually only with respect to comparing different blades or different brands. If I get 2 minutes or 20 minutes out of a blade, it's really irrelevant to me in the context of the project I'm working in. When the blade is dull, I change it. Doesn't matter what previous history may have indicated or what my expectations were. However, if I happen to switch to a different brand and notice an increase or decrease in relative cutting time, then that is something worth noting for future reference. But even then, blade life isn't necessarily the only factor I consider when deciding what blade to use. Some blades just work better for me in a given application. Blade life is one part of the equation, not the singular answer.

Another goblin. I saw a photo on google and decided to print it to make my pattern, here is the result. I painted it with watercolors so as not to lose the grain of the wood Thank you in advance for your comments, greetings to all!

Got two Russ Beard patterns done, both were a lot of fun but each was over 400 cuts. The wolf one is done on a 3/4 inch oak TV tray. the 2 tigers are done on oak also but it is several strips I edge glued up for a cutting piece, it is about a 1/2 inch thick. Blades used were on the 3/4 piece #5 UR dutchman and for the 1/2 oak # 3 UR dutchman blades. All worked good for me. Had a small issue on the large 3/4 inch oak but Charlie Hand helped out and gave me a couple of tips that worked great. My thanks to Russ for both patterns I really am happy how they came out.

I use two pieces of wood and some spring clamps for this. I have tried every method, but I prefer the spring clamps because I never need to readjust them. Other clamps will loosen as you cut. I like the plastic/nylon clamps because they will not damage my blade if I cut into the clamp accidentally.

Jim, Is that yin yang a segmented cut where you stained pieces different and put them back together?

In many hole patterns, it is not how many holes I can cut before a blade breaks, but how many holes I can thread WITHOUT kinking the blade. When that happens I know shortly thereafter the blade will break. The need to use very small pilot holes for many intricate patterns make threading the blades difficult and kinking the blade much more likely. A #2/0 spiral blade is a snug fit in a #68 drill bit hole and I have broken more than one new blade immediately after trying to thered it the first time only to have it kink. In patterns that have larger cut outs, a larger pilot hole can be used and if I'm careful, no kinks and the blade will last a very long time.

Probably Wayne said it best.. that is why I made a educated guess on my times as I never really paid attention to actual times.. ( I might be surprised at how wrong I may be LOL). BUT I will go back to my thought process that keeping track of "actual cut time" rather than how many holes or how many projects etc.. would be a way more accurate test... Speaking of different wood types.. also consider that the same type of wood can have different density and moisture content.. probably most accurate test would also be done with BBply as in my opinion it is probably the most consistent in density etc. than any other wood I've cut.

A few cutting in the new shop. The Ice skate, Dream Catcher and Cupid are cut from 1/4 inch Furniture Grade Pine ( my new favorite) . I bought the pine at Johnson workshop and I really like it. It cuts easy and there is very little sanding. Has anyone else used this wood? Thoughts?

A few pictures of my She Shed. The Scroll Saw part is finished. I still have to bring up the Stained Glass stuff.

I like that Charlie. I never thought of cutting a portrait from oak. I always use B/B Ply. How wide is that oak. Looks like maybe 8inch.

Good tip. I have also been skeptic about using packing tape. After reading your comments, I will keep it in mind and try using it when it seems I have the need for it Dick heppnerguy

oh yes. I thought you were saying you use a vice to hold the boards together when you stack cut. This vice I have made also and use it for my 3 dimensional cuts. they are a great asset. I made both sizes of them. Thanks for the explanation. Dick heppnerguy

Oh Wow ! Great job,, beautiful sister !!

That was the one I was asking about. Looking to change out a shelf for a workbench. Needing more counter space now.

fantastic job, it's beautiful

excellent job, very attractive sister

awesome job

Stunning!

Pretty lady...Pretty cutting.

Beautiful and extreamly well done!

Great work with beautiful woods.

Very Nice Dave

Excellent job, Dave. I'm sure your client will be very pleased.

Excellent cutting, Charlie. Great choice in wood.

Yes Dave. I scaled it to approx. 11" and cut it in a 2 stack out of 1/8" BB. Then stained the sections different. Not sure where I found the drawing but had to work on it a bit to make it stronger on a few branches. I had thought to try and inlay it but got lazy and took the easy way out. LOL

Beautiful. A lovely finish too. Marg

A very smart looking sister. Excellent pattern, I assume using Cute Cutter. And an awesome cutting. Marg

Excellent lettering. Marg

Dave, that’s beautiful, another fine job of course, RJ

That is beautiful! Nice work!

Nice pattern and cutting.

Beautiful job Charlie, RJ

Smart folks here!

Very good Barb. Sort of like "omicron" vs "moronic"

I’m with Wayne, I don’t count holes or time cutting or any other variable. When the blade no longer cuts the way I want it, it’s time to change it.

I remember having this discussion on another site and forum. Everyone involved had a different answer or point of view. To sort of throw some extra things into the variables. Maple cuts different then pine or birch. Walnut and oak are also different just like working with cherry. Add to that the blade size and speed of blade and feed rate and most theories go out the door. I have found that with many variables we work with that I go by feel. When the bade don't feel like it is cutting easily or cleanly time to change it. When you try to keep track of everything like time on the blade and the variables sort of takes the fun out of scrolling. Just some thoughts for more consideration. For most it is a hobby.

One

When I saw this pattern by Kenny Hopkins I knew it was a must cut. I am just starting to try to learn to make frames so I hope to have some good improvements with them as I go a long. I will try to make a frame for all my future cuts so some day they will hopefully be much better. I cut this one with Pegas #2 MG blades on 1/4 inch BB PLY. I am pretty satisfied with the end results. Dick heppnerguy

I agree, great job! I think the frame looks fantastic

I don't use tape, as a general rule. I use hot glue on the edges to hold stacks together and apply spray adhesive to the back of the pattern and attach it directly to the wood. This works for me. Your mileage may very. As for the lubrication qualities of the tape (adhesive, release agent or whatever it is), I was skeptical for some time. That is until one day I was trying to cut a puzzle out of some 3/4" thick cherry. I've scrolled plenty of cherry over the years, mostly with no real burning problems, unless I was pushing the blade beyond it's useable life span. However on this particular piece of cherry, I got burning almost immediately. I changed blades a couple times, so I'm pretty confident it wasn't the blade. It wasn't until I added packing tape that I was able to cut the piece. It cut smoothly, with no burning, even using the same blade that wouldn't cut when no tape was applied. The difference was so stark, I reconsidered my general skepticism of using packing tape in this way. I still don't use it all the time as I don't think it necessarily makes a huge difference in all applications, but there are definitely some times where it does. I now use it if I notice or suspect that I may have trouble with burning, especially cutting cherry of 1/2" thickness or more.

Thank you everyone. I am thrilled with how nice my shed is turning out. Thanks to my husbands hard work he has made it into a very comfortable place to work. He is currently make storm windows.

Save them and when you get famous for one of your scroll sawn art pieces the value of that wire might be outstandingly crazy.. don't forget to save the blades from that famous piece you made too.. they'll also be worth a lot.

Must confess, this summer I stopped using blue tape as I found it a pain to remove from detailed fretwork. So now I just glue my pattern straight onto my wood and use White Spirit to remove. So much easier for me this way.