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For a change I thought I would do a Intarsia pattern and then cut it ....

My wife wanted me to make another tissue box. I found a nice fret pattern for the sides. Made from 1/4" oak and fits the standard size Kleenex Tissue Box 8.2 x 8.4 inch / 20.8 x 21.3 CM. It has a 1/4" gap on the bottom for easier lifting. Finish is shellac/ gloss Lacquer.

One of my works from the last year - 5/32 Birch plywood, size appr. 9 x 8 inch, straight blade niqua fix 2.0

Here are the two Hourglass's I made. As I noted in the original post, I was considring darking the wood a little with Mahagony stain. And, as you can see in the photo, I did just that. Not sure which one we like the best. My Lady is leaning toward the original lighter one while I kind of like the darker a little better. Staining the wood, did add some time to the build to allow for drying time and it was a PITA to get into all the fretwork because I only had Mahogany in the Gel Stain. If I had the regular type it would have probably been a lot easier to dip the fretwork pieces.

Portrait art is what I started out doing. My very first projects was more complex and not really beginner type portrait projects. I do not have pictures of my very first few projects as they was given away and the pictures are long gone from a computer hard drive that crashed and wiped out all my patterns and pictures. Fortunately I learned to make back-ups and back-ups to my back-ups and also have cloud storage for some of the more important things like patterns. Frank is quite fortunate to be able to get into the art museum to sell off a few of his works of art. Portrait work is what I started with but as has been mentioned, finding subjects to cut and in my case finding shoppers that like the said subjects.. Portrait art is probably one of the hardest things to sell as it is just that.. " wall hanging art " not to take away from shelf sitting art. In one way shape or form we all are creating art.. I think some use the term with a lot of emphasis while others don't put in enough on the term, including myself LOL.. some see portrait work as just a piece of wood full of holes.. Just as I see some of those art paintings that look like several paint cans exploded onto a canvas just that.. paint can exploded, LOL I'm probably one that doesn't use the term art strong enough.. BUT, I do that because of the wide open opinion of the term and many forms of art out there. I show pieces to my friends / family / customers and let them say the term for me if they see fit. I've had many "most" folks say my car clocks are works of art.. I've seen people say they're just a clock too.. and that's okay.. In my head they are art and I don't need to prove it or point it out to anyone.. I just don't push the term. My favorite things to make is the things that people want, LOL.. ie I like making that special personalized gift that's exactly what the customer wanted. Aside from that my favorite is Christmas ornaments because being a Christian, Christmas time is a special time of the year for all Christians. Making ornaments that people buy ( some personalized ones ) that are gifts bring a couple different things to mind. First being the purchaser got a gift for someone special in their lives. Second is the fact that that person digs out the gift every year for decorations and is reminded of the moment / gift giver etc. of the said gift. Many return customers come and custom order a design that is themed to special moments of the said year. I have pieces that are special to people that they hang up as a decoration in many peoples homes all around the world. Selling online ( in my experience ) opens up a communication / friendships so to speak with many customers. While craft shows you get the one on one in person interaction but many of those customers you never hear from unless you run into them at the show again the following year. You hardly ever hear back from them or get any kind of feedback.. While you hand out business cards.. most get lost / tossed so said customer may not ever give you any feedback or reviews. I have a large number of emails/ messages because the customer has online records of their orders and my contact is all over the place for said customers to freely contact. It's really cool to get a follow-up story and some even send videos of my item ( their gift ) being opened to see the reactions etc. So at the end of the day, I do this for the smiles and the special gifts.. doesn't really matter to me saw time is saw time.. doesn't matter what I'm making. Some think it's about the money for me and it's totally not. But without the money I couldn't stay in business to do this kind of thing so it does have to be a little about money. If I was mostly worried about the money I would be doing a different business that created larger profits. This portrait is one of my first few projects.. How to know? I didn't learn about the stability of plywood until I progressed 6 months or so into my scrolling. This piece is made from solid 1/8" red oak. I also learned that red oak while it was widely available in 1/8" also has a lot of distracting grain when doing portrait works.. I switch to basswood after red oak, before finally discovering plywood. LOL

That design is perfect!

I was surprised to learn it only ran 2 seasons also. This clip showed up on my facebook feed and inspired me to cut it. One of the finer moments of the show.

Not the best picture but an Easter cross I recently completed. I believe it was a Sue Mey pattern I used.

Okay, I admit it. I am a string saver - or in this case a scrap saver. I have a box full of little scraps of walnut, cherry, curly maple, etc. They are just too nice to toss out and besides I just might need them some day. There. I confessed. I have taken a break from scrolling as I am building a jewelry chest for my granddaughter with plus a month of wintering in Florida. So it has been months since I scrolled and I am out of practice. So I thought about creating a pattern that would work with some of those scraps and resharpen my scrolling skills. Here's the result - cut in, as yet, unfinished cherry. This was before I added the oval seen in the attached pattern and added a bit of safety allowance for the dropouts in the word "Peace". This particular stock was 3.5"x 4.25" was and required me to use a Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse 2/0 blade. That took some real getting used to. Man, those blades are thin! I will be finishing this in my new "home brew" Danish oil/ then Shellac sealer and finally, lacquer. (By the way this formula for Danish oil dries much faster than Watco. Odor free in a day-and-a- half and safe to finish coat in 3 days.) If you missed my post on that here's the website where I found the formula. https://vanduynwoodwork.com/2018/09/18/danish-oil-finish-top-3-reasons-to-mix-your-own/ MASTER single belzeir dove final.pdf

Are the new Excaliburs that bad? I am looking to buy a scroll saw and my brain hurts from researching. I am new but am of the mind that a good tool can help a newbie learn and poor one can make one give up . The problem is I have Platinum taste and kool-aid budget (not to mention paying off my table saw 3 more months). I apologize as I may be asking more questions about saws. I have been researching new, used, old, Excalibur, Dewalt, Hegner, Hawk and the one I really want Pegas. If there were a Pegas store local without shipping might be an option for me...how do I want this when I have never scrolled before? The thing is I have bought lesser quality tools before and then had to re-buy and ended up paying more than if I'd just bit the bullet. Me, 60yo (just turned)..lol..learning on my own. Any and all comments appreciated.

An Alex Fox Basket C-12 completed yesterday. I used 1/4" solid Hard Maple. Cut on the Pegas scroll saw using Pegas #1R MGT blades. Actually, only one blade. The finish is two coats spray Lacquer Clear Gloss with sanding between coats. Comments welcome.

Zodiac signs - finally done (I started to make these patterns before the war). Project consists of 4 layers 1/8 inch. Each Zodiac sign could be made separately of Zodiac circle. Zodiac signs pattern Video of making project

Today is my beautiful granddaughter’s 5th birthday. Made this for her. She’s just starting tee-ball.

Making this did my childish heart good. Referring to 1 Corinthians 13, C. S. Lewis said, "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." Do you recognize this old television character from my childhood yet? I don’t know if the show aired outside of the US or not so you outlanders may be at a disadvantage.

Very well crafted Frank (as your usual) I am also working one Steve's Hour Glass Pattern.... Well I'll be though. So its only a 30 minute glass? Guess I should of did better investigating. Anyway I like this pattern. And I am also cutting stack of 3, but only using good ole Baltic Birch1/4. And I will show mine when fully completed................Danny :+}

I purchased a Excalibur 16" 6 years ago directly from my local Woodcraft in Greenville SC and had it shipped to the store so there was no freight charge. I believe there is a Woodcraft in Raleigh on Captial Blvd. You may want to talk with them. I would expect they would do the same if the Pegas is not in stock. I believe my saw was made in Tiawan and has been reliable though I eventually replaced the blade hold downs with Pegas. They work great! I can't speak to the other models mentioned. I went from the stone age to the space age when I sold my old Craftsman and bought the Excalibur. The angle head is a real plus. It's always better to focus on the joy of cutting rather than the "could a, should a" of a tool that doesn't perform.

PLEASE, by no means is that true. I'm often happy with my work that other yawn at, and, often not happy with work that other rave about. So, me being happy with my work is the only true irrelevant opinion. In the real world, none of our opinions matter about anything. However, in this SSV world, opinions of our piers is what keeps us going and striving to improve. If, for example, most of the replies favored the lighter color, I would know that for a similar project not to do the darkening. And of course, visa-versa. In this case the light vs. the dark is mostly split. That also tells me a lot. So, again PLEASE, know your (and anyones) opinion is not irrelevant.

The pattern Frank used for the scrolled pieces was published by Steve Good on his blog a couple of weeks ago. Steve said the pattern was specific to the hour glass he purchased on Amazon and provided an (affiliate) link to the hour glass on that post. This is the link to the specific blog post with the pattern on Steve’s site: https://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/2022/04/hourglass-scroll-saw-pattern.html as noted, it contains the link to Amazon and the hourglass but I will also post it here as well. Please note however that Steve’s pattern calls for a specific size ( it was a full hour). There are different sizes and “times” of hourglasses at that Amazon link. At this time, it looks like they may be sold out of the one Steve’s plan calls for. Only a real issue or concern if you are planning to use Steve’s pattern as provided. Otherwise you would adjust pattern size as needed for the hourglass purchased. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078H82WWD?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=scrollworksh-20&linkId=709199998376bac9df2cc742af4b1c17&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

I have one of the newer China made Excaliburs.. My advice.. is stay away from them. Pay for the Pegas.. OR King as has been mentioned. Woodcraft stores sell Pegas, though I don't know if they put them out on display or have them in stock? Maybe call your local stores to see if they have them on hand on display etc. Honestly they are basically exactly like the King other than they do have a more robust bearing inside the saw that is a wear point on the other saws after a lot of hours use.. and the blade mounting system is more robust on the Pegas. As for appearance and function.. I think both saws would be really comparable.. in my mind a weekend hobbyist would do just fine with the King or other like saws.. I think if you was doing a production business type setting I'd go with the Pegas, Hawk, or Hegner.. for saw reliability etc. or do as some of the others and just plan to buy a new replacement every few years. LOL DeWalt saws are really pretty nice saws for the money.. in a production type setting they only last a couple years but great budget saws for a beginner. Especially if you ad the Jim Dandy Easy Lift arm lifter to it. If you're mechanical inclined and can feel comfortable taking one apart and adding grease to the bearings on the Dewalt saws.. they can last a really long time. The type of work one does can play a roll in what saw to buy. If you're going to be doing angle cuttings.. I'd go with one of the King or Pegas type of saws where the table stays flat and the saw head tilts.. makes angle cutting so much more enjoyable.. in that case don't look at anything besides King or Pegas in my opinion.

I was wondering what you were saying Barbara but now with the explanation I get it. It would have been great if in the world everybody spoke the same language. Be well.

Its my understanding that Klingspor's Woodworking Stores carry the Pegas in stock at some of their stores be worth giving them a call. I was looking at picking one up when I was up in that area on vacation but ended up finding a used one down here in Florida.

Thanks, I am in Fayetteville, NC but can hit Raleigh, Cary, Durham with no problems.

Welcome to the Village. It is very hard to answer since you did not say where you live. What I can tell you is the new Excalibur is not great saws. It is a poorly re-engineered Chinese knock off of the original. King scroll saws are true continuation of the Excalibur design. If I was buying a new saw today I would but the Pegas. Woodcraft stores in the US sell the King and many stores should have a floor model. Klingspor which has stores in NC sell the Pegas and may have a display model. If you near Dayton, TN Art Crafters of Dayton is a Pegas dealer.

Very well done Bernd! I have done the square ones from the Steve Good pattern. But, as Frank said, I don't care for his joinery. And I looked on Sue Mey's site and did not see one with a hummingbird pattern. I have an open request for one with hummers.

I will surely like to take you up on your invite and as for A boer maak a plan ek is married to a boer. Yes they do Just answering Don Bedggood post He used the a comment in Afrikaans words which means a man makes a plan. It is a phrase which is used a lot. I think in years to come there might be a mix of all the different bits of odd phrases. Sorry was not been rude to anyone as it is not meant that way I am still learning what to say and say on the internet to other country's Barbara

Lovely. You did a terrific job Bernd. Marg

We were watching last year. Marg

That is beautiful. Excellent work. Marg

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you....I was having some problems with my headaces and migrines....it happens sometimes when im close to needing my next series of shots...frontly I got my shots this morning so I should be feeling better by tomarrow. I'll show this set of messages to spike and i'll take a look at it tomarrow too. Thank you all so much...I didnt intend to be missing a few days after we talked.

Checked it out. I dislike TWTB because they are afraid someone is going to steal their patterns from the picture. Their photos of the subject is so small you can't see the pattern. And they don't do digital downloads. Price plus shipping becomes annoyingly high. I checked out Steve Good's site and he has two patterns for the small square tissue box, both have a Hummingbird pattern included. I don'g care for his joinery, but I can do my own. I will need to make at least six for all the boxes we have arround the house. I see a lot of stack cutting to be done..

Very well done ...tissue boxes must be in every room of the House!

Herman Munster, the father from The Munsters. You know, the big tall lanky green guy who looked like Frankenstein.

Thanks Rodney. Not only the ones that fall through but the ones left in the basket.

Only 607 entry holes this time

Very nice cutting and richly attractive.

Beautiful work! How many cuts?

AS I progressed, I started out with pictures found on Steve Good's website. They were plenty challenging and I learned the needed techniques needed to branch out into other projects. I stumbled across Sheila Landry's website: http://sheilalandrydesigns.com/free-pattern/ and started word art plaques done in cherry. These have been gifted to people on various occasions and seemingly appreciated. Then, thanks to Travis' great work in teaching the ins and outs of Inkscape, I started designing my own word art plaques. I enjoy the process of making the board stock out of cherry and the process of cutting the pattern and the finishing of the final product.

I'm primarily a toymaker. I made toys for girls, and later, when my grandson was born, I started making toys for him. He loves my toys and would keep every one of them if I let him. I have made many fretwork shelves and enjoy making them and plan to get back to them. I don't like portraits and probably would never cut one. I have no problem using someone else's design or paying for it. However, I make changes to almost everything. I like some silhouettes and have made a few plans to make more in the future. Bowls, baskets, and ornaments especially compound cut ornaments. Bowls and baskets are still on the want to try list. I want to make some chess sets. I started one years ago, and my kids kept taking the pieces plus work got in the way. A couple of weeks ago, my grandson asked me to make a chess set, so a chess set has moved to near the top of my list. I sell online, so the business and my grandson drive what I make.

I make toys, and I have seen this repeatedly. One designer admitted this to me after an extended discussion via email. One toy designer has never admitted not building his designs, but he posts rendered photos. Never a photo of an actual toy that he built. When you go to build the toys, you sometimes discover obvious errors and design flaws or parts that are near impossible to make or so weak they are easily broken. All of which would easily be discovered if he had done a test build as part of the proofing.

My experience has been much the same as Frank's. I learned scrolling with Steve Good patterns and the like. Then I moved into increasingly complex fretwork. Along the way I have been studying and sampling many different woods and am intrigued by the qualities and differences. I have recently acquired other woodworking tools but still think of my scroll saw as special to me. I do not sell my work yet but am starting to get requests for wood projects. My current project/request is for a sign for the St Vincent de Paul building at our church. I will post pictures as I progress with it. Check out their website at SVDP USA – Providing Assistance to Those in Need for Over 175 Years (ssvpusa.org).

very nice work

I agree with Frank. The portraits and scene cutting isn’t for me. I enjoy making the big fret work clocks. I do other kinds of woodworking too but the scroll saw is my favorite tool.

Well, being somewhat new to scrolling (a little over a year), I still enjoy the portrait type projects although they can be very time consuming. I do like the western themes as well as some of the more rustic patterns. I try to sell some of my work as an attempt to re-coop some of my expense however I know I would never re-coop my time on some of the more elaborate projects. Someone posted a few days ago that it had taken them about 40 hours to finish a cutting. If you value your time at $20 an hour, you would be looking at $800 for just the time alone for a single piece. Don't get me wrong. I scroll for the relaxation and joy of scrolling. I like to know I can take a raw piece of wood and turn it into something I call art. Selling projects is just a means of a supplemental income to augment my scroll saw hobby. I've done a lot of Steve Good patterns and I'm currently working on a couple commissions using several of his patterns, but I look forward to completing these commissions so I can get back to what I enjoy most, the portraits. I've dabbled in pattern creating and actually completed my first pattern recently. I haven't posted it because it is a pattern of my best friend Hershey who is a long hair Chihuahua sitting on a stump after Hurrican Matthew. I like the subject and surrounding area but there is a lot of distraction in the background. In other words, I feel it needs work. I hope to one day be able to tackle one of the large elaborate clocks or towers you see with the very detailed fretwork, but then I see some of Frank's posts with the beautiful colors... or some of the works from other talented scrollers on this forum. I'm in awe at some of the crafts the members on this site create. I've rambled enough and will close by saying I scroll for ME! It relaxes me, it is something I enjoy, I learn something almost every time I sit at the saw and the outcome is something I, and hopefully others, enjoy looking at.

That's a neat idea! Beautiful work too.

Very nice. Relatively simple image that says a lot. Frame is very well done.

Some of my Easter-themed cuttings.

Olivia Newton John and John Travolta as Sandy and Danny.

Beautiful! Will make great ornaments.

That is lovely.