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I turned 82 last April. Age is just a number. We all have to grow older. We don't have to grow up. It's adulting that's tuff. Hope you have a great Birthday, Frank.

I made this for my little boy. He keeps playing with it.

Our club runs a 2 x 4 challenge every once and a while. You have to start with a standard 2 x 4 (3 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 8 feet ). There is a special award for using a SPF stud. These are my 2 entries for this year both out of an SPF stud from HD. I got a third for the Gnome. The Gnome is on a swing with a bird house in the back. Acrylic paint with an exterior urethane. The beard is a mixture of paint and drywall finish. The cat has a plastic insert for the flowers. Design was inspired by a dog Jesse did.

Marie, that is beautiful piece, RJ

I need to cut one of those.

I saw this Wren House somewhere and wanted one like it. I made this one out of Western Red Cedar with no finish. It has been up a couple years and has been occupied. We are waiting to see if the Wrens will nest this year. We have been hearing them all over the place lately.

Strangely, I have not aged in appearance. That pic was taken about 12 years ago but I still look the same and still wear that cap. Along with my collection of Trump hats.

I'm with you...I'll be 81 in 8 days!

Gene, Thank you for your very nce comment. Much appreciated. I basicaly use the same techniques for most of the Art panels I create. I allmost exclusively use 5/32" cut panels and 1/4" thick backers, some with a oversized backer and some without. I prefer patterns that are a negative cutting (like the birds) that I can color the backer. They seem to be most apealing to most people. My methods of coloring the backer panel is evolving including the use of an air brush. Some successes but not always. I've just started a new project that will add a piece to the "Bunch". Keep a watch for a post in a couple of weeks.

You've been busy Ralph. Been sidetracked for a couple of days and pretty busy the rest of the week. Will try to do what you did. I also had found one of Tyler's earlier videos and he said in the video he would have to add an extra space or manually draw to extend the pattern. Jerry

RJ, I free hand it. I will draw something on the wood and then cut it out and often times I just start cutting. I finished this a couple weeks ago. I scroll sawed the silhouette of my daughter and her husband in epoxy after I painted it. Then I scroll sawed the frame and also did some carving. I am working on my other daughters right now.

Gene, do yourself a favor and take those first cuttings and sign the back side and date them. Put them away for a year or so and then come back and see your improvement. Both in speed of cut and accuracy. My very first cutting was of a butterfly done in some scrap 5/16" BB ply. I hung it up in my shop and look at it every once in a while. I look at it and see where I had problems with turning tight corners or drifting off line. Those things now are not problems but it came with experience and seat time behind your sawblade. I tried reading books but they were of no use to me. I have gained EVERYTHING I know from right here at SSV. And practice, practice, practice. I noticed also that if I am away from the saw for a couple of weeks, when I come back, I have to regain some of the lost "muscle memory" that really goes away fast. So, I have learned that if I've been away from the saw, I do a practice cut of something to regain what I lost. Being 80 years old is not for the weak. For sure.

Well I was able to make all my keychain compound labels. What I did was print out a bunch of blank labels and use spaces where I needed to and the ones that were short, I just cut the brackets off and taped them on the ends to even everything out. Pretty easy. Oh and by the way. On Steves program, I set the margin to 125% and it came out to a perfect one inch like Tyler did.

I am slower than molasses in January but I finally got it done. My photography skills aren't very good so I apologize for the glare. So I scrolled sawed my epoxy resin painting.... Here are my steps: I painted a galaxy pic on plywood, added a layer of epoxy resin (made a dam around the wood with tape), painted more stars for depth, another layer of epoxy, airbrushed and added the moon, and another layer of epoxy. Let that dry 2 weeks than scroll sawed my Daughter and her husband's wedding pic (silhouette) into the resin/picture (that was scary). Glued a backing of 1/4" BB on to it, sanded the epoxy, poured black diamond epoxy into the silhouette (unfortunatly the camera does not pick up the sparkles) let that tack up, added another clear layer of epoxy to the entire pic. Added my 3/4" 'tree frame' which are missing a few leaves here and there . I did carve some of the tree frame for fun after I scrollsaw cut it. Added one more layer of epoxy and done! I do want to thank all the folks who have helped me and encouraged me along the way. I did use @Dave Monk technique on "lifting the trees" out of the wood. I also looked at a lot of all of your great works (gallery and bragging rights) to get some of my ideas...Thank you!

I really haven't seen that many Bronson movies but he made a cool addition to my cowboy wall.

Got another item done. Teacher Appreciation week. Now going to start on mothers day gifts. Have a great and safe week. Mimi

Thank you very much for your inspiring post of March 11, 2021. I'll certainly be using your techniques.

Wanting to give my beloved Penny something not available at a florist shop for Mother's Day tomorrow, I made a small walnut sasquatch and doweled it to a 1 inch thick oak scrap. The gravel is from our landscaping and "dead shrubs" are dogwood twigs from our trees. A layer of epoxy secures the gravel and drilled holes hold the shrubs. Finished with a coating of brushed on walnut oil. Model is about 8 inches tall overall. Penny was excited and loved it. We both enjoy Bigfoot stories and speculation. A message of my love is underneath. So much fun folks. The Pegas 7R MGT blade let me make one cut for the entire sasquatch outline in the 13/16 inch thick scrap walnut and 1 inch oak. No sanding needed except to break the edge. Did I say it was so much fun? Thank you each and all for your kindnesses, and my best to you all. Don.

This is a post I did on my personal site. I thought this would be a good place to share it. And in some ways, it is a brag... after overcoming a not so brag from 40+ years ago. This all came to conclusion a week ago when Tara received my gift. Recently, Tara sent me a photo of the wooden gift I made for her back in High School over 40 years ago. I think we were sort of boyfriend/ girlfriend back then. I was 17 1/2, she was a sophomore at 15 y/o. But for sure, I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of my teenage self. A painted red pair of hearts cut out of wood? And did you notice, it was NOT my note on the backside. I didn't even sign it or put anything on the back. Yeah, uncouth and an amateur at "love". But as I was looking at the hearts... man, I had a steady hand! Most likely done on the HS shop bandsaw. Maybe lacking a bit of creativity, but a solid cut! But that burn line!!! Barf-o-matic! Seriously? A teen's attempt at "love"? Really? Was that the best I could come up with for Valentine's Day? I mean, I was no Michelangelo, but surely, I could have done better. Not even my handwriting on the back... Man was I a dummy back then. But then, as I looked at the photo, another thought popped into my head. Maybe I could redeem myself with an Intarsia gift - you know, something fancy and intricate that would show off my current woodworking skills (or lack thereof). Now, for those who don't know, Intarsia is a technique where you fit together small pieces of wood to create a pattern or design. It's like a jigsaw puzzle, but with wood. And let me tell you, it's not easy. In fact, it's downright frustrating at times. But hey, if it means impressing Tara 40+ years later, I'm willing to give it a shot. Of course, before she sent the photo there was a part of me that wondered if Tara even remembered the wooden hearts, I gave her. Maybe she tossed them in the trash as soon as I turned my back. Let's say, back then I was a bit of a putz. Well, one day she mentioned to me on Facebook that her mom had them in storage at her childhood home away in the attic. As I looked at the photo and was writing her a thank you note a thought came to mind. Perhaps she'll appreciate the effort to make her a new, improved gift. And who knows? Maybe this Intarsia creation will be the thing that makes her think, "Wow, this guy really knows his way around a piece of wood." So, wish me luck, folks. I'm off to create more Intarsia, and hopefully make up for my teenage lack of creativity and lack of couth. And if it doesn't work out, well, at least I'll have a good story to tell. Here is the starting work. The selection of wood (and this still has two or three more species added), and everything then cut out. . Edited to add an image of the completed project shipped to Tara. Yes... She loved it.

That is one fine work of art. Beautifully done.

That is a beautiful project.

I haven’t posted in a while. Though I still scroll almost daily, due to needing scheduled cataract surgery on both eyes and excessive pain from arthritis in my wrists and fingers, my productivity has slowed up. This one was really difficult, as the tiny bridge work was hard to do with blurry vision, and even magnifiers have reached the point of being ineffective. Anyway, based on a Charles Dearing pattern, 1/4” Baltic Birch, all cut with Pegas spiral blades, mostly 2/0, about 11”x7,” stained with Danish Oil, mounted on a 1” pine board stained black. Hope you like it.

Finally finished Stella. Ready to hand over to my friend of many many years. I was not perfect with the letters, the E is a bit crooked but all in all I think it turned out well. That ca glue with the quickening spray really doesn't give you any time for adjusting. Yikes!

The stacking bowls are a Steve Good pattern. I used 1" reclaimed Elm and 1/4" Sapelle. Finished with beeswax/mineral oil. I have no idea what woods the hands are. Both pieces were given to me. Possibly maple and cherry.

I used the Tree of Life pattern posted by @Eplfan2011 on March 15 and credited by him to site TreeofLife-trchkf.pdf where you can download it for free. I then tried filling it using the tutorial posted by @Tj Brown. I am reasonably pleased with it as a first attempt but I will try again, having learned from my mistakes.

Heck yeah!

Happy early birthday Frank!

I just cut an pasted off the zoom recording. Fist was the Christmas tree. Cool that it folded back flat. Second was the truck and cars.

+1 for this advice. You will get there. Some of us take a little longer than others but each to their own. You will get there.

Ray, are you saying you are 80? Your picture looks like your not a day over 50!

If I understand you, your photo in the back is shorter than the cutting, so some of the backer board will show at the bottom. If it bothers you that some of the black backer board will be visible, just shorten the cutting and the backing board to match the background photo. Be careful that you don't remove some important bridges. The final look is whatever you want it to be. Tom

Gotta love a bad-eyed bad guy. Jack Elam took a pencil to the left eye when he was 11 leaving him blinded in that eye and causing it to drift off center, and likely changing the direction of his future as well. He appeared in many western movies, over 20 episodes of Gunsmoke, got shot down by little Joe Cartwright, and was a great comedic actor in movies like Hot Lead And Cold Feet. The portrait may not be perfect, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Thanks @MarieC for suggesting him. The pattern is in the library under new patterns if anyone is interested.

Hi everyone. Just finished this Victorian clock. I want to thank Ron Johnson for getting me this pattern and giving me some tips on how to do it. I made two of them. One is Oak and one is Mahogany. I'm giving this one which is Oak to my granddaughter. whose birthday is June first. She'll be 31. It's a surprise. I think she'll like it. They measure 16 tall and 8 inch wide. The other one has a red dress.

On Saturday Morning I went to Steve Good's website looking for an idea for making my wife and 2 daughters a Mother's Day gift. As Usual, Steve did not fail me! I found an awesome pattern for a gift, I printed it out, prepared the wood for cutting and went to cutting it out. I stack cut 3 of them and got them all cut out before I had to break for lunch. For lunch I Bar-B-Qued dinner for 8 adults and 3 Great Grandsons. We ate, sat and visited for a couple of hours, then I went to work fine sanding my new project, taping up part of it for painting and then waiting for the paint to dry. I didn't have to wait long because we had 85 degree weather. Then I carefully removed the first tape and set them in my shop so the women wouldn't see their gifts early. Then I Bar-B-Qued Dinner for the bunch again. It was so hard for me to not go back to painting, but I chose to wait until the next morning to proceed with the project! Early Sunday Morning I got up and completed the painting. Needless to say, the gifts were a Huge Hit! Thank you Steve Good for yet Another wonderful gift idea! Dick

What an excellent idea, and great execution. I love the simplicity and elegance of it. I just had an idea, that you can do a series of these. Shapes as you have, but also do: Letters, animals, fruits/vegetables, vehicles, even states and countries. The possibilities are endless. Below is one of my designs, that I executed on my laser as a proof of concept. This could also be cut via scroll saw, as each letter you have a little knockout for your finger, this is where you could drill your pilot hole for the pierce cutting. The only thing with mine is I also included different images to go with each letter. The puzzle below is going to be a gift for a friend of mine in Taiwan for his daughter. I met him when I was working with the Taiwanese Army over a 5-year period, and he was my translator the first two times I was in-country. He of course is teaching his 3 y/o English, so I designed this to send him. Can anyone guess the "Y"?

My latest Alex Fox bowl or basket. I think this is C-30. I used 1/4 Baltic Birch plywood 10" square. Cut on the Pegas Scroll Saw using Pegas #1 MGT blades. The glue up took time to get the exact placement of each ring. After sanding with a Mac Mop, coat of spray Lacquer Clear Gloss, sanding and then another coat. Comments welcome.

@MarieC Here's what it looks like as of today. I had a mishap a couple of weeks ago and knocked down one of my favorites, Frodo and Sam from Lord Of The Rings, and it shattered. My favorite art in the shop is the drawings by my grandkids.

Here a few I have done over the years.

I had a total knee replacement done on Monday and all of the pre-surgery necessities put a damper on my cutting. I was able to finish a few, even some I didn't photograph because they were commissions and had shown them in the past. I was trying to get the two Mother's Day pieces (both Steve Good patterns) cut before my surgery but unfortunately I was in the shop today after physical therapy putting on the last touches. The "All I Am" piece went to my mother who is 90 years old. It is cut from 1/4 Birch ply stained natural with a 1/4-inch pine backer painted red except for the greenery of the rose stems. The colors were done with acrylic hobby paint thinned down and sprayed on with an air brush. The "Happy Mother's Day" piece was for the wife and "signed by all the critters" (dogs, cats, fish). And if you didn't know a fish could sign something, there is a pair of lips with bubbles. The heart and letters were again sprayed red with acrylic hobby paint. The backer is stained with Minwax Espresso. The two car pieces were double stacked 1/4-inch Birch from Jim Blume's Americana series #18. They were stained with Minwax Natural. The backers are pine painted black. The frames are cut down from a 1X8 and fit to the piece after staining with Natural. All four projects were sprayed with 4-coats of gloss Clear Acrylic with a light sanding of 500 grit between coats. I hope you enjoy. BTW, the Americana 18 pattern is a relatively easy cut even though it has a substantial number of holes. I hope you enjoy!

I was given some beeswax from a friend so one of these gnomes is a thank you gift. They are cut from various thickness of bb ply. One of the beehives I did veining and the other one I created a groove and then shaded it. Pattern purchased from Whimsical Inklings in Design Bundles. Acrylic paint and then a couple coats of shellac.

Your wish is my command. I have 15 patterns. Seven on the display table.

Finally got these done. Stack cut, 3 layers, 5/16" thick each. #1 Polar blades throughout, 1 layer (top) oak 2 lower layers walnut, one dip of BLO working on the shellac coat to shine them up. 16 hrs total cutting (5 hrs and 20 minutes each basket). Cutting time for a single basket, including double stacking the sides, ends and lids, was 7 hrs. The size is 4 1/2" wide, 8" tall, 9 1/2" long, a total of 331 holes. The pattern is from the book "Classic Fretwork Scroll Saw Patterns" by Patrick Spielman & James Reidle. I'm lazy and hate messing up the finish because of glue, so these are all pinned joints. There is no glue used in these. pins are toothpicks 5/64 hole.

I wasn't completely happy with the first Michael J Fox cutting I did so I did it again and added the logo from his Parkinson's Disease Foundation. “There's the stuff you plan — the stuff you work toward, the stuff you aspire to, your desires and wishes. And then there's things that just happen. And the things that just happen are usually of more intricate design and a higher purpose.” Michael J Fox

I have 4 new great grands that are all turning 3 years old within 3 months of each other. the one I made these dinosaurs for are big into Spiderman and dinos. I found this pattern on Steve Good's sight and thought that he would enjoy this one for his room. I know he is only going to be three but I also know how much he enjoyed the Spiderman I cut for him on Christmas. So I am quite sure he will enjoy this one also. I hope to find time to make him some kind of toy to play with also. Dick heppnerguy

I watched that video plus he responded to my question on you tube. I found it easier to just make some extra blank brackets and extend them that way. I just line up the smaller one with the longer one and tape that together so it doesn’t move and then I just add a bracket on each side to even it out and tape them on. After I have them all taped I’ll run them through the scanner and make new copies all on one sheet so I don’t have any tape on them.

Tom, maybe I did not explain this properly, the are going to be three different cuttings all equal in size, the out of focus photo and backer board is going to be about 1000mm x 800mm. All these cuttings are going to be glued together with either a 4 or 6mm ply wood spacer, these will the be stuck onto the photo, and then framed so you will have some of the photo visible around the whole all the cuttings.