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I was looking for some good birch and couldn't find any. All I had found was not very good, to much grain or too many patches. I did find this at Menards. Half a sheet was $25. I got it on sale for $17. It has a better center filler and much better and cleaner surface. I don't know if Lowes or other stores have it. They didn't have it at the lumber yard I went to. The back side is much darker and not as clean but it may do something for some folks. I talked to an old friend and am going to do ten of these for his retired friends, I did him one quite some time ago. It has a perfect clean face to it. Hope this helps others trying to find some wood.

Paul Simon in 1/2" white oak.

Hi All, I would just like to say my new Axminster 535SS Scroll Saw arrived yesterday along with the stand (and a free pack of various Pegas blades). Instructions for assembling the stand are pretty pathetic and I will need some time to fathom it out but there's no rush. I will need a couple of helpers to unbox and fit up the saw s it weighs in at 28 kilos. I will need to re-organise the workshop a bit so it may be a while before it is up and running. Just thought I would have a brag about my good fortune and good luck to all my fellow members on here who need it. take care and stay safe.

I cut these three after a six-month layoff. Harvest Time - Back Porch - Bucket Harvest Time was changed a little by me and took the most time.

Jaeheon Yun is a fun designer and I had fun cutting all of them for the book. I used a smaller blade than Denny (Pegas MGT 3) as I wanted a smaller kerf for the pictures. The larger(thicker) #5 is better. it makes it easier to take apart. Non of these were meant to be "tray" puzzles. But a neighbor asked me if I could turn a couple into tray puzzles to keep all of the pieces together. Cuddly kittens, that also had two different woods for contrast. A bit tricky after the fact. The kittens picture shows how I packed them to send out to FC A few of them needed color so I got to play a bit. Two favorites. And the Kittens are mahogany and maple.

I don't know.... It's really blurry, like those big foot photos....

What type do you want to make? I've made both. The stacked type require far less sanding. The type that are cut at an angle are more challenging and more sanding is involved. If you let us know which you are interested in we can be of more help. I bought a book by the name of "Boxes, Bowls, & Baskets" that I've found useful. My first basket was a stacked one, shown here.

It seemed like the blades lasted a little longer. I was using a FD #1

Steve's post today is a basket. He gets the look of tilting the sides by making each ring smaller that the next one up. fairly easy to do. Carole Rothman has book on Wooden Bowls on Amazon that uses the table tilting method. A bit challenging.

Photos or it didn't happen!

Congrats, getting a new saw is almost as good as getting a new grandchild. My kids really let me down there, I only have 3 grandchildren!

I am playing around with different designs of Welsh Love Spoons, James got me started when I saw his, and now I am just going nuts! I really like the cedar as it is really nice to cut and carve. And of course the smell. These are about 11" in length. The 2nd image I just cut out using spalted maple. (The backside is in the 3rd image) I had some Pegas skip tooth blades I wanted to test, I used 3 blades for the maple one. I saw a piece and just hand-drew this pattern. The penciled-in areas will be where I do the over-under/deep carving. I am going to try a rough carve and finish, sort of the 'Ol Rugged Cross thing. I had some scrap walnut and did a smaller pattern (two blades), you can see the backside in the 3rd image. I am not too keen on the Pegas skip tooth blades. They seem like a faster cut, but I do not like how the cut edges come out. The FD Ultra Reverse finish is so much better, and I have better control. Perhaps the Pegas lasts a little longer though. I figure with a couple of pieces already cut out, I can then sit down and do all my carving, shaping, sanding, and finishing at once. I really like making these Welsh love spoons. Now I have 3 pieces to carve and finish.

Latest project done. 1/4 bbply with #1 mg blade. Frame is a cigar box. Stripped the paper, painted outside with black craft paint. Pattern by Dean (face book). Finish is Walrus oil.

I have been wanting to place. an order, and I alway compare prices with what I could get the same for from Ocooch. The order I want to place not, cherokee beats Ocooch by about $15. Doesn't always work out that way but this time ie does. but even with that I hesitate to spend the money right now.

An example of very fine work, my friend.

That is a beauty, Ray!

Check out @FrankEV's posts. He uses a core filled product and is happy with it. It sounds like what you are looking for.

Steve Good posted two new ones this week and he has a bunch in his pattern gallery. He also has U-Tube video on some of them.

O YE of little faith. I managed 2 pics and only one was good. I still have the machine sitting in the box waiting on some help to get it out and onto the stand which I have in the second picture which I can't really make out what it is so I suspect you will not be able to see what it is either. It is the stand and I am levelling off the feet for stability. That should help the NPNH crew lol

The ones I have made were not cut at an angle and were fairly easy to make.

I was in lowes yesterday and saw this same stuff. I started to grab a piece just to try it but ended up not getting it. Good to know that it's not bad. Might have to give it a try.

I have many heros... way too many to post here, LOL This one is my top pick though so i'll just post the one.

My Hero is the person pictured in the center picture. He and many others gave us the freedoms that the other two pictures represent. Our Freedom to do as we choose whether it be who we vote for, pray to and live our everyday lives. Those are my hero's.

This pattern was made by Sasho.

An online mulitplayer game called Diablo 4 is being released soon. My son is playing pre release version now. Part of this game play has shrines. First pic shows a shrine from game. So this inpired me to try compound cuts again. I had 2x2 douglas fir to play with. I was struggling with pegas blades. I went up to #11 skip and still struggled. So I switched to polar #7. Polar started cutting ... yea. The top part it apears I cut inside the pattern left side and outside the line on the right side. I can see how it adds mystery to a game piece. But it is a total oops. This is the first time cutting Douglas Fir. At 1.75 inch thick, Now I know why they use it for contruction. 7 inches tall. Some more pics showing inside. I played with red "transtint" to give a Diablo feel. I still need to clear coat it with high gloss. I found a rechargable 9 volt battery on amazon for powering leds. Other than Diablo 4 game piece this can hold Gnomes inside. Me. Mark Eason

Sasho contributed the pattern for this to our library about a year ago. To me, it's both sad and happy at the same it. I immediately cut it, but only this week got around to framing 'Life' and it now hangs over my desk. The foreground, the background, and the frame are all quarter-sawn white oak.

I took a stab at using epoxy resin to compliment these Steve Good patterns. If others are interested I can furnish some helpful hints on the process I use.

Hi from Barbara If any of you can put me in the direction of baskets. I am not sure were to start. Are they all difficult or easy. Is all cut at a angel eg the ring. the one that is top of each other. Thanks

cherokee woods

Ditto!

Very nice basket Ray, RJ

Charlie, You are amazing, how you can take these picture of people and make such beautiful art...you do fantastic work!

The basket patterns posted by Steve Good make very nice baskets. He usually recommends they be cut from 1/4" wood and they are cut straight up and down. The backets cut at an angle are a different type altogether. They are cut from thicker wood, 1/2" or even thicker. They make a bowl blank for turning on a lathe. The angle to cut depends on the pattern and the thickness of the wood. I tried this once and the result went to the burn pile. I have this on my list of things to try again in the distant future, emphasis on "distant".

terrific job

Well made pieces, haven't got that far in the book yet as most of the pieces I have done disappear into the toy box before they get painted etc.

Your penguins remind me of the work of my cousin Stewart Moskowitz.

Start with a low Janka harness wood like basswood. The red cedar is higher Janka, but still carves nicely though prone to chipping if you do not outline with a blade, so that is a good option too. The Birds Eye Maple was a lot tougher, I had to use my mallot for 80% of the carving since it is more than double the Janka of cedar, so I would stay away until comfortable and you have better tools, even with my good gouges, I had to stop and strop my gouges more frequently. Next tip... have a 'squared' (rectangle) piece of wood to cut from so it fits in your vice, (and after cutting out becomes your holding support) then after laying your pattern, carve your spoon bowl first, this way you have full support from the board, then drill, do inner cuts, then the exterior. Finally, carve and shape the rest. I did not do it this way at first and actually broke one of the more delicate pieces because of the pressure of my vice. Thus you see how I had to jury rig support in the vice.

I have that CD, love it. Fabulous pattern and cutting Charlie, well done. Marg

Awesome, be sure to show us pictures when it is all set up.

Congratulations and enjoy !

My heroes, though spelled differently, are edible.

Thx Paul, I thought you were the one that had the info and all, thx again. Want to get started on Christmas stuff now, thx RJ

Scrappile, if I get it right I think it’s going to look great, I’ve drawn it out on paper as to how I think it should be, which I use as a reference and keep me honest and motivated.

Got a feeling someone is creating a master piece. Can't wait to see the results.

Never raise the blade while it is spinning!

Jik and i made a pattern of Tina

This is what I use. Having one near the miter saw, table saw, scroll saw, etc. and getting comfortable with it will save you from a lot of accidents and near misses. Charley https://www.amazon.com/FastCap-10-Million-Dollar-Stick/dp/B0728GYJ5G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25MK5SP54JZP1&keywords=10+million+dollar+stick+for+miter+saw&qid=1688086100&sprefix=10+million+dollar+stick%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1

My DC system.

Had a question about a new blade. I bought my DeWalt 788 4 years ago and the blade that came with it worked great for a while but it seems to be going dull because I'm really having to push or slow down to get it to cut. I've cut about 3,000 of these puzzles. Is it time for me to buy a new blade? If one lasted me 4 years, why would I buy an entire dozen? Do people go in together and buy a pack and split them up? Thanks.

I just remove the blade and run my chainsaw file over the teeth to buff them back to sharpness. I am guessing I can get 5 years from a single blade, heck my file Might run flat first.