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Spent this weekend starting my nativity work. These will be gifts. I will be giving them out at Thanksgiving. One goes to a Spanish officer I work with. The 3 smaller ones were cut from 1/2" Walnut and Cherry wood. This smaller is a Steve Good Pattern, which I really like as simple, yet classy. Though I have to say, all those straight lines do make it a bit of a challenge. The larger more intricate tree was cut from Canary Wood and is a Sue Mey design. I really like her designs, they are challenging for sure, but you come out with standout pieces. Combined with unique wood this is an heirloom piece in my mind. Lots of hours cutting this! Canary wood is really nice to cut as it seems to be a little "oily" so blades cut true and last a long time. I think I only had to replace the blades because I bent them when threading my pierce holes! I started with #3 Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse, then moved to a #1 for the inside. I used a #3 for the outside perimeter which I did last. Sue's design is nice as it stays true to the Christmas story "The Shepherds and the Angels ~ Luke 2:8-21". All of the pieces have a semi-circle 'bulge' behind on the base, they also have a 'cup' drilled with a Forstner bit. This way the tea lights sit right in. I finished all of them in raw linseed oil, this is my preferred finish. Now comes the curing time, and then I will go over each piece with 3000-grit sandpaper. Then a tac cloth to get rid of the lint. I will be cutting a few more of the smaller ones, but need a rest first.

Simple name cutting for my daughter’s college friend. The right piece of wood turns something simple into something beautiful.

So to day I post my African Big Five cut (remember my Lion Project) well this is it. The Big Five is very special to all South Africans because it’s part our heritage. Before I tell you what the problems were and how I approached them, please don’t tell me you don’t like the colour of the back round or the texture of the board is not right that’s immaterial, just look at the cuttings and the work, put into it. All the patterns are Russ Beard Patterns, the cuttings were all double stack 4mm Birch Plywood the Lion is the Centre price and was cut on a 11”x14” my standard board size, the Leopard, Buffalo and Rhino had to be reduced in size keeping a eye on the aspect to keep the proportions right, but by reducing the size made the cuts more difficult, adding to the problem only the Lion was a Free Standing Pattern the others were all inboard patterns so with Russ’s approval and help from my wife Loraine how is a great artist we converted the patterns on the fly to stand alone pattern of Ouse the Elephant had to bigger to.Time plenty hours, holes I estimate between 3000-5000 holes cuts. The patterns were soaked in Danish Oil drained and excess wiped off allowed to dry for two days and the two coats clear varnish. This type of cut deserves a very special back round so I will be taking a photo of the African Savannah and glue that to the backer and the the cuts on top of that in layers. I’m very happy with the results even though the stain was unpredictable the colour of the animals can vary from area to area so it does not bother me.

You may or may not recall a couple of weeks ago I posted a paper cut pattern of a little house tucked in among a lot of foliage. Well I received a lot of nice comments. I found still another paper cut pattern that was a little more challenging than the first one and showed it to my wife who immediately wanted me to cut that one with a matching backer board color. So I printed the pattern and set out to cut it for her. She was pleased with it and we hung it yesterday beside the first paper cut pattern containing the little house. I again cut the entire pattern with a #1 spiral blade and after a few hours had it finished. I used a 1/4 inch thick solid core Baltic Birch covering, of which I do not like the wood I used but it came out alright from the front side. Now my wife is happy having the new item on the wall and I was thrilled to find a project that challenged me to cut. Dick heppnerguy

Made this for my Son-in-law who is a big fan of sports and this team. I figure he can hang it in his Game room... It is segmented in 1/2" mahogany.

Very Different that all my others, but at first sight I knew I had to give it a try. I do like the outcome. Adding the words can after cutting the Stack of Three and finishing the one with Red. Any Comments is Always Good...............Tks Danny :+}

Finicky little things, but sell okay. 17 keys done. The 18th one met with unfortunate sanding mishap . Oak, from a friends scrap pile. Painted with craft acrylic paint. I didn't put a top coat on.

Been a while since I cut anything monster/horror-related (I do have a couple printed out and in the to-cut stack), due to some on-going family crises, but here's a couple I've done over the years. These usually hang around our office area at work during October.

Halloween projects/decorations are great fun!

Wolf profile by Steve Good, Arrowhead design by U.S. Forest Service. 1/4 elm, FD #1 Polar blade for the interior cuts, #3 for the outside. 1 Coat thinned BLO followed by 3 coats of thinned shellac. Made three one already sold. Size 11 x 14 Stack cut all three at the same time.

thank you for the nice comment once more. It just is not exactly what I am after in the coloring and I am trying to figure it all out. It is better than how my colorizing of a wood project used to be, but still what I want to happen with my efforts. I do really appreciate you taking the time to write your thoughts and helpful suggestions. Believe me, that is exactly what I am looking for. Dick heppnerguy

These are a few more examples of adding color to scrolling..... it's a scary time of the year......

My Box-O-Lanterns and a Hanging Halloween Lantern

The black backgrounds are starting to seem a little bla... Does anyone add some color?

Looks great.

Very well done Paul.

Nicely done Charlie.

Thanks. Yes, I believe this is spalted oak.

Charlie, Very pretty.....what type of wood? Is it something spalted? mc

After 7+ years of making things with a scroll saw, I wish I had kept a record of the pieces I gave to friends and family. My memory of what I gave to who and when, has gotten me into trouble twice with friends, and very often with my wife. Conversations are like "didn't you already give them one" and I go "I don't know" My advice to the newer scrollers (and others too), keep a log of everything. It seems like a waste of time, but you will be glad you did someday.

WHat do the cards say? I zoomed in, but still cannot read... my old eyes...

You are absolutely right! Beauitful!

I painted the ends with odds and ends paint from the local Ace Hardware. This was before it was slabbed. I let the 1/2" panels dry for about 8 months, then stored them inside my shop. I'm in Southeast Idaho and it is fairly arid here, the gentleman with the lumber mill came by and did a moisture check and gave the thumbs up for storage.

Dick, Exactly what don't you like about the painting on this turtle. Here is a picture of a sea turtle I found on the internet and your coloring is very close. I really think you did a fine job. The only thing I might change is the color of the fish to yellow.

I just use and old school small hand drill. That or a jewelers drill with the little a spring thing in it that just goes up and down.

Very nice looking shop, I see you have a few Wen tools, are you happy with them, RJ

Excellent cutting and craftsmanship, RJ

Love them all. I like how you make the variety with them Dick heppnerguy

Wonderfully done projects. I am not surprised you sold one so quickly Dick heppnerguy

Come on..... you are so nice and encouraging but you and I both know I have a long way to go to get it right Dick heppnerguy

Wow! That was one big tree. I am curious, did you wax the ends while you let them air dry and how long did you let them air dry before you started working with them. Marie

Don't do fine work scrolling while listening to the guitar solo of Free Bird!!! I made that mistake this morning!!!

No I probably should have put something for size reference in photo. The watch dial is a 2-3/4" insert. Overall length of watch is about 15" I also made a joke to kids that came up to look at them and asked them if they would wear it? I tell people it is basically a desk item but you could also hang it on the wall. I in fact made a couple over the years that were about 3 times the size and they were wall hangers. Had a customer ask for that. Around the same time I was making these I did a flexible band watch. As I said I did work for Steebar and John Nelson came up with a pattern for that type watch and I made the prototype for him and it became a big hit for Steebar. Then the owner asked me to make a stand for it and I did the pattern and construction on that. After that I took it another step further and made a gift box for the watch also. I am sure these are still available at Steebar which is under new ownership and maybe even someone else. I have no dealings with them any more. I will include a photo of that watch here too. Now these did not sell as well because they were twice the price. Lots of time goes into making these. And that is the reason. But did sell a few over the years. Had one lady buy one at a show and she was so mesmerized by it and got it for her husband. Next year I saw her and she raved how much he liked it. He was a big watch collector. Always makes you feel good when you get good reviews. I looked for a picture of the box but I do not have that on this computer.

I like the colour one as well. I did a different lighthouse. The backer is just a thicker paper.

I found this B&W image on-line a while ago. There is no Artist, owner or originator listed. The image is a little different with the fire-like border and skyline at the bottom. Not sure if the Dragon is contemplating destruction or guardianship. Anyway, I converted the image into a 11” x 14” Scroll Saw Pattern and have been trying to decide whether to cut it or not for several weeks now. My lady liked the Image but, wasn’t sure the thin linges of the wings were going be seen well against the white background, so I decided to add a second color, Grey, to highlight the wings and other features of the dragon, but still be mainly a B&W presentation. The cut panel is 5/32" thk. Solid Core Birch Ply affixed to a 1/4” BB Ply Air brush painted backer. Small details were cut using a Pegas #2/0 Spiral blade while the bigger cut outs areas were done using a Pegas #1 MGT R blade. Even with the many close parallel line cuts, the cutting was easier than expected. The Panel is set into a museum style narrow, ¾” wide, rail Floating Frame that was also painted black. And as usual, the assembled panel was protected with multiple coats of Deft Clear Gloss Lacquer. I'm tempted to break my own rule of only cutting a pattern once. I think I could do wonders with some coloring...red/yellow flame border, hazy smokey Red/Orange sky background like the city is burning, maybe different color for the wings. Would be a fun project. Comments and critiques always welcome. This project was an example of efective multi-tasking. I was cutting and paintig this project while the glue and paint dried on my Halloween Lantern Project. EDIT: Pattern posted in Pattern Exchange EDIT #2: Patterns posted in Pattern Exchange have been revised and reposted.

The cutting is outstanding as usual. I must try coloring.

As of Lately (months back) I have started Enjoying some color in my Scrolling. And Dick you showed a Wonderful way to blend colors. Great Project. Danny :+}

Nice work. My preference in this case is the black, only because I have never seen a green or blue wolf before. Be interest to see which one sell the quickest, if you sell your art. Thank goodness we do not all see things the same,,, how boring would that be!?

Very nice! Great idea with the arrow head! The Elm is a pretty wood. I have never used that wood before.

I made a Thing

I made four of these large, 7” diameter, Snowflake Ornaments by Steve Good, that I will be giving away to some of my neighbors with my cookie trays that I do each year just before Christmas. We all have carports, and these will be a nice decoration to hang under them. (IMO they are too big for a typical indoor Christmas tree.) To make them I stack cut four pieces of 1/4" BB ply for each half. Cutting with Pegas #5 MGT R was a slow go. Took three blades to complete each half as they got dull quickly. Although I thought I sanded the halves well, after they were assembled, glued and pin nailed together, as soon as I primed painted them, fuzzies appeared. After drying, I had to knock the fuzzies down with my sanding mop, but there are still some visible where the mop could not get to. As the saying goes: “You won’t see them from Brooklyn”. I painted them with a finish coat of Krylon Glitter Shimmer, but the glitter did not show well. Retacked the surfaces and added some “White Body Glitter Powder”, that my lady had, and then recoated with Krylon Glitter Sealer. Now the sparkles are more visible in real life, but not so much in the photos. At least this year I got my Holiday projects completed way in advance. Now I can concentrate on my Art Panels. Comments and critiques always welcome.

Very nice! beautiful coloring.

DUDE!!! Whoa!!! WOWZERS!!! They're creepy and they're kooky Mysterious and spooky They're all together ooky

Backlit Haunted House

Are you looking for a project? Here are 3 in the Project Workshop that might scratch that creepy crawly itch!

Two years ago I made small layered geometric ornaments and got many positive feedbacks, people used them as Christmas tree decoration. So this year I made same style snowflakes, I think they will look nice at Christmas tree. Snowflake patterns

That is sooooo colorful. Excellent work Joe. Marg

Lovely. Marg

Hi Barb, Yes, I had to do some whittling on both of mine as well to get the parrot piece to slide onto the support. But once I did that, it made it a lot easier to assemble/disassemble the puzzle.