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I was commissioned to make this plaque for a client who works for American Airlines. He plans to give it to a long time colleague who is retiring after the first of the year. I combined fretwork and intarsia. The lettering was so delicate that I decided to fill it with black wood filler. I used blue pine for the background and frame.

Was asked to come up with a gift for fund raiser prize for grandson's baseball team. (I have given enough chactuterie boards). Have done these before for all sorts of sports and probably this team too but it has been a few years. Hopefully will raise a few bucks.

Replaced my old Craftsman bandsaw that served me well for over twenty years. Still working fine and gave it to my son. The new one is no comparison.

This is today's blog post on my site. I wrote it starting at 4:30 AM as I reflected on a gift(s) I received Friday from my cousin... I got a little emotional. BEGIN>>>> Recently, my cousin surprised me with a collection of carving knives and gouges, belonging to Uncle Ronny, my late mother's brother. My cousin, after sharing images of some of my woodworking creations with him during a recent visit with her dad, he expressed his deep joy in witnessing a family tradition endure. At 90 years old, struggling with declining eyesight and unable to continue his own carving, he graciously offered to pass on his cherished tools to me. I will honor these tools, and continue the tradition. Every family has its traditions, its unique way of passing down wisdom, and cherished memories through the generations. In our family, that tradition will be built from love and the hands of a grandfather known as "Poppy." Taking on the moniker of my grandfather... "Poppy"... I reflect on my life, and I realize that one of my most cherished legacies is the creation of art, that of woodworking, which I'm eagerly preparing to pass on to my beloved grandson. Being a "Poppy" to my grandson is a role I hold close to my heart. It's a name that fills me with warmth and pride, as well as, warm memories of my own "Poppy", and the time we spent side-by-side, fishing, drawing, painting, carving, riding the NYC subway, and more. For it represents not only the bond between us but also the promise of continuing a tradition that has deep roots in our family. It is a name I strive to live up to as a grandfather. The smell of sawdust, the hum of a scroll saw, and the feel of a well-worn chisel in my hands are now the constants in my life. Scroll sawing and carving is more than just a hobby; it's a passion that has been a part of me for fifty years when I first entered the wood shop in seventh grade. As the years pass, I spend more hours in my workshop, crafting toys, puzzles, clocks, and art pieces, each piece bearing the mark of my heart and soul, a labor of love that I hope will bring joy to my family (and others) for generations to come. But, in my heart, I always knew that the true value of these creations lay not just in their beauty, but in the connection they would foster between me and my grandson. It brings me immeasurable joy to imagine the day when my grandson, with his wide eyes full of wonder, stands beside me in my workshop. I will teach him to respect the tools, honor the wood, to wield the tools of our hobby with care and precision. Together, we'll craft his first wooden toy, a simple yet magical creation that will be infused with love and guidance. These moments are not just about teaching woodworking skills. They are about forging a bond between us that will withstand the test of time. I want to share the stories of his great-great-grandparents, our triumphs, and our cherished memories as My Poppy and I worked side-by-side painting. For me... through these moments, I hope to pass down not just the craft of woodworking, but also the values of patience, perseverance, and creativity. The true gift, though, will come when the day arrives for my grandson to inherit his "Poppy's" tools. As he takes possession of these well-worn, but meticulously maintained, instruments of creation, he'll also inherit the responsibility of continuing our family's creative traditions. These tools, which have seen the birth of countless treasures and the formation of lasting memories, will now become his companions on a journey of self-discovery and artistic expression. In the passing of these tools, I'm passing down more than just instruments of woodwork. I'm passing down the love that has been poured into each piece I've crafted, the pride that comes with honing a skill over a lifetime, and the knowledge that, as "Poppy," I'll always be with him in spirit, guiding his hands as he shapes wood into something beautiful. I hope as I watch my grandson embrace the art of scroll sawing and carving, I'm filled with hope for the future. I know that, through our shared love of wood and creation, we are connecting the past with the present, and building a bridge to the future. The legacy of "Poppy" lives on, not just in the toys and art we create but in the bond between us that transcends time and generations. In the end, it's not the tangible items I leave behind that matter most, but the intangible lessons, values, and love that I pass on. As I look forward to the day my grandson takes the reins in the workshop, I'm filled with gratitude for the opportunity to be "Poppy" and for the legacy I have the privilege of leaving him. Image: Two of my Uncle Ronny's unfinished carvings, and a carving knife he made. 2nd Image, I found a couple photos of his carvings and a "self-portrait" carving.

I started with the two here, then saw other faces to try. I spray painted after I cut the face so it looked more like the insides of a pumpkin. also i cut bamboo skewer sticks as small dowels to be able to open back. then i used branches from a small dead tree, at the Y so can hang if want to with the top glued and brad nailed 20230925_165604.mp4

Very, very well done Dave. Which is your usual standard. Awesome describes it, for sure.

I'm not competent to critique such awesome work. I can only say that it's a beautiful piece.

Fabulous work Dave.

That is an awesome job you’ve done combining intarsia with fretwork Dave. Beautiful !!

Very beautiful and touching write up Richard. You are very fortunate to have a grandson to pass a family tradition onto in an age where craftsmanship today seems to hold so little interest. I consider myself fortunate to have been born at a time when life had a real meaning and value… Amen

That is awesome!

Nice work Dave!

Beautiful work, Dave!

I've had this printer about two months and love it. It will print on 13" x 19" paper. That size paper is a bit pricey but I love not having to tape so many patterns together.

Here is my latest projects. The oval bowl is Poplar and stained Blach Cherry and distressed, The round bowl is Alder and walnut. The un framed Albert Einstein is portrait #59 and cut out of 3/4 oak. I am waiting on my planer to arrive then it will be framed in Teak and stained black.

Beautiful piece!

Oh crap.... please share your thoughts and final method. I have some thoughts but I don't want to influence your artistic view point. Ok I want to learn from you.

Layered Snowflake Ornament #1 pattern by Keith Fenton and found in SWWC Winter issue page 72. I stack cut two blanks 1/4" x 4" square for each top (Ash) and back (Eastern Red Cedar}. I found the Eastern Red Cedar is too fragile and broke when sanding, so I balanced by cutting off every other little piece. Cut on the Pegas Scroll Saw using #1 MGT blades. After sanding, dipped in diluted Shellac and the one coat of spray Lacquer Clear Gloss. Comments welcome.

I have an old executive chair with wheels. I rescued it from a dumpster. I built my SS stand so that it angles down in front so the table is at belly height when sitting in my chair. I've seen some videos of guys standing at their saw. As slow as I cut, and as old as I am, (82) my legs and back would kill me within 5 minutes of that. I use a Deadman foot switch velcroed to a piece of 2×4. Is Deadman the correct term? It requires constant pressure.

fantastic job

I enjoyed your essay "a poppy's gift" I started carving about 30 years ago.

Very well done Dave! The airplane is super. I also like the way you used the features in the backer board so the coloration in the wood gives the appearance of clouds behind the airplane while the lettering is in light colored wood.

I have a 14 inch Rikon that I bought used ,maybe six years ago,. works great although I did have an issue with throwing blades but a call to the manufacture and was given excellent instructions to trouble shoot and make adjustments

It measures 23" x 16 1/2". The lettering was quite tricky because it was so small I cut them freehand without stacking them like I would do a regular inlay.

Hey Everyone! In this fun scroll saw project video, we make some neat light up Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns! This design comes from the new archive disks that Fox Chapel Publishing has sent me and is cut from 3/4 inch pine! It uses some basic electronic tea lights to give the project an eerie glow. Hope you all like the video! #ArtisanPirate

Tremendous work.

Wow that is so cool. He will be more than impressed I'm sure. What wood did you use for the plane? I wish I could get wood so white down here. Marg

Lee Valley.

Super nice. I love the 3D of the jet and how well you did the lettering in different wood. What size is this?

I'm envious of folks who have relatives that they are close with. I have 4 grandchildren, all adults, who share not a drop of my blood. I am not close with any of them and none of them have any interest in working with their hands. Or minds for that matter. They are content to just float through life. I was close to my Dad and one Grandfather. They both taught me many things and I inherited their spirits of creativity and mechanical ability. I fix stuff! I love making things and learning what makes things tick. I've tried to share my knowledge with my son. He doesn't live near me but we are close in our thoughts. He is a clone of me in many ways. I'm sad for many of the younger generations as they don't seem to see beyond their phones.

nice job

I have the Epson ET-16600. Looks a lot similar. I got mine over a year ago at office Depot for a significantly highr price. It works great. I print a lot of 11x17 and I only recently had to add new ink. I like the ink tanks much better than the cartriges. I bought a ream of the 13 x 19 paper on line and it will last me a long time. Don't use too much of it but it sure is nice when you need it. it is great for utilizing the full 12" project panels I use. I often need just that extra 2 inch width you can't print on the 11" wide paper.

It's a tank printer.

Very similar to the Epson I used to have.. I loved it for the larger format but hated the ink system.. This one may be better than mine because this one looks to have ink tanks rather than the cartridge's like mine had.. Cost me a fortune in ink but I sure worked that thing printing patterns and labels before I got a special thermal label printer.. Once it bit the dust for the second time after only about 4 years I was done and went to a small black and white laser printer.. I've always heard good things about the laser printers and I must say it was all true.. My only complaint is I wish I'd have went with a color one so I could print patterns with red lines.. I don't think I'll ever buy another inkjet again.. If I didn't use that Epson I had every few days the ink would dry in the print head and I was continually wasting ink to clean the print head.. The large format was really nice back when I did larger projects but I've slimmed down the larger items and most everything now fits a standard 8.5 x 11.. I'm going with a color laser for sure next time.. I'm just not sure if this Brother printer is ever going to break down.. I've only replaced the ink in my laser printer twice now in 4 years.. and just was only a month or so ago when I changed it the second time..

You got to have alcohol to scean offs the vood agter vou sahthes its.

Three more football plaques done. Team colors for each. Steve Good pattern to start, I replaced the text added the shaker pegs and the countersunk holes under the stripes The piece is 2, 1/2" BB laminated together after the interior cuts in the top, exterior cuts made after lamination ( 1" thick ), interior cuts made with FD Polar #1, exterior cuts made with FD polar #5. Lamination with polyurethane glue applied with a 4" foam roller then weighted down by a cinder block. 3 1/2" shaker pegs.

I have been away from most of my intarsia making projects and decided to try and make a few of the patterns I have had around for awhile. In doing so I found a photo of this one somewhere on line and downloaded the photo and attempted to make a pattern from it and cut make it, as i sort of liked the little guy. Here is what I ended up with. The one thing I added to the wood to get what I wanted from it was the multiple little lines on the owls body by simply using a wood burning too to make them. I have never tried that before and thought it worked fairly well this time. Dick heppnerguy

I started a new feature on my personal blog site, and actually recorded a video to go along with the photos. "What's on my Workbench". Usually, I have a few projects going on at the same time, I also have a few that are already set with the patterns glued on. Lots of patterns are already printed and sitting on a shelf. Kind of A.D.D. if you ask me! I have another post here tracking my Flag, Eagle, and Lady Liberty project, but this is another one that I am plugging away at currently. This is a 1937 design from Germany (Saxony), it will hold 5 tea candles when done. This pattern was given to me by someone in Germany and the plan is to give it as a gift to a German Officer I work with at NATO HQ. I kind of wish that I had done this 4 years ago when my Branch Head "Colonel Paul" was my boss, He was from the Saxony area. It would have made a great going away/ retirement gift for him. He was one of the best bosses I have had. Lots of detail work!

Fantastic job, Dick. I haven't tried intarsia yet. Been busy with commissions. At least that's paying for the wood for my hobby.

Does this count ? I'll answer my own question, it's not scroll saw related so that's a big NO! LOL It's kind of Halloween related though.

When I first moved to Arizona I saw an owl almost every morning when I walked the neighborhood, but for the past couple of years I see nor here then no longer. I am not sure why that it but I really enjoyed them ask WHO I was as I walked by Dick heppnerguy

Thank you so much. Not being able to find the pattern and making one from a photo, decreased the final project's quality as I was unable to see some of the details in the photo and had to wing it Dick heppnerguy

I like it too. Nice fitting and contours especially on the eyes. Thumbs up.

Cute little guy. Well done

Cute! Well done.

Great job looks very good.

I agree with what you are saying. I have used this method before a couple of times so I do understand completely what you are telling me. when I am colorizing my paper pattern pieces this method is not doable. In the wreath pattern, I can see that as a good place to use that method indeed. Thank you for your input, and OH I am sure glad you are still on The Village as you and I go back some time on here together. I always enjoyed our conversations and fun times then Dick heppnerguy

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 have only made three, so far. Well really I have made 4, I build a Grandfather clock that has been ticking in my living room for over 40 years, but it was a kit build, took no scrolling.

My youngest grandson is adopted out of Kyzakastan. He suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and lives in his own world.