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My latest project - Halloween box with hidden opening mechanism. "Trick or Treat" sign is moving element: if it in the lower position box is locked, if it in the upper position you can remove top of the box. Watch the video to see how it works and how it was made. Also pattern includes 2 variant: usual box and with hidden mechanism Halloween box pattern

I have not been in the workshop for a month, it's just been too darn hot (95+ with 105+ heat index for weeks)and my little window a/c could not shed the heat. Even on days that the temps dropped a little I just could not find the motivation. Well, we are finally in the 80s, and I forced myself to work in the shop, 30 minutes at a time, getting back to an hour, then 90 minutes. It's a forcing function. But the heat this summer broke me mentally. Here is a tree of life (no roots though) that is a little nontraditional, but I think it came out pretty nice. 100% inside cuts, even the perimeter. I used Bloodwood, which is hard as heck and I went through blades about every 20-30 minutes. Used Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse. #5 for the smaller details on the right, #7 for the larger on the left, and #9 for the perimeter. Cut on a 30" Pegas, with Pegas chuck. Here are a few images. The finished piece, a closeup through my lighted magnifying glass, and the pan under the saw, I throw the waste wood and dead blades. It is magnetized, so I do keep blades that have a little life left stuck to the back.

Are you enjoying it? Are you learning? Are you looking forward to your next project? Time spent doing these things is time well spent.

Another attempt at an Intarsia project. For a detailed write up see my post in the Intarsia/Segmentation furum. Comments and critiques always welcome.

I had time to spend in the shop and various projects to work on. The live edge bowl came from a wood cookie that I had for a long time and my wife wanted a chips bowl, the cottage is a real old pattern that I found in the shop don’t remember from where I got it. The beer caps display was just an idea from my wife, did one before with wine corks so we try another one, now back to golf.

See my write-up in the Intarsia/Segmentation section.

I was in the shop yesterday trying to do a compound cut. But the nozzle had clogged on my can of 3M77 and efforts to unclog it had failed. So I printed my pattern on label paper. But when I tried to attach it to the blank I got too much sawdust on it and it would not stick. Looking around the shop for something to make it stick I settled on my spray can of shellac. It took a little longer to set, but it did stick. The 2nd flamingo is the happy result.

#ArtisanPirate

I picked up my “new” Hegner this week. I ordered a quick clamp and quick tension rod from Advanced Machinery and they showed up yesterday. This is a 30 year old saw and damn, it runs so very smooth. Now I have one for my summer shop and one for my winter shop. I found the saw on Market Place. While there I also picked up a Porter Cable router and router table with fine adjust. And in the 2nd picture is a 6” digital height gauge. Been looking for one for quite awhile. They accepted my offer of $350.00 plus a Coin Drop that I make. Pretty good deal I’d say. By the way, if anyone is interested in an EX-21, I have two for sale. Going cheap.

Should you be satisfied with the completed project - absolutely. It isn't a race against anyone. Stop comparing yourself to others, it only causes stress. (been there done that). If you have improved from your first cut to your last cut than that is what is important.

There are many different brands and types of glue sticks. Some work better than others.

One way to raise the figures would be to cut them out at 90 degrees, then use a shim on the backs. This will leave a kerf around the figure, but this could be filled with sawdust, or the figure dyed a darker color so the kerf is less noticeable. Try this on a scrap piece to see if the affect is to your liking. Using a small blade with a minimal kerf would be helpful. One way to make this a bragging piece would be to do some carving on the figures. Another way would be to add color to it. White for the canvas on the wagons and brown lines for the harness on the mules, etc. Tom

I couldn’t agree more. Well said

Actually, it is only 1/2". If it was 3/4, I would have only gotten 15 minutes on a blade! It's the heat/friction that makes the blade wear faster. You can see the discoloration as it heats and turns blueish. I think it loses it tempering with all that heat, thus the tracking of the blade goes wonky, then you have to push harder. Nothing yet on the wood other than a tack cloth wipe. I will finish with a raw linseed oil dip. Yes, that thin insulation really does help as the sun beats on that door from 11 AM to sunset. Probably helps another 10-15+ degrees.

I buy full shipping labels from amazon and print more than one pattern to fill out the label and it goes through my laser printer. I put contact clear paper on my wood first, then stick label pattern on that and it all comes off when done with a simple pull and wood is clean. Bill

I have had my hegner for many years and love it. That quick clamp is ideal also.

It's a 3/4-inch lock line from Amazon. (2 sets) Connected via a sleeve with a wooden insert RTV'd into place. I used two blast gates, one for the bottom vac, and one for the top so I could throttle the suction to the way I like. As you can see because of the flex hosing behind, raising and lowering the arm does not affect the top vac at all. It will go back into the proper position. Here's what it looks like from the side. This is just before trimming everything up and replacing the Excalibur in the background. And you can see I built the same top vac on the Excal too! 2nd photo shows it in place. 30" Pegas.

Very nicely done, and remember it is suppose to be fun, RJ

I hear ya... Ain't getting any younger. A quicker pace would mean more time to accomplish more projects...

My father was a Blacksmith. He started his apprenticeship when aged 14 and worked until aged 65. A kind hearted man with a will as strong as the iron he worked. He had five sons and to his disappointment only one followed in his footsteps. I was’t the one as I went to sea when I was 15 and since then have worked countless (over 30) different jobs in different countries. as per usual I used all recycled wood.

Congrats! Great deal!

Wow! Great finds. Lucky you!!!

Jackpot!!!!! Jerry

Great job on your cutting and 10 - 4 on lots of sanding! I have done my share on fret works of the past! Erv

I could of done these with a band saw that I don't own any more so I scrolled the handles. These are the first of 12 that my granddaughter and I are doin as a gifts at a research conference at the local hospital. She will be doing hers next week when she get back from holidays. Made from 4/4 Brown Maple. Bought rough wood and milled to 7 1/2 by 18 by about 3/4. Cost less than $5 CDN.

Looks good, well done. Marg

Yeah i have been using glue sticks lately, attaching the pattern directly to the wood with good results

A simple trick I use, I wipe the nozzle with my finger nail after each and every use. Doing this prevents it from building up and clogging. If my finger gets too sticky, I just wipe it off with a shop towel sprayed with mineral spirits. If you can’t get mineral spirits, use paint thinner. Wiping the nozzle with the wet shop towel will work too.

I use label paper all the time with no problems.

I seems to me that the latest 3m77 cans of spray have I purchased, clog more than in the past ones. It is bad enough that I keep a small jar of Mineral spirits that I put the caps in between sprays. They must have changed caps or something. That is what happens. Companies get something that is good and works they have to change it so it doesn't. Same thing with websites!

It's almost been a year since I bought my nice Dewalt scroll saw and have cut over two hundred items/projects with it. Everything I scrolled has been top notch with only having two failures that ended up as kindling. I'm trying to gauge my real progress in relation to how much time I have invested in Ass Hours getting those projects completed. The example posted here was done over the last two days with a total of 5 hours in A H I look at patterns and to scroll guessing how long it would take to complete and 99% of the time it's way underestimated. I watch in awe, Youtube scrollers with many years experience scroll in real time. I'm thinking my skills are not too bad but my confidence is where I'm lacking. Should I be satisfied taking five hours to scroll something simple as the example???

When you have O C D you're always in a rush and when you also have A D D, it's a toxic combination..

You have to lick the glue after it is applied to "activate" it!

After it was done, I didn't like the look of the brown wood grain area going across the bottom. Too late now!