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Hey kids, it's been a while... I hope everyone is doing well. I stepped into my shop yesterday for the first time since September. It felt good to get back into the groove again. Finished up 7 puzzles and a couple of key/leash racks this morning. I received acceptance to my best 1 day event each year which is at the end of April so I need to get 100-150 puzzles and racks cut to be ready. Iggy

He does this for me daily. What an awesome Lord we serve.

Seems like over the past few months I get started on something and then go "squirrel " and start something new without finishing the first one. So with the new year I've set out to finishing all the started things before starting new ones. Here's 2 of them. The Deer (2 pics) one is in the window to show the "stained glass "affect. It cut from ⅛ ply with a red oak frame and acrylic for the color areas The 2nd is a sun catcher for my daughter who is a Zelda fan. It's cut from ⅛ maple with acrylic in the middle. It looks the same from both sides. Anyhow, thanks for looking, back to the shop......

A custom request. The pattern is by Gayle at the Scroll Saw Cafe. I used 1/8" Baltic Birch plywood stacked two high 12" x 12". Cut on the Pegas Scroll Saw using Pegas #0 Spiral blades. The finish is three coats Spray Lacquer Clear Satin with a light sanding between coats. Of course, framed at ArtCrafters. Comments welcome.

Not bragging about this simple pattern just showing it nearly finished steve good download took me a bit over an hour to mill down hard maple to 1/4 inch and cut pattern out im getting a little better at selecting blades used a 2 blade and had no problems even on some tight turns I'll stack cut 2 more tomorrow or this week when it's warm enough to get out there I will spray lacquer from rattle can after red paint cures by tomorrow Simple and quick and I'm having fun

The older I get, the fewer muscles I have.

My price would be $8 to $12 especially if stack cutting. Tops. Really not complicated of a cutting. Type of wood plays a role too. if BB I lean more toward $10

I adapted a photo of a Mallard Duck in Flight to create an 11 ¼” x 10 ¼” Intarsia pattern. Wood used: Aspen, Basswood, Orange Osage, Roasted Birch, Sapele, Yellowheart, and Wenge. Very accurate cutting is needed to get a good fit of the many small parts, especially in the wings. To enhance the piece, I used dye to color Aspen for the Green and Blue areas. For my version I also added some dark shading to match the image using an Airbrush. Backer is 1/8” thick BB Ply and the completed Assembly was protected with multiple coats of a Clear Gloss Acrylic Finish. Original Photo. My version! Comments and critiques welcome. I will post the pattern in Pattern Exchange.

I am a month and a half into making thing and it is time to stop practicing and giving things away how much would you sell a snowflake for 3-4 inches tall

Avast, Jim Hawkens! Be that Ben Gunn carrying Captain Flint's treasure Chest! (Treasure Island, 1950 the best!) Our Groomer has a 4year old grandson that is crazy about pirates. She had boarded our dog while we were away for Christmas and I was bored, so I made another treasure chest. The box is poplar and I used my I-Box tool to make the box joints. I ripped 3/4" wide, quarter inch thick strips for the top and glued and pinned nailed in place. Brass, hamered nails are sold a Lowes for a few dollars for a box of 25. My wife found the hardware on the web and did the fabulous paintings of the Scull and Cross bones and the parrot on the front and ship inside the top. The groomer will be back in about 2 weeks and will be surprised.

#ArtisanPirate

I struggle with setting a price on some things I've made. I take into account my location (not a high priced area to live in), complexity of the item (how long it took to make), and type and cost of wood it was made from. Plus, the "ready made" competition of similar items found in stores like Hobby Lobby. Some of my items have taken 2 years for the right person to come along and buy. Over the past 3 years doing this, I have reinforced and come to believe the best I can do and am quite OK with, is that I have a hobby/pastime that pays for itself, and makes me happy as well as the people who buy my works.

I think a lot would depend on where you're trying to sell at and also how are they packaged if they are.. All of my ornaments starting priced at $15.97 + shipping ( I sell online so shipping is a factor for me ).. I also package every ornament in a gift box.. so they're ready to give as a gift if the customer is purchasing it as a gift.. if not the box gives a bit more padding for packaging in the mail as the gift boxes are cotton filled too. Shipping is usually right around $4 - 5 for ground advantage.. so they're spending a total of around $20 some of my ornaments are double layered so they're priced closer to $18.97 + shipping and then adding any type of personalized or custom design is yet more money.. I sell a lot of them too and being priced higher like this allows me to be able to run a sale, or do bulk / wholesale orders which is really the larger part of my income.. The lowest I will sell a bulk order is $10 each.. for a pretty basic design..and goes up from there.. Selling at a craft show or farmers market.. I'd probably price things similar to the others saying $10 - 12 if there is no gift box etc.. I just think the gift boxes are a must have as then if the customer does purchase they have a box to easily carry with them rather than just handing them a ornament in a bag or something.. Everyone will have a different idea of price and many times it's based on experience and the market in their particular area..

Have not done any scrolling since November last year except for one very small and easy one for my son in law a couple of weeks ago. Today I started cutting a couple of Steve Good cat ornaments and messed them both up. Not used to using the reverse tooth blades any more (have not used them since about April last year) because my go to blades are the #3 gm Pegus blades. Did not figure there was so much difference in the two types of blades, my brain had a fog then a melt down. Scraped those and will start again in a couple of days. Marg

Thanks all for your insightful replies and suggestions. Redheart sounds like a good alternative to Bloodwood. None of my usual local sources carry it. I will watch for it at Woodcraft: thanks @MarieC for the suggestion. And thanks John @JTTHECLOCKMAN for the beautiful example. Thankfully I was wearing a mask, this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YBWXWYR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I also have a respirator with changeable filters like Ray and Wichita @OCtoolguy and @Wichman suggested. I use that one when painting or doing something that produces organic vapors. My shop vac has HEPA filters so hopefully I did not leave much of the Bloodwood sawdust in my shop. Now onward to the next project, still deciding what.

Example of redheart.

I have cut with red heart which is a really pretty red wood and have had no issues...You might want to try that. Often times Red heart goes on sale in February (for the Valentine's day month) at Woodcraft so you might want to see if that is the case this year. Here is a discription of it: The bright red background of Redheart (Erythroxylon mexicanum) is host to a number of very interesting streaks and closed knots. It is smooth and tight grained, and sands to a nice workable surface. Redheart does not tear out when planed, and is nice for scroll sawing. In many ways it is similar to Bloodwood in character and color without the possibility of allergic reaction from the dust. (It comes from Mexico most of the time)

Not a frequent puzzler, but I took a long break after cataract surgery to overprotect my eyes from sawdust and did very little during Q4 last year. Like JT, I need to make something substantial, just to make sure the saw still likes me.

What kind of protection are you using now? In addition to the advice already given I would add, a good respirator with organic vapor cartridges. The OV cartridges will limit the exposure to sensitive agents, your body just gets overwhelmed. Another useful protection is a product called "gloves in a bottle". This is a hand and body, or arms in this case, that bonds with the skin and limits contact with the sawdust. A strategy to think about is to limit your exposure to several hours and then strip off your outwear into the washer and take a shower. Launder the outerwear before wearing again. The goal here is to think "how do I limit my exposure". The older we get the more we will find things our bodies just don't like. Being prepared for the next one will keep you more comfortable over the long run. And finally, a good ! Temporary ! Relief is calamine lotion. This is a poor replacement for good cleanliness practices ( showering off the irritant ) and protective measures, but to keep you from scratching yourself raw, it's pretty good.

When I first started scrolling I had some cheap plywood from when I redid the interior of a motorhome. I think it might have been Phillipine mahogany, cheap thin crap that was used as a backing for wallpapered walls. The dust got up my nose and I was plugged up for 2 weeks. That's when I bought my first dust mask. I now have a very good respirator mask with changeable filters.

I get a sinus infection every time I work with walnut.

Scott, good to see you again and are doing well, keep us posted on your show, RJ

The one wood that I react to is Mahogany! I found that out when I was not using a face mask and was sneezing, nose running like a facet! Had not had any problem with woods before that so I started using a face mask like I should have been doing before! Erv

Good to see you back. I too have been out of my shop for quite some time. Close to a year. Stepped back in this past Thursday and sure is good to get back. Have so many little projects I want to try before summer comes. I need to slowly get the feel of tools again. We forget things but they should come back to us quickly. Good luck with your show and getting the puzzles cut.

In the turning world Cocobolo is probably the one that effects alot of turners. Will say this Padauk is has to be the dustiest wood ever made by Mother Nature. The dust gets everywhere. You have been warned. Many times different species of woods come from different parts of the world. I know bloodwood is one of them. Many times you have no idea where they came from so hard to tell you to change sources. Good luck.

Pants. long sleeve shirt with laytex glloves ooverlapping and taped, full face respirator mask with scarf to prevent dust from getting on head and neck...and then go at it. Comments from other Intarsia makers have stated the same thing about various woods. Seems like everyone reacts alergy wise differently. I use a full respirator mask when shaping and sanding and a vacumn system. However, my shop is small and dust gets airborn, so it still gets into my nose and it makes me sneeze a lot. Fortunately, no other adverse reactions. I've been meaning to try Bloodwood. I think I will be very careful when I do.

I get a slight reaction to when using Cocobolo. I love the wood. I have quite a few pieces of it. But it does make my nose run and lots of sneezing.

Do a little searching Esty for Celtic knot patterns. I know Alex Fox has some in his Esty store.

Steve Good has a few Celtic patterns, not many but on the upside they are free.

Yeah Bloodwood is not terrible for most people but you may just be one of the few it affects in that way. I have friend that had never had any problems with any species, until he got his hands on Zebrawood. He has severe reaction just touching it. Have you tried Redheart or Padauk?

Lovely work. Marg

I think I will just ship my stuff to Dave for the final finish.

Just finished this. It is to go with a previous one I did some time ago. I have two more I am going to try eventually. I tried some new things this time. I cut the white and removed the pattern from those pieces but left the pattern on the rest of the picture. Sprayed the white pieces. Last time, I hand-painted them. This worked well and was much easier and faster.

Terrific work. Marg

@Scrappile Paul, really nice job on that piece. I'm thinking that you should do a complete jazz band. Can't wait to see the "SCRAPPERSs" jazz band. Thank for sharing. Rick

Nah, you don't want to do that.

True Intarsia uses the natural color of various wood to create the Art. Green and Blue are not readily available as natural wood colors. As I stated in my post, I dyed Aspen ( avery White Wood) the blue and geen areas. All others parts of the Duck are the natural wood color, although I did add the dark shading/shadow by applying a very thin coat of Acrylic Paint with my Air Brush. And yes, I do purchase many various pieces of wood to get the many various colors needed to do Intarsia. Not an inexspensive hobby.

Very well done!

You really takes your role seriously, grandparent are kids spoilers, real nice piece of work. It will be well received

This will give the little one hours of pleasure for a long time to come. Dick heppnerguy

Paul, that is really nice, RJ

First complete project for 2025. Calla Lily pattern from Judy Gale Roberts, reduced to about 80%. Woods used: Poplar, White Oak, Maple and Aspen. Finished with Walrus Oil.

Quite beautiful!

Very nice you always come up with masterpieces

awesome job

I recently ordered parts and had a question. The person on the phone said that she would reach out to the original owner for an answer. So it had been sold at some point. The warehouse pictured on their website looks like a third party distribution center. Advanced machinery must think it is cheaper to have a warehouse ship rather than having their own warehouse employees.