Saturday, March 23, 2019

Hummingbird Segmentation or Intarsia Scroll Saw Pattern.



This segmentation project is ten inches wide. The pattern could easily be used for an intarsia pattern also. 

If you are not familiar with either of these techniques here are the basics.

Segmentation: Segmentation projects are created from a single board. All the pieces are cut from that board(Like cutting a puzzle), then the edges are rounded over and glued back together on a backer board. Sometimes people will paint the pieces to add color. 

I prefer to keep the pieces natural and have the look of a shallow relief carving. I tend to do a bit more contouring than most on my segmentation projects. As an example, I sanded the horizontal slats on this project so they recede into the background. This makes the subject stand out.

Intarsia: Intarsia projects are different in that they are created from more than one species of wood. The wood is chosen for the color. Another difference is that the grain of the wood is used to give the finished image more depth. More depth is often created by adding risers under the pieces or using different thicknesses of wood. 



For segmentation, we just apply the pattern to a single board. If we were doing intarsia we would need to print out several copies of the pattern for the different species of wood we will be using.


This pattern has several small pieces. I use blue painters tape to cover the hole in the scroll saw table. This prevents the small pieces from falling through the hole and getting lost.


Another tip that I always follow is to rebuild the project as I cut the pieces. If you don't you will have a puzzle to solve as you start gluing to the backer board.


I leave the pattern on the pieces until the pieces are contour sanded. I remove the pattern from a piece then contour it. Then I move to the next pieces. That makes it very easy to know which pieces are sanded.


Segmentation and intarsia projects are all about contouring. The more time you take with this step the better the finished project will be. 

Segmentation is a little more forgiving with the contouring than intarsia. Most segmentation projects have minimal contouring. You can use your own judgment on how you finish your segmentation project.


I like to give the pieces a faceted look to simulate shallow relief carving. 

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