Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year

May all your projects be successful in 2009!

A Soldier


All of us have a great dept of gratitude to the men and women that give up their time and risk their life to protect our freedom. This pattern is to say thanks for their sacrifice.

As I write this 2008 is almost a memory. 2009 looms with all the excitement that comes with the unknown. Like every other year 2009 will have it's ups and downs. We will all experience our successes and failures. New Years day is a great time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. I hope the new year will be challenging, fruitful and exciting for all of us. I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year.




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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Make your own sanding mop on the cheap.

A Few months ago I did a video review of a sanding mop I had purchased from the SAW EXPO. Many of you expressed interest but mentioned how expensive they are to buy. A couple days ago I received an email from Rick Wize. He told me about his experience building his own sanding mop for around $13. These mops cost between $25 and $50 to buy so he caught my attention.

I asked Rick if he would write up a short article describing the project. He quickly finished the article and here it is.

Important: This is a home brew project. Manufactures go to great expense to ensure that their product is safe. If you build this mop please understand that you do so at your own risk. Neither Rick or myself want you to build a project that is beyond your means and experience. Please be careful and use good judgment in everything you do in your shop.



Purchase Mandrel from Klingspor woodworking shop (note: there are two sized diameter mandrels you can purchase, above is smaller diameter). They are $8.95 or $9.95 respectively.

Purchase a lb (or 2) of Klingspor “gold” bulk sandpaper for $3/ lb. I picked thru the box of sandpaper and took 2” 180 grit rolls as pictured.

Cut the sandpaper into 6” pieces


Make 2 templates (2” x 6”) out of scrap thin stock as pictured.

Sandpaper prepared to be sandwiched between templates.

Sandpaper between templates to be bandsawn and then center drilled (per mandrel size)

After Bandsaw & before drill press

Finished sanding mop (on my lathe for quick speed changes).


Here is the video review I made several months ago incase you missed it.


Here is the link to Klingspore

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14 Fun Word Art Patterns


Here are 14 more fun word art patterns to get you in trouble. If you are just getting started into the hobby of scrolling these patterns are great practice. Buy some cheap pine and you are all ready to go. I almost always cut word art patterns from pine. Nobody cares what kind of wood you use for this type of pattern. It's all about the funny.





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Monday, December 29, 2008

Power Tool







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Sunday, December 28, 2008

Key to Success

Here is a quick pattern for you to cut.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. "Albert Schweitzer"







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Easy Compound Cut Flower

This is an easy compound cut flower. The petals and leafs are simple to cut. I used some construction grade pine for the compound cuts. I think the flower center is padauk. It was just a scrap I had laying around. The stem is maple.

All the pieces are just glued together. Glue the first 5 petals to the flower center in a star pattern. Then glue the next 5 petals behind the first 5. Sand flat spots on the petals to make gluing easier.

I left the stem square but it might look better if you contour the edges round.

Study the assembly pictures if you need a guide.









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Thursday, December 25, 2008

Tree Fairies

This Tree Fairies plate could be hung on a wall or displayed in a plate stand. Use two contrasting woods so the design stands out. The back plate is 1/2" thick and the design is 1/4" thick.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas. Time to get ready for a new year. 2008 zoomed by for me. I'm looking forward to growing the blog bigger and better in 2009. Thanks to all of you that have made the Scrollsaw Workshop the success that it is.





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Talk about last minute!

At 9 pm Christmas eve night I realized I had forgot to make a gift for my mother-in-law. I had promised her last year that I would make a Nativity scene for her this year. I sat down with Corel Draw and worked up this layered nativity pattern. By 1 am I had this project finished except for a coating of spray lacquer. I'll do that in the morning before we leave.

I thought some of you might enjoy this pattern even if you don't have time to make it this Christmas. The scene is 9 1/2" long and 5 1/2" tall.





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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas from the Scrollsaw Workshop


I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. I hope Santa brings you and your family a big bag of happiness. My family and I will be traveling to enjoy the holiday with family and friends. I will be back this weekend. I'm working on a few patterns and should have them ready for your saw in a couple days. Until then enjoy the blog and I'll talk to you soon.

Steve

Saturday, December 20, 2008

MY EMT MY HERO


This is a very special request from a good friend of the Scrollsaw Workshop. I received an email from Murray today. On Wednesday morning he had a heart attack. Murray was rushed to the local hospital where he was stabilized pending a 70 mile ambulance ride to a cardiac center. During the trip his BP dropped to 60/40. Luckily the EMT's knew exactly what to do and kept him going during the trip. During the ride Murray reflected on the important things in his life, his family. He was saddend that he might not have the opportunity to say goodbye to his grand children. After the long trip they found that Murray had one totally blocked artery. After some clot busting and a stent implant Murray was able to return home today.

What was the thing on Murray's mind when he got home? He wanted to say thank you to the EMT's that were a big part of saving his life. As long as he does not over do it he can do a little work in his shop. Murray wanted a pattern that he could cut and give to those EMT's.

This pattern is for all those hero's out there that save lives and rescue us dangerous situations. I salute the men and women that keep this important service going 24 hours a day. Thank you.

Murray, I wish you a very speedy recovery. I hope all your holiday wishes come true and that your family and you are safe, happy and healty in the new year.





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Let's Make Some Music

This pattern requires a 1 7/16" mini clock insert.

Scroll Saw Tip:
Start a cut in a corner or point. This helps hide the transition when you come back to finish the cut. If you start in the middle of a curve you will find it difficult to make a smooth transition. This will help cut down on sanding.





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Friday, December 19, 2008

Holiday Ornaments







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The Bird Hunter Clock Scroll Saw Pattern


This pattern requires a 2 3/4" clock insert.

Scroll Saw Tip:
Make your own scroll saw blade holders from 1/2" pvc pipe. You can find the pvc pipe and end caps at your local home improvement store. Use a permanent marker to label the tubes and you will always be able to find the blade you need.





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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Small Holiday Shelf Scroll Saw Pattern


This Holiday Shelf is 10" long. It will hold small candles or holiday figurines. The pattern is designed for 1/2" wood.




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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Word Art Scroll Saw Pattern


Funny little word art pattern for you to cut.

Scroll Saw Tip:
The feed rate in which you move the wood into the blade is important. One of the blades functions is to remove the saw dust from the kerf. If you try to feed too fast the dust builds up and clogs the blade. This causes a poor cut. It also builds up friction heat and will reduce the life of your blades.



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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

It is reader submitted picture time again.

This is my favorite post to make each month. I get great pictures sent to me from all over the world of projects made by my readers. Here are several from the last few weeks. Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to send their work.


The first six are from William. Looks like you have been busy at the saw lately.






Check out the next three from Ted. Some professional level work here. The plexi Dragon is outstanding. I would like to have that one my shelf.


The next four are from Ron. Check out the beautiful blanket chest. You can't see it in the photo but Ron added a scrolled name to the bottom right of the chest. That was a nice touch Ron



This next one is from Jim. Is that some wild grain going on there or what. That vase pattern is one of my favorite patterns to make.
Jerri sent this mini clock project. There must be a lot of guitarist out there because this pattern was downloaded almost 2000 times.
Don sent me this one. This pattern always makes a great gift.
I received this picture from Dave. He said in his email that his interest in scrolling was renewed when he came across my blog a couple months ago. I have to tell you that is why I do this blog thing. Emails like that make my day. Thanks Dave.
The next four are from Bob. Nice work Bob. The bow box is one of my wife's favorite patterns. The word art clocks were also a very popular pattern. I received dozens of reader emails with more sayings to put on the clock pattern. I'll be making another book of these soon.



I know that these picture posts slow the blog down a bit. It just takes a while to load all the extra pictures. I get emails every time I do this about the slow down. It's worth it to me because my blog is all about getting new scrollers involved in the hobby. I want everyone to see that they too can make these projects. There are thousands of scroll saw artist all over the world. Anyone can do this hobby. If you are thinking about buying a scroll saw go for it. It's a great hobby. It's not that expensive and you can learn in just a matter of days to make great projects.



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