Del's Amazing Wooden Machine

If you have followed my blog for any time you know I have a fascination with mechanical objects. This amazing video from YouTube shows a machine designed and built by a talented woodworker named Del. This intricate hand-cranked machine is made entirely of wood. No metal fasteners or other materials were used in the construction.

This sculpture is a masterpiece in my book. Several comments on YouTube ask "what use is it". I say it provides one of the most valuable uses of all. The piece inspires imagination and displays beauty. To me that is the definition of true art. To top it off the sound it makes is very cool.

I'm not sure how much if any scroll saw work went into this project but I wanted to post the video anyway because it is so amazing.



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Compound cutting with Dick Sader

This three part video demonstration was produced by Carl Mills and Dick Sader. They are members of the Northwest Indiana Woodworkers Association. You can visit the associations web site at http://www.niwoodworkers.org. Dick discusses compound ornament cutting. He provides many useful tips. Thanks Carl and Dick for allowing me to share your video with my readers.


Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:



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I Love My Valentine

It's a cold icy night here in central Kentucky. The street in front of my house has an inch or two of ice. It's still coming down and it looks like a rough morning. The branches of all the trees have a 1/4" coating of ice. It's pretty but the last time this happened we were without power for 5 days.

I thought I should work on another Valentines Day pattern. Holidays are made for scrollers. If you sell your work in craft shops or consignment stores you need to stay current. Always be ready for holiday buyers. Most craft purchases are impulse buys so be ready.

This simple pattern reminds me of elementary school when we all exchanged valentine cards. All us boys hated that day. Little did we know that in just a few short years the girls we tried so hard to avoid would be the center of our universe.



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Server issues causing patterns not to download.

My hosting service is having server issues today. Until they get it resolved the patterns on my blog will not be available. I just talked to them and they said it should be up soon. Thanks for your patience. 1-26-09 11:00 PM Eastern time.

Layered Golf Scroll Saw Pattern

Here is one for all of you with golfers in the family. These layered pictures have a nice 3d effect. If you can use different species of wood for each layer it add an heirloom quality to the piece.




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Praying Hands Scroll Saw Pattern

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am trying to spend time in the shop today. It seems like I spend more time cleaning the workshop than actually getting any work done. I am always amazed how fast the dust collector fills up. I primarily use the dust collection on the table saw, planer and jointer. It does not take a lot of planing to fill the bag up.

Here is a pattern of praying hands. I had a request for this pattern. They are going to use the hands as a centerpiece at a reception. There is quite a bit of veining work in this pattern. Take your time when you are backing the blade out of a deep vein. If you twist too much you might break the project.



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#1 Trophy Scroll Saw Pattern

There are 30 trophy patterns in this book. I also left one blank so you can design you own.

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United States Navy Emblem Scroll Saw Pattern

Here is another military emblem. This one salutes the United States Navy. I have received a bunch of requests for these emblems. I hope you enjoy them. I'll works on more later.

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United States Army Emblem

The U.S. Army is the oldest and largest branch of armed services in the United States. The men and women of the U.S. Army provide support and capabilities for the defense of our country. It's easy to think of these people as soldiers but remember they are our sons and daughter, family and friends. Every "casualty" you read about in the paper or see on the television was not just a number, it was a loved one who will be grieved for and missed. Some family will have their lives shattered. Some child will grow up without a father or mother. We see so much coverage in the media that we can become numb to the the loss.

You don't have to agree with the leaders that send these young people off to do their duty. You don't have to agree with the reasons they are put in harms way. In this United States you don't have to serve in the military. As moral caring people that enjoy the sacrifices of the freedom and prosperity that so many have died to protect I say you do have to support the individuals that give their time voluntarily to do what has to be done.

The next time you are out and see a soldier take a minute to shake his or her hand and say thank you. If you have the resources donate to one of the many help groups like Operation AC.

This pattern is for all the soldiers in the U.S. Army. Thank you for you sacrifice. I salute you.




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Valentines Day is right around the corner. Are you Ready?

Holidays are great for craftsmen. While everyone else is out buying the same old commercial gifts we crafters can make one of a kind hand made gifts. Show your sweetheart how much you care and make them something special.

I'll try to design a few Valentine patterns in the next few days. This one should be easy enough for scrollers of all skill levels to cut.



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ARRRRGGGGG!!!!!!

Well I've been trying to reconstruct my email for the entire weekend. I'm getting email again but I'm not certain I'm getting all of it. I know I have lost 90% of all email since Friday.

I am sorry for the inconvenience. If you have sent me email in the last few days and have not received a reply you probably won't. Please resend if you can.

If I am working on a project for you I have lost all my saved emails so I can't get back to you. Just drop me another email and remind me what I was working on.

I think the problem was that I had over 5000 email in one folder and it got corrupted some how. I have most of it backed up but the last back up was a week ago so there are a few hundred I can't get back.

Thanks for everyone's patience.

Grandbaby Scroll Saw Clock Pattern

I recently purchased a mini pendulum drive unit from www.cherrytreetoys.com. I wanted to design a simple clock to try out the pendulum. This pattern is a Grandbaby Clock. The clock is 10.5" tall and uses a 1 7/16 mini clock insert and the pendulum drive unit. The drive unit cost around $8. I will definitely be using it in more patterns. One note about the unit. It does not come with a battery. It requires an N cell that cost under $2.

I put together a short video so you could see the pendulum in action.



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Connection issues

I am having serious issues with my internet connection. I am trying to get things working asap. I am unable to get my email right now. Please be patient with me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. The Scrollsaw Workshop should not be affected and you will be able to access the blog as normal.

Thanks

Steve Good

Hello God, it's me again.

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

Most of the central part of the United States is getting hit by an Arctic blast of cold air. Many places are going to see temps well below zero. Here in Kentucky we are expecting -4 degrees for lows by the end of the week. Some will see highs below zero. I hope your workshops are heated. What better way to spend a frigid day than in a nice heated shop making saw dust. Everyone be safe and check on friends and family.



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Marine Emblem Scroll Saw Pattern

I had a request for Marine patterns so here is another one. This is the Marine emblem. The pattern includes two different sizes.



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Iwo Jima Clock Scroll Saw Pattern

Semper Fi. Always faithful is the moto for the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps was organized in 1775 and has served in every U.S. conflict. The modern day Marine Corp is known for it's rapid response and hard hitting attitude.

During WWII 110,000 marines were sent to take the volcanic rock of an island named Iwo Jima. The island was defended by over 22,000 japanese soldiers who were determined to hold the island to the last man. More than 20,000 japanese soldiers died with less than 2000 surendering.

Joe Rosenthal's photograph of five marines raising the American flag over Mount Suribachi captured the attention of Americans looking for heros.

This pattern salutes all the Marines present and past who served their country. OOHRAH!





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High School Basketball Trophy

Here is a trophy pattern book. This book contains the numbers 00-99.





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Scroll Saw Portrait Pattern Design in Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

Would you like to create portrait patterns like the one above for your scroll saw? It's actually very easy.

This video tutorial will show you the basics of creating a scroll saw portrait pattern using Paint Shop Pro Photo X2. This program retails for $99. It is a very powerful photo editor capable of many of the same things you can do in the much more expensive Photoshop. If you would like to know more about PSP just follow this link. There is also a free trial download to give you a chance to see if it meets your needs.



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One Earth

I spend a lot of time thinking about blogging. When I began this blog a year and a half ago i had small expectations. I never believed I would be talking daily to scrollers all over the world. It made me think about how much smaller the worlds seems to me today. I have friends on ever continent except the Antarctic because of this blog. The power of blogging just numbs my mind. This clock pattern just sums up my thoughts about what I experience daily.

This clock pattern requires a 2 3/4" clock insert. Use a 2 3/8" forstner bit to cut the hole for the insert.




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Ten Commandments

The stones are 7 1/2" wide apiece. The base is 15 1/2" long. This will challenge your cutting skill a little. I would use a small spiral blade or a scroll reverse #3 blade to cut the letters in the stones. Just take your time and cut inside the lines.

A set of miniature drill bits will come in handy for making the interior holes. Check out Sloans Workshop to find a set of bits and a miniature chuck.





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A Cube Within a Cube

This video has nothing to do with scrolling but it is a great little woodworking project for those of you with a drill press. I found this video on YouTube. It was produced by "stevinmarin". He does a great job explaining this little puzzle project from American Woodworker magazine. I wanted to share this because it's such a neat little project.





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The Dragon

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






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Measure Twice Cut Once

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The Hummer

This small mantel clock has a humming bird theme. The clock stands about 10" tall. The insert is a 2 3/4" insert requiring a 2 3/8" hole. It's best to cut the hole with a forstner bit for a good fit. If you need to cut the hole with the scroll saw then understand that I under size the hole in the pattern. It's better to cut the hole too small then sand for a good snug fit.

I used a clock insert from Woodcraft. Item number #142320. Here is the link to the insert I used.

I sometimes get ask why I don't use miter joints or other woodworking joinery in my patterns. This is a good example. All the joints in this clock are simple butt joints. The answer is that I consider this blog a resource for all scrollers. I want my patterns to be within the skill level of everyone that visits here. I try my best to keep the patterns simple and still look nice. From the feed back I get I think that's what most of my readers want.




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This one is going to get me in trouble.

Now all I have to do is hope my wife does not read my blog until this one rolls off the bottom. Cut this pattern at your own risk. The Scrollsaw Workshop is not responsible for any lonely nights spent on the couch.





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Scroll Saw Pattern Concept to Finished Project

This Heart Box project is in response to an email I received a few days ago. A reader was having trouble designing a box pattern using Corel Draw. I decided it was a good opportunity to show the process from start to end.

If you are not interested in the design stage of the project just simply skip Part One of the videos. Part Two and Part Three show the construction in the workshop.

The pattern for this project is available just below the three videos. It is a very easy project to make and I thought it might make a good Valentines Day gift for your sweetheart.


Part One"


Part Two:


Part Three:





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Abraham Lincoln Pattern

I don't do many portrait style patterns. I had a request for this one so I thought some of you might want to cut it also. My portrait style is some what basic. I try to capture the likeness and not add much detail. This makes my portrait patterns suitable for novice scrollers.

"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it." Abraham Lincoln




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