Let's talk Keyhole Router Bits. Video Tutorial.

The keyhole router bit is a great solution for hanging scroll saw projects on the wall. The solution requires no extra hardware and is simple to make. Watch the video for a tutorial on it's use.

If you are reading this in the email newsletter you may not see the video. Please visit the blog and watch it there.

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Grandma and Grandpa Patterns.

Four patterns in this book to show the love for Grandma and Grandpa.

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Golf Shadow Picture Scroll Saw Picture.

I have a reader who wanted a simple pattern with a golf theme. He wanted a picture type pattern but was not comfortable doing an intarsia project. I suggested what I call a shadow pattern. This is what I came up with for him. I thought a few others might like to give it a try also.


Hey guys just a quick word about Sheila Landry Designs. Many of you had trouble logging on to her site after I posted her free pattern Monday and talked about her current sale. Sheila had an opportunity to make some upgrades that were needed because of the fantastic growth of her business. Everything should be back bigger and better real soon. Congratulations Sheila. It's nice to see great things happen to one of the truly nice people in the hobby.

Folks there is a reason Sheila is experiencing this growth. She simply makes great patterns for us to cut. The time and effort she takes shows in her work. The detailed instructions and well designed patterns are some of the best around.

The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.Make A Donation

Fretwork Basket Scroll Saw Pattern.

This fretwork basket will give you some practice in stack cutting. The ends and sides can be stack cut to save time. The one pictured was cut from 1/8" thick maple. I also included a pattern that is twice the size you can cut from 1/4" thick stock. I did not test cut the large basket. You might have to taper the bottom edge of the side pieces to get a good fit with the bottom. The small basket 5 1/2" long and 4 3/4" tall.

The construction is slot and tab so it goes together easy with no complicated clamping. It's best to cut the slots slightly under size and file them for a snug fit.

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Christmas comes early for me!

Hey, that's me!

Bob Calhoun, is a man I have never met in person. Even though we have never stood face to face I feel like he is a personal friend. Bob lives in Australia and has been a reader and contributor to my blog almost from the beginning. Bob is one of those guys that has the ability to make anything he sets his mind to.

A few months ago Bob started working on intarsia portraits. He had sent me a couple pictures of his work and they were very well done. I guess he took the hint when I told him how much I liked them because before I knew it he was doing my portrait. He actually made two. He sent me a picture of the first one and I loved it. Being the perfectionist he is he decided to start over and make it better. And he did.

Well to make a long story short and after a mix up with the post office I received my portrait all the way from Australia today. There are a few gifts you receive in your life that you never forget. I remember my dad buying me a horse for Christmas when I was young. My mom and younger brother made me a chess set one year for Christmas that brought me to tears. My wife gave me a beautiful baby girl. All those are gifts that I will remember because they were so special and full of personal meaning.

Obviously nothing will ever top the gift of my baby girl but bob's portrait of me rates right up there with all the others I have received. It's hard to explain why it means so much to me but it has to do with all the passion I put into the blog and how much it means to me that it is appreciated.

I just wanted everyone to see my gift and to take the time to say thank you Bob. It's appreciated more than you can imagine.

Sheila Labdry Designs Snow Leopard Portrait. Design by Keith Fenton.

This beautiful portrait pattern was designed by Keith Fenton. Keith is partners with Sheila and together they produce beautiful work. Make sure you check out all the other patterns they have at Sheila Landry Designs. Sheila has a special offer from now until October 1st. Get 1 free pattern with any purchase of $20 or more. See the web site for details.

I just want to thank the Insight Cable technical services group. My connection was down Friday night and they got me back up and running Saturday. I was not scheduled for service until Monday but they escalated my call which I greatly appreciate. I have to say that the Insight cable in this area is top notch. Very little down time and excellent service.

The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.Make A Donation

Make you own USB stick case.

This is a neat and easy little project that makes a nice gift. You can come up with any shape for the case you like but I chose a cross because I thought it was unique. This would make a great gift for your minister to sit by his computer.

You want a good snug fit.

Find a USB key that looks easy to disassemble. They all are a little different so look around. for the right one.

Carefully open the case to reveal the circuit board.

This is what you are after.

Cut the wood pieces from the pattern included in the pattern book. And lay the circuit board on the cut out and measure how deep and wide the hole need to be to insert the key.

Set up a drill press to drill holes to the required width and depth for the circuit board. I used a 1/4" drill bit. Measure the thickness of your circuit board to make sure that's the bit you need.

Here are all the final pieces ready for assembly.

You want the circuit board to fit all the way down to cover the whole board. Just leave the connector sticking out. You want a snug fit but if it's loose use hot melt glue in the hole before you slide in the circuit board.

Here is the USB stick in it's base ready to use.

Insert the stick and you are ready to save your valuable data for safe recovery or transportation. You can get 16gb USB sticks now for under $30 if you look around and the small 2gb keys are almost giveaway items anymore.


The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.Make A Donation

Cable Gremlins!!!!

What's a blogger to do when the cable company says they can't get out to fix the internet connection until Monday? I could stay with my neighbor and use their connection. No they actually sleep at 3am. That won't work. I could check into a motel and use their crappy connection. No my wife already thinks I'm crazy, better not. I've got it. I'll tether my blackberry to my laptop and use that connection to at least log on to tell everyone I'm dead in the water, maybe until Monday.

That's right my lifeline to the world has been shattered by cable gremlins. The cable guy said my signals were low! "We have to get you a tech on-site to check the cables". I say "okay it's 1am when can he get here?" Long pause. I think he was waiting to see if I was joking. He says "Monday". I say "Can't wait that long, scrollers all over the world are depending on me to give them their daily scroll saw pattern fix". Another long pause. I think he decided I was not joking just nuts. He was nice enough to say he would escalate the issue to his manager in the morning and see if a tech might be able to get here sooner.

So here I sit at 3:30 am wondering if the world will be set straight tomorrow. Will my digital heartbeat be restored? It's all in the hands of my cable tech.

What all this blubbering means is that I will have very limited access to email. I should be able to get some work done with the connection I'm using now but it's kind of slow. If you are waiting for a Name Ornament order It might take a little longer. Be patient with me and I'll get back online as soon as the guy kills the gremlins.

10 Christmas Ornaments Scroll Saw Patterns.

This is a collection of 10 Christmas ornament patterns. They are all very similar because I was just playing with the pattern and before I knew it I had 10. You may only find 1 or 2 that you want to cut but I left them all in the pattern book.




I am slowly getting all the orders for the Christmas Name ornaments finished. I still have a few to do so if you are waiting they should be there soon.

I am getting email asking if orders can still be placed. Yes I will keep making them until everyone that wants some have them. Many of you have been creative and had patterns made for pets names, school names, favorite sports teams etc. Just remember that anything over 9 letters can gut pretty crowded and might be tough to cut.

For anyone that has not seen the patterns the picture below is what I am making. The patterns are $1 per name with a 5 name minimum. Click the button below and fill out the order form. If you need more than five just add the extra names at the bottom of the form. You will not pay for the patterns unless you are totally happy. I will make the patterns and send them to you. After you are satisfied you can pay online or mail a check.

Make personalized Christmas Ornaments for family and friends. These make beautiful gifts and will be cherished for years. It's not too early to start your holiday cutting.



The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.Make A Donation

Intarsia Artist Janette Square.

I am honored to introduce the readers of the Scrollsaw Workshop Janette Square. Many of you will recognize Janette from her contributions to the scroll saw magazines.

Janette Square is an accomplished, internationally recognized intarsia artist who has lived in Eugene, Oregon since 1995. She began using wood as an artistic medium around 1999. The natural color and grain of wood is the perfect medium for creating colorful and realistic pieces based on nature. She has a unique gift of being able to create, from a photograph - first a pattern, then a finished piece of intarsia artwork. Custom pieces, including pet portraits are her specialty. She has created custom pieces for people worldwide. Self taught, Janette has the ability to capture an animal’s personality and expression in wood. While some of her pieces are made from commercially available patterns, many are her own designs.


She is a regular contributor to both international scroll saw magazines, Creative Woodworks & Crafts as well as Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts. Several of her pieces have been chosen to be featured on their covers as well. Janette is also a moderator for an Intarsia Yahoo group as well as Scroll Saw Woodworking magazine’s online forum for scroll saw artists. She enjoys encouraging others and teaching them by sharing her expertise within the groups, giving others confidence and improving their own skills.


In 2006, one of her custom pieces received both “Best In Show” and “People’s Choice” awards at the Rhododendron Festival’s annual art show in Florence, Oregon. The same piece was selected by Woodcraft Magazine in March of 2007 from over 300 entries for their intarsia contest. In 2005, Janette received an honorable mention in Scroll Saw Wood-working & Crafts Magazine’s design contest as well as being a finalist in the 2008 event. In 2004, Janette was interviewed by KVAL news and demonstrated her work for a segment of the newscast. She is recognized as one of the premier Intarsia Artists by her peers.



Starting with a pattern, Janette selects the types of woods she will use in a project. The color and grain selection of the wood is an important first step. Each piece is first cut out with a scroll saw, then shaped and sanded utilizing several types of sanding and carving tools depending on the desired results. Once each piece has been shaped, they are all glued together and several coats of a clear satin finish is applied to protect and enhance the natural colors of the wood. No stains are ever used and the only paint used is a highlight dot in the eye of her animals. This highlight brings the piece to life. The project is then glued to a backing for added strength. Each finished project is numbered and signed by the artist. She also lists the woods used to create the piece on the back.


Artist Statement: Janette Square
“When I create an intarsia for someone, I strive to create something meaningful and personal to them. Whether a portrait of a beloved pet or a landscape of someplace that holds a special meaning, these custom pieces challenge me to bring to life in wood, a part of their life that is important to them. This, I find is the most rewarding aspect of what I do. When my art work brings happiness to someone - it is the best reason I can think of to create it.”

Take a few minutes to visit Janette's web site. She has many beautiful works of art on display as well as some nice patterns for purchase.

Visit Janette's Site

Jesus Heart Cross Scroll Saw Pattern.

The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.Make A Donation

We have a winner in the mug contest. Thanks for all the votes.

Michael Conn takes the readers vote with this beautiful mug. The vote was very close until late when Michale's winning entry finally pulled out for the win with 224 votes. Michael will be receiving a $30 Amazon gift certificate. Thanks to everyone who entered and voted.







The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.Make A Donation

Halloween Napkin Rings Scroll Saw Pattern.

Halloween is a little over a month away. I know some of you have Halloween parties. Spice up your table setting with these Halloween napkin rings.

The vote for the winning mug has gotten off to a great start. At the time I am writing this there are 754 votes and 1st and 2nd are separated by only 11 votes. It's going to go down to the wire. Make sure you take a second and vote. You have to click the link below to vote. Some of you have sent me email trying to vote and those don't count.

You have until 10pm tonight Eastern time before I take the totals and name the winner.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE MUG

The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.Make A Donation

Mug Contest Finalist. Vote for your favorite.

Here are the 10 finalists for the mug contest. The winner will be selected by the readers of the Scrollsaw Workshop. Study the mugs then go to the link below to vote. Voting will end Monday September 20, 2010 at 10pm eastern time. Vote now.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE MUG

Important: If you are reading this in the email newsletter your security software may not allow you to click the link to vote. Just visit the blog and look in the daily post section for your chance to vote.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE MUG

Halloween 2010 Scroll Saw Pattern.

The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this link. Your support is greatly appreciated.Make A Donation