Sunday, February 27, 2011

Letter Opener Scroll Saw Pattern

Letter openers are easy to cut. Even with the widespread use of email we stll get enough snail mail to make them useful. I like to cut them from 3/8" thick wood but 1/4" works okay if that's what you have on hand. I like to use a spindle sander to sharpen the blade but a Dremel tool with a sanding wheel works okay. You need to take your time and get the bevel of the blade as accurate as possible.

I used a #1 scroll reverse blade for the project. The interior cuts a pretty small. A dense straight grained wood works best.


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Work Shop Clock.


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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Which scroll saw blade should I use?


In this audio scroll saw tip I try to answer the question "Which scroll saw blade should I use?". If you are just getting started with the scroll saw listen to this audio tip and I think it will help you narrow down your selection. It really not as complicated as it seems.



Press the speaker icon to listen to the audio file.

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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Never Forgotten Scroll Saw Pattern.


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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Circle of Love Ornament Scroll Saw Pattern.




George North demonstration at the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association Meeting.

The four video's were posted on youtube by the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association. They feature George North discussing how to make the spiral candle sticks featured several months ago in Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts magazine. This is a long session so get some popcorn before you start. If you are interested in making one of these candle sticks you can find the pattern in the Fall 2009 issue 36 of Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts magazine.

For those of you reading this in the email newsletter you may not see the videos. Please visit my blog and scroll down to the daily post section.









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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Butterfly Shadow Scroll Saw Pattern.




Correction to yesterdays "Happy Trails" pattern. The pattern was cut in the wrong place. When you try to splice the two parts together they won't line up. The corrected pattern has now been uploaded to the catalog. Please delete yesterdays pattern and download it again. Sorry for the trouble.


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Monday, February 21, 2011

Happy Trails Scroll Saw Pattern

This is a large pattern. It measures about 15 inches long 9 inches tall. It's going to take a pretty good size piece of wood to cut it out. A piece this size will definitely challenge your cutting skills.
Take your time with this one.
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Sunday, February 20, 2011

He's a Thinker.


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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Sometimes saying thank you is just not enough.

I have always wanted to update my free online pattern catalog. It was poorly laid out and had no categories to make it easier to find a pattern. It was terribly difficult to keep it updated with new patterns. I just could not find the time to put out all the effort to refresh it.

A while back a reader emailed me and offered help. I new it would be a pretty big task and to be honest I did not expect him to be able to take the time to get it done. Well I am very happy to say not only did he get it done he gave me everything I wanted and more.

Frank Carey is a retired computer hardware and software engineer. Frank started with mainframe computers back in the golden era of the 60's. That's before home pc's, Apple computers or our modern use if the internet. What better than to have a guy like that offer to help me out. He is a grandpa now with three grandchildren. Frank and his wife lived in San Diego on a sail boat for over 15 years before retiring and becoming a landlubber as he calls it.

Four years ago Frank retired and started scrolling. He has been a DIY kind of guy his whole life so scrolling was a natural hobby to get involved with. I consider myself very lucky that he started his new hobby and found my blog.

Frank and I sent many emails back and fourth talking about what the catalog should be like. I had some basic ideas that I wanted and needed. From there he took the bull by the horns and dove in feet first. After a few week he had a good platform chosen and we were looking good. Then the real challenge started. All the patterns had to be transferred and hand categorized. Several of the links needed to be checked against the thumbnails which added up to hours of work.

After all of Franks hard work I put the new catalog live tonight. We might still have a little tweaking to do here and there. Click the catalog picture above to see the new catalog in your browser. There is also a link to it on the left hand side of the blog.

Oh by the way what do you think Frank charged me for hours and hours of work? Zilch, zip, nada, nutten baby. I am truly one of the luckiest guys around to be involved with the scrolling community. I get to have all this fun and meet people like Frank.

Thanks Frank. I honestly can not say that enough. You are the man!!




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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Flocking a small box.

I know some of you have never used flocking before so I'm going to show you just how easy it is. You will need flocking material, undercoat adhesive, mini flocker, painters tape, paint brush and your project. If you don't have a local source you can find what you weed at Woodcraft online. You are going to pay about $45 for everything but it will complete many projects.

I always mask off the rim of the box just to make sure I have a straight line. You are going to paint the adhesive on so the tape prevents mistakes.

When you buy the flocking kit you can select from a few different colors. Make sure the adhesive and flock material you buy are the same color. I'm using bright red for this project.

Open the can and stir it well.
The next step is to pour the flocking material into the mini flocker. Don't be stingy because its easy to recover the extra material when you are finished. The mini flocker works like an air pump. When you push the two pieces together it sprays a light mist of flocking out the holes in the top. This helps get a nice even coverage.

Assemble the two pieces of the mini flocker and set it aside for a moment.

Now you want to paint the interior of the box with the adhesive. Apply it generously and make sure you cover every spot. When you paint the side wall the tape will give you a nice straight line. This stuff has a long drying time so there is no big hurry. Take your time and be neat.

Once you have the interior of the box completely covered you are ready to start flocking.

Using the mini flocker is a two handed operation. I am holding the tool with one hand here because guess who is taking the picture. Gently use both hands to push and pull the mini flocker together. A fine mist of flocking material will start to cover the area and stick to the adhesive.

Put the stuff on thick. Nothing will be wasted because once the adhesive is dry we will shake the excess off on a piece of paper and recover what falls off.

The flock will make a bit of a mess so lay some paper down to catch the extra. This can all be recovered back into the bag also. No reason to waste any.

Now for the hard part. You have to let the adhesive dry for 15 hours before it is ready to have the excess removed.

The next day pick the box up and shake and gently tap it upside down on a piece of paper until all the loose flocking falls off. You will be left with a nice even covering and the box is ready to use.

Flocking can add that extra touch of quality to your work. It does not add much extra time to the project and the cost is pretty low per use. It is one accessory I always keep in my shop.

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Is Etsy worth the effort?

I generally focus most of my attention on the hobby side of scrolling. Selling handmade crafts can be very difficult. Making a living from hand made crafts even more so.

I receive a huge number of emails from scrollers looking to set up shop online. They want advice. I try to give advice from my experience and from my research. I do have enough experience and have done enough research to be at least a little helpful. Unfortunately even the most skilled craftsmen and women will tell you it's difficult and time consuming to be successful.

One frequent email I receive is about the online crafts market ETSY.com . Etsy is an online market place where makers of handmade items and buyer are put together. Craftsmen sign up for a store front and post pictures of their work hoping for sales. There is a 20 cents posting fee for each individual item and a 3.5% transaction fee. Each item is listed for four months and then it is either removed or you pay to have it listed again.

Buyers come to etsy and browse through different directories looking for items to purchase. When the buyer finds what they like they add it to their shopping cart. The buyer is given the option to pay with a credit card, Paypal account or money order. The seller receives the order and ships the merchandise. Seem like a match made in heaven, or is it?

Setting up an online presence takes patience and hard work. It's relatively easy to get your products online especially with sites like Etsy. The hard part is getting eyeballs to see your stuff. That's the good and bad news about sites like Etsy. They have thousands of eyeballs coming to the site every day but they also have thousands of listings for sale. It's easy to get lost in the masses.

If you do a little research about Etsy you will finds lots of people complaining about poor communications from the sites administrators. Sellers want more fraud protection. They want better search capabilities. The list goes on and on. You will also find sellers who are very pleased with Etsy. This diversity of opinion is common on sites like this. This has been and ongoing battle at Ebay for years.

There are no hard fast rules to make you successful selling products online. There are a few common sense things that are always important though.

Your product needs to have something that says buy me. Sometimes that something is the pure art of it. Sometimes it's novelty and sometimes it's value. Without sounding harsh it's hard to sell a poor product.

You can't post a product and set back and hope for sales. You might get a few bites here and there but you will usually just be lost in those masses I mentioned. You have to get the word out at every opportunity. Participate in online forums where people who might be interested in your product are. Make sure your online signature includes the link to your store. Every email you send out should have the link to your store at the bottom.

Make an artist video and post it on YouTube. You will be amazed how many people will find your store from the video. Make sure the key words you add when uploading the video are good solid search phrase.

Start a blog and present your work. Talk about yourself as an artist. Let the reader get to know you. Post often. Google will find your blog and the more you post the more people will come.

Update your Etsy store often. This keeps you at the top of the daily lists and keeps you visible. Unfortunately it also cost you more fees but sometime you have to spend money to make money. It's a trade off.

Patience, patience, patience. Most online sellers get discouraged quickly and give up. Be prepared to wait several months for sales to start coming in. It takes time to build a following. You need repeat customers and that does not happen quickly.

Only post your best work. One poor item can be a turn off to buyers. Make sure the photo represents your product well. It needs to be well lit. No clutter in the picture. Preferably a solid background. Everything in perfect focus.

I have said this before but I'll say it again. Find your niche. Don't just post a bunch of random items. Find a good mix of products that compliment each other. Sell something no one else is selling. Stand out in the masses. Be different. Be excellent.

To answer my original question "Is Etsy worth the effort?". A lot of that depends on the effort you put into it. It depends on the products you are trying to sell. Several years ago I was taking classical guitar lessons. Classical guitarist use a foot rest while playing. The ones you could buy were generally not very attractive. I started making wooden foot rests with scrolled patterns in the side. They took about an hour or less to make. I posted a few of them on ebay. They sold in the $50 range sometimes a little more. I stared getting requests from people that saw them on ebay wanting custom rests made. The postings on ebay led to the custom orders. I made a nice chunk of fun money from those foot rests. I was the only one selling an item like that on ebay at the time. I used good search words and when a classical guitarist saw them it was easy to make a sell. I had a niche.

I hope this gives a little insight into Etsy. I'm not recommending or discouraging anyone from joining Etsy. The success stories will always be outnumbered by the failures but that does not mean you can't be the success story.

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The King's Clock.

This desk clock requires a 1 7/16 inch mini clock insert. For those of you that don't have a source for these inserts I have listed a few places online below. I am not recommending any of these sources over the other. They are just places I have done business with over the years and had reliable service.

The holes for these clock inserts are best cut with a forstner drill bit. The 1 7/16 inch inserts require a 1 3/8 inch hole. You can buy forstner bits to match the clock you are installing. Many of the clock insert sellers stock the forstner bits also.

The inserts are of different quality. The economy models are generally plastic with plastic lens and are okay for most projects. For a little more money you can buy the higher quality model with glass lens and metal bezel.

There are also two different types of mounting. Some use a rubber ring while others are friction mounts. My preference is the friction mount.

While you are shopping for the insert make sure the battery is included in the cost. You can also buy replacement batteries at the same time.

Klockit
Bear Woods
Steebar
Woodcraft
Clock Parts
Wildwood Designs
Sloans Woodshop

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Monday, February 14, 2011

Micro drill bits for interior cuts.

In this video I talk about using miniature drill bits when drilling interior holes in your scroll saw projects. One place to purchase the bits and miniature drill chuck is at this link. http://www.mikesworkshop.com/ You want to look under the accessories heading. You can also find them at Amazon.com as well as other online scroll saw stores. To be honest they can be a bit of a pain to work with but the end results can be worth the effort.

You can watch the video full screen by clicking the small box in the lower right corner of the video. I am zoomed in a little to tight to try to show the holes so the video is just slightly out of focus. If you think your glasses are getting bad it's just my poor camera work. Sorry.



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Are you the giveaway winner?

It's time for the giveaway drawing for the month of January. This month I will be drawing to giveaway a variety pack of Flying Dutchman scroll saw blades. We had around 5000 entries so watch the video below and see if you were the winner.

Instructions to enter the monthly giveaway are on the blog just under the introduction video. You can't win if you don't enter. All entries email addresses are kept private. I will never sell or giveaway any private information with out your consent.


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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Man Cave Handsaw Sign Scroll Saw Pattern.


Claim your man cave with this sign. This saw is 19 inches long. It will be easiest to cut if you have a 21 inch saw. Complete instructions are included in the pattern.

I will do the monthly book drawing tomorrow. This month I will be drawing for a variety pack of Flying Dutchman scroll saw blades instead of a book. As many of you know I use and recommend the Flying Dutchman blades. This pack includes 12 each of 5 of the most popular blades. I buy my blades from Mike at http://www.mikesworkshop.com/ Mike is a trusted source and is well know in the industry. His service is always first rate and his prices are very good. If you are looking for a source of quality blades give Mike a call.



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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Lucky leprechaun Mini Clock Scroll Saw Pattern.

St. Patrick's Day is next month. Get ready by cutting this Lucky the Leprechaun mini clock.

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Friday, February 11, 2011

Word Art Pattern.


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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Congratulations Green Bay Packers.

Last Sunday the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win the Super Bowl and take the Lombardi trophy back home. The game was watched by more viewers than any television show in history. Interest was sky high to watch these two old school teams battle.

This pattern shows your support of the Pack. You can optionally make it a desk set by adding the mini clock and pen holder.

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Martien Van Der Els creates a masterpiece.

I receive a lot of email from scrollers around the world. Once or twice a year I open the email and my jaw hits the ground. This was one of those times. The gentleman in the picture above is Martien Van Der Els from Someren in the Netherlands. He spent most of 2010 creating this beautiful Milan Cathedral cutting.

Martien was kind enough to send me a complete pictorial of several steps in the cutting and assembly. The pictures in this post are a few of the finished project.

Thank you Martien for allowing all of us to see this incredible piece.

The Cathedral is currently on display in the Someren Library. The project has also received much attention in several newspapers in the Netherlands.

Here is a close up of some of the fine scroll work Martien cut.

If you think you would like to give this project a try yourself you can find the pattern for sale at this link. http://www.finescrollsaw.com




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Marilyn Monroe Portrait Scroll Saw Pattern.

Marilyn Monroe graphic provided by http://www.craftsmanspace.com/

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