I want to wish everyone in the US a safe and pleasant Memorial Day. This day is set aside to remember all the men and women who have died serving our country while in the military. This month alone we have lost twenty brave servicemen. My prayers go out to the families of these men and all the men and women who have died in the line of duty. There is no greater honor than serving your country. Please remember to pay your respect in whatever way you choose.
This race car is built from 4 pieces. The pattern has complete assembly instructions. The pieces are cut from 1/2" thick stock. You can cut your own wheels but I recommend and purchased 1 1/4" diameter wheels and axle pegs.
I get questions about printing my patterns occasionally. Usually the question is how to print the pattern without the cover page and pictures. When you select print from the drop down menu the print dialog will open. From the print dialog you can select to print the current displayed page or print a selection of pages. Use these features to print only the pages required.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Honor those who served and died while protecting our country. Remember Memorial Day. The pattern today is a toy race car.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Simple wooden scroll sawn hinge.
Cut the 1/4" thick blank to size and cut out the pattern. Attach the pattern to the blank.
Carefully drill a 1/8" hole in the exact center of the hinge. It needs to be centered or the hinge will not open well.
I got the hole a little to the right on this hinge. You may need to cut a few hinges to get two good ones. This one was usable but just barely.
Use a #1 blade and carefully cut on the line.
Notice the hole is drilled too far to the right in this hinge. It will still work but it would be better if it were centered better.
Round over the hinge so it opens smoothly. Use a 1/8" dowel while you are testing the opening and closing of the hinge.
Trim the dowel a little long on each end.
Apply glue to each end of the dowel to keep it secured in the hinge.
Trim the length of one half of the hinge to match the thickness of the top of your box. Notice I also sanded the dowel flush with the hinge body.
Here is the hinge mounted to the back and top of the box. The lid is closed.
If everything went well the box should open and close flush with the box.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Hanging Sign Template.
With this template you can design your own hanging sign. Just use a word processor to print the letters you wish at the appropriate size.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
What the heck is it?
This project is something I have been wanting to make for some time. It's a jig that helps me do a very specific job. I do this job on almost every scroll saw project I complete.
I tend to have a bit of tendinitis in my elbow and my shoulder aches a little also. I built this project to allow me to do this job and not have to put up with my elbow hurting.
Can you guess from the picture what it is? Watch the video below to find out. Maybe you will want to build one for yourself. Then again maybe you will think this is the dumbest thing you have ever seen.
William Day's Scrollwork Desk Cabinet.
Here is wonderful project from William Day. This writing desk is nearly 7 feet tall. Now that's one large scroll saw project. William says if you want to give this one a try to make sure your patience level is high. You won't build this one in a weekend.
He wanted a nice challenge and he found the pattern for this amazing project at Wildwood Designs. They also sell the components necessary to complete the project.
You can check out Williams Blog here. http://wddsrfinewoodworks.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Free Pattern from Sheila Landry Designs.
Check out this free pattern from Sheila Landry Designs. Sheila is also a fantastic painter. She shows some simple and effective painting instructions with this pattern. When you are trying to sell scroll saw crafts it's important to stand out from the crowd. Combining different media can give you an advantage. Not every scroll saw project lends itself to adding paint but this pattern is the perfect example where the paint makes the project. Don't be afraid to give painting a try.
Thanks Sheila for another wonderful free pattern.
Sue Mey Dream Catcher Special,
Hey guys I had to work all night so I don't have a pattern to post tonight but I did promise Sue that I would pass on a special she has going on her popular Dream Catchers. I'll be back tomorrow with another pattern. In the mean time take a look at what Sue has to offer below.
From Sue Mey:
When I first created a range of Dream Catcher patterns, they were an instant hit. Many people have asked me to consider doing a special deal on them so now, a few months down the line, I am able to extend a limited period offer as follows:
For every three Dream Catcher patterns purchased from this page: Western/South Western, you may state the code of a similarly priced one in the Comments line of the order form and it will be emailed to you at no charge. Each pattern set includes two different feathers and detailed instructions. The projects can be made in natural wood, stained, or painted - adding beads is optional.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Wow!
Bob Calhoun is a scroller from Australia and a friend of mine. Earlier today I opened an email from him and I saw this incredible project he had just completed. I have seen Bob do so many wonderful projects that it's hard for him to surprise me anymore. This one surprised and impressed me.
Bob spent around 1000 hours on this project. Gives me a backache just thinking about it. The building is made of fiddleback cypress. The windows are blackwood. The doors are white poplar. The tower points are red gum and the framing around the bottom of each floor is white cypress.
Thanks Bob. You have once again blown me away with your skill.
Fretwork Table Scroll Saw Pattern.
This table will make a nice flower stand or display any small items. The table stands 26 inches tall. The top is 14" X 14".
I tried to keep construction as simple as possible. Instead of using mortise and tenons to attach the legs to the top assembly I just capture the legs in place with side boards. Complete assembly instructions are included in the pattern. Make sure you read the instructions thoroughly before you begin cutting the parts. Some pattern parts are not printed full size. The full size pattern pieces are printed in sections and will need to be cut and taped together.
This project will use more tools than just your scroll saw. The legs were cut on the scroll saw. Of course the fret work was cut on the scroll saw. All other pieces were cut to size with a table saw. You will need to cut or sand 45 degree miters in the top assembly. If you don't have a table saw this project will be difficult to complete.
The legs of this table a pretty delicate. The project should not be placed in a high traffic area. I could have beefed them up with stretchers but I liked the delicate look.
The pattern is over 3 megs so if you have a slow connection be patient while it downloads.
Sneak Peek. Small fretwork table.
I tried to get this fretwork flower stand finished this morning so you could work on it Sunday but I ran out of time. I will complete the pattern and finish the build later this morning. I will post the finished project and pattern as soon as it is ready. Check the blog later this morning to download the pattern.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Sorry about the typo in yesterdays pattern.
Thanks to everyone who sent me an email pointing out the typo in yesterdays pattern. This one is correct.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Read a Book
The most important skill anyone learns as a child is reading. Most of us will read every day for the rest of our lives. A large proportion of all we learn will involve reading. A teacher who is also a scroller sent me an email asking me to design a pattern that he could hang in the classroom.
I know this pattern won't be for everyone but I thought some of you might have teachers or librarians in you family that would like to have this project so I decided to upload it.
Fathers Day gift ideas for woodworkers. Video by Scott Phillips.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
He who dies with the most gadgets wins.
The Apple iPad is one of the most successful consumer products of all time. They have sold nearly 20 million units. For a product that many would consider a luxury item that's pretty amazing. I am definitely a sucker for anything that blinks and makes noises. I bought the iPad 1 the day it was introduced. I loved the machine but that's no surprise. I'm a geek.
My wife however is a technology skeptic and that's putting it mildly. She has always looked at computers as something you have to use to get work done. She would never consider buying a gadget especially one that costs $500. That completely changed when I bought her own iPad as a Christmas gift.
I took a big chance buying her something like that for Christmas. It could have easily turned into one of those gifts that gets me in the doghouse. When she opened it she looked more interested than I expected. At first she was unsure exactly what she would do with it. After a couple of weeks she turned into an iPad junkie. The iPad has a way of doing that to people. It really is the computer for everyone. Geeks loves it and technophobes understand it when they get it in their hands. My wife now carries her iPad everywhere she goes. She uses hers more than I use mine.
I wanted a nice wooden iPad stand so out in the shop I went tonight. I wanted something simple but I also wanted a little fretwork in it. This is what I came up with. It's a simple slot and tab design. You can make it a break down unit or glue it together like I did.
If this is a product you might decide to sell I left enough room at the top of the stand to add some customization like the buyers name. Just print out a stencil font from your computer and add it to the pattern.
THANK YOU
I want to give a great big thank you to all of my readers in the United Kingdom who were kind enough to send my wife all the souvenirs from the Royal wedding. She was blown away by the response. Every day for the last several days she has had something in the mailbox from London. She has spent hours looking over all the magazines and papers. She has told everyone she knows about your kindness. She wanted me to tell you all how much she appreciated the gifts.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Don't Push Your Luck Plaque.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
When it comes to tinkering in the workshop, I'll try anything once.
I received an email the other day from a reader that had just seen a project over at Make Online. They made a detail sander form an electric toothbrush for finishing models. The reader thought it looked like a tool that could be useful for sanding delicate fretwork. I thought I would give it a try.
A trip to the grocery store and I had the disposable electric toothbrush for $4.50. Back to the workshop and a little tinkering was all that was needed to be the proud owner of an electric detail sander.
I can't really tell yet how useful it will be or how long the non-replaceable batteries will last.
I put together a short video showing how I made my sander.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Quote Ornament Scroll Saw Patterns.
This pattern book has 10 different short quotes inserted in ornaments.
Blogger is the host of my blog and they have had problems the last couple of days. It looks like the problems my have caused them send out some old posts to the email subscribers. I think everything is fixed now. Sorry for the extra emails.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Fretwork Basket Scroll Saw Pattern. Workshop upgrade.
This basket is 10 inches long and 3 1/2 inches deep. You can stack cut the front and back to speed up the cutting. The center pieces are a lamination and you can make the basket as deep as you like by adding more pieces to the assembly. Download the pattern below.
Workshop Upgrade:
Like many of you my workshop has always been in a garage. A garage workshop can get pretty hot in the summer. Here in Kentucky we have some hot and humid days.
I have always just suffered through the heat. Well this week I decided to try to make life in the workshop more bearable. Installing an air conditioner in a garage can be a challenge if you don't have a window to put it in. All I needed to do was find a way to install a portable AC unit. I did not want to cut holes in the wall but the side garage door was just the ticket.
The pictures below show how I installed the vent hose through the door. I used 4 inch plumbing pipe, butterfly valve and a plastic grate to keep the critters out.
It was 86 degrees today and the humidity was 80%. I was able to keep my workshop at a comfortable 71 degrees. I was absolutely thrilled. I am lucky that my garage is well insulated with an insulated garage door. I plan to do a little more weather stripping around the overhead door to help keep the cool air in.
This is a 13,000 btu LG Electronics portable AC unit. It is rated for 500 square foot of cooling. I have 350 square foot to cool but garages are hard to cool so I went a little bigger than called for. It did take a little over an hour to get the shop that cool.
I removed the side door and cut a round hole to insert the 4 inch pipe. You can't see it well in the picture but the hose is easily removable and I have a cap to seal off the pipe for storage during the winter.
On the outside I installed a butterfly valve and a grate to help keep the critters out. All in all I was able to keep the visual impact to a minimum. If I need to remove the unit when and if we move all I have to do is replace the outside door.
There are still some questions to answer about this setup. It will be interesting to see if I can keep the AC unit clean from all the dust. I have made it a habit to clean the filter every day and use my air compressor to blow off all the intake ports. If I can get 3 or 4 years of service from the unit I will be happy. Today was 86 degrees outside but we can get some high 90 degree days here also. Will it help on those days?? I'll find out soon enough.
I thought I would share this shop upgrade for those of you that may be considering something similar.
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Heritage Wood Specialties. Scroll saw ready boards!
Heritage Wood Specialties is a nationally recognized supplier of superior quality hardwoods to fine woodworkers across the US and Canada. Novice hobbyists and experienced enthusiasts alike can enjoy the high quality woodworking materials and kits available from Heritage Wood Specialties. Great source for scroll saw ready boards.
Seyco
Free Pattern Catalog. 1000's of free patterns.
Thousands of FREE scroll saw patterns. No registration or signup required.
The projects form these patterns can be sold without restrictions. The patterns cannot be sold.
Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw Book $12 Each
Watch the following video to see how easy these beautiful scroll saw vases
are to make.
Order the $3 pdf Catalog
Stencil Printer 1.7
Scroll Saw Pattern Printer update 1.1
Scroll Saw Keychain Pattern Maker
Use the Scroll Saw Keychain Maker to start a small keychain business. Build yourself a nice display and make up severl keychains with common names. Sell at craft shows, on Ebay or at work. Everyone needs a keychain. Take custom orders. Heck just make them and give them away as gifts. It's all made easy with the Scroll Saw Keychain Maker.
Watch the video demonstration then download the file below and get started with the fun.
Download the Oval Keychain Pattern Maker.
Philip Lowndes Noah's Arc Pattern Available. Watch the video below.
The Scrollsaw Workshop Blog is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts Magazine formerly (Scroll Saw Workshop Magazine) or it's publisher Fox Chapel Publishing.
Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts
