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Monday, October 31, 2011
Four Christmas Tree Ornaments Scroll Saw Patterns.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Free Resizing of the Scrollsaw Workshop Patterns from RapidResizer Online.
I often receive questions about how to re-size my patterns. One option I have talked about before is a program called RapidResizer by Patrick Roberts. Well I have great news for the readers of the Scrollsaw Workshop. Patrick has created a new online version of his outstanding program. Even better news is that he is allowing readers of the Scrollsaw Workshop to use the service free for re-sizing the patterns from my collection.To do this you will currently need the interface program I have written that can be downloaded from the download button below. The program does not require installation. Just extract the file and place it on your desktop or other folder. Complete instruction are in the video below.
Important notes:
This interface program will only work for patterns you have downloaded from my blog or email newsletter. If you wish to re-size other patterns simply go to the RapidResizer online site and upload the pattern from there.
You cannot currently use the online interface to select a page number from my pattern books to re-size. You need this interface program to do that. Patrick is working on that option for the online interface but it is not available yet.
You really need to watch the video tutorial below to get a good understanding of how this interface program works. Please watch it before emailing questions.
Late Correction to this post. In the video I state that this interface program will not be needed after Patrick adds page selection to his site. That is incorrect. If you wish to re-size my patterns for free you will always need to use this interface program. Patrick has already added the page selection feature and it will be useful for your other patterns. Sorry for the error.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals. World Series Champions.
It was a fun series to watch this year. Game six was a classic of errors and excitement. Game seven was a typical game seven. The home team won as would be expected. I had a hard time not pulling for the Rangers. After snatching defeat from victory in game six I knew it would be a tough game seven for them. It's just hard to come back from a game with so much drama and win the next night.I put together a quick pattern for you Cardinals fan. Hope you like it. Congrats.
Friday, October 28, 2011
11 Inspirational Key Fobs Scroll Saw Patterns.
Key fobs are always popular as hand made gifts. They are relatively quick and easy to make on your scroll saw and the take very little wood. Because they use so little wood you can use exotic expensive woods for that added touch. In the key fobs pictured I used 1/2" thick bloodwood and some nice figured maple. These were just scraps I had left over form a box project.
I buy my beaded chain and split rings from Michael's craft store. The trick is to look in the leather crafting section of the store. My experience is that the staff will not know where the chain and rings are so ask for the leather supplies. Michael's sells the Tandy brand which also has a website you can order from. Click the picture in this post for a link to the Tandy page for each product.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Simple Halloween Decoration.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Joy to the World Carolers.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Mark Your Calendars.
Click to Enlarge.I want everyone to mark your calendars for the North Eastern Ohio Scrollers Picnin 2012. The event will be held Friday - Sunday May 4, 5 and 6. The location is the Richfield Ohio Days Inn and Conference Center. There will be vendors, demonstrations, seminars and a chance to meet new friends in the hobby.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Be Creative.
My wife, daughter, her boyfriend and I made a trip to the Belterra Casino and Resort the last two days. My daughters birthday is coming up and it was something she has wanted to do at least once. I have to admit that I'm way too much of a tightwad to be a gambler. The weather was beautiful and we did have a nice trip even though we lost a few bucks.After we checked out we decided to travel about 40 minutes down the road to Madison IN. Madison's downtown area sits along the Ohio river and is designated as an historic landmark. It's a beautiful little town with several small shops. Like everywhere these days a few of the building were empty. The last time I was in Madison there was a small store selling scroll saw items. I could not find it this time. I guess they moved out. That was disappointing because I did not get to go in the shop last time because they were closed.
I'll be on vacation the rest of the week and I plan to get the shop cleaned up and ready for cold weather. I think I'm safe to cover up and seal the air conditioner now.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
8 inch Christmas Plate.
Here is another design for the plate pattern from yesterdays post.8 inch Plate Scroll Saw Pattern.
Stack cut the exterior of the plate to get a perfect fit. Separate the frame from the back and cut the interior of the frame. Glue the bird and frame to the back to finish the plate.Thursday, October 20, 2011
The Grim Reaper Candle Stand.
Changing Email Address for the Email Newsletter.
Many of you receive the Scrollsaw Workshop via the email newsletter. If you need to change your email address all you have to do is visit the blog and sign up again with your new address. The old email will be deleted automatically after a few failed attempts at delivery. Remember that the email is just a copy of the daily content posted on the blog. If you delete the email you can still get the content on the blog. I can't resend the newsletter.
Patterns won't download or say they are corrupted.
If you have problems downloading a pattern from the email newsletter or the blog here is a tip. My patterns are all in .pdf format. They require Adobe acrobat reader to open. Sometimes Acrobat gets a little flaky. When you try to download a pattern it will say the file is corrupted. When this happens "Right Click" the download button and select "Save Link As". Save the file to your desktop or any other folder on your computer. Try to open the file you just saved. If it opens then the problem is with your Acrobat Reader hook between your browser or email client. you may need to uninstall and reinstall Acrobat Reader to make the files open correctly.
Blog content.
If you only receive the Scrollsaw Workshop from the email newsletter remember to visit the blog occasionally. There are several things available on the blog not received in the newsletter.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Frankie says Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Santa Wall Hanging Scroll Saw Pattern.
This wall hanging is nearly 8 inches across. I'm not usually one to paint projects but this one might be nice painted red. I would cut it from 1/4 inch Baltic Birch Ply then paint it with red spray paint as an option.Custom name ornaments update.
I am working every night to get caught up on the custom ornament patterns that many of you have ordered. I want to thank all of you for the orders and your patience. I am currently working on orders submitted on the 4th of this month. I am hoping to have more time this week to work on the patterns and get further along.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Wedding reception box for our nephew Brandon and his new wife Sarah.
When there is a wedding in our family my wife always asks me to make a box for the reception. The box is designed to hold cards from the guests for the bride and groom. After the wedding the box is big enough to hold memorabilia from the wedding. I try to come up with a unique design for each one.For Brandon and his wife Sarah I built a box out of birdseye maple and blood wood. The bottom and sides are held in place with pinned through tenons shown in the picture below. I always decorate the box with scrolled embellishments, in this case their names and the date of the wedding. This box is 16 inches long 8 inches deep and 9.5 inches tall. The top has a slot to accept the cards from the guests.
The wedding was last month but because of the location of the wedding the reception was delayed until today. It's 1:30 am as I write this and I'm hoping the finish cures in time for for the reception. It's dry but still has the odor of the spray acrylic. It usually takes about 24 hours to cure completely so I'm pushing this one.
Close up of the pinned through tenon.
If you look closely at the picture above you can see the chatoyancy of the grain in this birdseye maple. In person it looks like a gem stone and has a very 3D appearance. Birdseye maple is one of my favorite woods to look at but it can be difficult handle. It's very easy to get tear out when running it through a planner. For a good finish you absolutely have to run through several grits of sandpaper. I sanded this one to 320 grit and could have gone further but i did not have time.I cut the tenons and holes for the pins with the scroll saw. The scroll saw is not the most accurate to for this job but I did this for a reason. Using the scroll saw leaves an imperfect tenon which looks more rustic. It has a very hand made look which I like without being sloppy. The pins are more decorative than functional. They do help hold things tight but most the the holding power is the glue.
The box is finished with lemon oil and several coats of spray acrylic.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Dino Egg Key Fobs
Friday, October 14, 2011
Long Island Woodworkers Annual Show.
If you are in the New York area or will be traveling there on the weekend of November 12th and 13th make sure you stop by and check out the Long Island Woodworkers annual show. Located at the Old Bethpage Village Fairgrounds. There will be Seminars, demonstrations, vendors and much more for your woodworking enjoyment.For more information visit the clubs web site. Long Island Woodworkers
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Woodworkingparts.com offers nice discount for Scrollsaw Workshop readers.
I received an email from Matt Jackering tonight. He is affiliated with Woodworkingparts.com. I have not used this site before so I jumped over to take a look. They feature mostly craft related woodworking supplies and tools. Everything from toy wheels to framing supplies.I get quite a few of these type of emails so I thought I would show you how I check these sites out before I use or recommend them.
I decided to check out the prices on some of the more often used items in my shop. I started with the 1 7/16" mini clock inserts. Prices ranged from $5.80 up to $10.75 with most under $6. Those are very competitive prices for glass lens inserts. Their prices on toy wheels are also very good. I always keep a supply of toy parts in the shop. As I looked through their catalog I was impressed with most of their prices.
I wanted to check out their shipping costs so I added 10 clock inserts and some sandpaper to the shopping cart. They had a button that allowed me to estimate shipping cost. To ship to my home in Kentucky from Wisconsin was going to be $6.53. Can't complain about that. They also offered 9 different shipping options ranging from cheap to "you got to want it real bad to pay that much" prices. I like having options even if some of them are not likely to ever be used. They also offer international shipping.
I also checked their Contact Us page to make sure they have a telephone number for contact. I hate sites that only allow email contact. Their number and mail address is all there.
Their return policy is pretty standard and is completely shared under their Store Policy page. They also have a privacy policy page that is sparse but acceptable to me personally. I am not one to be overly concerned with these things but I know some are.
At that point I wanted to see more about them as a business. I jumped over to Alexa.com and checked their traffic rank. They are ranked 641,223 in the US with 16 sites linking in. That's pretty respectable for a small online store.
I did a search of the BBB for WiseAcres Art LLC which is listed on their Contact Us page. They showed no reviews either positive or negative. That's usually a good sign from my observations. They have not received BBB accreditation but that's not unusual for a small business either. After a Google search for customer reviews of the site I found nothing negative. I also noticed they have items for sale at Amazon. I checked their feedback ratings there and they have a 98% positive rating with an average 4.9 out of 5 stars over the last 12 months.
After doing my research of Woodworkinhparts.com I would not personally have any hesitation ordering from them. This is not a recommendation because I have not yet placed an order and experienced their customer care. It just shows how I evaluate an online store.
Now for the good news. Matt was kind enough to set up a discount code for my readers. You will receive a 10% discount on orders placed from now through the end of November. Just enter "scrollsaw10" at checkout to receive your discount.
Thanks Matt for your generous discount offer.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Live Long and Prosper Scroll Saw Pattern.
This one goes out to all the Trekkies out there. You could add the mini clock or just leave it out. Either way the science fiction fans will like it.
I just had to share this picture I received from Tom Young. Tom modified one of my custom name ornaments. Now his dog Gunner has is own Christmas tree ornament. I will add this style to next years order form. Thanks Tom and Gunner.
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Sweetheart Christmas Ornament.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Lead Foot Trophy Scroll Saw Pattern.
I bet you know someone who deserves this trophy. Nativity Scene Scroll Saw Pattern.
This hanging Nativity scene is 19 inches long and 8.5 inches high. The three scenes are two layered ornaments glued together then glued to the backer board. After drawing this illustration I think it needs to be framed out with a boarder on the backer board. When I actually cut this patterns I will make a mitered frame.Sunday, October 9, 2011
Christmas Night Scroll Saw Pattern.
This Christmas scene is five layers glued together to make a shadow box. Each layer is 1/4 inch thick. You can use contrasting woods for each layer or keep them all the same.Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Custom Name Christmas Ornaments Update.
I want to give an update on the Custom Name Christmas Ornaments. There are still hundreds of ornament patterns to design but I'm working through more of them every night.I appreciate all the orders and you patience.
I am working on orders from the 25th tonight. I would say I'm about a week out for orders placed today.
If you would like to place an order this link will take you to the order form.
Sheila Landry New Fall Catalog.
Sheila Landry wanted me to let you know that the new Fall 2011 Catalog is available from www.sheilalandrydesigns.com. This catalog is available as a free download or you can order a print version on the site.
She also did another site update and added some new patterns for your holiday scrolling. She is offering a special discount code for her mailing list subscribers only. By subscribing to her mailing list, you receive one to two newsletters a month and are the first to hear of new patterns and site updates. She also has periodic discounts available only to subscribers. Sheila never shares your email information with anyone and will not fill your mail box with spam If you get a chance check it out.
Click the image to download her catalog. It's a large file so be patient. It's worth the wait.
Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011
I have been a computer enthusiast from the beginning of the personal computer era. The PC has been my source of creativity for many years. When I'm writing a program or designing a pattern I am in my zone of happiness. There have been a few people in the industry who have been my heroes like others have sports heroes. Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs to name a few.Steve Jobs was one of the founders of Apple. He is credited with taking the company to success that is amazing by any standards. His creative vision helped the company make products that are used by millions. Apple products have an almost cult following that may be hard to understand but Jobs was a master of marketing.
Steve Jobs passed Wednesday October 5th, 2011.
