Sunday, September 30, 2012

Happy Halloween Pattern

Summer is behind us here in the US. The temperature is cooling down and daylight is getting shorter. It's the time when many of you get back into your shops.  If you are looking for a project to kick off the holiday season here is a Halloween pattern for you to cut. I also have hundreds of free patterns in the free online catalog. Visit the blog and look for the catalog link in the left column.

I get a lot of email asking that I email an older pattern that has been lost. All of my patterns since May 1st 2007 are still available to download in the catalog. The catalog is divided into categories so you can usually find the pattern pretty easily.

While you are at the blog check out the Community forum. There are thousands of members and the participation rate is really good. You will meet some great people there and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.   
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

Wooden Doggie Bank.

This wooden doggie bank is easy to make. There are only 3 interior cuts in the project. The roof is made using a butt joint so you don't even have to worry about the 45 degree cut. All the pieces are 1/4" thick except the 1/2" thick screw plates on the bottom of the bank and the base. The bank is a little over 5 inches tall X 3.5 inches wide X 5.5 inches long.

The bank is screwed to the base for easy removal when you fill up the bank.

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

Friday, September 28, 2012

No fancy fretwork here.


I made this project for me because I hate plastic grocery bags. I especially don't like to carry them in the house from the truck when I get home. If you pick up more than one bag in a hand everything soft tends to get smashed. I don't like squished bread.

My idea here is to spread the bags out a little and still be able to carry a few bags at a time.
If you only have 3 or four bags then you can just use the handle section. Over 4 bags you just slide in the extension. and you can carry 8 bags.

The BagHandle is small enough to fit in your glove box.

I'm going to experiment with different materials to see which will have the heaviest weight capacity. I made this one from MDF. The next one will be made from Baltic Birch plywood. I don't think hardwood will be the best option here because it will tend to break with the grain. My guess is that the Baltic Birch ply will be the best material.

Use discretion about how much weight you hang on the BagHandle. I can't guarantee how much weight it will hold. 


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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

This Mother and Son pattern is over ten inches tall. Use nice contrasting woods to bring out the details in the image. Take your time cutting the outside of both ovals. The quality of the outside cut will make or break this project.

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
 
 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Standing Jesus Scroll Saw Pattern.

This pattern of the Standing Jesus is 10 inches tall. There are a few small interior cuts in this pattern. If you don't have micro drill bits just skip those cuts. The pattern will still looked finished.

Several people emailed me asking for me to add the Excalibur saw to the T-Shirt store. Here you go. Thanks for all the orders yesterday. I hope you enjoy the merchandise. Store Link.


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

Monday, September 24, 2012

Marshall Border cleans up at the Northeast Arkansa Fair.


Marshall has a lot to be proud of tonight. He won 3 Blue ribbons and 3 red ribbons for his entries in the 2012 Northeast Arkansas Fair. Congratulation Marshall and thanks for sharing the picture.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

"I Love To Scroll" T-shirts and other Items.

Support the Scrollsaw Workshop and show your love for the hobby. I have created a store with Cafe Press. Cafe Press is a fulfillment service who produce high quality personalized merchandise. My store has men and women's T-shirts, hoodies, bags, mugs and more. The items are produced and shipped by Cafe Press. I have used their service for years and can attest to their quality and customer service.

Most orders ship within 24 hours and you have a 30 day Money Back Guarantee. Shipping charges not refundable.




 



CafePress.com accepts credit cards, PayPal, CafeCash and CafePress.com gift certificates as payment. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and check cards (as long as they are connected with one of the major credit card companies listed above). You can safely enter your entire credit card number via our secure server, which encrypts all submitted information.

Paying by Check Card? If you're paying with a Visa Check Card, or MasterMoney Card enter it as if it was a regular credit card. 


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

Friday, September 21, 2012

Here is something a little spooky for your Halloween pleasure.

This skull and snake graphic was provided by vectorportal.com. I changed it up a bit to make it into a scary scroll saw pattern for Halloween.



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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Prayer Plaque Scroll Saw Pattern.


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Monday, September 17, 2012

New online scroll saw pattern generator.


Many of you have downloaded my PC programs for generating scroll saw patterns. I appreciate your support of those programs and I will continue to try to add new features and improve their capabilities.

The single biggest request I get is "When will there be a MAC version of the programs?". Tonight I am taking the first step to bringing a cross platform version of the program to everyone. The latest version is online and is accessible to anyone with a web browser. The program is a little limited right now but with your support I hope to encourage the programer to continue development.

The online program currently supports one style of key chain fob and one font for desk name plates. The interface is very simple so you should be able to use the program without much training required. Just take a look at the video for a few details and you shoul dbe ready to use the program.

As always if you find the online version useful and would like to contribute to it's further development please consider a small donation. There is a donation link on the program page. The donations will be given to the programmer. He has worked very hard and I want to thank him for the effort he has put forth so far. Thanks Shane.


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

An Old Fisherman Lives Here.


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

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Angel Scroll Saw Pattern.

This pattern is 6 inches 9.5 inches.
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

Friday, September 14, 2012

Peace, Joy and Love Scroll Saw Ornaments.


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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Army National Guard Plaque Scroll Saw Pattern.

There are thousands of American men and women in the National Guard. They have an important role in protecting and serving our country. They serve a dual roll of federal and state service. One day they may be providing security in a disaster area then the next they will be called to serve overseas. These men and women leave their families and jobs one weekend a month to train. They give up a lot to serve their country and they should be celebrated and thanked as often as possible.

This pattern of the National Guard emblem is my way of saying thank you to all of the citizen soldiers and their families.



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

Monday, September 10, 2012

Round Knobs for the Excalibur, DeWalt and Delta scroll saws.


Those of you that own the Excalibur, DeWalt or new Delta scroll saws may not be happy with the stock blade thumb screws. Many people find them uncomfortable after extended use. In past posts I have shown you how to make replacement knobs. They worked okay for some but came with their own issues.

One of the US distributors of the Excalibur brand of scroll saw is Seyco. One of the accessories they sell is a round replacement knob. This knob will fit the saws mentioned above. I tested it on the excalibur and the DeWalt but not the new Delta. I'm almost positive the Delta uses the same thumbscrew however.
In the picture above you see the Excalibur standard thumb screw installed. Notice the tip of the round replacement knob. The tip is a bearing that pivots as you tighten the knob. This helps prevent blade bending at the point of contact.
To install simply unscrew the old thumb screw and replace with the new one. The bolt lets the knob extend out about half an inch from the blade holder. This gives you plenty of room to grab the knob easily.
My only disappointment with the replacement knob was that the back side of the plastic knob was sharp enough to make gripping it uncomfortable. I solved this with a little sanding. The knob also could be a little bigger but I understand why it's not. The bigger the knob the more likely it will bust your knuckle while the saw is running.
The picture above shows the replacement knob on my DeWalt scroll saw also.

I have only used the replacement knobs for a short while but they do seem easier on the fingers after I sanded the back of the plastic.

The knobs are available for $29.95 a pair or $16.50 for an individual knob. This allows you to only replace the top know or both if you prefer. The bottom knob gets much less use so you may be okay with leaving the standard thumb screw in place there. I know the price seems high for knobs but the bearing makes this a fairly advanced piece of hardware.

I purchased the pair. Shipping and handling from Texas to Kentucky was $7.50 which brought my total to $37.45. The replacement knobs are not shown on the website. You have to download the free catalog to find the part number for the order. #QKM-06 is the number for the pair and #QKM-05 is for the individual knob.

Click the catalog link on Seyco's web site to download the digital catalog or request a paper version be mailed to you.

Ray Seymore is the owner of Seyco. He has been a fixture in the scrolling community for years. He is know for his superb customer service. Ray and his wife attend most of the scroll saw picnics around the country selling their products. If you are in the market for the Excalibur line of scroll saw make sure you visit Seyco.


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

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Scroll Saw Puzzle Pattern with 10 Pictures.


Another hobby I have always enjoyed is photography. I have thousands of pictures sitting on my hard drive. I decided I would use a few of these pictures as jigsaw puzzles. This pattern book contains the 10.5 X 6.67 inch X 126 piece jigsaw template. I have also included 10 of my pictures that you are welcome to cut and sell or enjoy for yourself. There are full instruction for setting up and cutting the puzzles. The process is simple. All you need is an inkjet printer with photo paper, 1/4 inch thick Baltic Birch plywood, 1/8" thick Baltic Birch plywood, blades appropriate for cutting puzzles and your scroll saw.

You can buy Flying Dutchman Superior Puzzle Blades at http://www.mikesworkshop.com/ Mike is a solid source for all your scroll saw blades. His service is great and the blades are some of the best you can buy. The best news is they are no more expensive than inferior blades.

You need a blade that removes very little wood so the puzzle pieces will fit tightly together after they are cut. These very thin blades are a must for good puzzles.

If you enjoy this free pattern book and would like to create puzzles form your pictures I have the following digital book for sale. The book contains templates for the following picture sizes.

5x5 25 piece
4x6 24 piece
5x7 35 piece
8x10 80 piece
4x6 96 piece
5x7 140 piece
8x10 320 piece

The book sells for $7 and is an instant download after the online payment if completed. After you payment you will be given a link to download the book.


Warning: This pattern is a large download. If you do not have a high speed internet connection it might take a while. The file is 8 megs.

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

Saturday, September 8, 2012

15 inch Nativity candle holder.

Here is another Christmas pattern for you to work on. This candle holder is 15 inches long.

Fall is just around the corner. Many of you will be getting back into your shops as the heat of summer cools off. This is always a good time of year to do a safety check.

1. Make sure the floor of your shop is clean and clear of obstacles.
2. Check that all flammable material is stored correctly or removed for the shop.
3. Inspect all power cords for frays or cuts. Make sure extensions cords are used properly.
4. Your shop should me well lit. Upgrade lighting in dark areas.
5. Test your fire extinguisher for proper operation. Do you have one?
6. Take the time to tune up all you tools, both power and hand tools.
7. Inspect your safety gear. Glasses, dust mask, air cleaner etc.
8. Take pictures or video of all tools for insurance inventory. Serialize tools with a scribe.
9. If children have access to your shop make sure all tools are locked or disabled.
10. Please take the time to learn the proper use of every tool in your shop. Don't take chances. Many accidents are the result of bad judgement.

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Friday, September 7, 2012

The Lord's Prayer scroll saw pattern.

This prayer plaque is over 15 inches tall. The letters will be easy to cut at 1/2 inch tall and underlined. I would recommend a #1 or #3 scroll reverse blade for the letters. Some of the inside cuts are pretty small.

I kept the ornamentation simple because this is one of the most famous prayers of the Christian faith. I didn't think it needed more. I even considered removing the angels. I'll leave that up to your choice.
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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Four Christmas Ornaments.

This is my monthly plea for forgiveness for being so far behind on answering email. I wish I could write better. It would help me keep caught up. I write a sentence then realize it makes no sense. I start over and before I know it I have spent ten or twenty minutes on a single email. When your inbox has over 300 unanswered emails that just does not work out. Just wanted to apologize to all of you who had a question or comment. I have to be honest that I will never get caught up but I'll get to as many as possible. Thanks for your patience.


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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Candle surround/stand Scroll Saw Pattern

It's time to start our Christmas crafts. I will be making a few holiday designs in the coming weeks. This projects is made from 1/4 inch thick wood and does not need any glue to hold it together except one piece under the top to hold it in place. Slot and tab construction allows you to take it apart and store it flat until next Christmas.

You can leave the top off and make it a small candle surround.
Install the round top and you have a candle stand. Use a battery powered tea light inside the stand to make the Christmas tree glow.
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

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Sheila Landry Designs Free Pattern.

Sheila Landry just let me know she has a new free pattern available on her site. This pattern is a slotted display easel for ornaments and plaques. Make sure you visit sheilalandrydesigns.com. You are going to find dozens of great patterns. Thanks Sheila.


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