Monday, September 30, 2013

Custom Name Christmas Ornament Patterns.

It's time for me to start making Custom Name Christmas Ornaments Patterns again. The holiday season is fast approaching so get your orders in soon. These ornaments will be cherished for years to come. Family, friends or customers will love these beautiful ornaments. The price for these patterns is intentionally kept low so you can take orders from customers and still make a nice profit.

The patterns are the same price this year as last. $1 per name with a 5 name minimum order. I have a selection of three different ornaments for you to choose from. You will also be able to choose to have the year on the ornament if you wish. The patterns are designed to reduce the number of interior cuts making them faster to cut this year.

You will only pay after you receive the pattern book in your email. You only pay if you are satisfied with the patterns. You will be given a link to pay with your credit card securely through Paypal. If you are not comfortable paying online there will be an address given to send cash or check.

The order form is linked below as well as on the top of the main blog page.


 This year I went into the shop and videoed a custom ornament being cut from start to finish. I have had several requests to show more cutting on the scroll saw. This seemed like a good opportunity to make a longer video. It's not by any means required viewing to be able to finish the ornaments. I just wanted everyone who like to watch the process to have a chance to see it from start to finish.

If you have a few minutes watch the following video and it will give you a good idea of how to make the Custom Name Christmas Ornaments.

Scrollsaw Workshop Blog

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Bily Brother Clocks

I was reading a post in our Community Forum that mentioned the Bily Brothers.They were farmers who lived in Iowa from the late 1800's to the 1960's. Frank and Joseph spent the long and cold Iowa winters making incredible clocks with a few hand tools and a home made scroll saw. The scroll saw was a converted sewing machine.

The clocks were not made for sale but their sister would charge a dime for visitors to tour the collection. After their death the collection was donated to the town of Spillville, Iowa where they remain today in a small museum. The Bily Clocks Museum web page.

The two videos below with give you a nice background of the brother and their incredible talent.

Christmas Word Ornament Scroll Saw Patterns.

If you plan to do an arts and craft show this holiday season let me make a recommendation. Take a nice selection of Christmas ornaments with you. These things are almost guaranteed to sell. You want to keep production costs down and production rate high. The number one way to accomplish this is stack cutting two or three ornaments at a time. It's also a good idea to use a few species of woods to vary the color of the ornaments.  You can cut them from 1/8" thick or 1/4" thick woods. It's easier to stack cut more of the 1/8" but I personally like the look of 1/4" thick ornaments. 

Display them at the show like jewelry. Have a nice display. Display only one of each ornament and label them as hand cut Christmas ornaments, sure to become a family heirloom that will be passed down through the generations.  I like to include a sheet of paper with each ornament telling the species of wood along with a couple of facts about you as an artist. Make sure to include you telephone number or email address for extra orders. If your buyer goes home an shows a friend it's very possible you will get a few word of mouth orders.

This pattern book has 12 different Christmas word ornaments. I also have many more in my catalog.


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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Baby Jesus Wall Hanging Scroll Saw Pattern.


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If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Zombie Response Team Sign Scroll Saw Pattern.

It's not too early to start your zombie response team before Halloween. Zombies will be on the prowl looking for the living. This sign will let them know you are prepared to make the living dead, dead.
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Sunday, September 22, 2013

Super Simple Picture Resizer for the Scrollsaw Workshop Community Forum Gallery.



This will primarily be of interest to those of you who are members of the Community Forum on my blog. For those who are not familiar with the forum let me introduce you to it. The forum is a place where scrollers from all over the world can meet and discuss our favorite hobby. There are currently over 4000 members and it stays pretty active. If you are not a member check it out.You will find the link to the forum in the left column of the blog.

One feature of the forum is a photo gallery. This lets members upload their favorite projects for show and tell. To save space on the server the photos have to be less than 640 pixels on their longest side. Pictures saved from a digital camera are much larger and have to be re-sized before they can be uploaded. This can be tricky for those who are not familiar with graphics programs. Several people have ask me to help them with this process.

I wanted to give you a tool to make this as simple as possible. I call it PixSize. It has one button. I don't think it can get much simpler. When you click that one button it will let you select a picture to re-size. That picture will then be re-sized to the dimension in the box. It will automatically be saved in the same directory as the original. The file name will have _thumb appended to the new file. It can then be uploaded to the gallery.

If this sounds confusing watch the video below. It shows what you need to know.  





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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Early Bird Scroll Saw Pattern.


 Early Bird Scroll Saw Pattern. Download below.

I have not mentioned the Scroll Saw Stencil Printer program in a while. For those of you who are new to my blog this program allows you to make your own patterns. It is used for desk name plates, key fobs and small signs. The video below will give you the information you need to use the program. It is Windows only. Sorry Mac users but I don't a desktop program for you. I do have an online program that has a subset of the features. It is Windows and Mac compatible. Here is the LINK to the online program.
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Friday, September 20, 2013

Wall hanging Nativity Scroll Saw Pattern.

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This wall hanging is about 10 inches tall.

I will be starting the custom Christmas ornament pattern orders soon. I have a couple new ones designed and I will offer the ornament from last year also. Once again the ornaments will be $1 per name with a 5 name minimum. I'm trying to work out the details so it will be a couple more days before I get the order page up.

For those of you who are new to the blog let me explain. I will take a list of names and turn them in to custom Christmas ornament patterns for you. Include your family, friends and pets. Take orders from people at work and resell the cut ornaments for a profit. At only $1 per pattern this gives you room to make a little cash. I'm going to start order taking early enough that you will have plenty of time to get them cut. Start getting you list of names ready. I'll post the order page soon.

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


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

2013 Nativity Scroll Saw Pattern.


Small Desktop Nativity scene. The holiday season is approaching fast. It's not too early to get your self stocked up for that craft show. Even if you are just making one off presents why not get started now while the shop is not freezing cold.

This Nativity scene is made by gluing the three main pieces together. The wise men, camel and donkey can be set in front of the scene. I also like the idea of gluing colored paper behind the cutouts of the back piece. The glue up will be mounted to a small base for support. 

It's very important to use contrasting woods so the manger stands out against the background. You could also use different colored stains if you like. I don't prefer stains but it could keep the cost of the project down.

Would you like to create a family heirloom. Custom Jigsaw puzzles make wonderful gifts for nearly any occasion. Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, special events, pets you name it. They are easy to make with my jigsaw puzzle template book. I will show you everything you need is a video. Just click the link below. You do not need a Paypal account to purchase the electronic book of patterns.  The price for the downloadable ebook is $7. You can download the book immediately after payment.


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


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

Scrollsaw Workshop Blog

Monday, September 16, 2013

Rescue a Greyhound Scroll Saw Pattern.

Retired racing greyhounds can make wonderful pets. When these dogs are no longer useful to the commercial racing industry they need good homes. Like all breeds, greyhounds have individual personalities but are generally people oriented. Some have to learn to live outside a kennel but usually learn quickly. 

If you have the ability to take good care of a dog then consider a retired racing greyhound. It's such a shame to see these dogs live out their lives in a kennel. They have so much to offer. Look for a local rescue organization in your area for info.


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


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

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Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Lifter Video Review.

The Lifter is an accessory for the DeWalt DW788 and the Delta 40-690 scroll saw. It is a product that solves a common problem with these saws. The upper arm is not designed to stay in the up position. This makes changing blades and inserting the blade in entry holes difficult. This product solves that problem Watch my video review to see what I think of the product.. You can purchase The Lifter at www.papasworkshop.net.

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Friday, September 13, 2013

United States Army Plaque Scroll Saw Pattern.

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Monday, September 9, 2013

My Dad/Mom is a Pharmacist 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


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

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Saturday, September 7, 2013

My Studio Office for the Scrollsaw Workshop


I get questions from time to time about my design studio. I thought I would show you my desk and tell you a little about the hardware and software I use to design the patterns and produce the videos.

On the desk there are two Dell computers. I use an I5 for pattern design and an I7 for video editing. Each computer has two 23 inch monitors. I use a single keyboard and mouse for both systems. I use a Microsoft utility named Mouse Without Borders to allow me to use the single mouse/keyboard to move from machine to machine. Works great.

I have two printers. The Epson Artisan 837 inkjet printer for color and a HP LaserJet P1006 for black and white printing of the patterns. The Epson also has a nice scanner that I use to scan artwork into the computer for use in CorelDraw.

The white drawing board is a Staedtler 999. I do all the hand drawing for patterns and my comic strip on this board. On the pullout keyboard tray is a ArtOGraph lightpad 930. It's used to trace my pencil drawing to ink before I scan them into the computer.

The microphone on the boom arm is a Samsom C01U usb mic. I use it for voice over in some of the videos and when I use to do the audio tips for the blog. It also works well with my Dragon Naturally Speaking voice dictation software. I sometimes use Dragon to help me get through my email. I actually never get through my email but Dragon can sometime help.


 
My pattern design program is CorelDraw X5. I'm one version behind. CorelDraw is a vector based graphics program. It's ideally suited for scroll saw patterns. I am able to create fine line patterns for good print quality. CorelDraw has a bit of a learning curve but once mastered it is very full featured and powerful. 
 
 
 

I use Corel Paint Shop Pro X5 for all the photo editing for the blog and pattern book illustrations. I like Photoshop better but PSP is much cheaper and does everything I need.

 
I use an Intuos 5 graphics tablet for digital drawing when needed. The pattern are mostly completed with a mouse. If you need a graphics tablet this one is very nice and worth the extra money over the cheaper models.

My current video editing software is Pinnacle Studio 16. They recently purchased Avid Studio and rebranded it with their name. I was a huge fan of Avid Studio and Pinnacle seems to be supporting it well so far. I was not a big fan of the earlier Pinnacle products.

All the programming for the scroll saw application like Stence Printer and the Key Chain Maker are codded if Delphi 6. Delphi is an object oriented programming environment. It's native code is Pascal. I have used this environment for years but they were also bought out a few years ago so I'm still on an old version.

There are several other applications like Adobe Dream Weave, Camtasia Studio, Filezilla and others I use to keep the blog running. Most of this software has been purchased with the kind donations I receive from you all. 

Typically I start working on the blog late at night after work and family time. If you watch the time stamps on the blog entries you will see I generally don't sleep much. I use to get away with three to four hours sleep a night but as I get older that don't work so well. 
Every pattern is designed the night it is posted. A question I get often is if I have a archive of patterns that I pull from to post. Nope they all get done the night before you see them. I generally have two or three hours to get the email answered, update the blog and design a pattern for the next morning. Luckily I have two volunteers who make the Community forum and the pattern catalog run smoothly. Russ keeps the forum going and Frank updates the daily pattern into the catalog that he kindly designed. Without those guys it would get really tough to keep up.

That's probably all you can stand about what I do. I have shown my woodworking shop before but never my studio. I thought a few of you tech folks might find it interesting. If you have any questions about any of the software or hardware I use feel free to ask.
 

Friday, September 6, 2013

Football Mini Clock Scroll Saw Pattern

To kick off the start of the NFL season I thought I would do a football design. This little desk clock requires a 1 7/16" mini clock insert.
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


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

Scrollsaw Workshop Blog

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Feliz Navidad Scroll Saw Pattern.

As craft makers we have to start the holiday season pretty early. I will start adding a few holiday season patterns over the next several week. This will give you time to build inventory for your craft shows.

This pattern will give you a bit of a challenge. The lettering will be fragile so take your time and you will be fine. Try not to use woods like oak for the lettering. Oak has a very open grain and might make the letters even more fragile. Using blue painters tape under the pattern will give the piece some stability while you cut.

I have had several requests to start the custom Christmas Ornament orders early this year also. As soon as I get the design I like I will start taking orders. I anticipate having them ready in the next couple of weeks.

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



This DVD contains all the patterns from the Scrollsaw Workshop blog from May 12, 2007 to December 2, 2012. There are 1113 pattern books many with multiple patterns. These are the patterns that are available in the free online catalog. This DVD is for those who wish to have all the patterns and don't wish to try and download hundreds of patterns. Use the DVD for club meetings, sharing with friends and customers, Archiving etc.


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

Scrollsaw Workshop Blog

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The voices told me to buy more shoes. 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


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

Scrollsaw Workshop Blog

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Sweet Science 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


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Family Word Art Scroll Saw Pattern.

14.5 inch Family word art 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


If you are reading this in the email newsletter please visit the blog for more content. All previous patterns are saved in the free online catalog. Free software, videos, Community forum and more.

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