Alphabet Puzzle Scroll Saw Pattern.

I have been working on patterns for different ages of children. This one was suppose to be for children who are learning their alphabet. The problem is I'm not sure if it works well enough for children that age. It's probably more suited for a novelty puzzle.  I have not cut this yet and there are some areas that look like they may get too weak. If you decide to download and give this one a try consider it experimental. If you do try it use high quality Baltic Birch ply. I can almost guarantee solid wood is going to break. 
I may take this one back to the drawing board. Can't decide so I'll wait to hear what some of you have to say. Good idea, Bad idea?? 
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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

Lil Puzzle Scroll Saw Patterns.

I wanted to put together a couple patterns for the very young children. These two puzzles are included in this download. Make sure you consider the age of the child. These puzzles pieces are pretty large but they are probably best for children who have stopped mouthing everything they pick up.

In the finished pattern I enlarged the tray that holds the pattern. The walls in this one were just too thin. 

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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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

We have our winners.

On Tuesday of last week we started a contest. Sheila Landry from Sheila Landry Designs offered two free copies of her new booklet. "Getting Started With A Scroll Saw".

Each entry had to be accompanied by a few words of why you enjoy the scroll saw either as a hobby or a business. Tonight I drew ten random entries from the hundreds submitted. I printed those out and my wife chose the two winning entries from the finalist. I ask her to use any criteria she liked to pick from the final ten entries. I want to show the winning submissions. I will only use the first name but I think you will enjoy reading them also. Maybe over the next few days I'll post some of the other entries also. They are just interesting and inspiring to read. Thanks to everyone who entered.

I will pass along the winning email addresses to Sheila so she can contact you.

Winner #1 Donna:

Why I love scroll sawing I've never had such enjoyment in crafts. It is amazing to
me first that God has given me this talent and 2nd I am sharing this passion
alongside my Mom. Neither of us has ever worked with wood before. It is so relaxing
and amazing that we take a flat plane board and can make something out of it!! It so
inspiring & we are giving back as it is said. We are now working on crosses with a
lavender ribbon on it as a free gift to cancer patients in our area. Each cross is
prayed over before giving it away. 

Winner #2 Robert:

Well this is how it all started. In 2006 I had fallen off the side of a dump truck while working in the freezing rain. The truck was covered in ice. When I checked the load the ice under my feet broke and down I went. I messed up my back, neck and shoulder. I had two surgery's on my neck. They wanted to do my back but I could still walk and work so I put it off. 

In 2010 I was working on a truck and twisted just right and that was it. I could not stand straighten up could not walk more then 100 feet or so with out being in sever pain. Well workman's comp started fighting it so we lost the only money we had coming in the house. I was out of work for 9 months when they stopped paying and would not okay the surgery either. So as I was depressed so bad that for the first time in my life I had no idea how I was going to feed my kids or pay my rent and other bills. we used all are savings and we had no other road to go down so we went to get government help. 

I could not even tell my family I was so ashamed of what was going on. My son who was 10 at the time would set with me and tell me everything would be okay just wait and see. All I would think about was how worthless I was and what kind of life I was giving my kids. I had a small shed and my son and daughter talked me into letting them turn it into a club house and I said they could. Well they talked me into going with them one day and we just sat there and watched a movie on dvd. That is what started me turning around. 

I saw a old scroll saw that a friend gave me years before this and I asked my son if he wanted to do some kind of wood working with me and he said that could be daddy time for him so that is what we did but not much because I could not sit up for long at a time. Then I got a letter from my lawyer telling me that the government was going to pay for my surgery a week after that my doctor was doing surgery on me. Two weeks later I was setting up standing up straight and walking as far as the kids would let me. 

My son and I started having more and more daddy time in the shed. It was awesome and my daughter who was 8 even wanted some daddy time. Life was starting to look up again. 

I was suppose to be out of work for 6 months and with a lot of hard work I went back to my job after only 8 weeks. Light duty only but I was back to work and could hold my head up high I was feeding my kids again myself. I have been back to work for 2yrs now and my kids and I still have daddy time in the shed and we do a lot of stuff on the scroll saw. We give most of it away. We have donated to the sandy hook school snow flakes after the shooting, we sent crosses to Oklahoma Tornado relief for the parents of the kids that where killed in the school, we made a real nice cross for the parents of a 17yr old boy that was killed by a drunk driver. It has the boys picture on both sides so it can be turned around from time to time. I had a friend that knew the guy give it to him. The man has walked up to me like 4 or 5 times to say thank-you and every-time he starts crying and just shacks my hand. 

We have made about 35 or more crosses that we put names on and given them to the family's of the one who has passed. Some we have known. Some were friends of a friend or just some tragic accident. but for me it's about the daddy time and a place where I can clear my head after a rough day. 

Scroll sawing is one of the things that saved my life. Thank-you Steve Good for some of your patterns and just to let you know even if I don't win this contest I am all ready a winner         (p.s. the government got payed back for my surgery and I won my case. Some times things do work out for the little guy)              happy scrolling, Robert 

Spring Flowers Scroll Saw Pattern.

Finally, the weekend is here. It was a long week at work and I'm ready to get some time in the shop. I still have to clean up the mess from the toy box build. Not sure if I'll ever get all the pink paint over spray cleaned up but I'm going to give it a try. I hope to have time to work on a couple more advanced projects also.

The entries for the Sheila Landry book drawing are in. I will be selecting the finalist randomly tomorrow and my wife will be choosing two from those entries to win the books. I think I can get that posted by tomorrow night.  Thanks again to Sheila for the donation of the books.
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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

Our veterans deserve our best.

I watched a story on CNN tonight that makes my blood boil. I know there are two sides to every story but this one needs to be looked at very closely. Apparently a VA medical center in Arizona has extremely long wait times for our seriously ill vets to be seen by a doctor. In some cases the wait is so long that they die before being seen. We are talking months of wait to see a critically ill veteran. To make matters worse the management of the center kept a secret list of over 1000 vets to try to hide the wait times.

The VA requires it's hospitals to provide timely care typically within 15 to 30 days. The vets were placed on a secret list. When they got to within the 15 day period they were removed from the secret list and placed on the actual list. In other words they cooked the books to keep the VA off their backs.
I'm sure we can't place all the blame on the medical center in question. These types of issues always have plenty of blame to pass around. What cooks my goose is that after repeated questioning from CNN the VA does not seem to have made concrete plans to investigate the problem and get it fixed.

I never completely trust these types of stories from any of the major network news stations. I absolutely hope they are hyping this story and it's not as bad as it sounds. They suggested that this type of thing is going on in other states as well.

Folks, we as a country have a moral responsibility to do what we can to help veterans in their time of need. Many of these men and women are dealing with illness and disability suffered while serving us. What does it say about our country if we don't even provide the basic medical needs of our veterans.

I know there are thousands of wonderful people working in VA hospitals that work every day to take care of our Vets. Those are not the people who are the problem. This is clearly a problem where either we are under funding the hospitals or they are not properly managing the money. It's probably both.

If you have the chance make your voice heard. Ask your Representative to investigate this problem and not let it get swept under the political rug.

Here is a link to the CNN story if you would like to know more.
 

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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

Mother-in-Law on Mother's Day.

We had hundreds of entries for the Sheila Landry "Getting started with the scroll saw" booklet giveaway. If you would still like to enter there is plenty of time. Entries will be accepted until 4/25/14 midnight Eastern US time. Check out yesterdays post for details. There were a few entries that did not follow the drawing rules. Please follow the rules so you have a chance to win.

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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

Contest!!!!!!

One of the truly amazing talents in the scroll saw community has put together a booklet to help new scrollers get started without all the headaches.  Of course I'm talking about Sheila Landry from Sheila Landry Designs. She has spent many hours putting together all the basics in one easy to follow booklet. The booklet is fifty pages and a free butterfly plaque pattern is included as one of the lessons. The free pattern alone is worth nearly the cost of the booklet. Sheila is making this available as a downloadable PDF for the fastest delivery. If you prefer you can choose the booklet be mailed to you for the added cost of shipping. If you are an experienced scroller this booklet would be great to give to someone who is just getting started.

If you would like to buy this booklet for the unbelievable price of $7.95 then check out this link.

But wait. How about receiving this fantastic reference FREE. That's right it's time for a contest.
Only the email delivery will be free. IF you win and want the snail mail delivery you will pay the mailing expense. 

Sheila is donating two copies of this booklet for me to giveaway to two lucky readers. 

Let's keep this simple. All you have to do is send an email to giveaway@stevedgood.com

FOLLOW THE RULES.... FOLLOW THE RULES.....
1. In the subject line type "CONTEST"
2. In the body of the email tell me why you enjoy the scroll saw as a hobby or business.
3. Enter before  April 25th 2014 midnight eastern time in the US.
4. Only enter one time.
5. Use this email address only. giveaway@stevedgood.com
 
You can write a sentence or you can write a book.
I will randomly choose ten entries. My wife will read the comment you write and pick the winners. She will only see the comment. She will use her criteria to make the selection.      
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This beautiful pattern is included in the booklet. 

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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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

Carpenter Scroll Saw Pattern.

I delivered the toy box for Aubrey Saturday. She is only 1 so I don't think she was too impressed with anything other than the birthday cake. :) It was a fun project. It's going to take a while to get the plans together. I'll try to post them by next weekend. 
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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

Happy Easter.

My wishes for you are an Easter Sunday filled with peace, joy and cheer. 

Part Five of the Toy Box Build.

The download button for the Egg and Bunny Easter pattern is below the Toy Box build pictures.

It's time to attach the hinges to the lid. I settled on a decorative hinge that will be visible on top of the lid. I'll be installing three hinges. In the picture above I am using a crutch to hole the back of the lid in place. When I lower the lid to attach the hinges the lid will be parallel with the front. 

I'm using a self centering drill bit to pre-drill the holes for the hinges. If you don't have one of these tools I consider it a must have for installing hinges.  

It's usually best to use a screwdriver and not an electric drill to install the screws. It's too easy to strip out the MDF with the electric drill.

My wife and daughter jumped in and helped me paint the ornaments for the box. We went with brown for the name. The butterflies will be light purple and the flowers will be yellow.

I cut this board to help me line up the letters. In this picture I am just test fitting the name on the box. 

I installed braces on both sides of the box to help support the lid in case the child sits on it. Only the hinges would be holding the back with out the braces. Notice that the braces stop short of the back. I did not want them to interfere with the opening of the lid. I made the braces a little larger because they will hold the safety latch for the lid.

I installed the handles on each end of the box. They are centered and 11.5" from the bottom. MDF is heavy so these handles are important to be able to move the box around.

I'm beginning to place the ornaments. I used a two part super glue. I tested it on scrap to make sure it would give me the permanent hold I needed. It's not going anywhere. The flower pots are installed on each end of the box.

You can see how I attached the safety friction hold to the brace. Yes the brace will be painted. I was just testing the fit here.

All the ornaments are glued in place. All I have to do now is paint the braces and I'm finished. I decided against casters and they can be installed later if needed. 

I hope you enjoyed watching me put this Toy Box together. It will probably take a few days but I will put together a set of plans that you will be able to download if you wish to build your own. I will design a boys and girls version. 

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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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

He is Risen Scroll Saw Pattern.

If you follow my blog you know I am a big Kentucky Wildcat fan. The Cats made a great run in the tournament this year falling in the championship game to Connecticut. Coach Calipari has a new book out and he was at Joseph Beth book store this afternoon for a signing. Cal gave a nice speech before the book signing which I enjoyed. We waited in line for only a short time and I got my book signed and a picture. Thanks Coach. 

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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.

Part Four of the Toy Box Build.

Large butterfly plaque.Download below the toy box build pictures. 

Time is counting down. I need to make lots of progress tomorrow and Friday on the toy box build. All the painting needs to be complete by tomorrow night. I want to make sure the paint can completely dry. The spray paint dries fast so that's not a problem. I will be hand painting the ornamentation and it might take longer. Today my wife decided on a font for the name on the front of the box.  I decided on the ornamentation. It's going to be flowers on the sides and the name and butterflies on the front. 

I started cutting the ornaments for the box tonight. I'm cutting four of these flower pots. I'm using 1/2" thick MDF. I have not chosen a paint color for the ornaments yet. I'm not going to try to get fancy. The name, flowers and butterflies will all be painted with just one color. 

After the flower pots are painted they will be tacked to each side.  

I have all four cut and ready for paint.

I'm cutting the butterflies from 1/4" Thick Baltic Birch ply. I did not have any 1/4" MDF so this will do. It's going to be painted so I don't think it will be noticeable.The butterflies are pretty basic so I just did a quick stack cutting to save a bit of time. Two for the price of one is always good.

I ran out of energy before I got the name cut out. That will be first on the agenda tomorrow after work. A least the ornaments are finished. 

The lid took it's place on the workbench for a couple coats of paint. I used the same technique as the box. Apply a coat. Let it dry. 000 steel wool to knock down the rough spots. Then another coat of paint. I'm getting a pretty good finish with the paint but I'm still trying to decide if I will give the box a finish coat of lacquer. It's probably depends on how the time situations goes. I will need to have plenty of time for it to dry.   

I have gone round and round trying to decide how I want to hinge the lid to the box. I think I'm going to go against the norm and have the hinges visible. I have a couple decorative brass hinges that I will use. In the picture above I have the hinges sitting on the lid. I'm trying to stand back and look to see if they look okay or If I need to hide the hinges below the lid.

One problem I'm dealing with now is that my workshop is coated in pink dust from the over-spray of the paint and the sanding with the steel wool. I tried to blow it out tonight but it's going to take some major cleaning to get it all. Just what I always wanted. A pink workshop!  
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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 would like to have all the patterns in the Scrollsaw Workshop catalog you can buy the first six years DVD and the 2013 update DVD at this link. DVD #1 is $20 and contains over 1,100 patterns. The 2013 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 178 patterns.