Desktop Thumb Drive Memory Holder Scroll Saw Pattern.

Very simple but useful project for the computer geek in your family. If you are an avid computer user you probably have a small collection of thumb drives. I use them for system backups, easy file transfer to other computers, to store portable software utilities and more.

If you have some small scraps of wood left over from another project this is a good project for it. The holder looks best cut from 1/2" thick wood but you can also use 3/4" if that's all you have. This would also be a good project for Corian or acrylic.

I used small round glue on rubber feet so it will not slide on the desk. Look for these feet in the hardware section of your favorite depart store. I bought mine at Meijers. 

When you are cutting the slots it is best to slightly undercut them so you can get a good fit. You want the fit to be between snug and loose. If you cut them snug you can use a small file to work up to a good fit.

 
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

You can purchase either of my "Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw" books by visiting this link. 

Each digital book is available for download immediately after payment.

The books are $12 per edition and contains eight unique patterns each.
Click now and make a family heirloom this weekend.

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. The 2014 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 223 patterns.

Food safe finishes.

I want to address a question that I get often about finishes. The question is "What finishes are food safe?".

There are two issues here that need to be considered. The first issue is if the finish is actually safe. The second issue is will the finish you use prevent your customers from buying the products you build.

There are many discussions about food safe finishes on the internet. Until recently most of them were full of bad information. Word is slowly getting out with the correct information.

All modern day finishes are considered food safe. There is one point that you have to understand to make this true. After you finish a project it has to dry and cure. The key word here is "cure". They are very different descriptions. Almost always the amount of time it takes a finish to cure is much longer than for it to dry.

Once a finish has a dry film on the surface it is still drying below that top layer. At that point it can be handled but it is not cured. The finished is cured once it is dry all the way. That is when it is food safe.

You should consult the instructions on the finish you are using to see the recommended drying and curing times. Different conditions such as temperature and humidity can delay the time for a finish to cure. A good recommendation is to add a couple days to the given cure time.

Wood magazine examined the MSDS(Material data safety sheet) for one commercially available salad bowl finish. They noted that it contained several chemicals that were known to cause health issues at high enough levels of exposure. Because the levels of these chemicals are under the bad exposure level they are "food safe". The take away from this research is that some commercially available "food safe" finishes are as safe but no safer than any finish that has cured.

That's the good new but now for the bad. If you are selling cutting boards you have to consider what your customers will expect. Some of them will ask how the board was finished. You don't want to try to convince them that  all finishes are food safe. They probably have heard just the opposite. I would rather finish the project with a product that is known to the general public as "food safe".

Mineral oil, pure tung oil, bees wax are just a few products that your customers may have heard were food safe. I would even go so far as to have signage in my booth promoting the food safe finish I used. Make the customer feel comfortable with their purchase. The point of sell is not the time to try to educate unless you want to take your merchandise home.

I know these facts are controversial with some woodworkers. I'm not trying to convince you how to finish your projects that come into contact with food. I am just relaying the information I have read from the most reliable sources I know. Do your own homework and come to your own conclusions. 
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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

You can purchase either of my "Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw" books by visiting this link. 

Each digital book is available for download immediately after payment.

The books are $12 per edition and contains eight unique patterns each.
Click now and make a family heirloom this weekend.

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. The 2014 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 223 patterns.

Hooked on Fishing Scroll Saw Pattern.

It has been years since I have been fishing. When I was younger a friend of mine and I would go pond fishing on weekends. We would mostly catch bluegill but the occasional bass would jump on our line.  Sometimes we would go to the river and fish for catfish. I was never a very good fisherman but it was always relaxing and fun. After my friend moved away I never went again.

I did go deep sea fishing a couple of times. That was fun until I got sea sick the second time out. About 15 minutes out I got sick. I stayed sick until my feet hit land again. I felt so bad that if I could have seen land I think I would have swam home. Luckily it was only a half day trip.

I would guess that fishing is one of the more popular hobbies in the world. I read a stat that $41 billion is spent on recreational fishing in the U.S. every year. There are nearly 50 million anglers in the U.S. alone. What these stats tell me is this. If you are going to sell wood crafts at a local arts and crafts show you should include some fishing related projects. Those statistics say that one out of every six people who walk into your booth are involved in fishing in some way.

 
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

You can purchase either of my "Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw" books by visiting this link. 

Each digital book is available for download immediately after payment.

The books are $12 per edition and contains eight unique patterns each.
Click now and make a family heirloom this weekend.

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. The 2014 update DVD is $7.50 and has another 223 patterns.