What do you think? Would you like to see how these are made?

Earlier today I watched a video on YouTube by David Picciuto. He is a well known content maker on YouTube doing mostly woodworking videos. I subscribe to his videos so I see everything he comes up with.

Today he made DIY exotic wood pencils from scratch using 2mm lead and wood. The picture above are his pencils.

That gave me an idea to do something similar only using the scroll saw. I wanted to add something special like the initials on the example below. This was my first attempt and it came out good enough to make me want to work out the few bugs I had.

I have emailed David and ask for his permission to take his idea and make patterns for you guys. I have not heard back yet but I'm pretty sure he will not mind.

This is the question I have for you guys. Would you be interested in patterns and video demonstration to make these initial pencils. I would probably charge $3 per pattern. I will post a sample pattern first so you can try it out. It's a compound cut. It involves gluing up two pieces of wood with the lead sandwiched between the wood in a small channel. The pattern is then applied and a series of cuts are made.

The only difficult part of the project is getting the lead centered. My first attempt was just a little off but it still works. If the lead is not well centered you have to sharpen it with a knife instead of a pencil sharpener.

The lead is easy to find and not very expensive. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby. I got 3 leads for $3.
You can also buy it on Amazon, a pack of 12 leads cost $9.

Shoot me an email and let me know if this is something you would like to try.
Steve Good

Nerd Alert! Video. Inkscape Vector Graphics Program.

This post is in response to a question I have received many times. Many readers want to personalize or edit my patterns. I encourage you to do that. It just make cutting the pattern more fun if you make it personal. You may want to add a name or just edit the pattern.

First let me say that it's okay to change the pattern and use it for personal use. The project made from the edited pattern can be sold an is entirely yours. I do request that the pattern not be sold unless significant changes are made so that it is not recognizable as mine. Please ask my permission if you wish to sell the edited pattern.  The unedited patterns can never be sold.

I produce and distribute my patterns in PDF format. These are designed to be easily transported over the internet. The good news is that the pages with the patterns are still vectors that can be easily edited with the right program

The program discussed in this video is Inkscape. It is a free and open source program available at www.inkscape.org. It has been around for a long time and has good support.

The goal of this video is not to show you how to use Inkscape. It is demonstrating how to import one of my patterns so you can edit them. You will need to take the time to learn the program.

If you have any desire to create your own patterns or edit mine Inkscape would be a good place to start.

 The video is best viewed full screen

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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.