St. Patrick's Day Scroll Saw Pattern.

Just a wee nip of the ale for St. Patrick's day. This pattern is 8" X 10"

Email Question:
I had a great question today from a reader named Chad. His question was simple. "Can you make a living from the scroll saw?" Very simple question with a very complicated answer.

I'm sure several you have thought about earning some spare income by selling your projects. Everyone dreams of making a living doing something they love. "If you do what you love you will never work a day in your life." I don't remember who that quote is from but I like it.

There are a few full time professional scroll saw artist out there. Jig saw puzzle makers can earn a significant amount of income once they get a following. They make free hand puzzles with random pieces. They can make very tricky puzzles very fast. Check out this link for one of the best. 

Video Link

Old fashion wooden toys are popular in some of the boutique stores in tourist areas. These artists generally work with a full workshop of tools but the scroll saw is a significant part of the operation. These artists will bulk produce the toys and sell to many outlets. It takes time to build a customer base.

I have known a couple of portrait style scroll saw artists who did okay on the craft show circuit but that's a tough way to do more than supplement your income.

Is it possible? Yes. Is it easy? No. It can take years to build a following large enough to make a significant income from any craft. Online stores like Etsy can give you a presence on the web but you still have to find ways to drive customers to your store page. With thousands of artists on Etsy it's hard to stand out.

One way to help your chances is to find a niche that not many people are exploiting. Once you find your niche try to specialize. One artist I knew sold almost entirely at dog shows. He made dog themed products and did a lot of traveling. He sold at other more traditional places also but his niche was the dog patterns. 

Master your product. I would rather have one exceptional product than 10 knockoffs. If you are at a show and there are three other people selling the same products as you that's big trouble. Be unique. 

Start by selling locally in small craft shows. Build your confidence in yourself and your work. Start to build a following and repeat customers. When you have become adept at selling to the public try bigger shows. Unless you have a very unique product expect to get beat up the first few shows. The entry fees will probably be more than you take in. It takes several shows to discover what sells and how best to sell them. Track everything and study the results. Just because you love the 10,000 cut cathedral clock that took you six months to build does not mean it will sell. It probably won't. Especially for the time you have invested in it. 

Another side of earning money from the craft is selling hardware and software. Software being patterns. Hardware is scroll saws, blades and all the things associated with the hobby. I have absolutely no expertise in the hardware side of the business. Sounds like too much paper work for me. I am a creative not a business person. 

Patterns can be sold and a few people do okay. If you have gone online to look for patterns you will quickly find that there are not that many sources. Judy Gale Roberts, Sheila Landry, and Sue Mey are three of my favorites. If you are going to beat them you better be a very good pattern designer. They are artists first and designers second. 

These are just some random thoughts about the subject that came to mind. Short answer is that there are a very few people making a living with the scroll saw only. That does not mean you should not give it a try. Just take careful steps. 

One thing I can tell you from experience is that when a customer buys something you made it is a huge rush. 

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Information:

I had a good response to the Jet Scroll Saw Clamp Jig. I did not sell out but it got close. I added a few more to the inventory today. I have all the orders packaged and ready to ship. I will take them to the post office Monday. They will ship parcel post. Delivery is usually 2 to 9 days.

Thanks for the orders. If you would like one please visit my eStore to place an order. Details on the order page.

More Information:

The portrait pattern tutorial video on YouTube and DVD are also selling well. There is an issue with the YouTube video that is causing some confusion. YouTube paid content will not play on an iPad. I have sent a message to YouTube asking why this is not supported but I doubt I will get a reply. I have not determined if it works on Android yet so let me know if you have tried that device. It works fine on Windows and Mac OS. Thanks again for the interest.

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Purchase the entire Scrollsaw Workshop pattern catalog for offline access.

This DVD has 1,964 patterns published from 2007 thru 2016.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.

You can view a video showing use of the DVD on a Windows PC and a MAC at this link

Click here to Order. 

Want to create beautiful wooden vases on the scroll saw?

My two "Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw" books make it easy.

The books are $12 each and available for instant download after purchase. Click for Video Demonstration.

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