This piece is 14" X 11". I recommend that you cut this from Baltic birch plywood. The plywood is strong enough to help prevent breakage. There are parts of this pattern that will be weak until you get it mounted to a backer board. You are going to need to use a spiral blade. You won't be able to make the turns with a flat blade.
Lettering is always a challenge when cutting with a spiral blade. Because of the lettering in this project, I would rate this as an intermediate level pattern.
Baltic Birch Plywood:
Baltic birch plywood is generally regarded as superior to standard birch plywood. BB plywood comes from Russia and the nearby Baltic states such as Finland.
BB ply comes in different grades but all the plies are birch with no softwood fillers. The individual layers are thinner for a given thickness so BB ply has more layers giving it more strength.
The grades for Baltic birch plywood are B/BB, BB/BB, BB/CP, CP/CP and C/C. That is from best to worst.
We generally buy B/BB graded Baltic birch plywood. B/BB means no interior voids. The face veneers are clear but may have an occasional plug. The plugs are football shaped. For some scroll saw projects these plugs don't cause a problem but I usually cut them away as waste.
Baltic birch is manufactured in metric sizes. A full sheet is 1525mm X 1525mm. That is just slightly over 5' X 5'. BB ply comes in 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18mm thicknesses. In the US we convert that to 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4". For scroll saw projects these measurements are usually close enough but you do want to be aware that Baltic birch plywood is slightly thinner than the measurement they are sold at here in the U.S.
You can stain BB plywood but I am not a fan of the way it looks. I almost always use a clear coat. I will occasionally paint BB ply. It paints well but the edges will always show the plies.
The plies are a love-hate with woodworkers. When used in furniture the plies are generally covered with a hardwood. In many scroll saw projects, the plies are left bare and can be used to enhance the look. I have often had now-woodworking people express how beautiful the edges are.
Baltic birch plywood is great for portrait style projects that have many small interior cuts. The extra strength of the plywood will help reduce breakage on thin parts. Other projects such as Christmas ornaments. baskets, boxes and jigsaw puzzles all work well made from Baltic birch plywood.
You won't normally find Baltic birch plywood in your big box hardware stores. You will have to find a hardwood specialty store to get 5' X 5' sheets. If you have a Woodcraft store in your area they carry BB ply in full sheets and cut down.
There are many online sources for Baltic birch plywood. One of my sponsors, Heritage Wood Specialties sells BB ply in various sizes and thicknesses. An example of their pricing is a 1/4" X 24" X 24" sheet is $8.63 plus shipping.
Baltic birch plywood is inexpensive enough that it is perfect for practice if you are just getting started on the scroll saw. Because it is so consistent in hardness the blade will track well. Many cheap kinds of wood like pine are not suitable for practice because they vary in hardness from one spot to the next. You don't want to add that variable to your learning curve.
Baltic birch plywood is inexpensive enough that it is perfect for practice if you are just getting started on the scroll saw. Because it is so consistent in hardness the blade will track well. Many cheap kinds of wood like pine are not suitable for practice because they vary in hardness from one spot to the next. You don't want to add that variable to your learning curve.
Custom Signature Coins.
$12 per sheet of 12 coins plus $3.50 shipping.
Inlay the coin with a 1" Forstner bit.
Show the pride you have in your craftsmanship.
Sign each project with your custom signature coin.
Email Newsletter Readers: Remember that the Newsletter is just a copy of the daily blog post. To see the post in it's proper formatting click this link. If you ever misplace a pattern or any item you see here you can always find it on the blog. Everything stays on the blog forever.
Products for your consideration:
Scroll Saw Pattern Design Tutorial: DVD
Let me teach you to create a beautiful wooden portrait pattern. I will show you everything you need from start to finish. The video will show you the free software program you can download for Windows or Mac OS. I will show you how to install the program and configure it for best results.
Let me teach you to create a beautiful wooden portrait pattern. I will show you everything you need from start to finish. The video will show you the free software program you can download for Windows or Mac OS. I will show you how to install the program and configure it for best results.
Then I will show you the technique to take your photograph and make a pattern from it. When the pattern is complete we will go in the shop and cut it.
The DVD is $10 plus shipping. This is a data DVD that you will use on your computer to watch the video tutorial
Every Scrollsaw Workshop Pattern from 2007-2017 in DVD
Purchase the entire Scrollsaw Workshop pattern catalog for offline access.
This DVD has 2,300 patterns published from 2007 thru 2017.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.
If you use the DVD on a Windows PC there is a simple viewer program to browse through the patterns.
The DVD also works fine on a MAC. The viewer program is not MAC compatible but there is an included PDF with all the patterns shown as thumbnails for easy viewing.
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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- GRADE B/BB – This hardwood has a single piece face and a back veneer. The face veneer has a smooth surface with a light uniform color, while the back surface typically has 1-2 small color-matched patches. The thick face veneer also provides a smoother surface for CNC routers or engraving machines to glide on the wood.
- HEAVY-DUTY – This multi-coated plywood made from Baltic Birch offers exceptional durability, rigidity, and stability. Its surfaces also provide excellent holding power for glue and screws.
- MADE IN Russia – Known as one of the top producers of lumber in the world, this Russia-made plywood was manufactured using the latest methods in wood production to build construction hardwood that’s extremely durable and creep-resistant.
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