These natural edge Christmas ornaments are sure to become favorites. The pattern book includes ten different patterns. The patterns range from beginner to intermediate.
The blanks I used are basswood and very easy to cut. They are approximately three inches in diameter at the heartwood. When you buy these blanks they will vary in diameter. Some will also have knots that need to be worked around or discarded.
I purchased my blanks at Michaels Craft store. They are sold individually so I was able to pick and choose the size and shape.
If you do not have access to a local craft store you can buy these blanks on Amazon. You get 12 blanks ranging from 3" to 5" in diameter and 1/2" thick. My guess is that you will have some that will not work well for an ornament but the Amazon price is nearly half the price at Michaels.
The basswood blanks have a very clear grain and cut easily. They also hold small fretwork cuts better than the pine blanks.
I have the outer circle on the pattern just for alignment. Cut the pattern near the edge to help with alignment. The blue painted tape makes removing the pattern much easier.
Incise Scroll Saw Carving: This is not easy!
The plate above is a beautiful example of chip carving. A carving knife is used to remove wedge-shaped pieces to create intricate patterns. There is a scroll saw technique that tries to produce these types of cuts called incise cutting.
In my opinion, incise cutting is the most difficult technique to master on the scroll saw. It takes hours of practice to get clean even cuts. We cannot duplicate the clean cuts of a carving knife but that never stops us from trying.
I'll show you a brief demonstration of how incise cutting works.
A scroll saw pattern for incise cutting works best with elements that start and stop at a point like the petals on this flower. It's also easier if the elements are narrow. This is not absolutely required but it is easier to start out this way.
Each element will have two entry holes drilled and will require two distinct cuts. The blade will start the cut at one entry hole and complete to the other entry hole. The blade is then removed and the board rotated and reinserted in the second entry hole. The cut is then completed back at the first entry hole. Confused? Yea, it's a strange way to cut.
It is also best to angle the drill bit in the direction of the tile at each end when drilling the entry hole.
Before the cut is made the scroll saw blade is tilted. This produces a wedge-shaped cutout. I'll show you this later. Getting the angle of the tilt correct is best done by making test cuts on the same thickness of wood you will be using.
In the picture above I have inserted the blade at one end of the petal. I will make the curved cut to the other end of the petal.
In the picture above I have completed the first leg of the cut. I removed the blade and reinserted it in the second entry hole. You may be tempted to make the turn without removing the blade. That does not work. Give it a try to see what happens. It's easier to see it go bad than to try to explain it.
After completing the second leg of the cut a wedged shaped piece can be removed.
If the angle is correct you will get a wedge that comes to a knife edge like in the picture above. This is what you want to shoot for in your setup test cuts.
Here is my crude example of incise cutting after the pattern was removed. If this were going to be a finished piece I would fill the entry holes with sawdust mixed with glue. You can also break off the tip is a toothpick and sand it off to cover the hole.
Take a look at the petal at the 10 o'clock position. See that extra cut at the end of the petal. That's what happens if you try to make the turn without removing and reinserting the blade.
The center circle of the flower comes out as a cone-shaped piece.
I have only seen a few incise cut projects in all my years of scrolling. I have never completed a project with incise cutting. I have only practiced this technique to try to understand how it works. I may have overlooked some part of the technique in this write up so use with caution.
If any of you have experience with incise cutting I would love to hear from you and if possible see a picture of a completed project.
If you would like to practice this technique you can download the sample pattern at this link.
$12 per sheet of 12 coins plus $3.50 shipping
Inlay with a 1" Forstner Bit.
The perfect way to sign your work.
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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