Earlier today my wife, Patty asked me to make her a letter opener. I had just brought in the mail so apparently that put the idea in her head. Patty generally likes simple designs. She is not a big fan of fancy fretwork. I also knew she would prefer it not to be very large.

These wooden letter openers need to feel good in the hand. They also need to come to a rounded but relatively sharp tip. Sanding is critical. I used a drum sander to get the blade sharp. I finished off the rest of the handle with hand sanding.

I used a nice piece of Zebra wood for the project. It's expensive wood but you don't need much for these small projects.

With all these things in mind, I designed a simple 7-inch long letter opener. To make it a bit more personal I added her initials. When you download the pattern below it will obviously not have the initials on it. Here is a way you can add initials to your pattern.

First, you need a stencil font. I used one named "Lintsec". You can download it at this link.

https://www.dafont.com/search.php?q=lintsec

Now you need a program that will allow you to add the initials. Here is a link to download the free program named Inkscape. It is available for multiple OS's. Windows and Mac.

https://inkscape.org/en/

Now you need to know how to do it. Here is a link to a video that shows how in import my patterns into Inkscape so they can be edited. I will then show you how to add the initials.

https://youtu.be/gi5pwgNNoKA

If you have never used a vector-based graphics program before there will be a bit to learn. In the tutorial above I will take you step by step so just watch it a few times if you need. The technique will come in handy for more than just this pattern.

Seyco ST-21 Scroll Saw Table Tilt:

One thing that makes me such a fanboy of the Seyco ST-21 scroll saw is how the design decisions were made. The machine is obviously based on the same technology as the Excalibur EX21. The Excalibur was a very nice machine so they had a solid base to work from.

When they decided to bring this machine to market they wanted to keep the same solid base design but make improvements where possible. These improvement decisions were made by people who have years of experience talking to scroller directly.

One decision that they made was to increase the cutting height capacity to 2 1/2". This was based on customer request over many years. To make that happen they had to decrease the amount of tilt of the table. It is limited to 30 degrees.

I have no problem with this design tradeoff because over 30 years of scrolling I have rarely tilted the saw more than a few degrees. It's just not something I do. From my conversations with many other scrollers it is apparently something they rarely do either.

One place where this design tradeoff does matter is when you want to cut beveled bowls. These bowls often require a large tilt of the blade. These bowl patterns were popular years ago in a book by Patrick Spielman and more recently in the very popular book by Carole Rothman. They are fun and challenging to make. Here is a link to one that is in my free catalog.

My free pattern.

Here is one of the things that make Seyco stand out from the large manufacturers. They had a customer who wanted to make these bowls. They spent the time to come up with a workaround. It is a little bit of a kludge but it works. Do you think Jet or DeWalt would take the time to address an issue like this? Not likely. Like I said I am a Seyco fanboy and this is one of the reasons.

Here is an email I received from Ray at Seyco that explains how this workaround is done. I wanted to share this for those of you who want to try making one of these bowls.

Hi Steve.

Joe and I were experimenting with a possibility re the tilt on our Seyco ST-21. (a customer who

wanted to cut one of the Carol Rothman bowl patterns that call for 35º tilt asked about the table

tilt limited to 30º) We made an auxiliary table out of 1/2" MDF, mounted it on washers to raise it

above the head pivot connection, cut the blade slot sideways and got 36.1 degrees. This cost us

$3 for a piece of 1/2 MDF and $1.20 for 6 thick plastic washers and we can cut the 35º easily

with no changes to the saw other than removing the steel table, putting the MDF table on

temporarily and putting the steel table back on when we are through with the 35º tilt project and

ready to move on to the other type project. This obviously reduces the 2-1/2" cutting capacity

back to a standard 2" capability which will work for the bowls.

Thanks for all you do, Ray and Joe.

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www.scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com

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.

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.

Click here to Order.

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.

Unique Wooden Vases:
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.

The Scrollsaw Workshop is primarily supported by donations. If you enjoy this Blog and would like to make a donation please click this Button. Your support is greatly appreciated.

My Sponsors:

Support the businesses who support our community.

Shop Bear Woods for your craft supply needs.

Home of Pegas scroll saw blades.

Visit Heritage Wood Specialties

for you scroll saw ready boards.

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WEN 3962 Two-Speed Band Saw with Stand and Worklight, 10"

3.5 amp motor creates cuts up to six inches deep and 9-3/4 inches wide
Uses 72-inch blades anywhere from 1/8 to 1/2 inches in size
Spacious 14-1/8 x 12-1/2 inch work table bevels up to 45 degrees
Operates at two speeds of either 1520 or 2620 FPM.Dimensions of the stand: 13 3/4 L x 15 3/4 W x 25 1/4H (Inches)
Includes a 2-year warranty, a work light, a 3-in-1 dust port, a fence, a miter gauge, and a 3/8-inch blade (6 TPI)

Inspirational sign.

This was a saying I ran across on Pinterest the other day. It rang a bell because I had just gone through a very bad day with my ruptured eardrum. I survived the experience. Not without a few words that I should never use but I survived.

Bang for the Buck?

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Delta Power Tools 40-694 20 In. Variable Speed Scroll Saw

I get asked all the time what the best scroll saw for the money is. I can't answer that question because there are too many variables. What I can say is that the Delta 40-694 is a very good value.

This machine sells for $399 on Amazon. Unfortunately, that is without the stand and light. Amazon has the price for this machine with the stand and light all screwed up. You will need to provide a stand for this price.

I have used many different scroll saws from entry level to high end. This Delta is the least expensive machine that passes my "This is a serious machine" test.

I do not subscribe to the notion that you have to buy an expensive scroll saw or you are wasting your money. I see projects all the time that have been made on entry-level machines. What I say is that if you want a better experience with your scroll saw then you need to invest some money.

This Delta 40-694 is where that extra money starts to pay off. For that extra cash, you get a few things.

First, the build quality is much better than the sub $200 machines on the market. On average you will have a machine that will last for several years and run well. Yes some of them will fail. They are machines and machines break. Your odds are just better with a better-built machine.

Second, you get much better blade change mechanics. If you have used the less expensive machines the first thing you notice when upgrading is that changing blades is much easier. This sounds like it's not that important but it definitely is important. We take the blade in and out of the scroll saw constantly. It needs to be easy. The Delta 40-694 is easy.

Third, you get a machine that at least has some support. Most of the entry level scroll saws are throw away if they fail. With this machine, you can get parts and there are service centers that can repair if necessary. Most of the time you will be better off buying the parts and replacing them yourself though.

Last, this machine is designed with the scroller in mind. Up front controls, low vibration, easy and reliable tilting table that is a decent size.

This machine has a lineage that is hard to beat. It is basically a DeWalt DW-788 with new panels and a few small changes. It is almost always at least $100 cheaper than the DeWalt. The DeWalt is the most popular selling scroll saw for the last twenty years. This Delta gives you that history for a little less money.

The last time I checked the Delta also came with a longer warranty. Delta Warranty Link. DeWalt Warranty Link

The Amazon links in this write up are affiliate links. If you buy from these links I appreciate it but you can also get this machine from Home Depot or Lowes. Neither store typically stocks the machines but you can order from their websites. They both have similar prices.

In conclusion, the Delta 40-694 is where I believe the intermediate level of scroll saws start. All the machines I have used below this machine have been disappointing when it comes to usability and quality. If you are looking to improve your experience with the scroll saw this is a good place to start.

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