This is a very simple scroll saw pattern. There are only two interior cuts. It is cut from 3/4" thick wood. It is only four inches wide so you can easily find a board to cut it from.
This would be a nice project to have at your next craft show. You can cut several of these in a relatively short time.
Wenge Hardwood:
I cut this project from Wenge. Wenge is a hardwood from central Africa. As you can see it is very dark brown in color. The grain is relatively straight but course. The pours of the end grain are very large so it soaks up finish fast. To get a nice finish on the end grain may take three or four coats.
Wenge is very hard. On the Janka scale, it is 1930. To give you some perspective, Cherry is rated at 950 on the Janka scale.
The Janka scale measures the force required to embed a .444 steel ball into the wood to half its diameter.
You may find that you will have reactions to Wenge that are not good. You don't want to breathe the dust so wear your mask if you decide to give it a try. Splinters will often cause skin irritation. My finger will turn red and be sore for a couple days from a Wenge splinter. I react similarly to Bubinga and other African continent hardwoods.
You may also have a reaction to the price of Wenge. It's not uncommon to pay ~$25 a board foot. A six-foot board six inches wide will cost around $75.
This simple project took me at least three times longer to cut because I used Wenge. My blades dulled quickly and I had to slow my feed rate to let the blade do its work. Sometimes the wood is the star of a project and it's worth the extra work to use an exotic species.
I would not say Wenge is one of my favorite woods to use. I think it is best suited for accent pieces because it is so dark. The grain is not overly attractive and it's a pain to cut. In this pattern, I wanted an almost silhouette look so the dark color of the Wenge was suitable.
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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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