Sunday, February 17, 2019

Scorpion Box Scroll Saw Pattern.




This scorpion box is six inches in diameter. When you open the lid you get a little surprise. I included the picture in the pattern book. Just print it on high-quality photo paper and glue into the bottom after you finish the box.

Many woodworkers consider plywood a secondary wood. It is normally hidden. The edges of the plywood are especially disliked. 

I always had this negative bias of plywood until I started scrolling with Baltic birch plywood and showing my projects to others. When people started commenting about how unique and beautiful the wood was I started to change my mind. Most people have never heard of Baltic birch plywood. They also had no idea that the project was even made with plywood.

Baltic birch plywood has extra plies and is void free if you buy the b/bb grade. For some projects, it can be a positive and should not be hidden. Christmas ornaments are one project that displays very well cut from BB ply.

With that in mind, I decided to make a box from BB ply and just see if I liked it. I do. I know the theme will not be to everyone's taste but I think it looks pretty neat and I like the surprise when you open the box. Of course, if you run to the pet store and buy a real scorpion the surprise will be even greater. I'm not recommending that.


I painted the lid keeper red to highlight the scorpion.


Sand away all the blemishes left by the scroll saw blade. Glue on the bottom and sane it flush. 
I used spray adhesive to glue the picture into the bottom of the box.

Another thought is to use this box pattern as a memory box. Delete the scorpion cut out. Add the names of the couple or maybe a date. Glue a photo of the couple into the bottom of the box. 


I used spray acrylic on the box. It slightly yellows the BB ply. I like the effect buy almost every finish I have used on BB ply discolors it a little. 


 Broken blade in a thick wood tip.


Here is just a simple tip. While cutting the thick walls for this project the blade broke. You can see the broken blade in the picture. The wood was so thick that I needed pliers to pull it out. 

After I got the blade out I did not want to start back at the original hole and work my way around the already cut kerf. On thin wood, it's easy to follow the kerf but it's more difficult on thick wood.

I simply drilled another starter hole close to where the blade broke.


After installing a new blade  I inserted it through the new starter hole and cot to where the blade broke and continued to complete the cut.


Way off topic:


This has absolutely nothing to do with the scroll saw. This is just a subject that I have spent a lot of time educating myself about and wanted to share. I know many of you want a security camera. I know this because when I posted the video below I have hundreds of emails asking me about my camera.

If you have been with me for a few years you may remember when I had a porch thief try to steal packages off my front porch. He was thwarted by my security camera. He was captured because of the video I was able to give to the detective. He is now in prison serving time for the felony of stealing U.S. mail. I inserted that video below. Before you email me, I do know that I was stupid for following him. I was mad but that's no excuse. This is not about that video it is about security cameras.


Last week, the camera that I had installed when the video above was taken died. It lasted since 2016 and worked okay but it did have some issues that I wanted to upgrade.

I started researching wireless outdoor cameras. I would prefer total wireless but I would settle with wired power and wireless connectivity. There are many options but most of them do not live up to their advertising. Some are just downright dangerous. The support lines for the ones I returned were worse than a joke.

I bought and returned three cameras before I ended up with this Nest wireless outdoor cam. Now I am happy. The Nest is wired power and wireless connectivity. You do need access to ac power outside for this camera. I had that so I was good. You also need a reliable and strong WIFI signal at the spot you plan to install the camera. Test the signal strength with your cell phone before you install the camera.

The Nest Outdoor Cam has the best set of overall feature I was able to find. Easy setup, very good picture quality and great software. The smartphoen app and the web interface are both excellent. None of the cameras I researched and tried have everything I wanted but the Neast came the closest. 



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The perfect way to sign your work.

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Every Scrollsaw Workshop Pattern from 2007-2018 in DVD


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