Scrollsaw Workshop: Apr 10, 2019

I'll bet that a lot of you are like me and save all the small scraps of wood from past projects. Woodworkers seem to be prone to hoarding wood. If you own a scroll saw, those scraps often come in handy. Maybe even profitable.

This pattern book has what I call board quotes. Each pattern comes in two sizes. The large pattern is 4" X 9". The small pattern is 2" X 4.5". You can cut them from any thickness of wood you have in the scrap box. If you want them to stand on their own then 1/2" thick or thicker is best.

These make nice little gifts that you can carry in your pocket. Hand them out at church or other social events. They are simple but you will be surprised at how many people will enjoy the gift.

In the picture above you see the small pattern next to a quarter for scale. As you can see this will let you dive deep into your scrap bin for those small pieces that settle to the bottom and never see the light of day.

I normally design my patterns so that the smallest drill bit you need is 1/16". The is normally the smallest bit that will fit in a standard chuck. In the case of the smaller patterns in this book a 1/16" just a little large. I went to my micro drill bits for this small cutting. If you don't own any small bits you can buy them at Bear Woods. Just type drill bits in the search box. You may need a reducer chuck for the small blades. I don't think Bear Woods sell the chuck.

You can find the micro chuck on Amazon. This one goes down to .3mm. It has a 1/4" Hex shank to fit into your normal chuck.

You can use these in a hand drill but you will break more bits. Anytime you use these very small bits it is best to put them in a drill press.

Buy on Amazon

Do you need a drill press for scroll saw work?

If you use a scroll saw you will get very friendly with your drill. We drill more holes than any other form of woodworking. I have cut projects where I had to drill the holes in multiple sessions just to keep from going crazy. Some advanced scroll saw patterns can require hundreds of interior holes to be drilled.

For many projects, a hand drill will get the work done. You can even use a hand drill for those advanced patterns with hundreds of interior holes. The question is, do you want to? Drilling 200 holes with a drill press is tedious but with a hand drill, it can be close to torture.

If you do not own a drill press there is good news. You can buy a bench top drill press for well under $100 that will work fine for our needs as scrollers. These are very entry level machines. I would not recommend them for any heavy duty work. You will wear them out. If your needs are for drilling holes in scroll saw projects it will be fine. Don't let your expectations get ahead of reality with entry-level tools.

I have spoken with a few people who have purchased this entry level WEN drill press. I do not own one and have not used one so this is second-hand info. They have all told me that this drill press is better than expected for the low price. The reviews on Amazon are also mostly positive. This is just one option. Home Depot and Lowes both sell entry level drill presses.

I get tons of email from new scrollers asking me which tools they should buy after the scroll saw. The drill press is one of the tools that I recommend as one of the three other tools to get as soon as the budget allows. The table saw and a bench top sander ar the other two.

Buy on Amazon

Click to Order

$12 per sheet of 12 coins plus $3.50 shipping

Inlay with a 1" Forstner Bit.

The perfect way to sign your work.

Video Demonstration Link

- -

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.

www.scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com

Products for your consideration:

Every Scrollsaw Workshop Pattern from 2007-2018 in DVD

Purchase the entire Scrollsaw Workshop pattern catalog for offline access.

This DVD has over 2,600 patterns published from 2007 thru 2018.
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.

Now Available on USB Thumb Drive

Don't have a DVD drive on your new computer. No problem. Buy the catalog on a USB thumb drive.
All the same file but on an easy to use a thumb drive. The USB thumb drive option is $23 plus shipping.

Buy Now.

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

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.