Next Monday is Memorial Day. We will be remembering those men and women who gave their lives serving our country. Please take a few minutes to honor the soldiers and their service. If you pray then please pray for the family and friends of the lost soldiers. While you are at it say a prayer for the safety of all the soldiers stationed around the world today.

Memorial Day is also a time to enjoy the freedoms these soldiers fought for. Some of you will watch a parade or have a picnic. Many of you will travel to visit family and friends. Others will just enjoy the day off from work. However to celebrate the day remember why you have that freedom. Be safe.

On Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation's battle heroes.

This pattern has both a male and a female soldier. They each stand over ten inches tall. They can be cut from 3/4" thick wood.

How do you improve your skill with the scroll saw?

I don't care if you bought your first scroll saw today or if you have been scrolling for 30 plus years. We can all improve our craftsmanship.

Like any skill, the scroll saw requires practice. The problem with practice is that you can practice poorly and get poor results. Practice needs two components. Knowledge and muscle memory training.

Knowledge can come from making and correcting a mistake through trial and error or it can come from being taught the proper way to do a technique by a more skilled instructor. Most of us end up learning by trial and error. It is easier to find instruction today because of the internet but some of that information is flawed so you have to choose carefully.

Once you have the correct knowledge to perform a technique you have to practice it, focusing on doing it correctly. That is how you build muscle memory and develop your skill. Focus is an important word in that sentence. Knowing the correct technique does not guarantee that you will practice it correctly. You have to focus on the correct technique as you practice.

Every time you sit down at the scroll saw, focus on improving. Focus does not mean grit your teeth and curse under your breath every time you miss the pattern line. When you are focusing correctly you will be relaxed and enjoying your time at the saw. If you get frustrated, stop. Take a break and come back later.

"Practice makes perfect". That saying is just plain dumb. You will never be perfect with your technique. The goal is to eliminate sloppy results and achieve pleasing results. Example: When you practice cutting circles make a goal to not stray from the pattern line by more than the width of the blade. You may never achieve that perfectly but the goal will cause improvement. That goal will almost certainly eliminate sloppy circles.

If you always practice correctly your muscle memory will start to take over and the struggle to focus gets easier.

If you have been a scroll saw user for many years you can still make improvements by focusing on improving. Look for areas you would like to see get better. Are you pleased with your finish? If not then do some research on finishing and focus on making changes until you are happier with the results.

If you have ever practiced a musical instrument with a good teacher then you will recognize these practice techniques. They all preach practicing correct technique to build solid muscle memory. It is difficult to unlearn bad habits. The sooner you quit practicing bad habits the sooner you will improve.

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$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

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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.

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