Paper butterflies for a wedding or other event decorations. Cut several at a time. You can make dozens very quickly. There are many creative ideas for these butterflies. Use them with flower arrangements and other crafts.
The scroll saw can do a fantastic job cutting paper if you use the correct technique.
Using a technique called sandwich cutting we can cut many paper decorations at one time. The technique requires that we sandwich all the sheets of paper between two sacrificial sheets of 1/8" Baltic birch plywood. Use blue painters tape to hold the stack together as you make all the cuts.
You can easily cut 20 sheets or more. For 20 sheets I use a #2 blade for clean cuts on the edge of the paper. If you get larger stacks you will need to go up to a #3 blade and the edges will get a little rougher. I use a reverse tooth blade but that is not critical because the bottom sheet of ply gets all the tear out.
Complete instructions are included with the pattern. I also show how to add basic legs so you can stand the butterflies upright.
Stack the paper and plywood. Wrap the stack in blue painters tape. Apply the pattern to the tape.
Drill and cut all the interior and exterior cuts.
Now you have a swarm of butterflies. Just fold and glue.
Jet Mini-Lathe: Good price on Amazon right now. $317.17 as of 6/7/2019
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I used to own one of the Jet mini-lathes. I ended up selling it because I no longer had time to turn and I needed more room in my small shop. I was browsing Amazon and saw the current price is marked down significantly for this lathe. $317.17 as of 6/7/2019. It normally goes for over $450.
I really enjoyed turning projects. I turned a few bowls and goblets. I also turned several pens. Those are easy and great fun. They make wonderful gifts.
Example of turned pens.
I know that many of you enjoy several types of woodworking so I thought you may be interested in this lathe at this price. I consider this a great value for the beginner turner or someone who needs a second lathe.
The quality of Jet lathes is very good. This model has only basic features but gets the job done for the types of projects I turned. The capacity is 12 inches but I never turned a bowl that large. I think it is 21 inches between centers but I purchased the bed extension for turning legs. I rarely ever used the extension.
This model does not have an electronic variable speed. You change belts to adjust the speed. I would prefer an electronic variable speed but at this price that is not an option. I mostly turned smaller projects and was able to manage the speed easily with the belts.
This package does not come with turning tools so add that to your budget. I think it comes with a faceplate(mine did) but you may eventually want to add a chuck for holding projects.
I'll tell you my last project before I sold the lathe. I wanted to turn a long stem goblet. They can be a challenge for an inexperienced turner like myself. My goal was to have the stem at least six inches long and no more than 1/4" diameter. For me, that was quite a challenge.
I had broken three or four attempts and decided to give it one more shot. I worked very carefully for over four hours. The care paid off and I finally had a goblet with a 6 1/2" long stem that was actually slightly under 1/4" diameter. I was super proud of the effort. I wanted to show my wife the piece. I set the goblet on the headstock of the lathe and started to take off my apron. Being the clumsy oath I am, I knocked the goblet off the headstock and it broke into several pieces. That helped me make the decision to sell the lathe. :)
This is not a goblet I turned it is just an example of what I was trying to turn. With practice, this and many other beautiful pieces can be turned on the Jet mini-lathe.
Long Stem Goblet Example.
$12 per sheet of 12 coins plus $3.50 shipping
Inlay with a 1" Forstner Bit.
The perfect way to sign your work.
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.
Products for your consideration:
Every Scrollsaw Workshop Pattern from 2007-2018 in DVD
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.
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.
All the same file but on an easy to use a thumb drive. The USB thumb drive option is $23 plus shipping.
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.
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
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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