Download the Pattern Below
Let me start out by saying that I did not test cut this pattern. I looked it over pretty well and I don't see any floaters or impossible cuts. Just keep your eyes open as you cut and make on the fly edits where needed.
I don't do a lot of portrait style patterns because they can take hours to get right. It can be tough to get a likeness and still keep the interior cuts to a minimum. I have wanted to do another one for a while but I could not think of a subject I thought would be fun until tonight.
One of my favorite shows, as I was growing up, was The Andy Griffith Show. I think some of the best comedy on television was the interactions between Andy and Barney. This portrait highlights the plot that Andy would not let Barney keep a bullet in his gun. He had to keep it in his shirt pocket.
It took me a while to find good reference photos. I found a couple that I liked and merged them together for what I think tells the story.
Portrait style patterns are the only patterns that I cut with spiral blades. For this pattern, I would choose a #3 spiral blade. There are a couple of interior cuts that are very small. You may need a micro drill bit for one or two of the interior cuts.
Portrait style patterns are good projects for stack cutting. If you use 1/8" Baltic birch plywood you can easily cut two at a time. For a project with this many cuts that can be a big time saver if you need more than one.
If you have not tried to cut a portrait style pattern this one would be about an intermediate level cut. Portraits are often backed up with a black backer board so the cuts show up well. This pattern requires a 12" X 10" board.
