Hello from a tiny shop in Oklahoma City

[Aaron K5ATG]

Hello everyone!

I'm Aaron and I live in the Oklahoma City, OK area. My shop is just half of a single car garage, about 10X10 foot. In the early 2000's I made quite a bit scroll saw projects. Then living life got in the way and along came disability. After a couple of decades of inactivity I decided that the time is right to clean out the garage and fire up the scroll saw. I have a Craftsman 16 inch that I got in 2005. It's a bit worn out and its getting harder for me to install the blades on it, but it works.  It's not the best out there but it is better than nothing and it is what I can afford. My goal is to become more physically active and make some sawdust along the way. I have a lot of health issuses that keep me in bed most of the time. I would like to be able to design my own patterns. I think that would be really cool. I'm taking the "Design Your Own Scroll Saw Patterns over at Scroll Saw Village, I guess where these forums are. I'm learning GIMP, never used it before so I'm sure that i will have questions about it along the way. 

[Dan]

Welcome to the Village, Aaron. I hope you get more time in the shop. Set small goals (like one or two ornaments a day) and soon your life will be on the upswing. 

[Wichman]

Welcome to the village from SE Idaho 

[Richard Hotchkiss]

Aaron, welcome to the forum and glad you are getting back to the scroll saw. Everyone on here is very helpful with answers to your questions. More than anything small shop or a large shop, just have fun!

Richard,

"Poppy's Workshop", Ashland, VA

[jerry walters]

Welcome from Colorado.  Great for you getting back in the swing.  As Dan said set small goals for yourself.  And making a little bit of sawdust improves your spirits.  You will find folks here very helpful.

Jerry

[daveww1]

welcome to the village

[Mike Crosa]

Welcome from Miami, Fl.  I can relate to the long absence from using a scroll saw.  I was active until 2016, got ill, moved back to Miami from Ocala to be with family and just this year started back into scroll sawing.  Hang in there, you can do it too.

 

[Denny Knappen]

Welcome to the Village forum from Tennessee

[Aaron K5ATG]

Thank you for all of the wonderful welcomes from all over! My other passion is amateur radio, call sign K5ATG, and I really enjoy talking to people everywhere. Right now I'm busy with making some shop made tools to make life a little bit easier in the Little Okie Workshop. Then a couple of ham radio related stuff. Yeah I have to stock up on some ornaments if I can. I've forgotten how relaxing it is to cut holes in a scroll saw, at least until the wood breaks and the hole gets a lot larger than you wanted it to be lol. I look forward to getting to know you guys. 

[Jim McDonald]

Greetings from EN70gf, also known as East Central Indiana. 

Since you have done scrolling in the past, you understand that "donations" to the burn bucket are inevitable. But, as long as the sawdust is still being created, those ornaments will get done.

Make lots of sawdust, make lots of contacts and post a picture or two when those cuttings are done.

de KB9LEI 

[Aaron K5ATG]

I have a question or two. Is there a place here where you can load up pics of your projects like a gallery or something? What about showing projects made from commercial plans? Are there any guidelines on showing those? 

Thank you

Aaron

[Scrappile]

1 hour ago, Aaron K5ATG said:

I have a question or two. Is there a place here where you can load up pics of your projects like a gallery or something? What about showing projects made from commercial plans? Are there any guidelines on showing those? 

Thank you

Aaron

I am posting info copied from a response @Wichman did in 2024, on how to create a gallery.  It is not intuitively obvious how to get there, but it is not really hard.  Once you create one, you will have a "Galleries" option in your profile that will take you to your galleries.

"At the top of this page: community > member gallery > scroll down to the galleries, not far, click on blue button > add images > follow prompts.   "

You are, I think, allowed 100 pictures per Gallery; however, you can create more than one gallery.  You can show any project you cut as long as it is not profane or lewd.  The first one or two pictures require approval from the forum owner.  There is a space to give credit to the pattern designer.  @Travis, please correct me if I am wrong.

And welcome to the Village.  Looking forward to seeing your input.

Edited October 5, 2025 by Scrappile

[Aaron K5ATG]

Thank you

[Travis]

Yup.  Those instructions are great, thanks!  Feel free to post pictures of your finished projects.  We just ask you don't post the patterns themselves, unless you specifically designed them and choose to share your pattern.  But if people are interested in the pattern, you can link to where you found it so they can download it for themselves.

[JJB]

Welcome. Also from OKC here. GIMP is a good program, I would also suggest downloading Inkscape (also a free program). I use GIMP when I want to convert a picture into a scrollable pattern, and Inkscape I primarily use to create patterns from scratch. Have fun! 

[Mimi]

Hey Aaron,

I live in Midwest city not too far from you. Glad to see a fellow Oklahoman on here. Yes, I know how you feel about a small space in the garage. I share a two-car garage with my son. He has half and I have the other. Let me know if I can be of any help to you. 

MImi

[JimNC]

Welcome Aaron from Randleman, North Carolina. We have a lot in common. My "shop" isn't much bigger than yours. I am retired and as I age it getting to a point I am very limited with my woodworking because of health. I was a ham years ago W8RSK (call not active anymore). Scroll sawing is a great way to keep busy. So my friend, keep during "things", and ask questions. Some great people here in our Village here.

Jim

[wombatie]

Welcome to the Village from Australia

Marg