Travis

It's a work in progress. Still tweeking. I updated the software and things change. So I try to make it look as nice as I can. I know nobody likes change, but if I don't keep the software up to date, in a few years SSV becomes so out of date, it no longer functions (we almost ran into that a few years ago, if folks remember the olden days of SSV). When technology leaves us behind, we have a dead site. I do the best I can with the tools I have. Everything still works the same, if that helps.

Howdy all. We've been doing these scroll saw challenges since 2017. I think they're a lot of fun and I love seeing what you guys come up with. But, I gotta be honest, I'm running out of good ideas. But, since you're a clever bunch, I'd like to get some ideas from y'alls. What would make some fun scroll saw challenges? Post as many as you can here. Hopefully I can get a pool if ideas that will last me a few more years. Thanks for your help!

It's October! Time to pull out my Halloween decorations. Not sure how Halloween is going to play out this year, which makes me a little sad for the kids. But at least I can decorate the house. This month's theme is October. It can be Halloween, fall, harvest, pumpkins, Green Day or whatever you think of. Have fun with it!

That's Awesome! I love it when our friends get the recognition they deserve. Congratulations!

One of the things I think about in August is the car shows. In my hometown, there would be a few official ones, which were fun. But there are also the pop-up shows that just appear at a restaurant parking lot on a Sunday afternoon. Usually some car club that meets up at a 50's diner, grab a burger, and then shows off their cars. I'd see one of those, pull over to look at the "fancy cars" (as my son called them). I kinda miss that this year. So how about we have our own car show? Post a pic of a scroll saw project featuring some sort of car, motorcycle, truck, military vehicle, bicycle, skateboard, or whatever. As long as it has wheels! Looking for some inspiration? Check out our Transportation section in the Pattern Library. When you post, share a memory of a vehicle you loved. My first car was a 1983 Silver Camaro. It was only a V6, but it looked fast. And a highschooler with a Camero wasn't a bad thing to have. We have a ton of great car patterns in the Pattern Library: https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/gallery/category/19-transportation/

Coffee House is a place for off topic conversations, but the same forum rules still apply (those are found here). Even though it's off topic, politics and religion are not allowed. A conversation may feel lighthearted to the original poster, but these subjects will spin wildly out of control. Most of us identify with with a certain belief system that is core to our identity. When we attack or poke fun at one of those belief systems, it's easy to take it as a personal attack. So that is why we have that long-standing rule. I want to focus on what brings us together, not what tears us apart. I have several posts within this thread that clarifies a lot of stuff, so that might be helpful for new folks. I hope that helps.

Hi all. Just a reminder political discussions are not allowed on SSV. Please read the first post of this thread as it spells it out pretty clearly. We try hard to keep things on topic and free of political and religious discussions. However, SSV is a big place and I'm not able to read everything. So if you see something that needs attention, please report it so I or Clayton can review it. It's a much better solution than getting worked up, or rage quitting SSV. Thanks All!

Is it summer yet? I can't tell because of the weather. But that doesn't stop me form firing up the grill! This month's challenge is about BBQ season! Post your projects that are related to outdoor cooking and dining! Signs, cutting boards, condiment holders, napkin rings, paper towel holders, grill scrapers, drink holders, or whatever! And while you're at it, tell us some of your favorite things to cook outdoors? Better yet, have a recipe to share? I wanna see them! Lets turn this into an epic BBQ thread. Pass the sauce!

Even through these weird times, Spring is still my favorite season. I love having my garage door open with the nice cool air. Chirping of the birds and fresh cut lawn fill the air. This month's scroll saw challenge is a celebration of Spring. Post your spring themed scroll saw projects. Birds, flowers, scenic projects, or whatever spring means to you. While you're at it, let us know what you're doing to enjoy the springtime during the lockdown.

These are strange times, indeed. Stay-at-home orders have been issued around the world as they try to wrangle this pandemic. I had to get myself and my team to work remotely, which was no easy task. Non-essential offices, stores, and services have shuttered their doors. Now we're at home hunkering down with some time on our hands. Luckily, as scrollers, we have no shortage of projects. So, what have you been doing with your time at home? Post your Lockdown Projects. While we usually ask for scroll saw projects, I'm going to open this to whatever project you have going during your home quarantine. Scroll saw project, home improvement, cooking, exercise....it don't matter. Show off what you're working on. Also, post a nice thing that happened to you this week. I'd like to see some happy news.

Heh. Don't get used to it yet. It might come back. Y'alls asked for a chat room. I'm just doing your bidding.

I'm testing things. Please be patient.

Holy cow, someone was digging in the archives! This thread is 11 years old! We haven't had a chat room in a few years. Chat rooms are incredibly resource heavy and was taxing the server too much. I might be able to find a different solution. Maybe using Discord or something. I'll poke around a bit and see what I can find.

I wish I had a list. I really do. It would make things so much easier. It's all in the User Guidelines. But we can look at these individually: Allah be praised - (Result: OK) Inflammatory: No Defamatory: No Flaming: No Taunting: No General Disrespect: No Vulgar language: No Strong political or religious sentiment: No Intended to incite political or religious debate: No Racist, sexist, sexual orientation/identity intolerance, religious intolerance or other offensive comments: No Trudeau for Prime Minister - (Result: OK) Inflammatory: No Defamatory: No Flaming: No Taunting: No General Disrespect: No Vulgar language: No Strong political or religious sentiment: No Intended to incite political or religious debate: No Racist, sexist, sexual orientation/identity intolerance, religious intolerance or other offensive comments: No Hindus, see the Light and Convert to Christianity - (Result: Probably not OK) Inflammatory: Probably - You're implying that they're wrong and you know the true answer. Defamatory: No Flaming: No Taunting: No General Disrespect: Yes - You're singling out a specific group Vulgar language: No Strong political or religious sentiment: Maybe - Not strong, but it's there. Intended to incite political or religious debate: Not really Racist, sexist, sexual orientation/identity intolerance, religious intolerance or other offensive comments: No Vote Trudeau Out - (Result: OK) Inflammatory: No Defamatory: No Flaming: No Taunting: No General Disrespect: No Vulgar language: No Strong political or religious sentiment: No Intended to incite political or religious debate: No Racist, sexist, sexual orientation/identity intolerance, religious intolerance or other offensive comments: No A little story time: My aunt and uncle have strong political and religious beliefs. I know what they are, and for the most part I disagree. They're unlikely to change my mind. I'm unlikely to change their mind. When I go to their house for dinner, do you know what we talk about? Mostly fishing and camping, and that time all us cousins ganged up on Grandma in a game of Aggravation marble game (but we're pretty sure she let us win). Why? Because I value our time together and our relationship. If you think it something will cause problems or ill will, don't post it. Again, I think we all know it if we see it. If it was me, I wouldn't post anything political, but as you can see, there some wiggle room. We're here to talk shop with our friends, not spiral into a black hole of debate where nobody wins.

Heh. I shouldn't have poked fun at Facebook. I really didn't want to turn this into a thing. It basically comes down to this: SSV isn't a debate club when it comes to religion or politics. Everybody has different opinions, and emotions rise when defending our beliefs. These things spiral out of control very quickly. I've been doing this for a very long time (I used to run a BBS, which is a precursor to the internet, if you remember such a thing....LOL) I've seen way too many communities destroyed over stuff like this. I don't want SSV to fall into the same trap. We're here to talk about our hobby and share our work. You can post a political or religious project. The discussion needs to be about the project, not the sentiment behind it. If the project or pattern is inflammatory in nature, don't post it. It's OK for a person to post a cutting or pattern of a political figure and show off their work. However, if they post a pattern or project that is meant to get a rise out of folks, that is not OK. OK for a portrait of Trump. Not OK for a portrait of Trump high-fiving terrorists. Same with religious stuff. It's OK to post a religious icon. It's not OK to post inflammatory religious projects. OK to post a portrait of Mary. Not OK to post a sign saying death to Christians. Remember, nothing is ever black and white. Let's keep in mind the intent of the poster and not get all riled up over something silly. If you're Christian and see a pagan pattern, just because you're offended by the pagan pattern doesn't warrant removal of that design. Here's a few important things from our User Guidelines: I think we all know what appropriate content and discussion looks like. I encourage everyone to read through the User Guidelines that everybody agreed to when signing up for SSV. I really use that as a guide while running SSV. There's a lot of "judgement" calls that I have to make, which is the absolute worse job to do. I want to keep the peace as best I can so we can focus on what brings us together, instead of what tears us apart. So please do me a favor and don't put me in those stressful situations.

I didn't say FB was a place for politics...I said it was a place to ruin friendships.

Our last scroll saw challenge, it was fun to see where we started and where we are now. It was a great reminder that we were all newbies once-upon-a-time. Anytime we start a new hobby, it is super easy to get overwhelmed and we don't know where to begin. So, this month's challenge is about helping our new friends get into the hobby of scroll sawing. What did you you wish you knew when you were getting started? It can be a tip, a recommendation, a guide, reference, videos, inspirational story, or whatever. This is for folks who are new to scrolling. So be as descriptive and helpful as you can. Bonus points for illustrations/pictures....double extra points for a video demonstrating what you're talking about.

I'd also like to followup....dealing with political posts, either explicit or subtle jabs, is my LEAST favorite chore in running SSV. If anything, please make my life a little easier and refrain from politics. It will really help my stress levels.

We are heading into a political season here in the US. I'm sure it's not surprising to you that politics is a seriously divisive topic. I just want to remind everybody that political discussions and debates are not allowed on SSV. Politics is the quickest way to ruin friendships we've tried so hard to create. If you want to ruin friendships, Facebook is the place you want. If you want to talk about making sawdust, SSV is the place to be. Here are a few things that ARE NOT allowed: Inflammatory patterns/cuttings Political soapboxes discussions Political hot-button topics Political Jokes/Cartoons Political Internet Memes "I can't believe..." discussions. (c'mon...you know it when you see it) Here are a few things that ARE allowed: Respectful cuttings Respectful portraits Respectful patterns (seeing a theme here?) This certainly isn't an exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea. Here are the rules regarding politics and religion found in the User Guidelines: If you have a question regarding the appropriateness of a pattern, cutting, or discussion, let me know. If you see anything that you feel is inappropriate, please flag it and a moderator will take a look. More Scrolling! A political platform I can stand by.

Feb is/was crazy. Trying to keep my head above water and haven't been able to work on SSV much. I'll have something for March, though.

Changed Pattern Types to Fretwork, Puzzles, Toys, Boxes/Bowls/Baskets, Clocks, Home Items, Word Art, Other Changed Shop Information to Steve is a prolific pattern designer and blogger. He posts new patterns almost every day and has a lot of scroll sawing information. View his blog here for the latest, but checking out his catalog is the best way to browse his collection.

I think this is an awesome idea. I encourage folks to participate if you can. It will be a fun challenge to push your sawing skills, and earn some money for a good cause. If you can't, perhaps you can make a donation to help the fire relief. Our friends really need it.

This month's scroll saw challenge is about seeing how far we've come in our hobby. Post a picture of your first project, and a picture of your most recent project. This isn't about poking fun at where we began, but rather to celebrate how far we've come. And when you post, let us know how you discovered scroll sawing. It will be fun to see where we all got our start and where we are now.

I think this is a good spot to close down this discussion. I think the original question was answered, and folks got to speak their piece about quality of service and expectations. I think it's time to get back to making some sawdust and enjoying the Holidays! Thanks All.

There's a few things I'm seeing. First, you're looking at the contents of your zip file. You need to extract them to your desktop first. Just select everything inside the zip file and drag them to your desktop. Your two files are at the top (I circled them on the screenshot below). Looking at this, it appears you don't have Inkscape installed on your computer. As a result, it is opening in Google Chrome, which won't work. You'll need to download Inkscape and install it. You can find Inkscape here: https://inkscape.org/ Once installed, you should be able to double-click the files and they'll open in Inkscape. If that doesn't work, launch Inkscape, then go to File>Open and select the file you put on your desktop. The file you want is: CustomHolidayOrnaments2019_US-Letter.svg Let me know if you're still having trouble.