Travis

I've been a bit behind on this. We got another submission from heppnerguy. That makes 7! Phantom Scroller is working on some, too. So that will make 8. Maybe we can hit 10 designers this year? How awesome would it be to have 50 new ornament pattersn added to our ebook, this year!? Special thanks to our contributors so far: Trip Don R Jesse smitty0312 Birchbark bobscroll heppnerguy There's still time! Dust off your Inkscape and think Holiday thoughts.

What kind of pattern are you trying to make? Is it a portrait style pattern (with the deep shadows), or is it a freestanding cutout? That will let us know what you're trying to create. A portrait style pattern, Inkscape isn't a good way to go. For that, I'd use GIMP. If it's a freestanding pattern or plaque, you're off to a good start.

Oil won't make it shiny. It'll only accentuate the grain. It will also yellow it a bit. I personally like using Lemon Oil. You find it in the grocery store in the dusting supplies area. I just pour it into a tupperware, dunk the project, wipe off excess, and let it dry on some old cardboard. To give it a glossy, or protective finish, look for a clear acrylic spray. I find these have much less odor than others. I also find that if I spray them when the wife and kids are out of the house, I hear far fewer complaints.

When you click the Forum tab, it's on the right. It only shows up on the main forum page. If you don't see it, the sidebar might be collapsed. Look at the far right of the blue bar that says "town square". You'll see a grayed out arrow. If you hover over it, it will turn black. Click that and it will expand your sidebar. The sidebar holds some cool stuff, like the Shout Box, the Calender, recent topics, and recent uploads to the gallery. Once you step into a subforum or a thread, the sidebar isn't there. BTW, a lot of those widgets on the right can also be closed by clicking the little X in the corner instead of collapsing the entire sidebar. They don't go away completely, but they do collapse.

I use a premade frame. I leave the glass in so I don't have to dust it. I use black felt behind the cutting, then use the cardboard backer that came with the frame to hold it all together. I just sandwich everything together and the pressure of the clips holds everything in place. Good Will you can find some nice frames. Keep a can of black spray paint on hand in case you need to paint any black (I'm partial to black frames). You can also use some moldings from a home improvement store. Get a cheap handsaw and miter box and you can make some frames yourself.

Oh, I didn't make it...I just flipped the switch to on.

I spray too. I usually like using an acrylic spray. I think Krylon makes it, but I could be wrong. The acrylic smells a lot less.

I like to pour my oil in a disposable roasting pan or tupperware and dunk my project. Then I just wipe off the excess. I'll let it drip dry on a bed of nails (ir those painter's pyramids). I haven't done it with tung or danish oil, but it works with mineral oil and lemon oil. I like using the tupperware so I can seal it without having to pour it back into the bottle.

It's just a brief posting area. Think of it as a public instant messenger (kinda like twitter). Usually it is used for stuff that doesn't need a whole lot of interaction or importance. The posts aren't archived like regular forum posts. I use it for announcements, reminders, etc. Other members use it to say happy birthday, well wishes, updates, or to say they're in the chat room. It's there for everybody to use if they want to say something brief. It's just one extra feature that can be fun and informative.

We got a couple more submissions. Special thanks to our contributors so far: Trip Don R Jesse smitty0312 Birchbark bobscroll Phantom Scroller also donated some great Christmas plaques. We won't include them in the eBook, since that's for ornaments only. But I uploaded them to the Pattern Library. Check them out when you get a chance! Great for some holiday decor. 2 more designers! Who will it be!? Will it be you?

This is awesome! We got 4 ornament submission so far! The designs submitted are great. I can't wait for you guys to see them. If we can reach 8 designers this year, that would be 40 new ornament designs we can add to our eBook! It's a lofty goal, but I think we can make it. We're already half way there! Special thanks to our contributors so far: Trip Don R Jesse smitty0312

You can put it pretty much anywhere. You don't need the stand. The stand is nice because it's specifically designed for it, but certainly not necessary.

Halloween is over and Christmas is right around the corner. Scrollers are starting to think about gifts and patterns to cut for loved ones. But since the Holiday season is also about helping others in need, we thought we'd continue our own tradition here at Scroll Saw Village as a way to give back. This will be our 4th year of publishing an e-Book full of Christmas ornaments. These ornaments will be exclusive to this eBook and designed by our talented SSV members. Folks are can download the ebook in exchange for a donation to their favorite charity. My hopes is that we'd be able to raise some money for very worthy causes, and provide some cool patterns at the same time. You can see what we put together last year here. So I'll need some volunteers to design some ornaments. Each designer will provide 5 patterns (no more, no less) I ask that the designs are not made available anywhere else (this gives value to the e-book) Designs must be emailed (or PM) to Travis by November 27th (info below) A few things to keep in mind: Religious and secular designs are accepted. Other religions/traditions also celebrate this time of year, so lets not forget them. Keep detail and size appropriate for an ornament. The due date will sneak up on you quicker than you think. Get them to me ASAP. What do you get in exchange? Credit for your design. The warm fuzzy feeling that you're helping others in need. Submitting your ornaments: Email the ornaments directly to Travis (travis [at] scrollsawvillage.com) or PM me. Formats accepted are JPG, PNG. Please keep the pattern in black & White only (no gray) . That way I can convert them easier when putting together the ebook. I'll also accept Inkscape files (SVG). This is ideal if you know how to use Inkscape. That way there is no conversion. I'm designing. Are you? So who's in?

The Lifter is advertised on this site too. They have a banner at the top, as well as a link in the Hot Deals & Announcements. He has a coupon code for 10% off that expires on Nov 1st. You can find his thread here: http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/topic/6481-arm-support-for-the-dewalt-788-delta-40-690-scroll-saws/?hl=lifter

I think that might be Christina's pattern. Nicely done!

Howdy all. One of the goals I set for myself (and SSV) is to write a number of articles geared toward the newbie. These would be basic skills & information to those new to the world of scroll sawing. I'm even kicking around the idea of shooting some videos demonstrating these skills/info. At any rate, the first one I'd like to do is about transferring patterns to your project. There are a ton of different methods and we all have our favorite. Some people have some really clever ways of doing stuff that we wouldn't normally think of. I'd like to hear about them. So, this is where I need your help. List as many ways you can think of for transferring patterns to your project? Which is your favorite and why? Thanks for your help!

Howdy. I'm working on the new cover for our upcoming "Ornaments For Charity" drive, and I'd like to put a few pictures of some cut ornaments from this ebook. Have you cut any ornaments from our ebook? If so, can I use them? Please post a link to the picture or upload it to this thread. If you'd like to cut one of the ornaments for the cover, I'd be open to that too. I don't have room for too many. I might put 4-6. I'd just like to have some options. A link to the ebook is: http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/ornaments-for-charity.html Thanks, y'all.

The best way to think about keywords is to ask yourself what you'd type into Google to find your website. So yours might be: handcrafted, toys, handmade toys, wood toys, handmade, natural, reclaimed, waldorf (this is a very specific kind of toy, so only use it if that's what you made), fun, earth friendly, non-toxic, play, imagination... Jump onto Etsy and look at other toy makers and look at the keywords they use. That should point you in the right direction. Now, there is a term called "keyword stuffing" which basically means you're putting keywords in there for keyword sake to boost your Google rating. Google is smart enough to figure this out and will punish you. So when you write up your descriptions, be sure to use key words appropriately and in a natural way.

I agree with Don...especially on the "Scraps" part. Here's a few things I'll throw in for your consideration: Website: It takes awhile, as Don suggested, for Google and other search engines to crawl your site. The idea is to use keywords and quality links so they understand what your website is all about. On your main page, I'd bring up your text to the top of the page and the pictures below. The thing that says "Hand Made Wooden Things..." That's all a graphic. Search engines can't read that and those are where all your keywords are. I'd use regular text for that so the engines can read it. Your page title Should say "Aeon Toys - Hand Crafted Wooden Toys" This new title is full of quality keywords that Google loves. Your About and Mission Statement should be only 1 page. Be conversational in your writing (you currently are) and be sure to use good keywords like; handcrafted, wooden, toys, heirloom, quality, safe, etc. Remove the disclaimer about adult supervision. That just says that your toys can't be trusted. create a page of nothing but toy pictures. Include price and a description of a few sentences. These sentences will have a ton of great keywords. Create a Contact page with all your info. Hyperlink your email address too. Even if you do a webform, show your contact info anyway. Lastly, you probably won't get a ton of sales directly off your website. But it is a nice place to point people to so they can see more of your work. Most of your sales will come from word of mouth, etsy, and socail media. Etsy. I love your banner. That's great! Write more about yourself in the introduction. Be sure to use keywords that folks would use for a search. Write good descriptions. Have a lot of stuff posted on your Etsy page. Keep posting new stuff. Instead of posting 10 items in one go, post those 10 items over a day or two. That keeps your stuff in the feed and more likely to be discovered. Join an Etsy Team. they're full of great advice. Take a look at the Etsy Blog and Handbook. Lots of great info. Read some articles on product photography (lots on the Etsy blog). Honestly, the photography sells the items better than the items themselves. Etsy take a lot of work to make it work. It really is tough to sell a ton of stuff. so there will be a lot of legwork. Use social media to promote your stuff. Social Media. If you don't have a Facebook account, get one. Then create a Facebook Page so you can update your clients of new items added to your etsy store. Link to your facebook page on Etsy and on your website. It's a great way to connect and keep people reminded that you make cool stuff. Tell all of your friends and family to "Like" your page. Tell everybody you know about your FB page and Etsy Store. These people will help promote you, like you, and share your posts. They'll also most likely be your first customers. Treat them well.

If anybody wants to organize a ornament exchange this year, let me know. I think that would be a lot of fun. Also, keep an eye out for SSV's annual Ornament Pattern Charity Drive this November. It's an annual event where we assemble an eBook of ornaments in exchange for a donation to your favorite charity. I'll post details on November 1st.

I'd use liquid nails. That stuff works on everything.

Here's a couple pages I found pretty good regarding coloring and finishing toys: Painting Wooden Toys Make Baby Stuff Toy Making Plans

Finishes are tightly regulated in America (and most anywhere else I'd imagine except for a few problem countries). Once FULLY cured, all finishes should be safe. However, I do like looking for an acrylic spray that specifically says Acrylic. I think Krylon makes one that I've used in the past. You can also use craft paint as suggested above and use an airbrush to paint the toys. They also make thin airbrush paints (again, stick with acrylic) that work well. You might want to consider coloring wood with a food coloring (or even Kool Aid), then finishing with beeswax/mineral oil finish if you're concerned about kids chewing on them.

Congrats! That's awesome. You can make some teether toys. Make them out of a hard wood like maple and finish them with a bees wax finish or leave plain. They're very popular on Etsy. You can find a bunch at Little Sapling Toys to give you some ideas.