Travis

Well, back in the day when I used airbrushes a lot, I used the Paasche double action siphon airbrush (I think it was the Paasche AB...not sure if they make it anymore, though). This looks similar to the one I used (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00397 ... ayzcach-20) Badger also was a popular brand. You could go to a hobby shop (models, trains, planes, etc) and get their opinion, since they use them all the time. But for casual use, I bet HF has one that probably work just as well.

The video makes it look like it uses pinned blades, which really limits it's usefulness for hobby work. I like that it can be handheld, which is pretty neat.

Not sure if you have a Hobby Lobby where you are, can find a pretty good deal for one if you use their 40% off coupon. I use their phone app that has the coupon, so I'm always ready when I need something.

It almost looks like one of your toner cartridges is low or empty (perhaps blue). What I do with pics like that is to have a photo place (CVS, Walgreens,Walmart, etc.) make me a photo print (8x10). If you figure in how much toner and the printer paper is, it's usually cheaper to get a printed photo. Plus, the color will be spot on. With that said, I like the color you have. It adds a really nice artistic element that really stands out. Reminds me of old archive photos. I think it looks great the way it is.

I haven't used an airbrush in years. I should dig it out and see if I can get it working again. I think it would work great for painting, especially toys. Solid color of acrylics would look great, as well as using inks to dye the wood. You got my wheels turning.

Those look like a lot of fun. I ca see kids having lots of fun with painting, glitter, and gluing stuff on. I'd love it if you posted the pattern. My kid would really get a kick out of that for Thanksgiving. Nicely done!

You can buy Lemon Oil in the cleaning section of most grocery stores, hardware stores, or a place like Target. It's with the furniture polish. I like Lemon Oil, mostly because it smells nice. I can finish in the house without "gassing" everybody out. It's cheap, easy to find, and isn't volatile. Plus, if your furniture needs a quick polish, you're set!

For an oil finish, I do like you describe: Lemon oil in tupperware, with an acrylic spray finish. For color: If it's solid color, I use spray paint. Otherwise, I use craft paints you can find at any craft store (Delta Ceramcoat, or Folk Art brand) and use a brush to paint it on. If I want the grain to show through, I water down the acrylic paint and 'stain' it. After everything has dried, I'll spray it with acrylic spray to protect it.

Mosst of those are made with very accurate CNC routers. I would rough it out with a scroll saw and "impregnate" it with resin in order to strengthen the wood. Then I'd sand to your final dimensions. If you get it to work, I'd love to see a pic of what you came up with. I'm also wondering if you can use several layers of veneer to go around the edge of the phone rather than cutting it with a scroll saw. Might be more stable that way.

I'd love to see it too. A tutorial on how to add pictures to a post is located here: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1350#p7829

Hmmm....strange. I'm glad they made it easy to find.

Here's a list of font sites to give you some options: http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/wiki/in ... itle=Fonts

Nicely done!

I wonder if you can get a bunch of manila envelopes. Bag similar designs. I'd imagine the'd stack nicely in a box. Just pull out the theme you want and flip through your designs until you find a pattern you want to cut.

I never had problems either. But then again, I live in a fairly dry climate.

Hmmm....that's a tricky one. I haven't done much glueups/resawing, so I can't be certain. My understanding is there will always be some bowing when resawing. The resawing releases the stress in the wood and you'll have some wood movement. If the wood isn't acclimated to your environment, that will make a difference too (too dry or too wet). I'd try resawing a bit thicker than you need, let it dry for a week or two, then joint/plane/glue the boards. I'd give that a try and see if it fixes it at all. The problem with mixing plywood and solid wood is the amount of wood movement. Plywood is very stable and won't move much. But solid wood will move a fair amount, depending on humidity. I'm guessing the solid wood is stronger and it's muscling the plywood into that shape. You could go with thicker ply to see if the stability of the plywood will match the strength of the wood movement. These are only guesses. No warranties implied.

I think it depends on your scroll saw. Some saws work better threading from the top, other from the bottom. I thread from the bottom. The blades should flex a fair amount. Even if they are bent a little, once you get it into the blade clamps and tighten the tension knob, they'll straighten right out. If you're using a quality blade, it shouldn't kink at all unless you're putting a lot of sideways pressure on them. Once you get a kink or sharp crease, they'r more likely to break while scrolling. But I find they can take a fair amount of abuse, so I wouldn't be too concerned about it. BTW...if a blade breaks while you're scrolling, it'll scare the bejeezis out of you. Don't worry, it happens to us all, even the seasoned scroller. Just turn off the machine and change blades. Also, don't be afraid to change blades. Blades are cheap. For a standard scroll saw portrait, I might change the blade 3-6 times. When the blade isn't doing what you want it to do anymore, or if it takes more effort to cut, it's time to change out the blade. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

I don't thing I've seen a tree, but I've seen some people use a wedding photograph and cut it up into a jigsaw puzzle. Guests would sign the pieces just like you mentioned. Might want to do a couple puzzles, depending on the number of guests. I'd mount it to baltic birch plywood (poplar plywood is also common with puzzles). I'd just use some spray adhesive that is designed for photos and artwork and follow the instructions for a permanent bond.

You could try butcher block oil (or salad bowl oil). Don't know how it will handle the heat, but it's food safe. You can find it at most big box stores.

I'm glad to hear you weren't hurt. Its a good reminder about shop safety and the importance of safety gear.

That's great to hear, Kevin! I'm glad to hear you got yourself a new saw. That will make your projects much easier.

Looks like you have a really nice booth. It was indoors huh? I hope they had the AC turned on. I'm glad to hear you did well enough to make it worth it. I really get a kick out of seeing people's craft show booths. Nicely done!

MDF paints really nice, except the edges will soak up paint very quickly A lot of people will size the edges with watered down glue before painting. Or you can prime the wood with a double layer on the edges. I like the way it cuts. One thing to note, though. MDF dust is toxic and very fine. You don't want that in your lungs. So be sure to wear a dust mask and take any other necessary precautions.

You could try a different conversion kit. I know someone posted a link to a kit that converts pinned to straight blades. I can't seem to find it, though. I did find a few threads that might help, though: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1506&p=9022&hilit=kit#p8727 viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6682&p=35066&hilit=kit#p35066 viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5582&p=28988&hilit=kit#p28988 viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3137&p=17462&hilit=kit#p17462

I"d suggest clamping your workpiece to the drill press before trying this. Even with the starter hole, the bit might wander or grab the workpiece and yank it out of your hand.