Travis

Hi Matt. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you took the time to check us out. I'm sure you'll see a lot of familiar names. We all have a pretty good time here. Nothing beats chattin' away about our latest projects. If you get a chance, you should set up a User Gallery (you can find a [tut]tutorial here[/tut]) and show off a little. We get a kick out of seeing what others are working on. Anyway, welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

Hi Mamabogie. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you found us. There's lots of friendly folks here to talk shop with. We all have a pretty good time. Feel free to set up a User Gallery (you can find a [tut]tutorial here[/tut]) and show off a little. We love seeing what others are working on. Anyway, welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

That turned out great! Be sure to upload it to the Pattern Library (you can find a [tut]tutorial here[/tut]) so others can find the pattern too. Thanks for entering!

That's really cute! Good idea of doubling up the functionality, too!

How about mounting some pegboard to the sides. That would be a great place to hang tape, hammer, drill, and other tools. They even make baskets for pegboards which would hold things like spray adhesive and finishing supplies. Make sure to build in a pencil holder of some sort to hold mechanical pencils and Xacto knives.

That turned out really cool. Nicely done!

There was a question in another thread about printing patterns. It occurred to me that there are lots of different ways to print the patterns provided here on SSV. For a new scroller, it's not very obvious how to use these great patterns. I'd like to get a bunch of different ways others use the patterns on SSV. So, h'bout it? How do you prepare/print your patterns? I personally use Inkscape to scale and print patterns.

While not necessarily a scroll saw stand, here's a thread on the Ultimate Scroll Saw Work Bench. Lots of good ideas there. If it was me, I'd mount my scroll saw to a mini-fridge for easy access to malted beverages.

You did a great job on that! Very clean looking and I like the chain hanger. Nicely done!

Hi Sheila. We're glad to have you. We've got a really great bunch here. We all have a pretty good time and the talent is amazing! I get a kick going through the gallery and seeing what folks come up with. I've always wanted to learn decorative painting. My mom use to do it when I was young and always thought it was neat. I'd use it mostly to paint up toys. So many things to learn, so little time. Anyway, welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

Just so you know, here's my policy regarding my own patterns. You can sell your finished cuttings (up to 200 finished cuttings/pattern). They cannot be produced with an automated process (robots, computers, lasers, etc). The patterns themselves cannot be displayed or distributed on any website that I haven't given expressed permission for. I probably won't give permission unless I own the website (I do own several scroll saw/woodworking websites). I'd also appreciate pattern credit wherever applicable and perhaps a linkback to SSV if possible.

Hi DJ. In general, you shouldn't post the patterns. Pattern designers like to control where their patterns appear. Since they've uploaded them to SSV, they have given SSV permission to display/share them. But if another site starts showing their patterns, you can run into all kinds of issues from hard feelings to copyright issues. If you decide you want to display patterns, you'll have to contact each designer individually and ask for expressed permission. The problem you'll run into is other people will copy the patterns for their own use from your site. You end up circumventing the process where the designer gets their due credit and control over who uses their pattern. While we're happy to share with friends, there's a lot of piracy on the internet. I know I'd hate for one of my designs to end up on a tshirt at Cafe Press. The best way to show people what you can do is have a wide variety of cuttings. Show pictures of your cuttings, not the patterns. Its much more impressive, and you'll avoid the headache displaying patterns will produce. If someone is looking for something specific, they'll ask. You can even state that you'll take custom orders. If someone contacts you and asks for some wolf patterns, you can then email them and show some options. That's the way I'd deal with it, anyway. So nobody will be able to give you a blanket permission to use the patterns on this site on your own site. You'll have to contact each designer specifically and ask for their permission on a per-pattern basis. I hope this answers your question.

Boy, that looks like a lot of fun. I thought one of the magazines had an article on making fishing lures. I don't remember which mag or issue, though. I've also seen some kits for woodturners.

Unless you cannot absolutely afford it, get variable speed for the reasons outlined above. I would say that variable speed is more important than a tilting table (however I'd get both). A tilting table is really only used for inlay work and bowl making. I've never used my tilting table, personally, but I'm glad I have it. Variable speed, I use all of the time depending on wood, thickness, and how delicate the pattern is. It makes all the difference in the world.

Mike can be reached at: [email protected] He doesn't sell pin-ended blades. Pin-ended blades aren't really used in the hobby. Those kind of blades are usually used for construction work and not really intended for intricate fretwork. The main problem is that you need such a large pilot hole to feed the blade through, which limits the type of scroll sawing you can do. Also pin-ended blades are usually more aggressive and usually don't have a very tight turning radius. If that's all you have, don't give up on the hobby. You'll just have to be more selective about what kind of patterns you can cut. Eventually you'll upgrade to a saw that accepts flat-ended blades. Then life will change forever.

There's a WoodCraft in Chandler. Don't know anything about it, but they usually have a lot of nice wood available. They may also carry some good plywoods. You might be able to find other craft/woodworking stuff like clock inserts, specialty tools, jigs and project plans. I wish I had one near me! http://www.woodcraft.com/stores/store.aspx?id=563

Hi Scrolldad. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you found us. I think you'll have a great time with your new scroll saw. We certainly have enough patterns to keep you busy for quite some time. When you get your first project done, post a picture. You can set up a User Gallery (you can find a [tut]tutorial here[/tut]) and post it there. I'd love to see what you come up with. Anyway, welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

Anybody got any projects lined up for the weekend? I have a few I need to finish up. But I'm thinking I might start a puzzle instead. Hmmmm.....

I think most scrollers will use a spray adhesive to mount their patterns to the wood. Its usually the quickest and easiest way. Just read the back of the spray adhesive (found in hardware stores and art supply stores). Just look for the instructions for a temperary bond. This usually means spraying the back of the pattern only (not the wood) and allowing it to "dry" for 30 or so seconds. The back of the pattern will be tacky, like the back of a post-it note. Then apply to the wood. Some people will add tape too. Tape adds extra support and helps lubricate the blade. There are a couple variations of this. Some folks will put down blue painters tape on the wood first, then attach the pattern to the tape. This protects the wood and provides a little extra support. It also makes pattern removal fairly easy. A second variation is to put the pattern on the wood, then cover it with clear packing tape. This supports the pattern so it doesn't rip. It also makes pattern removal easy. Then others will do both; blue painters tape, pattern, then clear packing tape. Here's what I do. I almost always use tape of some sort. Portrait style patterns in plywood: painters tape, pattern, clear packing tape. Any kind of cutout/silhouette: pattern, then clear packing tape. As far as your project grabbing, you're not alone. Everybody who starts scrolling has this problem at first. We've all had a few banged up knuckles in our scrolling career. Like Steve said, you'll soon learn how much pressure to put on the wood. Usually what happens is you're trying to turn too tight of a radius for the size blade you have. The teeth grab the wood and start banging it around. Just turn off the saw, then back out the blade a bit and try it again. One last piece of advice. Make sure you're using quality blades. This will make all the difference in the world. I don't know how it is in the UK, but the stuff they sell at the hardware store in the US are usually garbage and over-priced. Your best bet is to buy 12 dozen blades online. Many folks use Flying Dutchman from Mike's Workshop (I think he ships to the UK). Other good brands are Olson and Pegas. Good blades will produce better results, be more satisfying experience, and reduce the chance of the wood grabbing and banging around. Plus they're cheap!

Hmmm....that's a good one. My table saw is the most used and I'd be lost without it. But, it's also the least fun. So if I was to pick one other than my scroll saw, I guess it would be my lathe. That's a lot of fun too...and makes a lovely mess.

Hi ibcallus. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you found us. I'll warn you though, you don't know how deep this rabbit hole goes! You'll be amazed what a simple tool will do. I think you'll have a great time with it. Be sure to ask a lot of questions. We have a lot of seasoned scrollers here that are more than generous with their knowledge. Anyway, welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

I really like that circular design. You did a beautiful job. What does it say?

Those turned out great! I love the celophane backer. It really makes the sun catcher really stand out. Nicely done!

At the office supply store, you can get these little rubber tips for your fingers. It is about 2" long. I think people who sort a lot of papers use them. Anyway, I've seen some people who use them when sanding, too. It provides a better grip. Plus, if your fingers go a little too far, at least its removing rubber and not flesh! People who use the rubber finger pads often use tape to tape them to their finger for extra security.