Travis

I was thinking about how overwhelming getting into scrolling can be, especially for someone new to woodworking in general. Sometimes these sites has so much information, it makes your head spin. So I thought I'd throw out this question: What do you wish you had known earlier with scroll sawing? or in different words: Knowing what you know now - IF you could go back and start over with scroll sawing, what would you skip, change or do differently?

Hi Ceeg. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you found us. We have a bunch of Gimp and Inkscape tutorials in the Village University. They also include videos, but I know several folks have gone through the class with just the written instructions. If worse comes to worse, we have the classes available on DVD so you can watch it on your TV. Please ask lots of questions. We have a lot of experienced designers here that are willing to help out. Anyway, look around and have some fun!

I work pretty slow, so I usually dip one day, then go back a day or two later to spray. Basically when it seems dry enough. You might be able to do it withing a couple hours. Just wipe off any excess oil and I think you'll be OK.

Hi Skip. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you found us. I hope you enjoy the pattern-making classes. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but stick with it. It'll all click for you at one point and you'll be thinking to yourself, "is that it? I can do that!" If you have any questions, please ask. I think most of the folks here have taken the classes and are doing quite well with it. They'll certainly help you figure things out if you get stuck. Anyway, welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

As with any oil, I think it will give a slight yellow look, but it really does a nice job in popping the grain. I didn't think the yellowing was as prominant as other oil finishes, though. I would definitely glue up your work before adding the oil, though. Oil will make the glueup difficult at best. After you're glue has dried, just take a foam brush and just soak the heck out of it. After about a few minutes, go back with a clean rag and rub it down, removing the oil. Then let it dry for a few days, then spray. I use it for smaller pieces, mostly. I have a small tupperware (the kind that holds sandwiches) that holds my oil. I just dunk the piece in, turn it a few times, then wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Then I put it on some cardboard. The cardboard acts like a sponge and draws the excess oil away from the piece which seems to make it dry faster. I let it set for a day or two, then spray it with acrylic spray. I think the big draw with lemon oil (other than Steve making it popular ), is that it has a nice smell. When your significant other comes home, they'll think you dusted the house (which is always a bonus, especially when you're hinting for a new tool ). You also don't have to worry about safety issues like noxious fumes, flammable materials, and oily rags bursting into flames. Its not a very durable finish, so that's why you cover it with a poly or acrylic spray.

Hi Wallace. Welcome to the Village. I hope you get plenty of time to kick up a bit of sawdust. I'd love to see what you come up with. You can set up a User Gallery (you can find a [tut]tutorial here[/tut]) and show off your weekend's work.

I use lemon oil because it smells nice. Then I use an acrylic spray-on finish. Acrylic doesn't have any smell after cured. If you finish inside the house, I think Krylon makes an acrylic spray that is low odor. But that's my go-to finish: lemon oil followed by an acrylic spray.

Are you talking about the tension screw that holds in the blade? Or the tension knob at the back of the saw that puts tension on the blade after being locked in. If your blade keeps slipping out of the holder, take out the tensioning screw and sand/file the end so its flat completely flat. Sometimes during the manufacturing, there will be a little nub on the end that will make secure clamping virtually impossible. Also, when inserting the blade, scratch up the end of the blade a bit. Fold over a piece of sandpaper, then put the end between the sandpaper pinched between your fingers. A couple of strokes is all you need. This will give the tension screw something to bite on and it will also remove the oil on the blade. I hope that is what you were looking for. If not, let us know.

Yup, you're entered. Looks great. That would make a lovely keepsake. If you're looking for your gallery, just click the My Gallery link under User Gallery and it will take you to your albums. If you haven't created an User Gallery yet, you can find a [tut]tutorial on how to do that here.[/tut]

I think a two part epoxy would work well for a permanent bond. If you wanted it to be temporary, those foam two-sided stickers might work too.

Hi Matt. Welcome to the Village and welcome to the hobby! You'll have a great time with scrolling. There's so much you can do with such a simple tool. Plus we have enough patterns to keep you busy for quite some time! If you run into any problems, let us know. There is a lot of talented and experienced members here that are more than happy to help you out. Anyway, welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

Let me give it some thought. I try to keep the forum pretty clean and uncluttered. I've been to some message boards where they have so many forums, it makes your head swim. I like simplicity. It makes it easier to navigate and easier to find what you're looking for. Hmmm....

Perhaps I can be the transitional house for your organization. I'll cover the north-west.

Thanx for being a good sport. I was afraid I'd step on some toes. You cut that freehand? That looks pretty dern good! The pieces are very uniform. in size. Nicely done!

Hmmm...this contest is turning out to be a little trickier than I expected. I guess it's because of the abiguity of what the contest entails and what was expected. I guess I dropped the ball on that one and I apologize. I don't want to offend anybody because clearly some time and effort went into preparing an entry. But here it goes. The contest is really intended for new submissions (ie, items uploaded to the User Gallery or Pattern Library during the time of the contest). Having a contest is a way to encourage new submissions and content to be added to SSV. So basically get some new stuff flowing and hopefully encourage new membership and participation. So while Clayton's card puzzle is really cool, it was uploaded at the beginning of December. I was really looking for new submissions. I know I'd love to see the puzzle that you have been working on. As for patterns, we were looking for patterns so we can cut a puzzle. This would include free standing puzzles, tray puzzle patterns, and maybe some puzzle templates. Images to cut isn't really what we were after (we have a lot of access to that from old calenders, Google, and snapshots). However, a puzzle template that can be used to cut a 5x7" picture would really be useful. So while Vector's "Eggs n Toast" is a cool image, it's really not a pattern as there is no instructions of where to cut. Messman's "Docked" image is a really cool image, but the puzzle lines become distracting in the finished project. When you end up cutting the puzzle, you'll still have the graphically drawn lines in the image that you'll be able to see. While useful when cutting, it is rather unsightly when finished. The way Grampa approached his "Globe" puzzle may work for both Vector and Messman. He includes the printable image, but also includes an overlay puzzle template to cut the image. Steve Good demonstrates how overlay a puzzle template to cut an image . Lets also remember free standing puzzles. They seem to be popular among puzzle cutters and pretty easy to make. It really is nothing more than a profile with some keys and locks inserted. You can find several examples in the Puzzle section of the Pattern Library. (I'm hoping to put together an Inkscape video on how to design a freestanding puzzle in the next week or so.) With that said, I'm not going to disqualify anybody since I wasn't really clear in the contest instructions. It was certainly open for interpretation. I hope nobody takes any offense to my little spiel. I consider you all to be my friends and certainly don't want to offend anybody. It was clearly my fault for not being very specific.

Hi Daniel. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you found us. Its nice to have a hobby business. You're able to keep the shop full of tools and sharp blades. When you did work for the craft store, did you cut out blanks for tole painters? My dad's cousin did that for awhile. I think they use to make kits. Sounds like a fun way to spend your free time. Anyway, welcome aboard. Feel free to set up a User Gallery (you can find a [tut]tutorial here[/tut]). We love seeing what others have been working on. Jump in and have some fun!

If you want to be really evil, you can make a $1.25 puzzle. 5 quarters, each cut into puzzles just like you have. Then throw the pieces from all 5 coins into a box and let them at it.

I have small bedroom in the basement that my wife was kind enough to let me have. That's where I do my scrolling and smaller woodcrafting projects. It will also be the home of my future lathe I keep my larger tools in the garage where I can work on larger projects. I have a very understanding wife to let me have two workshops. Eventually, the small bedroom will be renovated and I'll lose my heated mini-workshop. But that will be a few years down the road. Which gives me time to save up for a garage heater.

I was able to get one puzzle cut this weekend. I was hoping to get two or three. But at least I got some quality time with the saw. I'll post some pix as soon as I add some finish to it.

Hi John. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you found us. I know what you mean about a cold garage. I'm waiting for some of my larger tools to thaw so I can tinker around with larger projects. Until then, I have my saw in a basement bedroom, which makes it nice. Hopefully some warm weather will come your way so you can make some sawdust soon. If you're interested in designing some of your own patterns, check out some of the pattern design classes in the Village University. Its a great way to scratch that scrolling itch and design your own custom patterns at the same time. Anyway, welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

Hi Ted. Welcome to the Village. We're glad you found us too! I think its really cool to build a business around your hobby. It certainly beats working for a living! Lots of friendly and talented folks here. I think you'll have a really good time talking shop with others that share your same passion. Welcome aboard. Jump in and have some fun!

Hi Tommy. Welcome to the addiction...errr...hobby. We're glad you found our little corner of the web. There's lots of great people here. Very generous with their knowledge and talent. I can't wait to see some of your first projects. You can set up a User Gallery (you can find a [tut]tutorial here[/tut]) and show off a little. Its fun to see what others are working on. Anyway, welcome to the Village. Jump in and have some fun!

Hmmm...that seems pretty excessive. I haven't heard of DeWalt having that problem. It is typical of scroll saws to have a little bit of the rocking you described. I believe its the mechanical circular action of the motor translating into a vertical motion. But I never heard of it being that extreme. Hopefully someone who owns a DeWalt will have some insight. I'd love to know what you figure out if you get it solved.

Now that its the weekend, perhaps we should cut a few puzzles for the Puzzle Contest! I have two puzzles I'd like to knock out this weekend. Remember, jigsaw puzzles, free standing puzzles, tray puzzles, brain teaser puzzles, and Japanese Puzzle boxes all qualify. Here's a little inspriation/tutorial provided by Carter Johnson Here's a tutorial on cutting Postage Stamp puzzles by Carter Johnson Here's a cool tutorial on cutting continuous line puzzles by Dee Rogers We have a number of puzzle patterns in the Pattern Library. Steve Good also has a bunch of puzzle patterns on his website. If you're interested in a challenge, try a Japanese Puzzle Box from Bruce Viney. I hope everybody enters. It'll be fun to see what you come up with.

No worries. Something must be in the water. My son had a meltdown last night too.