MrsN

I like this theme. While it seasonal (for some of us at least) it is also a great thing to remember year round. Giving thanks and being grateful are in many ways foundations of a happy life.

Most of us won't mind if you mix up the names a bit. You can always say you are on a phone/tablet and that auto correct did it.

I have used vista prints for printing business cards. They usually have a deal where 500 cards are about 20 bucks. You can use their online card designer or upload your own image. I would create a social network page of your choosing and put it on the card. Since you are new at this I would start with making things that interest you. If you stack cut, you can increase your production. your lamps are beautiful. I would think they would sell well. Maybe make a Christmas/holiday versions

A few others have given good advice. Whenever I have cut metal sheets I always sandwich the metal between two pieces of 1/8 or 1/4" plywood. The sandwich keeps the pieces of metal from bending and getting caught in the blade. It also gives you something to hold on to that isn't too hot. Give it a go and see what happens.

I have made a few tutorials for using open office, but they are on an old computer. I will dig around a bit to see if I can find them.

Will it fit on a copier or scanner? Both will work.

Shellac is a slightly more natural product, being derived from fossilized bug poop. It starts out as some sort of waxy flake and is mixed with stuff like mineral spirits to apply as a finish. You can buy it as the flakes and mix it yourself, or a can ready to go or a spray can. Different woodworkers have different recipes for shellac based finishes and how to apply them, for what I do a spray can is fine. One of the neat features of shellac is that each layer melts into the layer before it, you don't have to sand as much between coats and will get a more even finish if you have to do repairs in the future. Poly is a totally man made product. The difference between a brush on and a wipe on is the thickness. Poly is deluted with mineral spirits or the like and made thinner to brush on, make it thinner yet to spray on. When I use poly, I typically use Minwax. It is pretty easy to find everywhere and is usually the cheapest. When finishing most projects my two biggest concerns are easy and cheap, hence my recommendations. I tried oil but finding places to put the pieces until they were dry was a pain, plus the timing thing. If I oiled something I had to wait a day or more to have it done. I like to start a project Saturday morning, spray it in the afternoon, put the finishing touches in the evening and give it away on Sunday.

If I had to build one of the three I would go for the chippendale cabinet. It looks like something that is beautifully ornate, but could be used I feel like if the other two were in a room I wouldn't let anyone go in for fear of them breathing wrong and breaking something. I also think that the chippendale cabinet would be the easiest to fit into the decor of an existing room.

In my opinion pine isn't worth the effort to stain. I would just put a coat of poly to get the amber color and run with it. It can be hard to stain because of the knots changing the grain structure. The stain will likely get darker in some spots and lighter in other. A coat or two of poly will give you a nice warm amber color. My favorite finish for getting things just a bit shiny and finished looking is Rust-Oleum 2x clear spray paint. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Painter-s-Touch-2X-12-oz-Gloss-Clear-General-Purpose-Spray-Paint-249117/100670438 It drys quick and is clear which help if you have paint colors you want to keep (it doesn't give that warm amber tone to wood, just looks wet) My favorite part is that it is typically about half the price of spray poly.

I typically cut anything bigger than 1/8". You will find the balance between the time you take to find and install a drill bit and the time it takes to install the blade and cut the hole. On some patterns (like these ornaments from Sheila Landry http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/product/SLD521) I want all the holes exact, I would drill.

I wouldn't use oil on MDF. MDF is essentially sawdust and glue bonded under heat and pressure. The cut edges of MDF will soak up a lot of finish so a film finish is usually desired. When dealing with straight edges many people seal the edges with glue before painting. I would personally pick up a spray can of poly or clear acrylic spray.

I think that wooden teddy bear sells olsen blades, I don't know what their shipping rate is.

I use tape on almost all of my stack cuttings. I cover the top piece in tape before I glue the pattern down, so it is easy to just wrap it around the edges. I find that there is enough support in the middle unless my wood is warped or my plywood is cheap. If I am doing a bunch of ornaments or pieces that will be cut out of a bigger sheet, I will sometimes use nails. that way as I cut pieces I can make my work piece a bit smaller and not lose the stability. Runa, you may have noticed how many different ways there are to do something, it can feel a bit overwhelming at times. I recommend picking one way and trying it for a while, then try something else to see if it feels better to you.

I have used transparency sheets. The stuff from old school days. I think you can still buy it from the office stores, although I got a stock pile from a retiring teacher.

The sanding tool you use depends a bit on the actual small piece that you are sanding. For fretwork pieces, I use a small butane torch to burn the "fuzzies" then use a foam sanding block. They basically wipe off. I have a skill octo detail sander. (Like a random orbital but not quite as powerful) I use it on most of my pieces that are not "delicate". I use a dremel with sanding drums to shape edges of more solid pieces like toys and some jewelry pieces. I used to use a spindle sander a lot but was downsizing my space and wanted workbench space more than the sander. I don't miss it all that much but if you do a lot of intarsia you probably would. I have a collection of needle files, emery boards, mini-belts, sanding blades and other stuff that looked/sounded cool. Now and then I use them but not often.

Like Bill, this happens to me a lot. I always figured my bit was getting dull, never thought about the dremel being too fast. I learned something today.

I have made, and wear a lot of wood earrings. Most of mine are made out of 1/8 or 1/4 inch hardwoods. I also typically spray with lacquer or clear acrylic. A tip for spraying, place a piece of tape sticky side up, stick the earrings to it, then spray. Sometimes the little pieces will move around from the force of the spray. As melanie mentioned, weight is important for earrings. Heavy earrings start to hurt after a while. I have been presently surprised by how light most of the designs that I have made end up being. Wood earrings are often lighter then they appear. I would also recommend that you spend just a bit more on the earring hardware and get silver ear wires. It will cost a bit more, but is a selling point for many women.

Shelia Landry was making some sort of ornament tree in one of her blogs. It isn't christmas-y or scrolled, but it does get points for simplicity. I can't find the blog post, but I did find the page she sells them to her painting people. http://www.tolepaintingdesigns.com/product/SLDPK159A

I have never gotten the hang of top feeding, I guess I am just a natural bottom feeder.

Last fall I did this. I spent a bunch of time up front getting a bunch of ornament patterns ready to cut. Anytime that I had a few minutes to spare I could go into the shop and start cutting. On the other hand, I do have a project all drilled and ready to go that has been hanging around for maybe 2 years, for some reason I always find something else to cut.

I did another one, I hope you don't mind.

You did fantastic for your first few pieces!

I love this pattern! Birch bark did great at designing and you did fantastic cutting.

I think you might need a few days, just to see what happens.

Great job everyone!!! Here is what i did.