JTTHECLOCKMAN

http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums/topic/28272-sanding-before-after-or-both/ here was my answer about half way down.

In my opinion none of the above in plywood form. The plywood is going to have an inner core that is junk and the outer core may have footballs for patches and if not very thin layer. If working with any type hard woods for scrolling I prefer hard wood boards. More expensive but truer woods to work with. Again my opinion. I have scrolled oak plywood but have gotten splintering from it when small detail was cut. Never do that again. I doubt serious that was honduras mahogany because it has become almost untouchable. I may have misread your posting. If the woods you stated at the beginning are true hardwoods then by all means everyone is good scrolling wood. I still question the Honduran mahogany because the cost is outrageous and lowes is not going to supply that when my hardwood lumber company does not even bring it in because of cost. I use mainly red oak but also all the others mentioned and plenty more.

There is no way to measure that type of pressure because everyone is different. I may use my fingers more than someone who uses their arms more and so forth. Just establish what works for you and run with it. No rights and wrongs here.

I have said many times on this site my preferred finish for my work and that is dipping in Danish oil wipe it dry and then polish with watco satin polish. If I top coat I will never use poly. Too thick and plastic looking to me. I will spray lacquer. If doing many items I will st up my HVLP sprayer and spray water based lacquer. Clean is a matter of washing container out and running a cup of water through gun followed by some denatured alcohol for drying purposes. The key is doing in batches unless you are making one piece at a time which is a pain in the neck to me then your way is best.

Glad to read things are getting better and your spirits are up and keep following the doctors orders. I know when I had my episode with lung blood clots I was not allowed out of bed for a week while they had me on huge amounts of blood thinners. I could not breathe even after taking a couple steps. That was how I knew I was in trouble. The blood clot in my leg broke off and traveled to lungs. On baby asprin regimeine now and still have to be so careful when cutting yourself because you bleed out so easily. Take care and keep us up to date. The scrolling family is here for you and send prayers your way.

I too am in favor in front. I would use a larger insert (2")and keep the size of the holder because it is proportional to the size of the dog. The whole project looks tall comparing to the size of the insert.

I would dip the Danish oil. It will dry in 24 hours if left in a warm place. But will not cure for about a week. If you use Danish oil and after 24 hours and then handle it the warmth of your hands will cause the oils to be activated again. Just a warning. Just dip once and wipe dry after you let it drip for a few minutes to make sure it gets sucked into the grain well. Danish oil is boiled linseed oil, mineral spirits, poly urethane and driers mixed together. The poly will give some protection as opposed to just mineral oil or BLO and mineral spirits. Any oils will leave a scent for about a week. I happen to like the smell.

Hey Jim that came out great. Your welcome and glad to be of help. See I knew you could do it. Yes getting the right golf ball is key. They are good sellers because many people golf these days. Now if you have a golf center near you they usually have old glub heads that they repair. May not hurt to ask if they would be willing to make a deal. Many ideas you can do with that theme. I am working on a golfers pen. and a stand for it. Thanks for showing.

Everyone above nailed the answer. I do the same. But will say all plastics are not the same. I have cut plexiglass with just about any blade and no problem. I cut acrylic pen blanks and it melts back. now there are many different types of acrylic too so need to experiment with blade and speed and feed. Have fun.

https://www.ptreeusa.com/finish_flocking.htm Just to follow up on this, I ordered my flocking from Peachtree USA they had the best price. I also found out they make several varieties I matched what I have been using right along and that was the Suede-Tex flock and adhesive. Needed a few more colors.

I do not believe the dog's nose is touching. I have that pattern and have scrolled it before and if memory serves me well there is a space there. Kevin when I first started cutting patterns such as that with grass like that I too use to back out and make pointed cuts, now I can turn on a dime and you would never see that slight round edge. I defy you to see it. Just comes with years of practice and all those little tricks you pick up along the way. Always like to keep the cutting going. Looks good.

I plane my own lumber to dimensions I need. Most times I resaw boards to get me close and then hit the 16/32 drum sander. Now depending how much I need to sand I can start with 100 or 120 grit paper. Then finish with 180 and it is now at the dimension I need. Sometimes if I am using 3/4" stock and need to get to 5/8" I just run it through the planer a couple times and gets me closer and then to the drum sander. Now I lay out my patterns on the board utilizing the most lumber I could so I may have a couple different patterns and just work them into the board. Less waste this way. I then lay blue painters tape on entire board and glue my patterns down. I rough scroll each piece out using either bandsaw or scrollsaw. Now I then take to drill press and using a larger bit I drill most holes. If i need more detail holes I switch to a smaller bit but largest I can use without ruining the pattern lines. I always have a sacrificial board on the drill press table and constantly rotate it or move it around so that when I drill the pattern out I have a backer under it so not to pop splinters out on the back side. To me this is important to for people to look back there and not see huge blowouts. After I cut pieces I strip the blue tape and the pattern comes with it and is easy to do. Sometimes little pieces need to be taken off and I use a exacto knife for that. Now I usually take all pieces out side and I sand both front and back with a porta cable sander and 220 grit paper. After this I use my compressor to blow all the dust out and I had mentioned this before being I use red oak mainly I need to blow the dust out not only the frets but also the grain of the woods. Or else the caked up dust will be ugly when I dip in Danish oil. Here is the finish ( Porta Cable #330 palm sander or block sander as also known)sander that I have been using for many many years and own a couple. Easy to change paper because I buy pre cut paper for this sander as well as my random orbital sanders. https://www.hmres.com/site/images/articles/1d31830b-dc2c-4800-8d2f-8db4.jpeg

Ray you know I do because we have talked before. I do not use it that often any more but still in my arsenal. I do have it set up to make angle cuts that I use for my napkin holders and was using for my collapsible baskets that I use make many of. Other than that it sits and collects dust but not from sawing. It is an older unit and is 18" . I use a foot switch as I do on all my saws. I put a wood top on it for zero clearance and smooth sliding of work piece. Not much more I can say about it.

Just using a nuisance dust filter with breathable port is a +++ from nothing at all http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-20627/Dust-Masks-and-Respirators/3M-8210V-N95-Industrial-Respirator-with-Valve?pricode=WB4438&utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=pla&utm_term=S-20627&utm_ca I use these many times unless doing a truely dusty job and break out the big guns. Canister filters for whatever the project. Different canisters for each job. I have a few Peltor hearing protectors hanging from different tools so they are right there when I need them.

Thanks I would love to be able to see both side by side and compare if anyone has done this. Just not sure about that suede look. I have always used the original stuff but I am going to be placing a large order so I may just order some and see for myself. But if I liked it then I will kick myself for not ordering the suede instead. That is my dilema.

Are you using the suede flocking or the original??

I hate to deal with Amazon. Another question and I see it more and more, suede flocking. Do you all prefer suede flocking material to the original and if so why?? Also being I have never tried suede flocking do you have a photo of any pieces where you used it on. If you used both what is the main differences?? Thanks

I too do both and you have to. Having a piece that is finished to high standards makes or breaks a piece in my opinion. I sand the wood to 180 grit before scrolling. After done I always sand to 220 grit to rid the fuzzies and give a nice feel to the wood. I use a compressor to blow the dust out of the frets and the grain lines of the wood and I believe this is important too. I do this always outside for it is never too cold or hot to do this.

Being I worked in the construction trades for 43 years as an electrician I became aware of job site dangers from all aspects, not only my trade but surrounding trades. With this safety equipment and safety practices have carried over into my everyday shop time. So yes to all of the above. If just scrolling I wear a dust mask because I do not use a vac system on it. Too noisy and annoying. Just clean up after each session. Have to wear glasses now so safety glass all the time but will switch to a full mask at times if working on lathe or something I know will have potential to throw projectiles. Only use proper gloves when finishing. Any gloves around other tools is potential for disaster. I believe the best safety device we all have and need to use more often is the thing that sits on our shoulders. It is dangerous to be working with any kind of machinery to start with. Knowing and understanding those tools is paramount and having a good frame of mind when we enter the shop. If you have other things on your mind or you are in a hurry to get orders done you are opening yourself up for disaster and possible injury. Think before you do. As they say if it feels wrong it probably is. The use of jigs and hold downs can save time, money and injuries. Most people her just use a scrollsaw and perhaps a sander, but as I there are those that have a shop full of tools and anyone has dangers built in. So proper safety precautions are needed. Work safe.

For those that do flocking on their projects my question is where are you buying your materials?? I bought Donjer flocking and paints many years ago but recently I need to add colors and I can not find my old vendor so I am asking where a good place to buy Donjer materials?? Hopefully this question is allowed her and if not someone will move. Thanks.

Have to say I have never heard of this and my friend was huge into racing. Good luck.

The sky is the limit along with your own imagination. There are so many examples on the net. Those shown here are very well done and fit the objects placed in them well. Many times a frame just makes a piece stand out more so. Many examples of that here. Yes there is added work hours but charge more. People pay big money if buying custom frames.

Scrolling is a hobby. The very first rule is to relax and let the saw do the cutting. It is not a fast hobby in that the projects you work on are not going to be spit out in record time. It is a hobby where hand eye coordination takes over. It is a hobby where touch and feel are important as well as listening to the saw. You feel with your hands and become aware of what needs to be done. You learn the pressure points, not only pushing but downward and also sideward. This is all learned over time and becomes muscle memory and once you acquire it and you will, it does not go away like riding a bike. As mentioned you are challenging yourself a little too hard in that 1" of plywood is tough to scroll even for the best of scrollers. With plywood you have wood grain direction to contend with as well as the glue used to hold the plys together. This all wears out blades that much faster. The blade you chose is part of your problem in that it is too small for the project and the type makes it difficult to control because of the teeth direction. I too love FD penguin silver reverse #5 blades. These are my go to blades and have been for years. Not to big or too small and last a long time. yet the small amount of reverse teeth on the bottom of the blade does help with fussies. Tough to explain the pressure thing for as I said it is a feel thing but if you know what to look for it helps to read what is happening. See when you are fighting your cuts you now are not relaxing and too many bad things will happen. I suggest the first thing is cut that stack in half and go from there. As you get better at it you can increase and push the limits. But you need basics first. Good luck.