oldhudson

Fine work by any standard!

I use mdf for a couple of things in the shop (sacrificial fences, jigs, miter bar extensions), but never as a backer. Caution, I can't think of another material that will make more dust when cutting it. It's really just fine sawdust glued together. But it's pretty cheap, almost always flat, doesn't have any grain to worry about. It isn't as strong as wood. Cuts, glues and paints fine. You should prime it for painting especially on cut edges.

Excellent work!!!

I very rarely use a dust mask for scrolling, but then I don't scroll nearly as much as most of you. (my new EX-21 has built in dust collection that works surprisingly well.) However I do wear a dust make for a variety of shop operations: table saw, router, sanding, blah blah blah and I use the 3M 8511. I'm okay with them they are reasonably comfortable but my glasses do fog up quite often. I have a beard. I use the 3M 7500 series respirator to spray on any type of finish. They push my glasses way up and can be pretty warm, sweat occurs between the skin and seal of the mask. There are two brands I haven't tried before so I'm going to give them a shot. Great thread.

Welcome aboard. This is a good place to hang-out. I agree with Scrappile, "I would think you would want the larger stiffer blades, like #7 or #9 and a few #5 thrown in for the sharper curves" I like the Olson blades best. Sounds like a very interesting project! (I'm a neighbor too, in St. Paul)

I use the 'scary sharp' process too. Not much investment and works pretty well.

I think you did a really great job. The holes line up perfectly. And I like the idea of 1/4" pegs. I have a commercial board that must be 40+ years old. I didn't realize when I got it that it was warped (twisted) - it's frustrating trying to peg between the warp and tiny pegs. I've played with others that were warped too. I hope yours will stay flat. Unless you use a penetrating type finish, e.g., BLO, tung oil etc. I'd expect top coat type finishes will get in the peg holes and be an issue? I never made one but I'd try to finish it before drilling, at least a couple of coats. I guess I'd use an oil to highlight the grain, sand lightly and then use lacquer. Be sure to post pics when it'd done.

Nice work! Love people who work with the simplest tools.

Well done.

You know the old saying, "A good woodworker is one who can hide the mistakes." I think you did it!

Brilliant work. Please post a pic with something so we can see the scale. Based on the lattice it looks to be 15"

A very nice cutting!

I'll buy that argument when all US citizens have to serve a stint in our military, like Swiss citizens do. And while most Swiss citizens are armed, by the government, they don't keep the ammunition, just the issued firearm. I prefer you not refer to me as a "nut". I think the 'nuts' are the ones who kill people in schools and churches.

This is an interesting point, "...are they too bright?" Just a couple of weeks ago Sam's had a sale on 4' LED shop lights, $35. I replaced two -T-12 units and two T-8's. What a difference!!! This is for general shop lighting not specifically for scroll work. Anyway I used to always have all the lights on. Now I turn one and sometimes two off because they are so bright. I'm not complaining, when I try to lay out work and I'm reading tape measures, setting up tools etc. - all that light is wonderful. (note: my shop is in a basement so all my light is artificial)

The backer works really well with that cutting. Nice!

Do you have a disk sander? I think you could clamp a guide to the table at the correct angle, then take an extra long piece of the dowel turning by hand and shape the taper. Finally cut to 3" and start again. I don't think they'd be identical but.... Another approach would require making a jig to hold a sharp plane iron or chisel. You could feed a dowel in by hand - kind of like a pencil sharpener. More work by I'm sure it would be fun. Just a couple of thoughts, let us know how it goes of post again so we can help.

The simple answer is yes you can use a trim router to make a 1/4" round over cut. Routers are great tools for cutting profiles in wood. I'd argue that after the table saw or RAS it's the most versatile tool in the shop. That said it can be a difficult tool. Chucking up the cutter correctly; the direction of feed; insuring the router and work- piece are held firmly. Most round over bits have a guide bearing to limit the depth of cut. The bearing is held by a screw and but the screw can prevent routing a full profile because the head of the screw comes in contact with your bench. When routing by hand, routers can be "tippy" but trim routers minimize that issue. It generally isn't necessary to cut a profile in a single pass. Making multiple passes, increasing the depth of cut after each pass will minimize any difficulty in and minimize burning the stock. (Oak can burn if you try to take too big a cut or if you feed too slowly.) As in any woodworking, it's the blade or cutter that does the work - so don't get cheap there. Try to get an Infinity, Freud, Whiteside or Amana router bits. (I'd stay away from HF. I'm sure someone will push-back on that. That's okay. I'm sure we are all grown-ups here.) While a trip through CL will have lots of routers for sale, trim routers are really sought after and harder to come by. My trim router is the De Walt 611PK. IMHO this is a neat package you get a fixed base router and a plunge router and one motor that easily goes between the two bases. It's well balanced, easy to grip. And has LED lights in the motor that light the work. Having a router table really adds a lot. I made my first router table from pw and hard board and used it for a number of years before I gave it to a new woodworker and purchased a commercial table. It's a rare project that I do that doesn't see the router and table at least once. Good luck with your decision. I added a couple of pics of a recent picture frame where I routed the profile. For the mitered spline joint I used a slot cutter at the router table.

Excellent work.

You didn't mention how wide the stock is? Do you have a band saw? You could re-saw to 13/16 and clean up with a hand plane or even a belt sander. I have a Delta 'lunch box' planer and find it pretty handy. The De Walt brand planer seems to get the best reviews these days. As others have suggested you can see if you can find a shop/school/neighbor etc who'll run you stock through.

What brand/model?

Just great work, I wish I could rotate one in my hands.

Boris Black Bloxx is pretty close. No question you'd have to change the kerning.

I've always had lab mix dogs and I'd love to make one of those, where is the pattern from?

I've used Johnson's Paste wax for many years on all my woodworking equipment, including the scroll saw table. As others have noted stock slides much better and it prevents rust. I agree with Charley, silicon based products can have a terrible effect on finishing. I'm very cautious where and how I used those products. I'm especially cautious with WD-40 which is really a penetrating oil. I use it when I need to remove a rusted fastener on something. That said, if it works for you Roly, great. You have to stick with what works.

Two thumbs up from me.