baggetta

The United States National Guard is part of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Their motto is: "Always Ready, Always There!" This sign commemorates the organization and would probably make a nice gift for any members you might know. I cut mine from polar and as usual mounted it on the off cut for a base. Free Pattern

Thanks for the comments. I'm having a great time seeing my crazy ideas come "alive" in wood (sometimes for the good, others -- not so). Also glad to see they can be of some use to others. Best Al B. Real Wood Crafts The Etsy Store

Ok. This is a bit of work, but some of you might enjoy tampering with this idea. This is a little project you might like to make. I have two patterns in the pattern book: one for a Little Dancer (shown) and one for a Golf Pro, which can be cut on your scroll saw from 1/4" plywood. I used some scrap I had. You could make others on various themes if you have the inclination. The final result is a little box with layered frames which give a 3D effect. I also lit the box with a free flashlight I picked up at Harbor Freight. I think these are offered in all their million ads being circulated. I was able to get different colored effects by using blue, green, or yellow painters tape for a flashlight cover. Also better filters the light. If you use this don't leave the light on too long. Not sure if there is a build up of heat that could burn the tape. The pattern book has the two patterns you'll need and a sketchy plan for the box and some images of my build. If you study the patterns you'll get the idea. Available for free on the Free Pattern Page.

Someone sent me an email requesting a Combat Medic plaque pattern. Don't know who it was because no name was left, but I thought I'd work up something for this truly important branch of the service. I cut the shield from Sapele, about 1/2" thick. I didn't use a backer board because it looks ok when resting against a wall as shown. I cut the caduceus with a cross at the peak from cherry wood. I then glued the caduceus to the main shield on center. Also rounded over the edges of the shield and sprayed the whole project with clear satin spray. Hopefully the person who requested this will see it. Pattern available on my Free Pattern Page

Here's a little project you might want to work on for the kids. It's SWIFTY the SUPER WOODEN INCREDIBLY FAST TRAVELING YEASTERBUNNY. Ok, so I went a little far on the name. But this easy to make project will thrill the little ones with the way he glides along. I cut mine from 1/2" plywood. You can cut the wheels on the scroll saw, but I found it easier to cut them with a 3" hole saw and then use the scroll saw to cut the eggs on the wheels. The hole saw will also give you a nice 1/4" center on the wheels to insert and glue a dowel (about 3 1/2" long for each set of wheels). Needed something to keep Swifty centered so I used little straps cut from duct tape. In the pattern book I show some pictures of how it was assembled and there is also an alternate set of wheels which can be cut easier as well. Also put up a short video on YouTube showing SWIFTY in action. Have some fun and let me know how it goes. Free pattern on my Free Page

Glad they enjoyed it. Very nice of you to do that.

Lots of youngsters are studying the art of Karate not just to weaponize themselves but to understand what it is all about. As Mr. Myiagi says: “Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better.” This sort of suggested this sign for me. You have to be fully immersed in the art in order to understand and use it fully. I cut mine from a nice piece os poplar and used the off cut to make the base. If you are not familiar with my method of improvising bases, you can check out a short video where I touch upon this subject. Pattern in my Free Page

Thank you for your nice comments. Hopefully this little offering will enhance your Easter season.

With Easter coming there is a demand for Easter related signs, Religious and otherwise. I guess you would call this a religious sign. I wanted something different, so I added the clouds with just a suggestion of the cross covering the top and a dove flying over. I cut mine from poplar which had a nice grain in it and used the off cut for the base. Free Pattern

Introducing The Spoon Bunny Brothers.

Thanks for the comments. Enjoy cutting.

To Boldly Go

Bravo!

Please do. I'd love to see it. Great to be able to work with kids.

Here's a fun project if you have little kids around (maybe even for yourself). This is a flower that can be slowly put together as Spring approaches. This year (2020) Spring starts on March 19. So if you want to raise anticipation for this great day, you can have your child put one piece of the puzzle together each day. There are 10 pieces so this year you would start on March 10. You could start with any of the flower petals or the leaves. Your choice. On the 19th you should have a completed potted flower. The flower disassembles (even the base) for packing away for next year. I cut mine from 3/4" pine and the base from poplar. I didn't paint it, but it might be a stunning piece if painted different colors. Again, your choice. To get the pot to stand up on the base I put a 1/4" dowel in the base sticking up about an inch and drilled a 1/4" hole in the bottom of the pot. Hey! Maybe this could start a new tradition -- A Count Up To SPRING!! Download the Free pattern from my Free Page

I think it originally said 28" I use it on the bottom, since I'm so short. Don't really need the height. So far it's been great.

Ok, this is real easy to cut and probably to put together. I offer it to lead you to my new video on YouTube. I bought a new shop stool made by DeWalt that I really like. After sitting on a hard wooden stool (like the one in the puzzle) for many years this new cushioned seat is a big difference. This is not a sponsored video. I paid for it myself and am only offering my opinions. I did it as an unboxing video thinking it would be a major project, but it turned out to be quite easy. If you need a new stool for your shop, check it out. If you want the puzzle pattern it's on my Free Pattern Page

I'm fortunate in that my shop is just downstairs in my basement. Unfortunately my house is heated with electric so there is zero warmth in the basement, so I had to have an electric heater installed. Takes a while to warm up on those cold New England mornings, but in the summer it is like free air conditioning since it stays nice and cool even on the hottest summer days. Here's a picture of it after a clean up.

I understand there's an election going on right now, and some big one's coming up. Well, here's a sign that might help light a fire under the populace to GET OUT AND VOTE. You hear it all the time: If you don't like it GET OUT AND VOTE. Might make a good sign to drop off at the town clerk's office to inspire people. They will probably appreciate your donation. I'm sure this sign won't change the world, but it will be fun to cut on the scroll saw. I cut mine out of some 1/2" plywood and mounted it on a custom improvised base of pine. Free Pattern

Young kids enjoy a good story about magic and wizardry and this little project will help light up their eyes when you tell them the story of King Arthur and Excalibur (you can Google this if you are not familiar with it). In a nutshell Arthur became King because he was the only one who was able to pull the sword, Excalibur, from the rock. Well, you can make this imitation rock and sword to demonstrate the story, using your scroll saw. You will need some 1/4" birch ply, glue and a lot of enthusiasm, but it is really not that difficult. I have the pattern here, but it needs some explanation on assembly so I put together a little video on YouTube to help you. Once you have the project assembled you can drop in the sword and remove it easily, but you might want to put in a little retractable nail through the back of the rock and into the sword to make it impossible to remove, until you get to that part of the story. Hope you enjoy this. Free pattern

Ouch!!! This is much more dangerous than the belt sander. You were lucky.

Staying with the key theme from last time I decided to experiment a bit. I blew up the key from the sign as a stand alone pattern and printed it out on legal sized paper 8.5 x 14" Most printers will do this, even if the tray is not geared length wise. Just slide the paper in and it will catch when it starts printing. The width is standard anyways. I cut my key from 3/4" pine and then I used my belt sander to give it some texture. I just took the key and rubbed it here and there while the belt was spinning to give the key shape and a stressed look. If you decide to try this, make sure you have short sleeves on (don't want to get caught up in all that spinning), and be careful where you put your hands and fingers (I've had a quick manicure done to my nails a couple of times because I wasn't paying attention). Of course you can just leave it as is, if you are not secure about the sander, and use hand sanding instead. When I finished I sprayed it with a black satin finish. This can be hung on a couple of small black nails extending from the wall position. Or you can use it as a stand up sign. Free Pattern

Thank you for the nice comments. Glad to see you are enjoying my many hair-brained projects.

I originally started this as just a sign, then changed it to a wall hanging, and then saw the value of it as a key rack or holder. If you are in and out a lot and want to keep your keys readily available, something like this might come in handy, placed by the exit door. This can be hung by using a couple of small screws through the top of each lock plate on the sides. I cut mine from 1/4" birch plywood, sanded it and painted it black. I had some small gold brads, so I used those as the hangers. Alternately you could put some pegs in their places. Hope you like working with this simple project. Free Pattern

Ok, let's have some more compound cutting fun. This is a simple project and produces a little holder for your toothpicks, assuming you have any that need holding. This requires a block 1.5 x 1.5 x 6". Don't actually need 6" but I like to have enough to hold onto at each end when I'm cutting. You'll need a hole down the center of this block, and you can do this with a 1/2" forstner bit, before you make any cuts. I went down about 2/3 rds of the way. Use a skip tooth or crown tooth blade to cut this. I also used a piece of wood cut from a 2 x 4 (nothing fancy). I like the variety of grains that pop out of the center of a 2 x 4. Free Pattern