Bill WIlson

I'd like to have a drum sander, but I don't have space for it. I think it would be a great supplement to a planer, but I wouldn't consider it as a replacement for it.

Could be. But many suppliers/retailers are dealing with these same issues and most aren't hesitant to jack up their prices accordingly. I can understand the strategy of not stocking up on slow moving products at significantly higher prices, but I'm not convinced that BB ply necessarily fits the slow moving description. The place I buy from seems to move a fair amount of it. Probably more 1/2" - 3/4" thick stuff than the thinner stuff scrollers prefer, but they didn't have inventory of any size last time I checked (which has been a while).

I'm curious. If my local hardwood/plywood supplier can't get BB ply and hasn't been able to get it for some time, where are these Internet suppliers getting their stock from?

Blade preferences are very much a matter of personal tastes. There are several variables involved that make it tough to say that a specific blade is the best for a particular application. Your plan to try different blades to see what works for you is the best approach. Understanding general characteristics such as size, tooth configuration, etc will help you narrow the choices down. I've said that you can give 10 scrollers the same pattern and the same type and thickness of wood and ask them which blade is best for the project and you will likely get 10 different answers.

I don't often cut single layer material over 1/2" (with the exception of compound cutting). Even when I'm stack cutting, I try to keep the stacks a little thinner than most, maybe 1/2" - 5/8". I just find those thicknesses much more enjoyable to cut than thicker stock. I routinely cut 1/2" hardwoods with a #1 FDUR (Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse) blade, with no problems. If the pattern is relatively simple, I might step up to a #3 FDUR. The going may be slower than some would prefer, but as a hobbyist, I usually don't have any need to cut fast. If I were cutting 3/4" white oak, I would probably reach for a #5 FDUR, if the pattern has some detail and tight turns. If the pattern is simple, maybe go up to a #7.

That is one sweet chair. Tell us more about it.

Well, it is Burger King, so it's not like the bar is set all that high to begin with.

I don't know if there are any specific "rules", per se. Obviously you want the chair at a comfortable height. What that height is can be something of a compromise. Some say that you want the table at about elbow height (sitting or standing) because you don't want your elbows bent much more than 90 degrees and your hands/wrists to be on the same plane as your forearm. This is to reduce stress on your hands and wrists. The other factor is distance of your eyes from the table. You don't want to be hunched over, leaning down to be able to see the cut. So, this is where the compromise comes in. The table should be at a height that isn't so low that you are always leaning forward to see what you are doing, but not so high that you are putting too much strain on your hands & wrists. I will agree that your chair is the most important factor in this decision. I suggest that if you don't already have one, to get a chair that swivels and has adjustable height. This allows you to set the height where you are most comfortable. I sometimes change the height of my chair while I'm cutting, if I'm starting to feel tension or discomfort in one part or another.

Wood = $10 Scroll saw = $950 Shop time with Granddaughter = PRICELESS!

Thanks for the article John. You mentioned Ernie Lang at the end. Ernie was one of the founders, along with Dick DeFelice, of the scroll saw club of which I am currently president. Ernie was passionate about finding, restoring and preserving classic fretwork patterns. It was the main reason he started the club back in 2004. Alas, Ernie passed away a number of years ago.

If all else fails, maybe a little acetone (nail polish remover)?

I think you would be disappointed in the results. The interior layers of wood are generally not of the same quality as the face layers, so what you uncover, after removing the surface veneer will likely be pretty unattractive. Also, planing to a level of precision required to remove just the thin surface veneer layer, without touching the next layer will likely prove to be very difficult. The layers alternate in grain direction, so running a piece of plywood through a planer in the direction of the face grain would mean that the grain of next layer exposed would be running the opposite direction. If the planer blades made contact with that layer, I suspect bad things would happen. Bottom line is I've never tried it and don't know anyone who has, but anytime I've seen this idea come up in woodworking forums, it's quickly dismissed as a bad idea.

There used to be an office supply store in town here called Lloyd Johnson's. It closed years ago.

I'll have to check it out. I need to re-paint some steel targets. Don't really need the flawless finish because they're just going to get shot up anyway, but the 5 minute drying time is a plus.

I encourage you to give it a try. Toughest part of the cutting is following the line, while cutting on an angle. Saws with tilting heads make this task much easier. Sanding the glued up rings smooth can be a bit tedious, especially if you don't have anything other than a random orbit sander. Carole Rothman is the master of these things. Check out one of her books. Lots of great ideas for all skill levels and very good instructions on how to make them.

I used to use this a good bit. I think I got it at Michaels. Haven't been there in some time, so I've been using other brands lately, but this stuff worked pretty well.

I wonder if the cordless miter saws are lighter than motorized ones? I've never looked at them. I have a DeWalt 12" CMS and it's fairly heavy, but it doesn't go mobile very often. I didn't want a slider, as I already have a radial arm saw, so the 12" gave me that little extra capacity for things like crown molding. For 1/4 round and most common baseboard profiles, you could easily do with a smaller blade, even a 7 1/4".

Minwax Paste Wax should be relatively easy to find. Likely available any place that sells Minwax products, which is pretty much everywhere, except Home Depot.

Another name for hoagie. I think it's a regional thing.

Typically with long boards, you want to lift up the trailing end of the board as the leading end enters the planer and then lift up the leading end, as the trailing end is passing through. This helps prevent the ends from lifting up while in between the rollers, causing snipe. This is a little harder to do with short boards, which may be why Ray's observation differs from yours. With properly set up infeed and outfeed extensions, you can accomplish the same thing. The ends of the extensions should be slightly higher than the bed of the planer.

No the stock doesn't necessarily need to be square, in the sense that all 4 sides are the same dimension. It's easier to cut that way, but not necessary. What is necessary, in terms of the stock being square is that all 4 sides are exactly 90 degrees perpendicular to the adjacent side(s). Along this requirement, the blade also has to be square to the saw table and the pattern has to be placed properly and precisely on the blank to ensure that the finished piece ends up even and proportional.

I have an old drafting stool. Looks something like this; It was destined for the dumpster, at work. The upholstery was shot. I dragged it home, added padding and re-covered it and have been using it for several years.

Just about any wood can have hidden checks or splits in it. It could be caused by how the tree grew or how the boards were dried. Sometimes the defects are so small as to be practically invisible to the naked eye....that is until you make a delicate cut and a piece unexpectedly breaks off. I'm not sure if any one species is more or less prone to this kind of defect, at least among the common, domestic species. Imported, exotic hardwoods may be a different story. I've always considered red oak to be more easily split than other fine grained wood species. This bias is partially derived from years of splitting firewood. But I've cut some pretty delicate fretwork out of red oak and it hasn't posed any more problems than any other wood I've used. I probably wouldn't use it for delicate, 1/8" thick Christmas ornaments, but fragility in those circumstances can pose a challenge for most any hardwood. I tend to select the wood for a project based on what appearance I want and what I have on hand/available. As long as the piece being cut is 1/4" or thicker, I have no qualms about using just about any domestic hardwood.

I had to look up "bursar" as I had never heard that term before. As for the tissue box, I like your use of the contrasting wood trim. It adds to the visual appeal of the piece, without competing with the fretwork. Nice work!

The shortest pins my pin nailer takes are 5/8" long.