Jim Finn

I used to work at a construction sheet metal shop that did a lot of heavy duty HVAC work for industry. The sheet steel came on pallets that are ten feet long by four feet. They consisted of three or four of 4"x4"s ten feet long and some shorter thinner wood. I found all sorts of hardwood and softwood in them. I used this wood to learn a lot about woodworking and also to use some as firewood. You might try them for a source of wood. They have to pay someone to break them down and dispose of them so you may be able to get permission to take them.

I am not offering advice as much as I am saying what I do: I sell wooden items year round at about 25 street fairs and festivals per year. Over 1/2 of these venues allow items to be sold that were not made by the vendor. I do well at all of them. Usually I am the only wood worker there so the lady selling figurines or jewelery does not effect my sales much. I set my sales price according to what I think folks will pay for the item. Not what it takes me to make them. Some things I make $20 per hour making and others much less. My prices range from $125 to $5. Most of my sales are in the under $20 range. I offer a few of the higher priced items (Intarsia) and a lot of the mid priced stuff (inlay on box lids) and the $5 toys and signs pay for much of the booth rental. Prices will vary according to your area. If I were to travel further I am sure I could get higher prices but then there is the trade off of motel bills and travel expenses. I also get custom orders most every time. (I do not like them much but they do make me stretch my wood working ability)

First, I need you to know I do not do fretwork at all. I do a lot of inlay and in the inlayed wood I carve detail lines. I find that mahogany splinters out badly when carving so I put a finish of lacquer on it before carving and it seems to hold the fibers of the wood together on the surface and stops the splintering. Maybe this will help.

One of my friends has had his DeWalt about 7 years and is on his 5th motor. He finally replaced the 3 amp fuse with a much smaller one and now he occasionally blows a fuse but the motor is lasting longer than his others did. I wonder if it is only the fret work users that have good luck with DeWalt? This friend , like me, does not do any fret work at all. He does a lot of compound cutting which may be too hard for the DeWalt.

If I had known of this rebuild service I might still have a DeWalt. Mine literally fell apart after 20 months so I fixed it with locktite, sold it for $175 and bought a Hegner ....never looked back, until now. DeWalt is easy to use and cuts well but is not durable in my experience. I read a lot of problem threads about this saw and yet folks keep buying them.They do cut well, if adjusted, and are smooth running but just not durable. I know some folks have had them a long time with few problems, but the newer ones are the ones with issues I guess.

I am in my workshop 5-8 hours a day seven days a week year round. I do inlays of images into box lids that I sell at street fairs here in Texas. I also use my scroll saw for toy making and lettering. I do not do fretwork...yet.

No I do not understand what the scene means.

I also use the triple thick clear glaze from Walmart. I like it but have trouble getting enough. They keep running out of it. It is actualy a spray lacquer although it does not say that on the can. The smell gives it away. I have done decoupage on wood using brush on lacquer. In Fact I print out my own images to apply. I print them on tissue paper and then apply with lacquer.That is how I did these. Decopage on Trunk.pdf

nice....Good job cutting them Kevin

I like that! great job!

I save to "Paint" and edit, resize and print from there.

Radio talk shows or history channel TV

I use masking tape to hold the layers together when doing inlay.

I would make this one again.

from my experience with making checker boards and inlay work I suggest using all hardwoods or all softwoods. Much easier to get a flat finish when sanding this way.

I just choose a font I like from Word, and put a double line under it touching the bottom of all the letters and use this as my script pattern.

impressive!

I sure do like that leaf outline. Good job!

Most of what I know about woodworking I learned by trial and error. Keep trying different woods and finishes and you will find what works best for you.

Great job Kevin!

Nice work.

elmers white glue will hold it well and it dries quickly and clear.

What about using a hole saw, going all the way through, and then gluing on a bottom or a plug? Router wold be a good way to go also.

How do you make the top wavy like that? Great looking bowl.

I have a sale this weekend so I am working on a few things including a replacement of this one