RangerJay

Anyone else have a conflict between the need to finish up a project and watch the Super Bowl at the same time?? I am lucky enough to be at the stage of this project where I am able to bring the finished pieces in for waxing, set myself up in front of the fireplace, turn on the Super Bowl - strategically place a number of suitable beverages (out of the picture) beside me ..... and look forward to chicken wings and dip to come ...... does it get any better??? ..... Jay

Oil lends itself to a beautifully warm and rich looking finish on Cherry - but - at least IMHO - Cherry is also a bit more brittle than many hardwoods and shows abuse very quickly - meaning - a little additional protection is helpful - in the working kind of environment you are talking about you might think about following up the oil treatment with a polyurethane finish - my own go-to finish is 3 or more spray coats of Minwax Semi-Gloss - and then rubbed and polished with an application of wax that is impregnated into 0000 steel wool. Jay

Looks like she is a pro from the get-go!! Jay

I think others would agree that you can drop the word "attempted" ..... .... it is a project very well done.. Jay

It is not unusual to get that kind of colour variation in walnut - your job is to take advantage of it - meaning you need to tailor the wood to the project - which may also mean any laminating you have to do needs to suit what you want out of the project as well.

This is what you got done when you were sidetracked?? - guess folks better get out of the way now that you're back in the saddle ...... Beautiful work. Jay

A sanding mop does a great job of softening hard edges. It doesn't take long to figure out what you can and can't do - and learning how to "adjust". A sanding mop is great tool for all but the most delicate of fretwork - having said that there are a few rules that should be learned early (the easy way) rather than later (the hard way): use the drill press at its slowest speed a new mop needs to be broken in use of stabilizers on both sides of the mop provides for much greater control fretwork needs to be supported on the opposite side of the area being sanded. "gentle" is an operative word - pushing your work into the mop is an excellent way to watch it become airborne. very large pieces that can't be done on the drill press, or especially fine fretwork, is best done clamped flat to a work bench using the mop in a hand drill at slow speeds. Not sure how others cover their fretwork with a mop but I always make 4 slow passes over the piece - each in a different direction - this will get pretty much all of the edges regardless of the shape of the fretwork. I've attached a couple pictures of some of the more fragile fretwork I have done using a sanding mop to take the sharp edges off. Jay

If I am needing a zero clearance insert (always on small pieces only) I use a piece of 1/8 ply cut to the dimensions of the entire table and clamped at the edges - and then I do spend a bit of time figuring out the best way to approach very fragile sections. If the occasion presents itself where I feel the need for additional support on larger fretwork pieces during cutting then I approach the piece in logical sections - cut that section - then wrap additional tape around both the top and bottom of that particular section before moving on. Jay

You mean you don't do this in the U.S.?? Jay

Pricing is tough - but one of the key determinants that you identified that seems really important to me is the word "friends" - in this case you might want to consider your own costs (i.e. material) - and add a little bit for the labour (emphasis on the word "little") - then call it a very good day ...... and look forward to the future ..... (their reactions to your pricing will help guide you). Jay

Doesn't get any better ...... Jay

Scrolling fine hair seems a tough one - maybe think about using a woodburner or a bit of carving and perhaps some discrete staining to supplement the scrollsaw blade. I had the same issue not too long ago - used a woodburner with a pointed tip - did lots of practice - it turned out OK - lots better then just a scrollsaw blade - but not as great as I had hoped - if I do it again will do some more practice - i.e. trial and error - meaning LOTS more practice ..... Good luck - be real interested to see what works for you. Jay

Looks great! Jay

Would you prefer an image from one of Ontario's canoeing areas or waterways? .... If so you might want to consider a Googled image - then the making or hiring of the pattern by one of the Villages pattern makers - if this might work then Google: "Canoeing in Quetico", "Canoeing in Algonquin", "Canoeing in Killarney" or just "Canoeing in 'whatever your favourite Ontario canoeing destination is .....' " - you will find literally thousands of images. Be interested to see what you come up with. Jay

Not possible to do it any better - gorgeous piece. Jay

Marvelous piece of work. The dragon and your woodwork is about as good as it gets. If I can make a minor suggestion - the eye hook is not up to the standard of the rest of the work - given the quality of of your work I think I would look really hard to find an eye hook that equals the standard you have set - maybe a vintage eye hook? something out of black iron? maybe even something fashioned out of wood? - this is my only comment (please take it as constructive) in an otherwise beautiful piece. Thanks, Jay

I usually place my pilot hole towards a corner - but far enough away from the line to be able to cut a teardrop into the corner then work from there - this allows me to avoid creating the "bump" where two cuts meet.. In detailed patterns if you reach the point where you find yourself wanting to using a drill bit smaller than what is needed for the blade you are using then you will have no choice but to use a smaller blade or a larger bit. I think you will find that this is not as big a deal as you think - in most detailed patterns with a lot of fine cutting as long as you are using the smallest hole you can with a reasonable blade you will be just fine - even if you are crowding the line. Jay

Looking great!!

Ha! - really good choice - working on taxes gets me heated too ....... Jay

Maybe we are the ones for a swap - my garage shop doesn't need an air-conditioner in the summer - but it does need a full-time furnace for the winter months - last night's temperature was warmer than the historical average for this time of year - just minus 31C (minus 24F). I keep the garage at 12C overnight and "fire it up" to 18C for working. The furnace is a small ceiling mounted propane unit - in this part of the world it is just part of the cost of a hobby that makes dust - and is not allowed in the house ...... Jay

It is amazing how things get passed on from generation to generation in a very permanent way: - spent a lot of time with my older son in rewiring an older home - he went into the solar business and now is the one to advise me on wiring. - spent a lot of time with my youngest son in the workshop - now - in his off time from work (a fireman) he completely renovated a century old home - is now on his second - and still finds time to help me with major tasks I no longer feel comfortable doing. Neither has picked up the scroll saw yet ..... but I can see them looking ..... For sure .... the blessing between us, our kids and grandkids is mutual ...... Jay

Never been much for painting a scrolled project - but might have to rethink that - the painting really gives it life!! - great looking project!! Jay

Now that is pretty neat - well done. Jay

The horses and harness were purchased from Kulp Model Horse Store ( http://kulpmodelhorsestore.com/) - the harnesses are hand made by themselves and I can vouch for how great they were to work with. Thanks, Jay

Behind schedule on this project to be sure - but getting into the home stretch ..... ..... at least that is what I thought. Needed to figure out how long the tongue should be to include the horses into this plan ..... .... so thought I would take the opportunity to do a bit of a dry fit .... ..... and gotta admit that we both got pretty excited about what the finished product is gonna look like. The blunder??? ...... .... well .... ...... the first pieces I made were the wheels ..... ..... and that was months ago ..... ..... when humidity was a lot higher in the Shed than it is today ..... ..... meaning ..... ..... of course ..... ..... they have warped ..... ..... obviously warped ..... .... not a particularly exciting find. Am facing the distinct probability of having to remake them. But I've got a little bit of time. Remaining on the project are a few steps which will take several days (for me). So I am planning on re-introducing a bit of humidity - with clamping - in the hopes they will straighten out. If not .... well .... that is life .... ..... if I have to redo them am thinking of Oak instead of Walnut (the undercarriage is Oak) .... .... so .... .... you may see the finished product ...... .... sooner ..... ..... or maybe later ..... .... I'm kinda thinking later. Jay