RangerJay

I also use the larger sawtooth hangars - even for my heavier pieces - on the heavier projects I attach the hanger with screws instead of brad nails and I also bend (bow) the hangar slightly to accommodate the head of a larger wall screw - finally - include an anti-slip pad (see example below) in each bottom corner to facilitate a more stable hanging (one that is easy to level - and stays level). http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=70272&cat=1,43456 Jay

Kevin, You have always worn your honesty on your sleeve - and you are well respected for it .... .... but your health issues have also been worn on your sleeve ..... .... meaning it might be good if you got a personal doctor - and followed the advice you receive ..... ..... not a criticism - just an observation - but it is an observation that comes from a selfish viewpoint - when you aren't posting pictures of your work on the forum then the forum is a lesser place ..... ..... so look after yourself. Jay

I do a couple things to dry to deal with warping: as already mentioned - try to get quarter sawn wood. only purchase as much as you can use at a time - or stack whatever you can't use - then weigh it down to encourage it to stay flat. if warping does begin then you can try introducing moisture to the cupped side (a damped dish cloth or towel rung out as dry as you can get it works well) - and as soon as it flattens out (the wood will respond quickly) remove the moisture source and then weight it for a couple days to allow the wood to stabilize . if I can I try to avoid 1/4 wood for larger projects - will usually opt for a minimum of 3/8 and most often 1/2 or 5/8. regardless of thickness I seal all sides of the wood during the cutting with both painters tape and clear packaging tape (many of my projects will be on the scrollsaw for up to a month or more). I will also weigh the wood down on a flat surface between cutting periods (my tool box is ideal for providing a hefty weight). once cut - I will apply a sealing finish to the back of the project as well as the front to try to minimize moisture exchange. I should add that I do not purchase thin wood - I always purchase stock that is 2 or 3 inches thick and rough cut - then plane and resaw as needed for each project. Once resawn and prepared I will immediately tape, apply the pattern, then weight the piece down till completed and finished. I have done this regularly for several years now - not to say I have never had cupping - but - with one exception - it has always been minimal and very manageable - the one exception was when I didn't follow my own rules ..... Hope this is of some help. Jay

Looking really good Kevin - here's hoping that cash register burns itself out ringing your stuff in!! Jay

I've always enjoyed viewing antique cars and trucks that have been cut on the scrollsaw so thought I would try my own hand at it. The patterns are from our own Pattern Library and both are done by "Wild Bill" - a 1933 Chevrolet Coupe and a 1933 Dodge Pickup. Thanks Bill! I learned a bit here - both patterns were shrunk for the purposes of this "key rack" project - I like the size of the final cutting but the grills in both patterns became an issue - they weren't tough to cut but the 1/8 inch Baltic Birch was too thin between the grill lines - it began to chip out or break between the cuts - if I were to do it again I think I would do some experimenting before cutting the pattern to see how to best do it. You will see in the pictures that once I saw this starting to happen I reduced and staggered the cuts and tried a wood burner to fill in the visual representation of the grill - it didn't really turn out all that well. I'm wondering if maybe a thicker BB?? or another type of plywood?? also thinking that maybe actually changing the pattern around the grill to reduce the number of vertical cuts?? course I could always pick a future pattern that doesn't have this kind of grill ..... I have no idea what the wood is - was among a number of boards given to me by the wife of a friend who passed away. I've included a picture of the raw wood before staining for anyone who would like to take a stab at identifying it: the one piece has a strong greenish colour that is represented fairly well in the picture. It is a very soft wood - sands and marks easily - in the piece that I used you can see that it has any even softer pith. the other 3 pieces also have a greenish tinge which is not really seen well in the picture - it is also extremely soft and when cut or sanded has a pronounced perfume odor. It has an oakish look about it, particularly when stained, although the grain is much finer. This was a fun project to do - I'd been wondering if there might be some interest among the antique car owners in town - despite a small populations these folks make a pretty good showing when they all get together - but I'm not going to get the opportunity to gauge their interest - these pieces have yet to get out the door and they've all been spoken for by family (two sons) or neighbours ..... maybe next time ... Comments welcome. Jay

I top feed as well and, and like Jerry, do a bit of mental imaging. After completing a cut and you are lifting the blade out of the hole then take notice where the blade positions itself immediately after it leaves the wood - then use that "spot" to help target where you need to position your next hole for cutting. You will find yourself developing other benchmarks over time that will help you visualize and confirm the centre of the table - I also sight down the arm of the saw for side to side positioning. For front to back positioning I draw an imaginary vertical line that descends from the upper clamp straight down. Jay

A couple things that are pretty neat about how Travis runs this place are: being responsive to the need to upgrade the forum and getting it done when it needs to be done. being sensitive to the needs of of SSV followers - keeping all of us in the loop from the get-go by advertising the changes, letting us know when they are going to occur, carrying them out in a timely manner, maintaining the look and feel of what we've been used to on SSV (as much as possible), seeking feedback on issues, responding to those issues quickly and ultimately shepherding the entire transition through in a way that made it as quick and pain-free as it might possibly be. He makes it look easy!! ...... (which I am sure it is not!!) .... Pretty hard to ask for anything else!!. Thanks!! Jay

That is a serious beauty - any idea of the age?? Congratulations on a great find. How did you luck into it?? Jay

Thanks again folks - the piece was delivered to the organization today - will be presented next week. Jay

Thanks for the great feedback everyone - I really love doing projects with a lot of detail - but somewhere about 2/3 of the way through the cutting I question my sanity ...... Jay

Anyone who drives on the Canadian side of Lake Superior from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie will drive past this spot and will almost certainly pull over and spend some time taking pictures and having a picnic. On a drive that is filled with spectacular scenery this spot is arguably the most spectacular and certainly the most iconic. It was quite an honour to be asked to create this specific scene in wood (complete with brass plaque and government logo) for a former co-worker who is retiring. This was my first landscape and there were a lot of lessons to be learned - among them was how to cope with what I'm calling incremental shading - after getting great suggestions from this forum I ended up using stain. The wood is walnut and I used dark walnut stain applied in multiple coats with an artist brush - I did not wipe the stain - but did sand after it dried with 220 grit till I got the shade I wanted. The sides of the work had to be cut with a knife to avoid bleeding into the surrounding wood. This was a bit of a nail biter experiment to start with but it turned out to be pretty forgiving of mistakes (except for the bleeding part ..... ) - in the end I like the way it turned out and would feel very comfortable doing it again. Thanks for the help everyone. Also gotta thank DonR. Don has moved back and forth between pattern-maker, tutor and mentor for me over several years now. This particular scene was a bit problematic, important for me to get right, and I really appreciated his involvement. Comments welcome. Thanks, Jay

That is more than impressive - congratulations on a superb achievement - incredibly motivating for the rest of us. Jay

I am continually amazed by what you squeeze out of a day - but falling asleep at a running scrollsaw might be a bit of a tiny hint that your body is telling you your day is past done!! Great looking work. Jay

Beautiful work - the detail is incredible. Jay

OK Kevin ..... you're really embarrassing me ..... I was feeling pretty darn good about what I was able to get done today ..... that is till you posted the pictures of what you did today ...... ..... so ..... .... thanks ...... kinda, sorta .... Jay

Now that is about the slickest looking contraption I've seen in a long time!! - really neat!! Jay

Prayers for a full and speedy recovery. Jay

Looks great! - this is a good looking piece.. Hmmmm ..... thinking that pattern might make a good full-sized wheelbarrow for myself ...... wouldn't hold any gravel ...... meaning it matches my gardening work ethic perfectly ..... Jay

My Grandfather and my Father always enjoyed a workshop. Following in their footsteps I think I can recall that my first "commissioned" piece was when I was somewhere in the vicinity of 12 years old (a dog house). A really neat memory resurrected itself just last week at a family funeral when a niece of ours told me she had come into a coffee table I had made in high school (and long since forgotten) - haven't seen the pictures yet but am looking forward to getting them. Long story short is that, since marriage, some kind of outside "Shed" has always been a part of my life ..... .... somehow I evolved into clocks - specifically reproductions of antique mantel and wall clocks - not sure how many I have made over the years - but every single one of them has turned into a family heirloom - even been at least one family dispute ...... kinda neat .... ..... but ..... ..... clocks are expensive to make ..... ...... really expensive. Hence the scrollsaw ..... .... after retirement I was keen on maintaining my relationship with the Shed - but doing something a little more practical in terms of economics. The scrollsaw is pretty much a natural pick ..... it doesn't take a lot of wood (compared to clocks) - in fact is real good at using up waste wood from other projects. it is labour intensive NOT pocketbook intensive the rythym of the saw is therapeutic. there is an incredible variety of patterns - some superb pattern-makers out there - from easy folk-art, crafty patterns to complex works of art. patterns are always cheap - usually free, sometimes paid for or hired - always surprised that I don't pay more for a great pattern. So how serious am I about the scroll saw? Well ..... I don't look at scrollsaw work as a money-maker most of my stuff gets given away - friends, family, charity - that is quite OK still kinda like one-of-a-kind projects - the heirloom projects are still really neat usually spend at least 2 hours a day out in the Shed - often 3 or 4 if nothing else is going on. my Shed is really a shed in name only - actually it's kinda nice ...... even has a TV .... bar fridge is on Santa's list .... So what else is there to say?? Is there another genuine alternative to the Scrollsaw?? ...... .... not that I know of. Great thread. Thanks, Jay

Beautiful - doesn't get any better than that! Jay

Wow - that is stunning - congratulations on a marvelous piece of work. Jay

I've seen your work - it is great - this cutting is not a tough one for you - what makes it great is the pattern. Jay

There was definitely something missing in the daily read ...... a silence in the force so to speak ...... good to see you on-line and cutting again ..... take care of yourself ..... Jay

Pretty tough to beat a beautifully finished piece of wood with grain like that! - perfect!! Jay

I had mentioned in the opening post that a note had gone off to Cherry Tree for information on the pattern-maker - the reply came a couple days ago and unfortunately they do not have that information. At least for myself it seems unfortunate that the name of the pattern-maker doesn't stick with the patterns. For those exceptional one-of-a-kind patterns that will always stand the test of time it seems just plain common sense to respect the efforts of the pattern-maker by acknowledging their contribution. For myself I have always like to document a bit of a story around the creation of one of those special pieces of work. In an earlier thread Rolf had wondered if this pattern might be the work of John Nelson or Dirk Boelmen - if someone out there is able to confirm this then my own little story behind these clocks will be complete. And thanks again for all the kind comments. Jay