NC Scroller

Don I am another big fan of Judy's. That is a great book. She also has a dinosar puzzle book that is my favorite. Stand up puzzle are great sellers and make wondeful gifts.

I have 3 places near me and the cheapest is $20 a sheet for 1/8" BB. The grade is B/BB. While talking prices many folks are unaware that all Baltic Birch plywood is not the same. While I do not know for a fact I suspect some of the cheaper Baltic Birch being talked about is a lower grade. There is noting wrong with using lower grades Here is an explaination of the grading: GRADING STANDARDS Baltic Birch Plywood is graded with a face and back grade designation: B/BB: Single piece face and back veneer. Face veneers are considered clear and free of defects with a light-uniform color. Back allows 3-6 color matched patches, which are oval in shape and egg sized. Inner cores are solid birch single piece veneers. BB/BB: Single piece face and back. Both face and back veneers allow 3-6 small color-matched patches on average and some light mineral streaks. Tight pin knots may be present. Inner cores are solid single piece veneers. BB/CP: Single piece face and back. The “CP†back veneers are downgraded from “BB†grade veneers, which allow for unlimited patches and sound knots, but does not allow for open defects. Inner cores are solid birch single piece veneers. CP/CP: Single piece face and back. Face and back grade veneers allow unlimited sound knots and repaired splits and unlimited patches. The panel is sound both sides and designed for laminating. C/C: Patches, open knots, and small veneer splits allowed. Veneer lap and small core voids permitted. This panel is not sanded and would be used for structural purposes. SHOP GRADES: Shop panels are offered in the full 60†X 60†format in all of the grades listed above. Panels allow for 1-3 splits on the face veneer along one edge of the panel in lengths no longer than 10†and no wider than ¼â€.

I get my 5'x5'x1/8 BB" plywood for $20 a sheet. 5'x5'x1/4" is about $30. The same place does sell 3/4" for about $60. I think they quoted you the wrong price. Can I ask what you are using 3/4" BB for?

I make stand up puzzles but few are the Woodimal ones. I use mostly soft maple, oak and walnut. I have used some pine but only the clear pine (no knots) and only on puzzles with no fragile parts. The only time I have used poplar is for a penguin puzzle because I stain it to get the colors I want. To me the $0.50 or $1.00 more per puzzle it costs to use better woods is worth it.

I have used some for baclings but have not cut any fret type pieces from it. As careful as I have been it still has some melting thus creating a rough edge. Remember you can't sand when done.

Drooling. Please Santa.

Pictures? If we don't see a picture it just did not happen.

Wow not sure where sig shims came from. Really meant to say different size shims.

There is another SSV member here who's ID is Rolf. That also happens to be his name. He is involved in a fairly large scroll saw club on Long Island. I would suggest you contact him (via PM) and see if he can point you to some used equipment.

Jim most folks I know who cut jig saw puzzles, myself included, do it by eye and not by use of a pre defined pattern. That way you can tailor your puzzle pieces to the image. If I was making that into a puzzle I would make the horse one piece and the rider a separate piece. To do so cut along their images. Then I would put different sig shims under the horse and even more shims under the rider so the rider stands proud of the horse and the horse stands proud of the back ground. Make sense?

I have a couple similar drying racks. For those that do not know the wire mesh you see on Iggy's drying rack is called hardware cloth. It is available in Lowes, Home Depot and most other building supply and hardware stores. A 10 foot by 2 foot piece at Lowes is $12.00. Just wanted to get you know what to ask for if you plan to build one.

I have used ash before and it is very hard to cut especially that thick. What I would do is to apply clear packing tape to both the top and bottom sides. I would use a FD Polar blade in size 7 or 9. I would change blades every 4-5 minutes. Finally slow the blade speed down to a mid range.

A planer is great but you really need to pair that up with a dust collector. Also make sure to get some form of quality dust mask or respirator.

Welcome JimC. I am about 2 hours to your North on the NC/VA border. This site is a great place to hang out.

Congrats on a successful event. Now is the time to start preparing for next year.

Len I just ordered this one issue. It had a number of articles and other good patterns.

I split the differnce and use 180 grit.

Well done. Another reason I prefer indoor venues.

Don heck I seldom read the articles in the US published magazines and they are in American English. I just look at the pictures. Especailly the centerfold .

A couple weeks back Rolf posted a picture of a beautiful Nativity Intarsia. The pattern came form a German magazine called Feinscnitt. Anyway I went on-line and ordered the magazine. It took a little time as their website was all in German. The issue cost me under $10 including shipping. I ordered it on a Saturday. Received a shipping notice the following Monday. It arrived on Saturday just one week from the day I ordered it. It can't get any better much better than that. Now just to find time to get back into the shop.

Good luck. We will leave a light on for you so you can find your way back.

Manufactored woods (like Chinese made plywood) are bad but MDF is some of the worse. Has to do with the some chemicals used. I see have a beard so finding a good mask might be a challenge but a mask or respirator is a must.

I use a variety. My two favorite woods are Poplar and Butternut. Butternut is often called poor man's walnut. I also use basswood and aspen on a regular basis. I am lucky as I have a hardwood store a couple hours from me so I can purchase 5/4, 6/4, 8/4 and even thicker stock. It is sold by the board foot but you would be amazed on how much you get per board foot. My last trip I got 8/4 basswood for $3.40 a board foot. Another compound cutting trick is to enlarge or reduce patterns to fit the size wood I have available. For example if the pattern calls for 1 1/2" wood and all you have is 1" wood copy it at 66%. Have a 1" pattern and want to cut it on 1 1/4" stock copy it at 125%. You get the picture.

I have done 100's of compound pieces. Some as thick as 2". Hands down I prefer the Flying Dutchman Polar Blades in either a #5 or #7. FYI pine while a soft wood is not all that easy to compound cut because the blade will tend to follow the grain. Also DO NOT compound cut any piece with a knot in it. The knot will break and fall out and ruin the piece 99 times out of a 100. Trust me.

Slasher welcome to the site. One thing I find invaluable is a magnifiing light. It really help with being able to cut the line.