kcortese

OK everyone, and thank you very much for the advise. I will continue working with tape and spray adhesive. I played around with inkjet transfers yesterday and it didn't work out the way I wanted. Some sections of the pattern smeared or didn't transfer dark enough (pain in the butt). Live and learn. Karen

I was tinkering with the idea of direct transfers of patterns to the wood using my inkjet printer and some kind of transfer paper. Has anyone ever done this before? I did a little experiment and printed out a small pattern on empty label paper, rubbed the pattern directly onto the wood. It worked out OK, but the transfer wasn't perfect. I don't have much sacrificial wood around, and would like to know if any of you do direct pattern transfers. What is the best way of doing it? What transfer paper is best? I am trying to eliminate gluing a printed pattern to the wood. Karen

Thank you Marion for taking the time to view my items. You are very kind. Your work is beautiful too. I'm new to scrolling, and hope to some day produce clean scrolled work. Karen

I want to thank all of you for the very helpful advise I'm getting here. I will use all the tips and advise given. I have plenty of Reverse Tooth, Flying Dutchman blades, Flats and Spirals. I am currently scrolling some patterns. I find it difficult with the straight blades (believe it or not). But I love the crisp clean edge. I will continue to practice with the straight reverse blades. Eventually I'll get the hang of them. I am scrolling a pattern today with the reverse tooth spirals, when finished I'm hoping I won't have too much clean up. When I finish it, I will post a pic of the RV SP work before the cleanup. I didn't put any painters tape on the wood, next time I'm out and about, I'll buy some wide green painters tape. I was spraying the back of the design and rubbing onto the wood. I peals off clean. I used the rubber cement, and stupidly applied it directly to the wood and paper. What a mistake! I had a hell of a time cleaning it up after removing the pattern paper. I'll never do that again. Here is a pic of a buck I did yesterday, I used both #1 RV FLat, and #1 Spiral RV.

OMG! I can't believe the fantastic work you folks can do with a piece of wood. You never cease to amaze me!

Thank you very much Alex. Karen

Very nice work! Did you go back to bed after you finished it? Yesterday, I started up my hand sander at 5:45am and started scrolling around 6:00am. I freaked my husband out. Little does he know that sometimes, when he is working out of town, I do the same thing as you. Wake up in the middle of the night, and work on a project. It's OK, because a lot of artists do that kind of thing. Keep up the good work! Karen

I'm getting the hang of the flat Reverse Toothed Flying Dutchman blades. I only broke 2 so far because I pushed the work instead of letting the blade cut. I am scrolling out some letters today for signs (no wood for signs, but I'll have lettering done). It is such a relief not sanding and cleaning up edges. I also learned from this forum to use spray adhesive for application of the patterns to the wood. The paper peels off clean. I want to thank everyone here for all the helpful tips and tricks for us beginners. My spiral reverse blades should be here in a few days, then I'll scroll some detailed designs. Later. Karen

Hello Gary, greetings from Pennsylvania. There are many kind helpful people here to answer any questions you have. This forum is fantastic, so explore the vast information available. Karen

Hello Don, and welcome. If you find a team roping pattern, let me know because I do the rodeo subjects too. You can use a pic and adjust it in a photo editing program and create your own pattern also. I try to create my own patterns to be original. If you can find one already created, and you like it, use it. I'm still learning the art of scroll sawing myself. Karen

Hi everyone! Hope your day is going good. I started out learning and using spiral blades for several years now. I received some Flying Dutchman flat reverse toothed blades yesterday. I now have to teach myself a whole new way of scrolling. I had no idea it would be so hard. I had a few scraps of wood strips to practice on. I scrolled out some "welcome" letters for a future sign. The edges are much cleaner with the reverse tooth, I didn't have to clean up any feathering. YEEEHAAAA!!!! The letters measure 1/2" x 3/4". Figured to start off small with a higher difficulty level, then it will be easier when I scroll a larger area. I know this first attempt isn't perfect but I will get better in time. I didn't do any clean up with this piece. This morning I ordered some reverse spirals in case I get too frustrated turning and turning my work. I don't have to turn the whole piece with spirals. I need to do some more scrolling today to gain more experience with the strait flat blades. Did anyone else have a hard time switching over? Thanks for viewing. Karen

I sell on Etsy and sell some stuff. Post your items and make sure to use the "tags" and fill out as much information as possible in the description. Make the title as simple and direct as possible. Place your item in a global category where it won't get lost. I put my signs and paintings in Housewares, Wall Decor. Instead of the Art Category where it will get lost in the millions of other items. You should run an add with them for more exposure on the web. It is pay per click. Mine is set up for a maximum amount of $7.00 a week. I get a lot of hits and views with the add every day. I have sold several items, not making a killing or won't get rich, but at least people are looking at my items. I have more luck selling on Etsy than E-Bay or other stores like Bonanza or E-crater. Karen

I price my items depending on how much time is spent. My paintings have a price tag of $35.00 to $225, wooden items $15 - $35. Pricing also varies according to the crowd. I do well at the larger art and craft shows, NOT at the small VFW or Church shows. The folks at the small shows are looking for items $5 and under. Not worth my time. I do great at chain saw events because most of my items are wooden; I price high there. Most people at these local events don't realize the time, or heart and soul involved in creating the items. I always add and extra amount of money over my asking price to the price tag. If I ask $25 for a small piece, I add $5 to the price labeling it at $30. When a customer is interested, but does not like the price tag, I offer to lower the price $5. Funny, how a few bucks less will make a sale. You never know what kind of crowd will show up at these events. Sometimes it takes a few hours to get a feel for it. I will however raise or lower my prices as the day goes on. But it depends. I do it sneaky, and re-tag items.

It is to cold to snow in NW Pennsylvania (Tidioute) where I live. The temperature is still in the single digits. Hauling hot water in buckets to my horses to give them a warm drink when we feed. Wish I could work in my shed. I have a lot of wood that needs sanded. My equipment is frozen and runs sluggish. I did however bring my scroll saw into the house. No wood though. Daylight is getting longer. YEAH!!! Keep warm everyone. Karen

This topic was very educational for me. I'll try these techniques next time I use a pattern. Thanks guys! Karen

Ha! Ha!Sounds like my husband. But then again, me too!

Love that pic! Here in NW Pennsylvania we are experts at driving on snowy, icy, roads. It starts snowing in October and does not melt until the end of March. Today is sunny, but very cold. I went out in my shed to cut and sand some wood and within 5 minutes my hands were freezing and had to put my gloves on. Maybe when my husband and I retire, we will move to a warm climate. Later Karen

I apologize for the late reply to all the very kind comments on my work. I have computer problems and can't get online very much. I am at this time farting around with making wooden frames for some paintings. You can view a few of the frames in my etsy store. Here is the link http://www.etsy.com/shop/CorteseCreations I brought my delta scroll saw into the house because I was freezing out in the shed. I brought home some scrap wood from a local lumber yard and thought it would make a nice frame. I measured, mitered, created a design, and scrolled it. I'm in the process of assembling it now. When finished, I'll post a pic of the painting mounted in the frame. My husband gets embarrassed when I did through wood scrap piles. I don't care, because I get some great wood there! I have 2 lumber yards, and 3 saw mills that I get wood from for my rustic artwork. The best price for this wood is "FREE", so you can't beat that. Once again, thank all of you for the kind comments. Karen

Very sorry to here this. I had system crashes too, and know your pain. The "OH NO!!, what the F*!#$!!" feeling of dread. After days of running scans and cleaning up my computer I was able to recover my files. Backup is a life saver. However, I don't do it as often as I should. Hope everything was recovered on your system.

Thank you for viewing my work and commenting on it. Wood burning isn't that hard, just time consuming. If you can sketch or draw, you can wood burn. Instead of using a pencil, you are using a burner and sandpaper for erasing. I transfer the pattern onto the wood with graphite transfer paper, then burn the image. It really is simple. I have two burners with various pens and tips depending on what I doing, sign lettering or artwork. Most people start out with an inexpensive small hand held soldering iron with different tips. You can acquire these in craft sections at local stores. I went through at least 3 of these before buying a real burner. Wood burning the winter months is very smelly, my house smells like it is on fire and my husband complains about it. So I do this during the warm months when I can open the window. I never know what kind of project I will be doing from one day to the next. Karen

I create and sell custom rustic log signs and also do some wood burning. Here are links to my website pages for these two subjects. Rustic Log Signs http://corteseauctions.tripod.com/cortesecreations/id17.html Wood Burnings http://corteseauctions.tripod.com/cortesecreations/id20.html I sell my signs as a vendor at local events between the months of April - December. I only work on wood during warm months because all my equipment and wood is outside in an Amish built shed with NO heat. During the winter months I paint. Thanks for viewing, and have a great day. Karen

Today I went into Mikes Work Shop and saw the spiral Reverse Blades there. When I order I will get some of those, plus I will be ordereing the flat reverse cut blades. And, hopefully, in the spring, I'll be able to purchase a Dewalt Scroll Saw. DW, I bookmarked the link for replacement parts. Thank you very much. I have the owners manual for my Delta Scroll Saw, there is also the breakdown drawing listing the parts and part numbers. Karen

OK, decided NOT to use the ruff cut wood for the shelf. Far too heavy. Will be going to a local lumber company, Forest County Wood Products, to dig through the scrap pile where I find some really nice plained smooth pieces of wood. The best thing is, "It's free!"

I want to thank each and every one of you for the information. I had no idea that the spiral blades were the most difficult to use. I can handle them easily by adjusting the tension of the blade. I break blades when I start rushing or push the wood too fast. I sand the feathering from the round blades with sandpaper and my dremel tool. A real pain in the butt! I purchased blades from Slones Wood shop, and will look into Mike's Wood shop for the reverse cut blades. I want to get more involed with scroll sawing. This morning, I got an idea in my crazy artist head to make a black bear shelf. Went to the shed, got some ruff cut wood and started designing it. Looks like I'll have my husband help me carry my scroll saw into the house after I finish the design. I have an old Delta scroll saw model # 40-560, 16", 2 speed, with blade chuck screws that need an allen wrench. I find that extremely irritating (I use cuss words out loud) because the blade chuck screw corners round out. I is very difficult to locate replacement screws for my model scroll saw. I have been looking for a newer scroll saw that does not require an allen wrench to open the blade chuck. Any suggestions on an affordable scroll saw that allows blade changing quick and easy? I'm glad I joined this forum because of all the helpfull advise to people like me, who are just starting out. Thank all of you very, very, much. Karen

I have used round blades to scroll in all directions. I then need to clean up my work from the feathering. I have been told by several experienced scrollers to use the reverse toothed blades for a clean cut edge. I looked into reverse blades via internet search and have a question to you nice folks here. I noticed that the revers blades are flat, do you have to turn the the entire piece to cut curves and turns? I'm new at scrolling, so please excuse my ignorance. Karen