Iguanadon

Be careful... you'll become a puzzle zombie. FYI - The one that says CAT in the body is by Harvey Byler. I sell his patterns for him. You can see over 500 of his patterns on my site. Scroll down to the PATTERNS area. They're $3 each. www.WoodcraftByScott.com

Iggy's Ark... Lined up ready to board... This time the dinosaurs are saved! Last week's cuttings ready for shrink wrapping.

Wrapping up the Go-To Guide... Mrs. Iggy working hard finalizing all of the pages and we'll go to print next Monday. Then when I get the guides in hand I'll start trying to sign new customers for next year once they see how great this years looks and they missed out.

After 2 months off from cutting I'm starting to get back into the rhythm... A nice assortment cut over the weekend. Goal is 40 a week til my events begin Easter weekend (April 19/20 Fri/Sat). I have 3 major weekend events in a row right out of the gate. I should hear about my new Pegas saw soon. Look forward to trying it out. Iggy

I have opened a serious can of worms, haven't I? LOL As always, a wealth of information here at SSV and very much appreciated. I mixed some BLO and Mineral Spirits and dipped a couple pieces of scrap in it and have it drying to see how it does. I'll experiment with the other suggestions here as well. Keep chiming in, I'm all ears.

So, now should I be considering the Danish oil? Not due to cost, but due to it being a better option in general?

10 minutes? Wow. Is there a particular reason? To allow it to soak in? I'm just looking to bring out the color of the wood (poplar) so a quick dip and drip dry is what I'm used to doing with the mineral oil.

Keep 'em comin' folks. Thanks. I seem to remember someone saying 70/30 ratio. I did buy odorless mineral spirits although I haven't opened it yet to see if it truly is odorless or just "tolerable" LOL

A few months ago I had asked for suggestions of alternative finishes for my puzzles. I currently use mineral oil which never 100% "dries". There were a couple of suggestions about using BLO and mixing with mineral spirits. Sorry, I can't remembre who suggested or what ratio. I'd appreciate feedback on BLO/Mineral Spirits as to ratio or any other thoughts. As a reminder, my goal is to be able to dip the finished puzzles in and place on drying rack. Quick and simple. I have bought the two items and am ready to test them out. Thanks for your input. Iggy

Nicely done! One of my least favorite breeds to cut. LOL

Thanks Ralph, The day job is keeping me very busy and the other side business is prime time right now producing the map and the guide in advance of beach season.

I should! There's apparently good money in it! LOL I'm spending $22k on printing for the maps and our guides this year.

Harvey has drawn both a BIGFOOT and a YETI... The Yeti seems to be a favorite so that's what I display at events.

First time cutting... in over 2 months... Hi, my name is Iggy and I cut silly little puzzles... How did I do? Just wanted to pop in and say hello to everyone. Seriously, I hadn't touched my saw in over 2 months and finally may have a chance to start cutting again. It felt good cutting these two just now. I have a new Pegas saw on pre-order. Look forward to receiving it in a month or so. See how it works for me. I need to cut 400-500 puzzles by the end of April... anyone want to come help? LOL I hope everyone is having a pleasant winter and able to make piles of sawdust. Iggy

I put down a deposit for the new Pegas. They're expected to make landfall here in the US in late Feb or early Mar at which point I'll be notified and will pay the balance and then receive the saw. We shall see... I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Well, guess who just placed a pre-order... Yep, this guy (said with 2 thumbs pointing back at me) LOL Discounted pre-order price was enticing. I'll give it a shot. If it lasts 2 years for me, at this price, it saves me a little money compared to wearing out a DW every 12-15 months. We shall see. I guess I won't see the saw for about 6 weeks. No rush... heck, I haven't cut a single puzzle in 2 months due to being so busy with day job and other business.

All is well, just busy busy. My zombies are also keeping me busy! Getting more every week. LOL

Although I haven't cut a single puzzle in 2 months, I'm still around. Busy with the day job and the map/guide business is the busy season. The 2019 map is complete and at the printer. It's uploaded on our site with all sorts of fun stuff listed and shown on it and when folks pull it up, they can click on the individual logos of the advertisers and be taken straight to their website or Facebook page. Check it out here. www.CoastalBizMaps.com The Pleasure Island Go-To Guide is next... Mrs. Iggy is beginning work on compiling it all and it'll go to print at the end of February. Just wanted to say Hello! I hope to start making sawdust again soon... I need to... big events starting up at the end of April. Iggy Map 2019 with links (1).pdf

Hi JT, they are my own design. They don't break down or fold down. I have 3 of them (different lengths) that I take to events and I can stack them in a way so they don't take up much space. Nothing fancy. Attached is my "design" with pictures included. Let me know if any questions and any suggestions to improve them are always welcome. Iggy Puzzle Display Stands by Scott.pdf

This just popped up on my Facebook feed... Hey! That's me! LOL

Funny thing just happened... was getting a package delivered to my doorstep and as the dogs were barking I went over to calm them down and say hello to the postman. He says to me through the door "I'd like to pick your brain some time." I step outside and he says he just got a scroll saw and is figuring out what he wants to make with it. He had seen the various catalogs I receive and of course envelopes on a regular basis from Harvey "Byler Scroll Saw". I asked him if he had a minute right now and invited him into my shop and showed him my puzzle factory. I suggested he visit Wooden Teddy Bear and check out the millions of patterns and ideas out there and told him to email me and I'd point him to other information and ideas (Steve Good for instance). And we thought Facebook knew everything about us... the postal carriers were way ahead of FB on gathering information. LOL He's a total newbie so I'll enjoy answering his questions and helping him out any way that I can.

But, but, but I need to cut 500 puzzles by the end of March in advance of the 2019 season!!!!

I had someone order 11 custom names in animals last week and another single order... I received the patterns from Harvey yesterday and got them cut today... I AM DONE FOR 2018!!! Speaking of custom names, one of my zombies has taken order for at least 80 custom name puzzles in the past month. Amazing. And keeping poor Harvey busy drawing every single day.

Excellent work. Congrats on the orders.

Well, unfortunately it appears my final event of the year is going to be rained out tomorrow. My show 2 weeks ago was also rained out. These two rained out events going to cost me a ton of money (140 puzzles expected to have sold at these 2 events). Fortunately this is just a side "hobby" for me as I have a full time day job whereas other local arts & craft vendors I know depend on these events for a living. But, it's just a fitting end to a very wet year here in Mayberry Beach. Average rainfall 57 inches a year. Previous all time record from 1877 was 85 inches... we're about to hit 100 inches possibly this week... total of 8 events missed due to rain or due to Hurricane Florence and others shortened or lowered attendance due to rain during events. Only ended up able to do 20 events this year. Below are my stats for the year for those curious. Stats for 2018: Total puzzles sold = 1112 Average 55 sold per event Worst event 17 puzzles sold Best event 178 puzzles sold (2 day event) 172 different animals/dog breeds sold Top 30 items (listed below) accounted for 50% of all sold Top 10 items accounted for 25% of all sold Top 30 in order: (CB and Topsail items are local specialty items) Unicorn Dachshund Mermaid Shark Dragon Rescue Elephant Golden Giraffe T-Rex Sea Turtle Beagle Yeti Black Lab CB Mermaid Labrador Shepherd Topsail Turtle Aussie KittyKitty Buffalo Manatee Pelican Pitbull Topsail Mermaid CB Pelican Chihuahua Corgi Doodle Retriever Time to start stockpiling for 2019 based on above list. Iggy