knightyme

Len, this particular plaque is slightly over 8" tall and with the wingspread, it's close to 10" wide. And thank you!

Yes RJ, they are scrolled medium density 3/4" MDF.

Thanks Kevin!!

I received a request from a police helicopter pilot, asking me if I could transform his Air Support Unit's logo, into a plaque, for his office. He must have been happy, as he ordered a second one!

*WOW* Roly, thank you very much!! That's one of the nicest compliments I've received!

Thank you!!!

Frank, that year attachment is a nice touch! If I may ask, where did you find that? Merry Christmas!!

THAT'S a nice brand there John!! Well done!

I suspect many of you are already aware of this or even using one, so this is directed at those who don't. As many of you know by now, I have a small custom plaque business that keeps me busy. When I first started the business, I looked for a way to "sign" my work, if you will, in an effort to capture follow-up orders. As such, I came real close to ordering a "rubber stamp" kit, to place my name on the rear of each plaque. However, I really wanted something more "rustic" in appearance and I found just what I was looking for at Rockler. A branding iron for wood. I brand each plaque (see image below) and follow-up orders have already manifested themselves! I love my branding iron!

Thanks Jim, I just now read where standard 5" blades work fine, on another thread. Much appreciated!

While my move from my current Delta 4-694 to a DW-788 isn't imminent (I tend to give these things a lot of thought and study), I did have a question that I could not find answered anywhere else. I found a HEAP of questions/answers at the link I've posted below. In one of the responses, I read where the DW-788 uses 51/4" blades. On my Delta, I use 5" blades. Now, granted I'm still very new to this hobby and that 1/4" may not make ANY difference, however, it's one of those things I want to be certain of, since I have a particular blade that I prefer to use, that happens to only come in 5" (that I know of). Can anyone expound on this? Thanks!! Questions/Answers https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/asin/B000022313/ref=ask_dp_dpmw_ql_hza

Craig, that's really cool!! Thanks for sharing. It's an idea I'm going to want to try.

While this post isn't really qualified for "bragging" (I've seen a lot of your work and y'all qualify to BRAG!), I do hope it's a lesson for other newbies, to the hobby, out there. That lesson being this. Scrolling is not only fun and "therapeutic" in it's own way but a person brand new to it, can make a business out of it. I turned my first scroll saw on, in my entire life, this past October 2016. Now, I'm working feverishly to catch up on Christmas orders but I'm getting there. I have but 25 more to go (to be delivered by Christmas). The bottom line is, if I can do it, ANYONE can!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS folks!! Completed Christmas Orders

Very nice Be_O_Be, thank you for sharing!!

I'm betting it would look outstanding in intarsia. The latter, though, is a bit our of my league right now. :/

I did get a mask, thank you!

Thanks hawkeye and Steve. Steve, what I've done is taken a 9x12 piece of MDF, which is one of ten I have ripped from a 2'x4' sheet. I sand one side of it, then, using spray adhesive, I apply a high-definition image to the sanded side. I then follow the shape of the patch or badge with my scroll saw. Then, using a special recipe containing multiple types of chemicals, I apply an acrylic-like finish to complete the plaque. It keeps me busy and out of trouble. Edited to say: the plaque you see in the photo is roughly 10" tall and slightly under 8" in width.

Well, I certainly don't wish to come across as a "smart-aleck" or anything along those lines, so suffice it to say I'd like to share a real-life personal experience with you. I recently (October) took up scrolling as a rather serious hobby/small business. Just like anything with me, I tend to learn faster through trial and error, with the emphasis leaning a tad heavy in the direction of error. I am fortunate in that I have a "scrolling mentor" who lives about an hours drive from me. I asked him the other day "how does one determine if they're pushing too much, aside from recovering from a broken blade, far too often?" Rather than try and answer my question, he asked me what blades I was using since he knew my primary material I am cutting (3/4" MDF). I told him I was using a #7 Olson and he suggested a #3 Ultra-Reverse blade from Mike's, The Flying Dutchman. So, I ordered the blades and got them in. Voila'!! I wish I asked him sooner!! I would have NEVER guessed using a #3 blade, period, due to the thickness of my stock. The cut was so smooth and clean, I did another one and another one. I'm BRAND NEW at this hobby folks, however, as a way of saying "thank you" to many of you who have already opened up with suggestions and encouragement, I felt compelled to share this information with you. Back in July, this year, we had a horrific shooting (Baton Rouge, LA, USA) here that left three of our law enforcement professionals dead and two, seriously wounded and still recovering. I said that to say this. Using my new blades which I described above, I made a plaque for one of the wounded Deputies (the other one remains unconscious). This coming Thursday, I am going to his home and gifting him the plaque I made for him, as a surprise. This is said plaque.

Thanks to all for the replies!! I take my health seriously, so I'm masking up!!

I'm brand-new to scrolling, well, I'm brand-new to doing anything with wood, aside from burning it in our fireplace. So, I'm going to ask a newbie question, albeit a serious one to me. Does anyone here wear any type of breathing protection, when they work with wood? For the sake of clarity, here are a couple of facts to work with. • I do not have any respiratory issues • the projects I'm concentrating on right now require me to cut (table saw and scroll saw) and sand 3/4" medium density MDF • I have a well-ventilated 30x40 workshop So, what's the reason for my line of questioning? As most of you are more than aware, there is plenty of sawdust flying around my shop. Do I need to be concerned with it? Thanks!!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply! Heppnerguy, when I purchased my scroll saw, I kind of went in blind. By "kind of" I mean that a retired police detective, from Odessa, Texas showed me his saw and he loves it. So, I, too, purchased the Delta model 40-694, 20" scroll saw. Just as an added note, I started out using Delta blades, then quickly migrated to Olson's. My buddy from Texas enlightened me to a site called Mike's Flying Dutchman which looks promising for blades. Hi Wombatie! And thanks for the welcome! I must agree with you on the only stupid question being the unasked ones as well. I used to tell the police officers that I trained, that very thing. If you don't know something, don't pretend you do, and get yourself and someone else hurt. ASK. Believe me, I'm beyond being embarrassed about asking "stupid questions" as I'm full of them! Thank you for the reinforcement. Thanks Kevin, I agree!! Hello Lawson. I see you're from S. Tennessee. I hope y'all are safe from those fires that virtually destroyed one of my favorite places (Gatlinburg). Thank you for the welcome and the compliment. Thanks Steve! I hope so. I also see where this hobby can be downright addicting as well!! Looking forward to learning as much as I can. Thank you Dave!

Hello everyone. Well, I appreciate this introductory section, as it gives me the opportunity to see that I'm not the only newbie onboard. As stated, I'm brand new to the hobby, having purchased my very first scroll saw this past October. I live out in the country now, not too terribly far from the city in which I worked, as a police officer for thirty-one years. After retiring, I wanted to do something and I felt like I wanted to do something creative, with my hands and the proper tools. I visited a local craft show, whereas I saw a glossy, board mounted photo (city skyline) and for some reason that sort of stuck with me. The more I thought about it, the more refined I got in my idea as to what I could do. As such, I completed my very first project on my new scroll saw today. It's not intricate. In fact, I suspect a lot of the intermediate and advanced guys and ladies would consider it pretty easy. Well, that's what I was shooting for, to start. I thought I'd share my first effort with you folks. Hope you don't mind. It's my "retirement badge."