funeralguy82

So I created a pattern of a skull wearing nerd glasses and decided to give it a try... turned out good and now awaiting stain. I also am attaching two finished monster of frankenstein projects. I need to dedicate more time to scrolling!

Thanks for all the compliments. I am looking into a card scraper set from woodcraft. I would really like to get a sand-flee but I just bought the Delta Scroll Saw! This hobby has a way of grabbing onto the wallet! I will also use the advice of using 1/4" stock for stack cuts from here-on. I was able to sand and stain one of these frankensteins... but the anxiety of breakage was a bit overwhelming! Also... is it wrong to stick with patterns that are more forgiving with staying on the line? I have noticed that scenery patterns and portraits (especially of ragged horror movie bad guys) are a lot more forgiving in the accuracy department!

I made my first attempt at stack cutting today. Frankenstein on three sheets of 1/8 inch plywood. I used painters tape and spray adhesive to plant the pattern and wrapped the whole stack with packaging tape. I should have sanded all of the boards prior to cutting because 1/8” intricate spots will be scary to sand now. Tear-out on the bottom piece was pretty bad... I used a #3 FD new spiral... I have a dozen #2 pegas spirals on order, maybe these will work better?!?!?! I included my Jason Voorhees on 1/4” oak too! Fun pattern!

In the beginning, I often sanded to the line on projects rather than cut directly on the line... risking the chance of cutting into my piece. I know this was counter-productive... but it led me to an awesome sanding discovery! I had bought one of those Bladerunner Jigsaw Tables for $90 and realized it was useless for cutting... it was just sitting there collecting dust for two years. A quick internet search led me to a German company named Neutechnik that sells a similar saw setup... along with accessories. They have a kit that comes with two t-shank adapted sanding sticks (one flat and one curved). Both “sticks” have loop and hook velcro to hold sandpaper... and the shanks themselves are made of tougher steel. I ordered the kit (I believe about $35 shipped to USA). By cutting the stock red blade clearance plate of the Bladerunner larger... the sanding sticks fit! This sander helped me salvage poorly cut projects while I learned to scroll. I still use this saw/sander to soften edges (both interior and exterior) and I want to modify a regular t-shank blade to hold sandpaper so I can reach even smaller interior edges. I will attach photos of this setup in case others want to try it!

Thanks for all the compliments and welcoming messages. My craftsman saw has treated me well... but I made the mistake of taking the scrollsaw 101 class at Woodcraft after getting familiar will the hobby. That Dewalt saw I used in class showed me that holding straight lines and cutting tight corners is MUCH EASIER without all the vibration. Now I’m ready to divorce craftsman! I love the idea of the Pegas saw with the pre-upgraded chucks... but convincing my wife to let me spend $800 is a chore I am afraid to tackle! Worst part about cheating on my craftsman with dewalt... every time I have a breakage or split in a piece... I can’t help but think... “that wouldn’t have happened if I had a better saw!”

I have spent about a year now playing with a 16 inch craftsman I got from a trade-deal at the local pawn shop. My endless research on finding a smoother saw led me to this site... I have frequented Steve Goods website for quite some time and bought his flash drive of patterns! I hope soon I can sell enough of my other toys to buy a 16 inch Excalibur... not too expensive, but a definite upgrade! Then I can submit some worthy items into bragging rights!