FrankEV

I was going to do a nautical scene next, but my Grandson and his lady are comming down from NY to visit us in Early December with Ryder, my new Great-Grandson. I decided to make the last one that I have with a clip for them to use in Ryders room. Elephants are everywhere in his room, so the subject was a no brainer. I found this cute free clip-art image that fit the space nicely with minimum adjustments needed. Went again with the 3 1/4"wx 4"h cut panels, but used Birch Solid Core ply. However, this time I chose to finish it with Gloss Black Laquer with the Translucent light purple Acrylic defusers. I have pretty much got all the bugs out of the process of making these shades. These shades can be cut and assembled in about 5 hours of which a good part is the Titebond glue-up dry time. The small panel size - which to me feels strange to work on - dictates the scene can not be too intricate, therefore the stacked side panels take less than an hour to cut. It took me longer to make the pattern this morning than to cut it. I'll post it in Pattern Exchange. I plan to oder some more of the kits, but I'll take a break from making more right away, so I won't be bugging you with more Shade posts for a while. Comments and Critiques always welcome.

Wonderful. I played the Trumpet all through Junior High and High School. Louis Armstrong and Harry James were my idols.

Very nice pn both the pattern and cutting. Yes, I can see where those long bridges would be difficult to cut. I'm sure the handler will love it and display it with pride.

OK, Things worked this time. A Steve Good pattern that I reduced down to 3 1/2" w x 4" h. The two side were an easly stack cut using Pegas #2/0 spiral blades. All 5/32" Maple solid core ply from my cut-offs pile. I like the slightly smaller overall width. I feel it just looks nicer. By mitering all the pieces and using tape, so they can be folded up together, the joints glued up nicely using Titebond III. I was able to include with the cut panel pattern, a pattern for the base with the necessary cut out to suit the clip for the night light attachment. The pattern is already posted in Pattern Exchange No paint this time, just multiple coats of clear Gloss Lacquer before gluig in the clip and translucent acrylic sheets with AC Glue. These close up pics make the vertical joint and the surfaces look bad, but in real life, they do not look bad at all, especially when viewed from more than just a few inches. Unlit Lit Bottom Inside As always, Comments and Critiques welcome. I have one more light with a clip. Thinking a nautical scene would be appropriate for that one.

OK, I think I may have a solution....on paper anyway. I've posted another pattern in Pattern exchange of a Mushroomfairy (a S. Good Pattern) that I mde into a shade for another NiteLight. Along with the cut panel patern I've shown a plan of the bottom as well. Also, the mitering needed so it can be assembled with tape like making a box. I have not cut it yet but I will start later today. Just thoght those who may be following might want to look at the new try.

Exactly what I did. While you are trying to fit the bottom piece in the corner joint opens up. One joint at a time just did not work for me. Just thinking of what you said, maybe if you lay the three pieces flat on the bench with the tape attached for each joint, like you do for a box, after applying the clue you should be able to fold up the three pieces into the open shape and the tape should hold all the joints in place. I realy should have thought of that when I did mine.

Well done and cute!

I have spent the last couple of weeks making this 14” x 11” Framed Art Panel while I documented nearly every step along the way in photos. I have also spent many hours writing a detailed description of each step to accompany the photos. This work resulted in a 28-page Tutorial I produced and will provide, in PDF format, in a separate post you will find in the Learning Center, Works In Progress & Tutorials, for anyone who may be interested. The Tutorial is a step-by-step documentation of how I go about creating a piece of Scroll Saw Art MY WAY from concept to completion. It includes nine major steps: 1 - Concept, 2 - Creating the Scroll Saw Pattern in Inkscape, 3 – Choosing and preparing the panels, 4 - Scrolling the Cut Panel, 5- Adding Color, 6 – Art Panel assembly, 7 - Adding Logo, 8 - Finishing the Panel, and 9 - Making the Frame. If you want to know more about this project and/or are interested in MY WAY of doing this kind of project, please download the PDF titled: Art by Sam Savitt Interpreted in Wood with a Scroll Saw - A step-by-step Informational Tutorial by FrankEV. (pdf file name is: A step by step Tutorial by FrankEV.pdf) I will aslo post the pattern in Pattern Exchange

I thought about a top panel as well. I'm not convinsed yet that it is needed. A bottom panel would not be needed if there was another way to connect the clip to the shade. Most of the shades, like the holiday kind, are just in front of the light. I tried rubber bands, but there was not enough rigidness for the bands to work against. Just collasped the assembley when I tried.

This project is my own design, and this finished product was an experiment. I was asked if I could make a small plug in Nite Light with a Dragonfly Shade. I told the lady that I thought I could, and she should get back to me after she returns home up north, and I would show her what I come up with. The panels are 4” square. The Dragonfly Image is from a bundle of Dragonfly SVG files I purchased from Etsy. I added some cattails for background and positioned the image in a surrounding, 1/4" wide, perimeter border. The panels were stack cut face to face out of 5/32” solid core Maple Ply from my, ever growing, pile of cut offs. I mitered one edge of each panel where they will be joined together to form a 90-degree open shade. I cut a triangular piece of the same 5/32” thick material to act as a base for the bottom of the shade. Glue up was a catastrophe. When I do more of these, which I plan to do, I will need to make a jig to hold the panels while being glued along the one mitered edge. And, also, to hold it while gluing in the triangular piece for the bottom. For this one, I wound up using AC glue because there was no way to clamp the parts together. After it was finally assembled, it looked OK and I should have just applied a clear coat to finish it, but I decided I wanted it to be darker, so I decided to Air Brush it a darker color. The first coat I applied looked horrible, so I did a second coat that made it a darker muddy Brown. Now it was too dark so, I added a light purple color just to the Dragonfly. Admittedly not well done, and it needed touch up that I did not do well, as is very noticeable in the photos. OK, after finally applying a Clear Gloss Acrylic protective coating, I glued in, the Orange plastic which I had previously applied a velum sheet to the inside to make translucent. The Nite Light itself is a product from Florida Shells and Gifts.com but I originally ordered them on Esty. They don’t appear on the Florida Shells and Gifts website. However, you can find them by searching Esty for: 3 Pack: Night Light Base Set - Standard On/Off Switch - complete with Bulb and Mounting Clip - DIY Night Light Parts. They are also available as a Single or 6 Pack. They each come with a clip that you can use to attach something (like the shells they sell) to act as a shade. I first tried to cut the shape of the clip out of the bottom triangular piece, but it had no give, so it would not slip on and when I opened it up just a little it became too loose to hold the shade in place. So, I opened the cutout area more, I created a slot for the clip, and then secured the clip to the wood with AC Glue. All in all, when viewed from a distance during the day when unlit, it looks OK. When it is in a dark room, and it is lit, it looks great! The cutting took less than an hour. The assembly and finishing took much longer than I will admit to. Unlit Lit Inside upside down showing the glued in clip Comments and critiques are not just wecomed, I really need to hear them. I’ll post just the Pattern of the Dragonfly panel in Pattern Exchange. However, if you decide to try and make one, you are on your own after that.

Very nice. Wondering, are you keeping it or planning to sell? If planning to sell I would like to ask what price will you ask, but don't realy expect you to answer. However, if you dont mind, will you be able to price it at an amount you will at least get you material investment back?

This forum is called "Bragging Rights". So if you post here, automacticaly you are brsgging. However, realy not the point. It is the feed back by your piers that tell you if it really is a Brag or not. Like others have said don't be so hard on yourself. And, like othdrs, I think they are cute and well done. If you like what you do then don't hesitate to post with a positive attitude. You will know quick enough if it is good or not. I, for one, will not hesitate to criticize a post if I feel something is not correct or poorly done. So let us be the judge.

Syd, All look great. This was one of the earliest pieces I made when I first started to do Scrolling. It sits prodly on display by my desk!

Thanks. I considered it, but my ego got the better of me. Didn't, and don't, want to dimiss the myth that I'm nearly perfect and I never make the big bad mistakes, and I always do everything worth bragging about. That is far from the truth and my post was condescension enough. I don't often make too many cutting mistakes but I freuently do make the big type mistakes and many of my cuttings wind up in the fire tinder pile well before, or even during, colorization and finishing. If I'm not happy with how it looks, then nobody else gets a chance to see it, usually not even my better half. I believe most out there can relate. However, in the case of the Whale Tail, the better half did see it and she was the one who convinced me to start over from scratch. When she says it is bad, It is really BAD. I'm sure you get the picture

Thanks, but you might want to read my post in General Scroll Sawing re: Lesson’s Learned (Just an FYI).

All the very nice comments that I received to my post in Bragging Rights re: ‘Whale of a Christmas Gift’ were based on the final work I showed in my post. However, that is not quite the whole story. My first conversion of the Whale Tail Image I found was not done correctly. Simply adding bridges to a line type image, I created in Inkscape using the Trace Bitmap command, may produce a scrollable pattern but doesn’t always result in a visually correct pattern. My foreground and background were kind of reversed and after a long tedious cut and an attempt at adding color, the panel was a disaster. The White of the Whale flukes were in the background and the Black was on top. The White was almost invisible and visually, the cutting just did not work. In addition to the cutting being visually wrong, I attempted to add color to the ocean on the foreground cut panel. Well, I’ve always admitted that, although I add color to my work, I’m not an artist when it comes to creating an image by painting. I just could not make the ocean water look like ocean water. So, I finally cried Unkle and decided to start over. I revisited the pattern and reworked the image, keeping the same general line work I started with, but changed the pattern to make the Whale area background all Black and the White of the Flukes and Body, on the foreground cut panel. This resulted in a scroll saw pattern that produced a “typical scrolled dark and light’ image that was visually appealing, and that I was able to add my colorization efforts to. Well, I wasted a Maple plywood panel I use, maybe 15 to 20 hours of cutting time, quite a bit of Air Brush Paint and a lot of paint application and dry time, but I’m very glad I came to my senses and redid the panel. And, although I feel my scrolling abilities are fairly decent, I’m still learning to use Inkscape and the ‘Art’ of creating well designed, visually correct, scroll saw patterns. So, this project was not a complete waste as it resulted in some valuable ‘Lesson’s Learned’. Sorry no pics of panel....fire pit tinder.

I was asked by a client, who had recently purchased two other pieces from me, to make a Breeching Whale cutting to give to her daughter for Christmas who is a ‘Save-The-Whales’ advocate. I found the popular Humpback Whale Image, converted it into an 11” x 17” scroll saw pattern and sent it to the client for approval. Her reply was that what she wanted was an image of a Whale Tail and, in her reply, sent me a photo image of what she was looking for. Although the photo was not appropriate to make a Scroll Saw Pattern from, I was able to find a similar image which I, once again, converted into an 11” x 14” scroll saw pattern and sent it to her for approval. In the text to her (with tongue-in-cheek and an emoji) I said, “If you like I could make the pair!”. Her reply was, “I like that idea” and proceeded to drop off the deposit I require before starting the cuttings. Both cuttings were made in 5/32” thick solid core Maple Ply panels and affixed to a 1/4" thick BB Ply backers. Color was added to both the Backers and the Cut Panels with an Air Bruch using Artist Acrylic Air Brush Paints. The assembled panels were finished with multiple coats of Deft Clear Gloss Lacquer. I made my usual 1 3/4” rail frames out of Poplar and applied a High Gloss Black Lacquer finish. Comments and critiques always welcome. Edit: Patterns posted in Pattern Exchange.

It looks great. Scrolling an oval is easy if you can keep the blade slightly outside the line, then use a bench belt or disk sander to finish it to the line. I think you will find the double stick tape is not permanent. I use Titebond III. Gives you plenty of time to align the panel on the backer. I just apply the glue to the back of the cut panel with a 4" foam roller making sure to get an even thin coat so there is no squeeze out. I use my homemade press to clamp the panels together.

Ya did good!

Just a quick final update. WEN came through and shipped me a new base. Wasn't sure if I was going to install it or not but decided I might need the base to attach a vise or clamp to, to hold a long piece of work. I cut two 1 1/4" long sleeves, one for each bolt, from 1/2" steel pipe to use between the underside of the base and the bench. This worked to prevent, the 1/2" bolts I used to attach the base to the bench, from bending the britttle base and break it like I did to the original. I was able to tighten the bolts down well so it is firmly attached to the bench. It runs quite and smooth. Here are pics of the final instal: I guess you can say I'm happy with the results.

I've made night lights that are fully enclosed and use up to an equivalent 40W LED bulb without any concerns. Today's LED bulbs are very cool. If you are making a lamp shade of the same size as an existing shade, there should be no concerns at all, whatever bulb size you use.

Yes, beautiful is the only word to use for this piece. Aboslutely beautiful.

Another Cartoon character for my collection. At a recent Art Show, a gentleman asked me if I could do a special Tazmanian Devil like the one he had tattooed on his arm. Basically, it was the Loony Tune character with the Tornado at the bottom, and it had a Dumbbell in one hand and a Wrench in the other. The inference, I think, of being a “Body Mechanic”. I found a ton of images available and found this image that I modified to mimic his tattoo and sent him a copy of my pattern for his approval. He liked it and said he would think about it and get back to me, but I feel the price tag was a little above what his pocketbook could handle. I will be happy if he does, but I don’t expect him to get back to me any time soon. In the meantime, I liked the original image and decided to make it as I found it. I converted the image into an 11” x 14” Scroll Saw Pattern. The cut panel is a 5/32” solid core Maple ply affixed to a 1/4” BB Ply backer. Color was added to both the Backer and the Cut Panel, with the original image as a guide, using Artist Acrylic Air Brush Paints. I think my coloration came out well and is close to the original. The painted and assembled panel was finished with multiple coats of Clear Gloss Acrylic Coating. The frame is my standard 1 3/4” wide rails, primed and painted black. I’ll post my pattern in pattern exchange for the Cartoon maker bunch among us. As usual, I welcome comments and critiques.

When I had my shop in NC and had my big lathe, I also did a lot of turnings. After sanding, to get a really smooth final finish,a handfull of shavings was the choice prior to applying any kind of finish. For a very fine, hard and smooth finish I often used thin AC glue. Had to work fast but worked great. when I had my sho

As I said earlier, if you stain or ,paint your wood Poly or Lacquer are the best choices. It sound like you may have a spray booth and spray equipment. If you do, buying either Poly or Lacquer in bulk is going to be much cheaper. Either, purchased in rattle cans is also an option but tends to get pricy if you use a large quantity. I highly suggest you give a clear gloss or satin Lacquer a try. It will give you a finish as good as Poly with a much faster dry time. With multiple coats the finish get smoother and no, or very little sanding, required. I also find it brings out the beauty of the wood better than Poly. The Laquer oder is strong, as is Poly, while spraying, but diapates quickly. Lacquer area overspray is dust, Poly is sticky. Spray Lacquer gets into small crevices and onto the vertical cut surfaces better than Poly also. The dip process you used with the oil is better at getting all surfaces coated than spraying so you need to take care not to spray either Poly or Lacquer too heavy a coat or you will get puddling and runs. I have also experienced blushing with both if I apply too heavy a coating. A follow up coat of Lacquer will eliminate the Blushing as a follow up coat of Lacquer melts the previous coat, but a subsequent coat of Poly will not.