FrankEV

Outstanding job. It will be a chereshed rememberance that will not fade like pictures do. Loose block font are a SPITA to do and glue up. You did a great job on cutting and mountin them.

I did think of adding color, but just did not have the confidence it would work in this case. I wanted in the worse way to at least add color to the eye, but the eye area cutting was just not difinative enough.

I purchased this vector file from Etsy of a cartoon Cockerel by LaserDesignBel. I did not know what a Cockerel was but, after looking it up on Google, I found the it is a British English name for a young Rooster. I though the image was something different and looked like a fun piece to make. I found a number of colored images of a Cartoon version of a Cockerel that I use as an aid to adding the color. Cutting was quite easy even though the pattern was designed for Laser cutting, I used Pegas #2/0 spiral blades throughout. I sized the pattern to fit on an 11” x 17” backer. I cut the image in 5/32” solid core Walnut ply that I enhanced the Walnut color with Minwax Dark Walnut Stain. The cut panel is affixed to a hand painted 1/4” BB Ply Backer using Acrylic Art Paints after which the panel was finished with multiple coats of Clear Gloss Spray Lacquer. The panel is mounted in my usual simple 1 3/4” wide Poplar Frame that was stained with Minwax Aged Oak and finished with two coats of Minwax Satin Wipe-On Poly. After you stop laughing you are welcome to critique my work.

I purchased this vector file from Etsy of a Horse by DuglyGraphics. I had looked at this image for a long time and finally decided to cut it. The image was a little different and is intended for laser cutting, making it a little challenging to cut with a scroll saw. I’m kind of thinking the Image that was used on Etsy was a photo rendering as the final cut image does not quite look the same or, IMO, as nice as what was advertised. Here is the image that was shown on-line: I sized the pattern to fit on an 11” x 15” backer. I cut the image in 5/32” solid core ply that I painted Black. The cut panel is affixed to a 1/4” BB Ply Backer left natural. The panel was finished with multiple coats of Clear Gloss Spray Lacquer. The panel is mounted in my usual simple 1 3/4” wide Poplar Frame that was stained with Minwax Ebony and finished with two coats of Minwax Satin Wipe-On Poly. Now the Photo of my cut: Critique is always welcome and appreciated.

I totally agree. However, 1/8" thk solid Red Oak is not available locally and 1/4" backers would have made it too heavy and they were being painted. Since I was lining it with felt, I did not feel the cost and effort to order solid 1/8" on-line was worth it. Yes, the tray would hve looked better in solid material, but again not sure it would have been worth the price and effort in as much as I already had the Red Oak solid core ply. Thank you for the query. I will consider what materials I use more closely for any future project of this type.

Looks good. Gaurenteed to score a few points!!!

Very nice cuting. AND, the color adds a lot! I added color to a lot of the work I've done for quite a while now. I enjoy scrolling and really like it when I can add color. It can really make a so-so piece turn into a much nicer finished project. Keep it up.

I bought one of those and still haven't used it. Added a small AC unit that did not cost much more than the personal cooler, and gladI did. Now, I can work even when the temps get fairly high outside. You might take want to take a idea from new2woodwrk. Read his post above. Sectioning off a smaller area and adding an AC unit is much more practicle and not a very expensive ordeal.

Seems like you did a nice job on the cutting. Hard to see detail in the pic. Need to get closer and frame the picture as a landscape. Wondering why you chose a dark cut panel on a light backer? My brain has trouble seeing the image.

I moved to Florida and bought a home on a very small piece of property so I don't have to do much house and yard maintenance. Like Les (rockytime), I have a yard service and I only have to deal with some of my potted plants and keeping the weeds from growing between the pavers in my walk and patio. I can still manage to spray a little bit of Roundup every once in a while. I also have a small AC unit and a small heater for my very small shop, so, like some others, I could scroll 24-7-365 but don't. I do it when I want, usually 2-4 hours in early mornings when it does not interfere with my afternoon nap time.

The box walls were 1/4" solid Red Oak with an applied backer. Only the top and the horizontal bottom piece was 3/4". The bottom piece I planed down to 1/2" thick and the top I rabbeted the bottom side so It appears to be 1/2" thick. The scroll work was squite easy. Ordered hinges. Should be here this week. Thanks

You are correct, see below. wichman's example is not quite what I was refering to, but as a plaque it is a "Negative" Image within a "Positive" image that is acting as the background.. I should have include the following examples of what I was refering to in my original post. My recent Bragging Rights post "Alucard...: is a good example of what I call a "Negative" Image. The wood removed from the cut panel revealed the Image and the cut panel itself creates the background . It is important to note that the images has many gaps/bridges in the image perimeter and the image is made up of many small cut out areas. An earliier post, my "Chinese Dragon" is a good example of a what I call a "Positive" Image. The Removal of the surounding wood reveals the image and the backer becomes the background. In this cutting the entire perimeter of the image is continuous and even if not mounted on a backer the image would be recognizable. Going way back, my piece called "Pretty Kitty - Jaguar" is and example of what I see as are somewhat the combination of both. Although the image is actually a "Positive" image, because there are many gaps in the "Image" perimeter itself, it needs the eye to see the image as a continuous subject like a "Negative" image does. Hope this clears up my original post, especially for octoolguy!!!

I agree with Dick (heppnerguy), very nice cutting. Great job using spiral blades. Spriral are pretty much all I use. The largest spirial I would have used would have been an #0 or #1. I don't even own anything larger. I like the detail you can achieve with small blades...especially the sharp pointy peaks and valleys.

First let me provide "my" definetion or these terms. In scroll saw fret work we cut away areas in a wood panel to expose a recognizable image to the human eye/brain. In some patterns we cut away the wood around the image - with or without an inclusive cut frame - where the cut panel is a "positive" image (my definition) and the background is just that, a background. The image is a projection above the backer. In other patterns the wood that is cut away creates the image, where the cut panel is a "negative':, again my definition, with the backer providing a contrasting color that produces what the human sees as an image. In this type of cutting the image is only perceived and alwasy has a lot of gaps that are filled in by the brain to form the image. BTW, there is also another version where both positive and negative is done on the same piece...I've don a few like that. I'm hope my definitions are making sense and y'all understand the difference I'm describing. There are no real Q&A here. Maybe just a little discussion, comments, opinions, likes, dislikes about these different methods of image creation. Or maybe a better discusion is, which kind of "positive" of "negative" image creation is found to be more appealing to those who view, and/or comment on our. work? I'm not really considering Plaques or multiple layer pieces for this discussion altough there may be some revelance there also. In this virtual meeting of the membership the floor is hereby open for discussion.

Great job, but especially great wisker cutting!!

Wonderful plaque. He will be blown away...gauarenteed. Nice clean cutting of the font.

I don't! My single 28 year old grandson who lives on LI in NY has just purchased his first home. He is fixing it up, but things like wall art is not one of his priorities at this time. And, although he is 28 and an IT Tech for a large Senior Health Care facility, he still loves computer gaming, and likes watching odd entertainment like Adult Anime Animation. From what my daughter tells me, one of his favorites is called Castlevania...I've never heard of it, but found a lot about it on-line. I decided I would make him a house warming portrait piece as a present for him to hang on his wall. I found this image of a Castlevania character, Alucard, which I converted into a 11” x 15” scrollable pattern. Cut in 5/32” Maple solid core ply with Pegas #2/0 spiral blades and attached to a simple black painted 1/4” BB Ply backer. The panel was finished with multiple coats of clear gloss Lacquer. Cutting was a little chalenging as there are a lot of long unsupported thin pieces. The panel is mounted loose in a custom frame made from 1 3/4” wide Poplar, stained with multiple coats of Minwax Ebony and finished with two coats of Minwax Satin Wipe-on Poly. I think the Dark Ebony stain color affords a nice rich contrast to the portrait rather then just being painted black. Mailing it to him this comming week. Critique of my work is always welcome.

Lots of very clear crisp sharp points...very nicely done!

You only go clockwise if you live south of the equator!

I only finished the Red Oak with the clear Lacquer. The color is not very deep, but I is much richer looking in person than what is seen in the photo's. Often when I use Red Oak for my Frames, I will deepen the color with Red Oak stain. That improves the contrast between Frame and portrait, but in this case I prefered to just maintain the natural wood color. Thank you for your comments. Much appreciated.

Very nicely done, both cutting and Frame...nice tight miters. Your friend will be thrilled. Glad to see you are back. For us not in the know, your absence was dully noted. And, I see, back to you old tricks of using phrases somewhat like, but not the same as, we use over here across the pond. You said: "not perfect by a long chalk". We would say "long shot". To me Chalk is something you write on a blackboard with.

Yes it is Woodsmith pattern, but in my computer file of patterns I had not labled it so I did not know where I had gotten it from. And I had not donloaded the construction details, so other than the scroll patterns I had nothing else to go on. The Woodmith build was a lot more complecated than what I did. Your better half could have this one for the right price...I would ship .

LOts of good avice above, but lets talk a little differently. I really can not speak directly to skip tooth blades as I don't use them. I very rarely use blades larger than #1, I use very samall Pegas MGT R and Pegas sprials to do more tha 99% of the cutting I do. If you are using a 2/0 blade to do very intricate fretwork and having difficulty tracking the line, I suspect you are probably pushing too hard and have the saw speed is up too high. Proper tension is important, but yolu must let the blade do the cutting. I do not like to spin the work piece to turn a corner when Im using a small blade so I tend to use what I call the double cut method. Fully enter the corner, back out and cut a new cut over to the corner on the oppisite line leaving a small cut out that the piece can be rotated around the stopped blade to continue on the new path. Rotating a work piece around the blade while cutting always leaves a rounded corner/intersection, rather than a very sharp point, especially when the corner is supposed to be very sharp. I'd rather double cut than bugger up a corner or sharp point rying to rotate the piece while cutting. Oh, just one other thing, you must look at the blade and line you are cutting and not look where you do not want go...if you do the blade will goi there...trust me, I know. Now lets talk a little about tracking along the line. When I'm able to, in Inkscape, I make the line width just about visible in RED at .005 inches and try to use a very light Grey fill. Since I use a very thin line, I do not attemp to split the line, but rather keep the blade tracking as true as possible tight along the waste side of the line. If I lose some control, I attempt to do so on the waste side so I can shave back to the line or even sand it smooth with my dremel burrs later if necessary. Also, as you are well aware, in many intricate patterns adjacent cut lines may be very close together. Using a thin line allow me to move the blade to the other side of the line to provide a little bit more space between parellel cuts. Since the cut line is so thin this variation on which side of the line I cut is not even visible when all said an done. I do not find the wood thickness to be of concern when using small blades. However, the thicker the wood the slower the piece must be pushed. Again the blade must do the cutting and it can't be rushed. Unless I'm cutting something like block font or long straight or smooth curved lines I have personally gone to using spiral blades for cutting fretwork. No rotating the work piece and much better line tracking once you master using spirals, That being said I stll use the same method of tracking the blade along the cut line as I described above. For most fretwork I do, the pattern cuts are very forgiving if there is minor deviations in tracking the cut line. HTH

You got to work with what you have. My lady chose the color of the backers and the red felt went perfectly with it. If I had just used a contrasting wood backer, a Royal Blue would be an excelent choice, but I wasn't about to go out an buy different felt when I had the red already. Thanks for taking the time to offer a thoughtful suggestion.

I would love to use more exotic wood, but I can't justify the material cost as I can't gaurentee I will be able to sell it. As is, the cost of Red Oak is outragous, but the only decent hardwood readily available at Lowes. I wasn't even sure about this project as the scroll work was not that spectacular. It was only after stack cutting the box walls and base did I decide to actually complete the project. It was more just need to do something different project to keep control over the duldrums from doing the same work all the time. All that being said, I'm seriously considering making a fretwork clock like others are doing. If I do, along with spending for a quality movement, I will definately spend to get nice wood. However, it will probably not be a for sale project as my lady will want to keep for ourselves, so cost is not a consern .