FrankEV

It is good practice to protect both exposed wood and painted wood panels with a clear coat of some kind of protectorant. I like lacquer, but others use Poly and other protectorant products. Our work is usually exposed to the enviroment and not mounted under glass. Because a wood medium, and even if painted, they are suceptable to absorption of moisture and dust and dirt can build up on surfaces. A good quality finishing protectorant prevents moisture absorbsion and makes cleaning easier. Just don't forget to coat all surfaces and not just the front.

You can't just save it as a JPG like you can for a PDF. In the drop down menue under "File" you can find the command "Export as a PNG. A PNG file is a photo file similar to a JPG. Most Photo programs can handle either file kind. If you save it as a PDF, you can convert it to a JPG for free at: PDF2JPG.net I manipulte and size my patterns in Inkscape and save them to PDF's from which I print them. I don't save patterns as a Photo files like JPG or PNG.

I'm by no means an expert, but may be able to help you out a little. The next time you want to convert a pattern from B&W to R&G let me know. Send me a PM with the pattern and we will do it together step by step. There are a few tricks I know that you may be overlooking.

First, let me start by saying I do own a Epson inkjet color printer that can print up to A3 size, but I ususally use the standard American tabloid 11" X 17" size. A number of months ago I asked the question of how to turn a B&W pattern into a Red line. The answer I received back then was "Inkscape". At that time I was not very adept at using Inkscape and it forced me to learn how to use it...and I'm still learning. It is a great program but not very intuitive to use. Any .jpg file (*) of a pattern can be converted into a .svg file using the "trace bitmap cammand" which allows the line work and background colors to be manipulated as well as line editing and much more. I change the line work to a slightly pinker red and do background infill in a light 10% grey. The contrast between the red and grey makes it even easier to so see the blade vs. line. However, the biggest trick I have found was to change the red linework thickness to a very thin line which makes following the line much easier. I find I do not have to worry about splitting the line when I cut but can work close to either side to allow me more freedom to cut those "close to each other" or "loop back" lines while working under the mag light. * If you happent to get/find a B&W .pdf file of a pattern it needs to be converted to a .jpg file that can be inserted into Inkscape. There is a FREE on-line service that will do just that called: pdf2jpg.net BTW there are new inkjet printers on the market now that use ink tanks that are refillable. I havn't priced one yet as my printer works just fine, but I do understand the price of the ink reduces the cost per sheet considerably.

In my previous post under Scrollers Q&A about preparing wood before painting, in his reply Dave Monk included a pic of his cut from this pattern by Jenevski that can be found in the SVV Patterns Library. It kind of jumped out at me, and since Eagles is my favorite subject, I just had to cut it. The cut panel is 5/32” x 11” x 14” Solid Core Birch plywood which I affixed to a 1/4” x 12” x 15” BB ply backer. Cutting was completed with a Pegas #0 spiral blade. Coloring of the backer was completed a little different for this project. I did prep the panel with a sealer and then used Krylon Spray Paint with Primer to paint the Red, Blue and Gold. I did use a lot of blue painters tape to mask off the various areas so I could paint each color. Of course, after all painting and assembly was completed I protected the panel with multiple coats of Clear Gloss Lacquer. The frame is 1 3/4” wide Poplar that I added a store bought decorative bead detail available from Lowes. After prepping the frame with a pre-stain the frame was stained with Minwax Water Based Semi Transparent Royal Pine (Blue) stain and then finished with a coating of Minwax Water Based Polycrylic Clear Satin Protective Finish.

The one I made works fairly smoothly. Te mesh of the teeth seemed to be fairly consistent. My problem was the size of the hole I made in the gears was too big (did not have the correct bit as specified) and the allignment was very sloppy. Did not think a 32th of an inch would make a big difference but it did. However, by adding some tape to the dowels I was able to center the gears and now all works fine.

Have no idea, but will send you each of the .pdf files in a PM.

Great job. Detail is amazing.

I think you should be bragging loudly. The project and cutting is fantastic.

Beautiful work. Mahogany and Maple are perfect for each other. Inlaid boxes like those will be cherished forever.

Sweeeeeet!!!!! Very nicely cut. Lots of car guys would love to hang that in their man cave, unless the guy is a car gal, then her lady cave.

Very, very well done. I don't think I could maintain my concentration long enough to follow all the straight lines.

Great job as usual.

Nice job. Will go well with the Eagle project on your to do list.

Just fantastic subject and cutting. what size is thge finished panel?.

Very well done. Adult theme yes, but yet very tasteful. Sorry, but yes, your frames could be nicer and complement you work a lot better. JFYI, I make simple flat frames, mostly from readiily available box store Poplar or Red Oak, and are 1 3/4" wide, not unlike the many better quality store bought frames from places like Hobby Lobby. Neat tight miters and tasteful staining that contrast/complement the panel makes tha overall presentation outstanding. Simple frames like I make can be made on a table saw and do not necessarilly require any other equipment, like routers. I actually use a precission hand operated miter saw to cut my miters.

Followup on my previous Guess who. Although I'm not particulary into cutting people portraits, I had found this free illustration pattern .svg of Marilyn on-line and thought I would give it a try. And , although it was stated to be a scroll saw pattern, it had many "islands" and overlapping shading. It took me a number of hours to make it cutable. The patternsize is 9" x 13" centered on a 5/32" x 12" x 16" Birch solid core plywood panel and affixed to a 1/8" x 12" x 16" BB ply backer painted black. The pattern was a relatively quick cut completed with Pegas #2/0 blade. The finished panel was protected with multiple coats of clear gloss Lacquer. The panel is set loose in a simple 1 3/4" wide Poplar custom frame that is stained with Minwax Sedona Red and protected witn clear satin spray Polyurethane. Thanks to all who replied to the previous post and reccognized her immediately just from jsut her eyes. . .

Beautiful. Very well cut for somebody who doesn't like spirals. Straight lines are very dificult with spiral blades, but as you get more practice, it becomes possible. I find it hard to get the straight line started, but once started on the correct track I can do a fairly good straight cut as long as I don't stop in the middle. Not necessarily proper technique, but I find if I err to the waste side of the line I can repair the line with a little gentle shaving with the spiral blade. Works for both long straight or curved lines.

Great job. Earlier generation Road King.

All well done. The solid bowl/vase almost looks like it was turned...very nice.

Nice font cutting!!!!

Did it take both pics?

These pics are of the back side, but have been flipped so are what they will look like when finished: Sny guesses? Don't know, scroll down. . . . . . . . . Maybe now? Yes it is a she! Be back when it's finished. . .

OK, I understand, have been experiencing that problem in my recent work that has been colored. It is very difficult to get the paint in the correct area below the cut opening, even if you trace the outline of the cut outs with a pointy pencil. I found that I needed to find a way to be able to temporarily place the cut panel repeatably in the exact position to check the coverage of paint below. A jig of some kind can be used to be able to position the panel temporarily while the painting is done. For mine I created border strips that I taped to the backer. Yes it is a time a time consuming process and can be fustrating. I found I have to rotate the piece to look at the cutout areas from all difections to make sure I have not left any visable unpainted areas. Even only 1/8" thick panel can hide unpainted areas if looked at from only one direction.

I am a HD rider, but I'm not into skulls. That being said, it is a great piece, very well cut and colored nicely. Most HD riders (i'm an exception) would l;ove to hang that piece in their man/lady biker cave. If you think that pattern was a PITA, this is the one I did for my son a number mounths ago (while I was still a real newbie):