TAIrving

Very nice cutting Bruce. And the hybrid one is very nice also. I am a purist and appreciate the effort and attention to detail required to do a project like this on the scroll saw. When I see something like this I look for the burn marks that are a tell for lasering. They are apparent in the hybrid one on the right, and in fact make the veining stand out better. For that reason, the hybrid one actually looks better. But it brings up the question; did you actually scroll the words "Semper Fidelis" in the one on the left? It looks like it has the laser burn tell. And I am most impressed if you did that small, fine cutting on the scroll saw. Either way, great job!

My wife walked in the room while I was looking at it and is intrigued. So, one question: what size is it? And, where can I get the pattern? We have a forecasted high of 101 here for the next several days. I have a small wall-mounted AC in my shop and it is marginally adequate for this. I am looking for an upgrade to that.

Very nice bowls Pete. You can always make more but she only had the one chance to get bowls like this. We had great weather here for golf this morning.

Thanks Ray. The Wood Database says, among other things, "Not commonly imported to North America."

I tried to find some information about apitoa wood and could not find anything. It is not in the Wood Database. A web search comes up with amusing substitutions but nothing on the wood. The attempted web search makes its best guess and comes up with "Apito" which is a musical instrument and "Apitito" which is a restaurant POS system. Then when I search for "Apitoa wood" it changes it to "patio wood". I concede defeat. Which of the OHYO56 videos discuss the apitoa wood?

I am amazed and impressed (not) that someone has outdone HF at cheating cheaping it out.

I saw this on the local, Woodworkers of Houston, facebook page. It looks like a very nice shop stool but perhaps a bit pricey at $170. Adjustable Shop Stool With Casters | DEWALT. The post went on to mention a similar, if not identical, stool at Menards for $90 Masterforce® Premium Shop Stool at Menards®. I wish we had a Menards close to where I live.

Great job and I love the subject. I am currently in overload for cutting fonts and am avoiding such.

As part of my woodworking journey, I have experimented with many different woods. Tendency for dropouts, Bruce's original question, is one of the characteristics I have watched. Other characteristics include: how well they take a finish, tendency to have fuzzies, hardness, and of course, finished appearance. Along the way I have developed a sensitivity to wood dust, I get a skin rash from exposure. I have worked with walnut, pecan, hard maple, cherry, mahogany, red oak, monkeypod, paduak and mesquite, etc. I now have ready access to end pieces of mesquite, so that is my first choice for any project, but it is not appropriate for many projects. My biggest frustration was in trying to do fine fretwork using 1/4" monkeypod and my conclusion is to not try fine fretwork with 1/4" anything. My second conclusion is that monkeypod might have a slightly greater tendency for dropouts than other woods, or maybe it was just the piece of monkeypod I was using for that project. For projects where dropouts are a concern I would be more comfortable working with mahogany, hard maple, cherry and walnut. But there are many other factors to consider. Apologies for rambling but I enjoy studying wood.

What is an Alphicon pattern? Could you give us a link? An internet search was not very revealing.

I am jealous that you got a planer. One just wouldn't quite fit in my budget or my shop. So, for now, I resaw close to the desired thickness and then use the belt sander to get the panel to the desired thickness and finish. It is not as good as a planer, but good enough for what I do these days. The belt sander is loud and makes a lot of sawdust, maybe about as bad as the planer?

@Denny Knappen had an article about this in the ArtCrafters Scroll Saw Newsletter April 15, 2022 as follows: "Tip for those with the Pegas Chuck Head Sets for popular saws. The way the 2/0R MGT blades are made, they tend to break when the tension is applied. The black knob in the back is not to be used for tensioning, but it works as long as you remember to set it back. Tighten the blade in both clamps, move the knob one mark to lessen the tension and then flip the white lever slowly. No blade breakage. Remember to return the knob to the original position." I corresponded with him about this and he replied that this is what the good folks at Pegas suggested. I sometimes use the Pegas 2/0R MGT blades and I use the deflection method.

Very nice Frank! That goes up high on my Tp-Do list. Thanks for posting the pattern. As I recall from the last time I cut a tissue box cover (SG design) it came out that different brands of tissue boxes come in slightly different sizes. Fortunately, my lady is consistent about which brand she buys. I just have to make sure the box I cut fits the box she buys.

Great observation Ray. I have noticed that too. And I am one of those who checks in every day but do not always have anything to post. I am doing more in woodworking but no longer exclusively in scrolling. And life has thrown in a few curve balls. We hosted a family get-together for Easter. It was a good time and it was great to see everyone but it did take some time away from the shop. Most recently I received a request from the local St Vincent de Paul Society to make a new sign for their new building. That has included quite a bit of scrolling but has also pushed my woodworking skills in new directions. Maybe I will post something in "Works in Progress". Last week I visited my doctor about pain in my thumbs. Turns out to be arthritis and he gave me shots of cortisone in both thumbs. And he gave me thumb braces and instructions to limit my use of my hands for the next several weeks. So, scrolling is ok, but no turning bowls on the lathe and no golf. On the interesting side, an acquaintance who makes guitars decided to clean out his shop. I wound up with lots of small pieces of exotic woods, many of them new to me. I will have fun playing with those. Cheers

Does anyone recognize the type of wood @Wichman used for this project? It looks somewhat familiar. Some types of wood are more brittle than others. Doing fine fretwork with ¼” panels will emphasize this. And it may be more so if the particular panel is especially dry or has flaws. I had a similar experience and wrote about it last year – see Monkeypod - General Scroll Sawing - Scroll Saw Village. I adjusted my expectations, changed to a smaller blade and, in time, finished the project.

Very well done Bernd! I have done the square ones from the Steve Good pattern. But, as Frank said, I don't care for his joinery. And I looked on Sue Mey's site and did not see one with a hummingbird pattern. I have an open request for one with hummers.

Beautiful job Denny! I guess one would have to eat any M&Ms that slipped through and fell on the table.

My experience has been much the same as Frank's. I learned scrolling with Steve Good patterns and the like. Then I moved into increasingly complex fretwork. Along the way I have been studying and sampling many different woods and am intrigued by the qualities and differences. I have recently acquired other woodworking tools but still think of my scroll saw as special to me. I do not sell my work yet but am starting to get requests for wood projects. My current project/request is for a sign for the St Vincent de Paul building at our church. I will post pictures as I progress with it. Check out their website at SVDP USA – Providing Assistance to Those in Need for Over 175 Years (ssvpusa.org).

Thank you all for your kind comments. It was a fun project and my wife is happy with it.

My wife asked me to make a Charcuterie Tray with those extra pieces of wood I had in my shop! I am still processing the concept of "extra pieces of wood". But she humors me, so I try to humor her. I finished it in time for Easter and you can see it loaded for the Easter family get-together. So, here it is. It is approximately 18" x 24". The sides are 1/2" black walnut. The bottom is all 1/4", several species including bubinga and black walnut (the extra wood I had lying around). We finished it with Boo's Mystery Oil and Boo's Board Cream. We had a great Easter get-together. Hoping you all had a good Easter.

Thanks BArb for posting that site, it is just what I need for a project I am working on right now!

I don't use CYA glue for my woodworking projects, haven't found a need. Titebond and 3M77 seem to do everything I need. What do you use it for? I might try it for stack cutting using the technique from @CSull/Craig in another post. I am still contemplating Dan's idea of using it as a finish.

i use the techniques described by Frank and Wichman. I use the Pegas 2/0 blades and find that I have to reduce the tension because they are fragile. I have had brand new blades snap just from applying full tension.

Wow Kris, those are beautiful! Your church will be truly blessed to have those! Tell us more about the project please. Those appear to be 3 individual pieces each cut from a single panel. That is very fine cutting and looks very fragile. What wood did you use and what are you using for backers?

Joe, Beautiful cutting of a great pattern! And I really like the color of the backer. I would not have noticed the bit with the tail feathers if you had not mentioned it. We love our hummingbirds and they are starting to pass through right now, I need to get my feeders up. Their sound is more of a chirp than a tweet. Thurman