TAIrving

I found some Spectraply panels at Cousineau Wood Products.

Thank you Charlie for the quote, that touched me. Beautiful work on the Bird on a Faucet.

I recommend that you check out the intarsia section of this forum. What you are doing is a form of intarsia. You might also look into the “Just Intarsia” Facebook group or “Intarsia.com”. You will find lots of discussion about sanding and shaping including tools and techniques. Spoiler alert- sanding takes a lot of practice and a lot of work. But when you get it right, it is worth every bit of it.

After I cut the first side, I use blue painter's tape on that side to hold the pieces in place while I cut the second side.

Your warning is already too late for me!

Nice Bob! I seem to be doing a lot of compound cutting myself as of late. I might have to try the miniature birdhouses, they look like fun.

Frank, Interesting picture and very well executed. I like your choice of woods and see no gaps anywhere. One minor comment: I think it would look better with a line in the background, beside the boar, where the boat sits in the water, to emphasize that the upper boat is sitting on the water and the lower boat is the reflection. I am enjoying following your intarsia projects. I too am just dipping my toes into intarsia and planning to do more.

Thank you @BadBob and @barb.j.enders.

@barb.j.enders. Repeating what RD said. I looked in Steve Good's pattern catalog and did not find it, would appreciate some help here.

Very nice, schnauzer and frame.

Excellent job on the golden retriever and on the frame.

Merry Christmas to all my Scrollsaw friends.

I use a small 5" x 5" laser engraver. I have designed my own logo. I can adjust the size of the logo to fit the item I am engraving. I can adjust the intensity of the burn for different types of wood. And I never have to worry about it burning darker on one side than the other. All this for just a little bit more than the price of a branding iron.

I use the Trend Air Stealth Lite mask Amazon.com: Trend Air Stealth Lite Pro Respirator Dust Mask, Reusable Lightweight Frame & Replaceable Mask Filter, APF20, NIOSH Approved, STE/LP/ML : Tools & Home Improvement. It is easy to use and effective (I think). I want my lungs to be in tip-top shape when flu or Covid come to visit.

Thanks Jeff, I needed a good laugh to start my day.

Thanks @MarieC. I used Bloodwood, Black Walnut and Myrtle. The Myrtle I am not sure about but the friend who gave it to me called it that and said it came from the Pacific NW. His son is a woodworker who lives in Oregon and that is where it came from. I was not overly happy with the natural colors and enhanced them all. I used a red dye on the Bloodwood to make it a little redder. And I ebonized the Walnut to make it a little blacker. I bleached the Myrtle for the beard and trim pieces to make it whiter. And I used a very light coat of brown dye on Myrtle for the nose. So the purists can complain that it is not real intarsia, but I am happy with the end effect.

Will also post in the Intarsia forum.

Great job Paul @grampa! September 5th is my anniversary also, we celebrated our 58th this year. We were married on Labor Day that year and her parents declared "no more weddings on public holidays!" Which had meaning for them as my lovely lady is the 2nd of 9 and they were looking at 7 more weddings to come. Fast forward to 2024: The other 7 all got married off, the in-laws are now resting peacefully and I have 27 nieces and nephews, plenty of grand N&Ns and a few greats. Wishing as much joy and happiness for Richard and Amy. Apologies for babbling but seeing the date got me started.

I tried them. Still have them somewhere, haven't used them much or recently. I bought some and made some, not delighted with either. Making them is not too hard. You cut thin strips of sandpaper and glue them together on an old scroll saw blade.

41F this morning, going up to 64F later today. It might get down below 40F later this week. Happy I have heating in my shop.

Denny @Denny Knappen, the description is confusing. What does "Hand Held" mean as applied to tape? Ditto "Wound in Reverse"? Is this double-sided tape?

Band saw blades drift. Scroll saw blades drift. Some brands/sizes drift more than others but they all drift. It might depend on the tension, it might be affected by how you feed the wood into the blade, maybe something else. Don't worry about it, just understand and accept that it happens. When I first started scrolling and wanted to cut a straight line, I would line up the wood and straight pattern line with the centerline of the scroll saw table and try to cut in that orientation. That did not work (because the blade drifts) and resulted in frustration. Happiness came when I stopped trying to make it cut along the centerline of the table. Now I pay no attention to the orientation of the work vs the table. I pay attention to the line the blade is cutting and feed the patten line into the blade. The blade does cut a straight line, but you have to watch to see the line it is cutting. Watch where/how it is cutting and look at the pattern line about a 1/2" or so in front of the blade; feed the pattern line into the blade. No more frustration. Cheers and happy scrolling!

Very nice work Don @Insane Dust Maker. I hope you are able to sell stuff to support your scrolling obsession. Put a coat of wax on your machines to protect them from corrosion. I like to use Johnson's Floor Wax like this SC Johnson Discontinued Paste Wax: Furniture CLEAN-SHINE-PROTECT Wood Ful1 16 oz | eBay. But it has been discontinued and people are asking insane prices for a can of it. My can is almost gone and I will have to find another wax like that. I am sure you can find something in SA for a reasonable price. Do not use anything (i.e. car wax) that has silicon in it as that will get on the wood and cause problems with finishing the wood.

This is the "Small Nativity Scene" from the Feinschnitt Best of Weihnachten (Fine Scroll Saw, Best of Christmas) pattern book. It is more than segmentation but not quite Intarsia; cut from different woods but no shaping. The pieces are not glued and fit together like a puzzle. Woods used include black walnut, maple, myrtle, yellow heart and red heart.

You can buy cutting board oil/wax mixtures in small quantities at any of the big box stores or online. The recipes Kevin and Bad Bob give are more cost effective if you plan to use larger quantities.