rafairchild2

That hot glue idea is a pretty cool idea (pun intended). But I have arthritis (and trigger fingers) in the hands and prefer a little wider grip and the ability to keep my hands flatter as I manipulate the piece. Do you put hot glue all over it or just tac it? Curious to see a photo of what you do.

OK, version 1.3 (don't ask how I am numbering) I added 180 grit sandpaper pieces to each side to minimize any sliding. I did use self-adhesive sandpaper. I also drilled a couple of 1/4" holes so I can dry fit a dowel into it. The idea is to give me another place for my fingers. I started with two and might add another two. The dowels pop right out if not needed. And I made the starter notches a little bigger. I just ordered some 4" bolts, and mulling if I need to go to 3/4" wood or not for the full v2. So far I like the design on the fly.

See my post on your other thread.

And this is why I make toys. I make them... box up a bunch... and give them away to police, fire, and hospitals to give to children in need. I just delivered 125 toys to an organization that helps kids with cancer. You can make artwork for organizations, give it away so they do fund raisers it is an item people could "bid" on.

Okay. Here is my very first compound cut using mahogany. (3 x 0.5 glued = 1.5"x1.5"). Not perfect, not bad. Made an error not doing the inside cut on the handle first so I could not get my blade through. I was videoing the process, so I skipped it. I think it took about 20 minutes to cut this piece out (both sides). Of course with my arthritis, I had trouble getting the blank into the jig. Once I get 4-inch bolts, that will eliminate that problem. I will add sandpaper to the jig before my next piece. I will also make my starter notches a little bigger, and in v2 perhaps put them every 3/4" apart. And add some removable pegs that I can use as grips and guides. I would say, you do have to plan your cuts before laying blade to blank. With things potentially shifting slightly, you can get into trouble otherwise. You can see everything cut out, and the ball side and bag side lying on the jig.

I love Sue Mey designs. You do have to look over her design pattern before cutting as there are some really delicate bridges at times, I tend to pencil in where I will make a little fillet to add strength.

The arthritis in my hands and the 'trigger finger(s)' make holding small blanks a bit more problematic, so the jig I think will help with that as I can keep my hands flatter. I am thinking of adding a few short pegs on the top for my v2 or v3 jig, this way if I do need to use my fingers I can have some little helpers too. But I like your idea of leaving a little more at the base and cutting off the remains. What wood do you like to use for your pieces?

In the case of the one I pictured above, I used a #5 Flying Dutchman Ultra reverse for the large cuts on the left and middle. A #3 for the smaller detailed work on the right, and a #7 for the perimeter. Since I was burning out blades after about 15-20 minutes, using the various sizes was helpful for me.

Being inspired by the amazing chess sets by @Dave Monk, I have decided to do my own set(s). Being that I work in an international alliance, I will do a Paris-themed chess set for my first one... Yeah, I know ambitious, but the cuts look easy and I am not one to back down from a challenge, and if I don't screw it up, I might be able to sell it to a French Officer! Then I can do an Italian-inspired set! That being said before my stock of wood blanks comes in, I am going to practice. My first order of business was to create a jig to hold my blanks securely. This is version 1, and I am already planning on v2. I used 3.5" 1/4-20 bolts ... I need to go to 4" to give me a bit more leeway with the spring tensioning and larger blanks if I want. I am also thinking of making the holes for starting inside cuts a bit bigger, and also using self-adhesive 180-grit sandpaper on the inside of the jig to give a better hold on the blank, thus reducing pressure. With the springs my idea is to simulate the pressure of the hand, but still have fine pressure adjustment. I have to consider the physics during the cut, as I need to maintain a steady pressure to hold, but not so much that the kerf gets pinched thus binding the blade during the cut. The other part of the spring tensioning is so I do not have to keep adjusting the hand nut as I cut. I glued up some 'scrap' wood to create some 1.5"x1.5" blanks to practice with. So I will start with the golfball/clubs, Jesus/Mary-Joseph, then do the ballerina/swan compound cuts. I most likely will add to this thread as I move through this process, make a v2 of the jig and make a boatload of mistakes!

Hickory has a Janka of ~1820, this is the same as Yellow Heart. If you are cutting 3/4 inch thick it is doable, but you'll be slow going and burning through blades. If you are doing 1/8 - 1/4 you'll have less surface friction so it won't be too bad. Blades won't last as long as say basswood or soft maple, but you should be fine. ETA: Purpleheart is 2520, bloodwood is 2900. I did a 1/2 inch (heart) piece in BW, and although I went through a lot of blades I did not have issues. Hickory at 1/2" or less will be easy.

I would have been wee-ing my pants doing those bridges!

Looks like a great source Jim, it's a 6-hour drive for me from VA Beach. I like that they have 1.5*1.5 turning stock. I am planning on doing some compound-cut chess set pieces and some other small compound-cut Christmas items of this size, so this might be a nice lazy mans way of having some stock. I just need to count the cost, vs me ripping the wood myself to size.

One of my favorite Sue Mey designs for Christmas. I usually stack cut two 1/2-inch pieces, then make a base with a Forstner hole in the back to hold an LED tea light. I use a #3 Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse for most of the work, #5 for the perimeter in one long cut. I shrunk mine down to about 11" in height though. I prefer canary wood or mahogany. PS: I used to work as an X-ray serviceman, and I remember having a ton of old X-ray light boxes, we used the glass for so many things too!

Oh for sure... No bloodwood or purple heart for me! Trying to keep a sub-1500 Janka on any wood I select. Preferably nearer to 1000. Zebra wood is pushing it at 1800. So walnut and Aspen are the better choices.

Well, that helps for sure. I have a bit of 3/4. Gluing was my last thought. I was looking at 2x2 turning wood, and some 1 5/8, but man that stuff is expensive. This is what was throwing me off. Now that you said 3/4 glued, I am thinking of maple vs walnut. Or fancy with Zebrawood or canary wood vs Walnut. Now to see what is in my pile. I think that gets me under $20. One more question, how tall is your tallest piece on a traditional set? Thanks

Dave. I am looking at trying my hand at compound cutting a chess set. What is the thickness of the wood you are using? Also, just for the pieces themselves what would you say your cost of wood would be? I don't have a planer, so I have to be close on the thickness.

So So true! Allen... I am very slow and deliberate. I make sure I split my lines when I cut them so I can cut various species of wood and they all fit together as if I cut it from a single piece. You will see videos of some folk who scroll FAST... But when I look at their lines they are not good at all to my eye. I always say "Practice does NOT make perfect... PERFECT practice makes perfect. Be slow, be deliberate, and enjoy the process. In regards to blades. My Go-to is the #5 Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse. I like the way the cuts finish, very smooth and no need to sand. Pegas blades I will use for simple cuts of my toy cars as I have to mop sand the edges after I profile them with the router. Pegas is VERY aggressive but lasts longer than the FD blades. Check out my YT channel, I do live from the workshop every Sunday at 10 ET. Usually, I am talking through the cuts so you will hear about what and why I am doing a particular cut. I have some other 'help' type videos too.

This is still a work in progress as it was the project I was working on today for my Live from Poppy's Workshop YT video. This is a stack cut with two, quarter-inch canary wood pieces. Total cutting time was a hair over two hours. I am thinking I will glue front and back pieces at the bottom of each piece. If I can laser the outline I might try to add some words as in the title of this post. This will give me a good strong connection point to the base which will be 1/2 or 3/4" canary wood, I will make it deeper in the back so I can add a Forstner 'cup' for a tea light.

Cheeky

Not here in VA Beach VA for the most part. I am 4 miles from the Chesapeake Bay and about 10 from the Atlantic, 6 feet above sea level. I am surrounded by water coming in from the bay lots of tidal marches and tributaries. Very high water table. I am on a crawlspace/slab. A few older homes have basements, but not many unless they are on a hill. I use my garage as a shop. Below is how I hooked up my "Top Vac". It plugs into my wall dust handling system with a 2.5" pipe. Collects 95% of the dus, I split it so the bottom vac gets the rest. This shot was just before I repositioned the Pegas to where the Excal is in the photo.

I have a box with some Welsh Love Spoon blanks, when I cut toy cars, there is a bit of waste wood, so I place a spoon pattern in those areas. I drill and cut them out for later use. I also have a few small toy cars, I became concerned about the small parts and being a choking hazard. I also have two airplanes, I am just trying to figure out the best way to mount the wings so they are strong. I also have five - 5 layer pieces of a farm scene. I cut them out earlier this year. But I need to hand-paint each layer and then glue them up. I had my eye injury around the time I was completing cutting them out, but could not finish. Maybe this fall/winter I will. But the biggest one is an Intarsia piece I had all cut out and was shaping the pieces, still need to shape more then glue up and finish. JGR Seaside Serenity... the one with the beach chair and sunset. I stopped mainly because, on FB scrollsaw groups, I was seeing everyone and their sister doing one. So many bought it and were producing them. I have it on a shelf covered with a cloth. Kind of an ego thing I guess. I need to get into designing patterns for myself. I do a few simple ones but need to step up my game..

Lightly used???!!!!! Look at the deck. I don't know if that is worn or some kind of stain on the left side, but that is not lightly used. The bolts in the top of the base also look rusted. The leg has surface rust too. The tool to the left in the 3rd photo looks like it has not been taken care of, so that might be indicative of the care this saw received. Clean your tools before selling!!! Why are people so lazy? This costs sales/$$$$. That being said. RBIs are tanks, this one is shown running, I didn't hear anything too weird in my earbuds, a little metallic changing sound that was light. It's been listed for a week. He might be getting desperate to sell. Offer $200 and see if he bites. But I would not pay $300 being that it looks like it was not treated as I would treat my tools.

This is the one I use. It has 3 Vettes of different years and a transporter. Corvette Trio & Transport (toymakingplans.com)

So as I finish up the 125 toy project (Never Again), I am still working on some toys for the older kids. So I broke out my laser so I could lay down the playing pattern and instructions. I did the layouts in Lightburn after work yesterday, and then after dinner, I started burning the games. This AM, I cut everything out on my scroll saw, used my new router, and also drill holes. Mop sanded and hand sanded, then finished with the beeswax and coconut oil. Used a variation of large axle pegs, small cribbage pegs, and marbles to give variety.

There's something really fishy about that piece... I bet you have some whale of a story though.