When you have a big task in front of you people tend to say "You've got your work cut out for you". Well for me the have to say "You have your work to cut out". In the above picture you see three of the Angel's Greeting tree ready to cut out. Here is the process.1. Cut three blanks of 3/8 cherry.
2. Sand both faces
3. Add the pattern to the wood by coating the back side with temporary spray adhesive and pressing on to the wood.
4. Cover the pattern with strips of clear packaging tape. Why do this? When sawing out the
pattern the blade tends to heat up and hardwood, especially cherry, tends to get burn marks on the inside of the cut. The tape acts as a lubricant on the blade so this does not happen. I use the two inch wide rolls. There cheap and its well worth it.
5. Now we take out blanks to the drill press and drill a 1/16th inch hole in each of the inside
opening in the pattern.
6. Now we are ready to cut. We will do all of the interior cuts first and then the outside perimeter cuts.
7. Next we'll cut the base from a 1" piece of walnut and cut the hole for the tree stem to fit into.
This has to be done just right for a good fit.
8. Now it's time to finish. I'll take the trees to the finish room and pour some danish oil into a 9x12 pan and immerse the tree in the oil. I take it out and wipe off the excess and set it aside to dry. I do the same with the walnut base. The danish oil gives it a nice rich warm color and brings out the patterns of the grain. After it dries it is ready to assemble and present.
This tree has been a big hit this year. Without doubt the most successful holiday project ever.
Thanks to you all from the bottom of my heart and thanks to Paul Boer for the wonderful pattern.
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