Weekend Projiects

Made these two angel puzzles from a pattern by Dave and Judy Petersen. They specialize in puzzles and have published three pattern books. One which I have deals with animals. They have another called "Fantasy and Legends" which has unicorns, dragons, and the like and their most recent is Zodiac puzzles utilizing the signs of the zodiac for patterns. This pattern isn't in
any of them so I was glad to find it in the Holiday edition of "Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts" magazine.
The wood I used for these angels is a spalted maple. It has beautiful streaks in it and it is a soft maple so it cuts and shapes easily. I used a flap wheel sander in my drill press to round over the edges slightly which gives it a softer look and a little depth to the parts. A number five blade made the pieces slide together easily.
Hope to do more of these in the future cutting and shaping more of Judy and Dave's patterns.
I need practice using the flap wheel sander. One problem I have is not holding the pieces tight enough and the wheel propels them out of my hand and across my shop turning them into deadly missiles! Another is holding the pieces against the wheel too long causing burning or two much rounding. But, learning is what it is all about, right?
Have a good one. More to come soon.

Simple can be Good. Don't you think?

These simple little trucks were both made from a left over hunk of 2x4. The most expensive
thing on them are the wheels at about 25 cents each. They were cut from very simple patterns

designed by Steve Good in just a matter of minutes. Then, of course there is sanding and

finishing. I put a coat of spray lacquer on each one and the small car seen on the flatbed. Dries quickly and looks really good. I have been looking for more of these kinds of patterns and am finding many on the web that are quite reasonably priced. I put these on top of my workstation and it looks good for getting some orders for Christmas. Got a feeling that if I want to I can be very busy making things over the next month.

A Pleasant Visit With One of My Heroes

Had a pleasant conversation this afternoon with Sheila Landry of Sheila Landry Designs. Sheila is a pattern designer and long time scroll saw artist. For years I have enjoyed her patterns and cut many beautiful things from them. I have read her articles in magazines I subscribe to as well. So when I was having trouble placing an order on her new website I dropped her an email at the address on the site and she emailed me back asking for my phone number so she could call me. I readily agreed and sure enough she called me in just minutes!
Turned out the problem was a simple one. And it was all mine not hers. As soon as I corrected it, BAM...Bob's your uncle, there were my patterns in my email. After we straightened out the problem we talked a little about some of the patterns I had cut and some of the places her work is available. The whole point of this is...what I really love about this hobby/business is that the people we look on as the peak of success are REAL people. They take the time to talk with you,
answer your questions and give you helpful hints. As busy as they are, they are never too busy.
And you know what? They are all livin my dream, to make a business out of something you love to do and still be down to earth real people. Thanks again Sheila. I love the patterns. Now I have to get into the shop and start cuttin!

Happy Halloween!

Made these nifty Halloween ornaments this weekend. Instead of using hardwood I decided to use some scraps of quarter inch baltic birch I had and paint them black. Gives them a nice silhouette effect, don't you think? Patterns are by Steve Good.

Christmas seasons always begins early for me

Some Christmas ornaments I cut last night. The magazines that print scroll saw patterns for Christmas projects have been out for over a month now. Goal for me in the next week is to get into at least two bazaars in November and one in December. Gotta make a few calls and hope they are not all filled.

Last Game of the Season

Nothing to show you from the saw tonight so I thought I'd show you how beautiful Michigan is right now. The color is spectacular but sadly it will only last about another week. One of the great things I get to do besides scroll sawing is serve as the public address announcer at our local high school football games. Tomorrow night is the last game for us. The playoffs start next week but we didn't do so well so I have to say "PLAYOFFS! ARE YOU KIDD'N ME! PLAYOFFS? DON'T TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS!" Just couldn't resist the old Jim Mora rant. Football fans know exactly what I'm talking about.
I did cut some ornaments tonight and they are drying on the finishing rack. I'll post them tomorrow if time allows.

This could be the big hit of the season!

How cute is this? Took this one to work today and showed to only 3 people and got orders for four right off the bat. And this one isn't even that good. I made it from walnut and used my favorite finish of choice Danish Oil. Where I went somewhat wrong though was trying to sand the edges with my flap sander chucked in the drill press. I had the speed to high and took off more material than I wanted to in some areas. But live and learn. I'll make new ones for the orders and they will look a lot better. I stack three of them at a time and will mix walnut, cherry and oak to offer customers a choice.

The pattern is by John Browner and can be found in Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts magazine, the Holiday Ornaments issue on page 32.

The little photo inserts are available from a number of suppliers of scroll saw accessories.

Have a good night. Might not get to post tomorrow. I'll be behind the mic again at a football game.