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General Category => The Coffee Shop => Topic started by: countryscroller on January 27, 2013, 09:21:49 am
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Here is my little story on how I got started in the hobby of scrolling. I would like to hear how you guys got started and how long you have been scrolling. Thanks for watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enVQiM4TY7U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enVQiM4TY7U)
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i guess i got started with scrolling when i was in school we had a industrial arts and one of the things we had to cut was our name out of 3/4" pine using a coping saw its basically a hand held scrollsaw the takes pined end blades.from that i started using a jigsaw to cut lawn ornaments from plywood for people like the ones in the Winfield collection dogs,cats,birds etc. thats when i got my first scrollsaw a mastercraft 16" two speed saw and had to use a Allen key wrench to change the blades all it could take is the pined end ones.i started model boat building and found that was a pain all the time for blade changes so i got the craftsman 16" variable speed saw.i still have that saw today but don't use it anymore sence i got my EX-21 this past summer because i wanted to do bigger and better things.
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Thanks for sharing Todd. I had industrial tech classes last year. I wish I was allowed to take it every year, but you arn't allowed for some odd reason.
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I got started in scrolling when the wife was scrapbooking and bought some wood letters, told her I could cut those out with a scroll saw and get more letters out of a wood blank than buying them. And I could also do lots of other stuff, next thing I know she is letting me get a scrollsaw. This all started just couple months ago.
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You know I walk through say Walmart and see those wood letters and numbers and I say why would you pay a $1 for each one. I can mass produce those for little to nothing.
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You know I walk through say Walmart and see those wood letters and numbers and I say why would you pay a $1 for each one. I can mass produce those for little to nothing.
Yup exactly she go hers at hobby lobby, its the alphabet think they are like 1 1/4 inch high. Why buy the set when you just need a few letters, its more fun to cut them out, and can change the font and design as well.
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I was still working as a mobile tool salesman (MAC Tools) and working 10 hours a day. I had to give up Go Kart racing as a hobby due to lack of free time :'( but, I needed a hobby just to get my mind off of work once in a while. I thought wood working of some sort would fill the bill for me but, it had to be on a small scale due to lack of space. (My "shop" was full of tool boxes and tools) ;D
I bought my first scroll saw from Ace hardware, it was a "Tradesman" brand and cost $100.00. I used it for about 2 years and vibrated like mad and used pin end blades only. Looking at some of the projects now, that I cut with it really surprises me how well I did with that piece of junk.
I had a customer that had gotten into scrolling about that time and he told me that he had bought a new saw and I should come over and try it. It was a "Delta" and used plain end blades and was a lot smoother than mine and easier to use. I left his house, went straight to Lowe's, and plunked down the $200.00 for my own saw!
I sold the Tradesman at a yard sale for $50.00. ;)
I was as happy as a clam for two or more years and then I found the Steve Good Blog and as he recommended and used the DeWalt saw, I just had to get one. :-*
I retired from business, broke a hip and finally I went over to Springfield Mo. for vacation and got one from Grizzly. It was $500.00 with stand and light and am still using that Yeller saw. That was seven years ago! :o I sold the Delta to a friend for$100.00.
Over the years I have added a lot of wood working tools and have expanded the size of my projects since all the mechanics tools are gone now. ;D
I don't "scroll" as much as I used to but, I still use the DeWalt quite often and it comes in handy for more things than you might expect.
Rog
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I had an elderly uncle that I would visit at the seniors home he was in. He had several wooden items on his wall that he was proud of and that I admired. He said his son, my cousin, had made them. When he passed his sons spent several nights at my house while their father was waking. We discussed the woodworking. I didn't even know the name for it at the time. Any how he told me all about intarsia and how it was made and the satisfaction he got from it. As a token for our generosity before they left, after the funeral to go back home, they presented me with one of the pieces of intarsia that was their father's. Within two weeks I bought my first saw a mastercraft 16" single speed, that took pin ended blades. Got it on sale for $45.00 used it for a year, did only intarsia work and resold it for $40.00. Been hooked ever sence. ;D
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I was working on a contract that required building some electrical panels. Some of the connectors, lights, and buttons had odd shapes, and the punches for them are expensive (up to $125 each). I bought a Porter-Cable saw at Lowes and some metal cutting blades at Menards and cut the shapes in the Aluminum and Fiberglass panels using the manufacturer's outline drawings for the parts.
Then this Fall I saw ScrollSaw Woodworking magazine with some nice looking Christmas ornaments. I had a bunch of Cherry and Black Walnut from some trees that fell over the Summer. It makes good looking compound cuts. Then I tried some 1/4" Poplar and Oak from Lowes. Now, I am waiting for delivery of a new Black and Gold EX-21 from Seyco and enjoying the blog until it gets here. Lots of great projects and suggestions. Thanks to all.
Here's my first portrait - does it look like me?
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Nice stories guys. I appreciate the replies.
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when i moved out of town and back country i told my boyfriend i needed a hobby to keep busy and he suggested a scrollsaw i had no idea what it was, he explained a bit about what it was so i went for it thought it might be cool even though i had no idea what i was doing. the first thing i made was suppose to be a bird feeder but i didn't even realize that you had to drill holes so i glued everthing back together. my boyfriend laughed my mom laughed and everyone who seen it laughed,so instead of getting discouraged i sat at the computer and read and whatched videos. then i found some magazines then i found steves site. i did get better and learned so much since then thanks to so much info and help i recieved from this site. my first big project was a small table that my mom wanted i told her sure but there was a catch she had to hang out the bird feeder it went in back of the tree. she still has the table and the feeder is hanging in my shop it makes agreat conversation piece and still gets laughed at,
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I always worked with wood from time to time. It all started when I was 14 and helped my grandfather restore an old farm house that only had a hand pump in it. He turned it into a very nice 2 bedroom house with lots of room and all of the modern conveniences. Even in door toilet. ;D
I have always done remodeling on the side from my fulltime job. When my health took a turn for the worst about 5 years ago just Walking and doing everyday basic personal hygiene was about all I could do. My employer forced me in to taking disability and let me go. My health has improved enough that it lets me do little projects but they take me 4 times longer than normal. I have to take lots of breaks. The doctor told me after my 3rd back surgery that I needed to stop lifting items over 20# and he preferred 5#. I have spinal stenosis which means my spine will continue to deteriorate. So last year I wanted to make more of my yard art and make smaller items. Some of the curves I needed to make were too tight to make with a jig saw. This is when I started to look at scrolling. I sold my project car and a bunch of my tools that I no longer am using. I sold most of my Snap-On tools and started to expand on my wood working tools. New table and miter saw etc; with the help from one of my brothers I am able to do some of the larger cutting with his help.
He helps me and I am teaching him how to work with wood.
I am hoping that I can continue to scroll. Just before Christmas my hands and left leg swell up and hurts like #$%#$%%. My left hand has started to go numb but still can function. I just cannot open a bottle of water.
Doctor tells me it is not artherightise. I am trying to get in to see my back doctor.
I told him last time to just put in a zipper to save time ;D ;D
I played hard and chased a lot of dirt bags and have enjoyed my career as a LEO. I will continue to scroll and play in my garage until I can no longer do it. This means I will spend more time on the computer and harassing newfie and cmdrover. :o :o :o
Do not feel bad for me because I don't. I have plenty to keep me busy and I still find pleasure in waking up every day and love sharing things with people.
I manage my own website which contains my family genealogy and I manage the local genealogy society?s website. www.garydeen.com/ (http://www.garydeen.com/) www.dmcgs.org/ (http://www.dmcgs.org/)
ENOUGH ABOUT ME I'M RAMBLING!!!!
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It's not sympathy you want but I know what you are going through. I also have spinal stenosis. In the lumbar region the spinal opening is just 7mm compared to the normal 16 mm. I have not had surgery at this point. The meds keeps the pain down. And ya you can poke at Newfie and I but we will poke back so be warned. ;D ;D
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My hobby for years was boating and crabbing, but when I turned 72 my balance got too bad to be walking a deck on rolling seas (or so the wife said). Sold the boat and wondered what to do with my spare time. I had a Wards little scroll saw that was broken, but it gave me ideas. Started watching the videos on Steve's site and reading posts, threw the Wards saw away and bought a DeWalt. Can't say that I'm a great scroll sawer, but I really enjoy making designer sawdust and trying new things. Today I have a EX21 and a Hawk G4. I've made lots of stuff and given almost all of it away. BTW, I've considered changing my screen name because Crabbyboater isn't really me today, but I still like it. And no, I'm not crabby.
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After spending years making furniture with some projects taking several months, I was walking into a Home Hardware store and helped this woman who was struggling with a heavy box on her way out. I offered to carry it to her car and found out she was buying her husband a scroll saw for his birthday. She told me it was half price and they had one left. I then went in the store and bought it. Used it for several years but gave up scrolling because every time a blade broke it scared me half to death. It was a low end 16" single speed Ryobi. After a year or two, I started missing scrolling and went out and bought my 21" Ex. It's been a match in heaven ever since. I know many here have said that the saw doesn't make the scroller, but a good saw sure does make it a lot more enjoyable.
Mike
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I was a single mom for 21 years. As my kids got older (and more expensive), I had to find a way to make more than one job could pay. I made furniture (cradles, hope chests, tables etc.) but those items were in short demand. I started making scrolled items because the wood was lighter and I could complete projects quickly.
I started selling at a local pharmacy/gift shop that let me put in some spiral bowls and crosses. I took in 8 pieces the first week and sold out by Thursday. What a blessing! As my kids went away to college, I started carrying things with me everywhere. I would meet friends for lunch and carry in a box of random pieces. Not to sell to my friends, but people in the restaurants would ask if they were for sale when I would take them out to show my friends. I often left with no wood and a fair amount of money.
I moved from the Dallas area to central Texas in 08 and worried that I would have to start all over because my business was mostly word of mouth. I found a great gallery that specialized in wood working items and sold my stuff for way more than I did. The local people know what I do because I often donate to silent auctions and fund raisers. I live in a very small community and folks often show up just to see what I am working on.
I no longer have to make a living off my scrollwork. I do it for the shear enjoyment of making something that makes me happy. I am blessed to be able to do what I love for no other reason.
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I started out making sighns with a router and got kind of good at it. My Moms boyfriend at the time dave me a stack of old Woodworking magazines and they still had the pull out patterns in them. I read some of the articles and chose a few simple patterns, like a miniature Decons bench and bought my first scroll saw.
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My first scrolling was with a coping saw in 1951 while at camp (I still have it). In the 60's, I attended an auction with my grandfather. He purchased a box that had what I thought was a bunch of junk. Turned out it was a Delta scrolling jigsaw that was all there but just in pieces. He got a kick out of reminding me what a great pile of junk he had as I learned to cut on it. In the 70's, I found an identical saw at a garage sale and took it home. For several years about all I did was design a Christmas ornament every year which I sent instead of cards to family and friends. Then got busy with career until 90 when I got caught in a hostile takeover and let go. Moved back to the hills and bought a wholesale craft supply business. Part of the business was cutting parts for tole painters. Got along with the old Delta for several years but finally purchased a Delta Q3. Have since had 3 Delta 350s, an RBI Hawk and now DeWalt 788. Have long since retired and just cut for fun and gifts to family and friends.
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Isn't it funny how many good stories this thread had created. I have always been far from handy with tools. I am more a computer geek than a tool man. About 12 years ago my father in law said he would love to take a cabinet making class. To get him out of his easy chair and doing something with his life I said I'd do the class with him. So off we went to a community college course on making cabinets. I designed a simple cabinet for my wife's precious moment collection. Then with 3 weeks left in the course I got playing around with the lathe. Loved the lathe (even though I wasnt great at it). The next year for Christmas my wife got me a Harbor Freight Lathe. I worked on it some for about 2 years until we moved into an apartment. No place in the apartment for it, so I stored it away. The apartment was replaced with a condo, so the lathe stayed in storage.
During this time I had seen a scroll saw at the AZ State Fair. I thought that it was pretty interesting. From then on I would see things I knew were made from a scroll saw. For about 10 years I kept thinking how I could probably make things with a saw. Then last year for Christmas I asked my wife for one. So, I got a basic saw from Harbor Freight. At first I had some difficulty using the saw. Then I found this site, and have been learning so much and loving it ever since. I wish I had gotten the saw 10 years ago.