Messages

436

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Been thinking again

« on: March 18, 2012, 10:23:11 am »

Intarsia92 has my policy also.  I tend to use #9  and #7 the most.  I got some heavy duty industrial looking blades from Mike and found that they break just as easily as #7's do.  (These blades are over 1/8" wide.)  I did notice that while most blades cut better across the grain than  with the grain, the opposite is true of the heavy duty blades.

437

Intarsia / Re: Horse Head

« on: March 17, 2012, 10:14:03 am »

I re-saw 1" wood to 3/8" and plane or sand to smooth finish.  In fact some  rough woods come in 1 1/8" thickness, or more, and I re-saw  it to suit the project. 

438

Intarsia / Horse Head

« on: March 13, 2012, 06:27:08 pm »

I found an image of a horse head on line and made this intarsia image of it.  It is made of Oak, Pine, Mahogany, Mesquite and Ebony and is 21" tall  I used 1/4" ply for backer board and made a hanger for it of old band saw blade.  The woods are all 3/8" thick.  I used a spray can from Walmart "triple Thick Glaze" as a finish.

439

Tutorials, Techniques and Tips / Re: turning a box fan into a ceiling dust collector

« on: March 13, 2012, 09:41:36 am »

I like this idea.  I just may make one myself.  I have a fan/filter set up mounted on the ceiling but this idea would be useful as a way to remove even more dust.  I could mount it next to my stationary belt sander where a lot of dust is generated.

440

Tutorials, Techniques and Tips / Re: Used overhead projector

« on: March 13, 2012, 09:38:03 am »

I also enlarge images with an overhead projector like yours.  I did see one at Hobby Lobby  a few years ago that would project an  image on paper, not just on the clear film for $40.  I have used mine to make a mural in my workshop and to make yard art and signs.

441

Tutorials, Techniques and Tips / Re: long pattern !

« on: March 13, 2012, 09:26:03 am »

I do not use spirals because they leave such a rough surface that require sanding.  Regular blades leave a surface that would loose a lot of smoothness if sanded.  I cut lots of 1 3/4" thick material and never less than 3/8". I would experiment with bending your blades.

442

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Good Stool For Scrolling?

« on: March 07, 2012, 08:31:07 pm »

I bought an office chair with adjustable height, spring loaded back rest and five wheels under it.  Paid $25 for it. Works well for me.

443

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: How to our scroll saw items sell at yard, garage, rummage sales????

« on: March 05, 2012, 04:51:12 pm »

This past Saturday I went to a small street fair that they hold once a month in a small Texas town.  There were a total of seven vendors and not very many shoppers.  My highest priced item is $25.  I sold $386 worth of crafted items, including toy guns, cedar boxes, crosses , stars and signs with lettering.  I averaged $250 per sale last year and averaged $200 the year before that.  I do much better at, once a year, festivals in the fall.   I sell well at a large indoor flea market they have here, but never tried garage sales.  Remember when at a sale you are competing with every vendor there for the same money no mater what they are selling.

444

Intarsia / Re: Intarsia/Segmentation ?

« on: February 27, 2012, 06:45:40 pm »

seems to me that making them separately would be a good approach.  I know that carving grapes from one piece is kinda tricky to get right.

445

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: dremel rotary drill

« on: February 26, 2012, 02:47:34 pm »

I bought a Dremel variable speed tool and found that  it would bog down too much while sanding at anything but top speed.  I find that the $28 Black and Decker ones at Walmart are better.  They have three speeds instead of variable and do not slow down like a Dremel does.  I now have a Mastercarver for doing that kind of sanding and keep one Black and Decker and only  use  it to drill pilot holes for double bevel inlay work. 

446

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: What type of stuff sells well?

« on: February 26, 2012, 12:23:46 pm »

My best selling item last year was Rubber band shooting guns.  I sell them for $5 each and make them of free scrap MDF.  Making them 20+ at a time I can complete them at four per hour.  (Do the math).  I wish I could sell them that fast.

447

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: another "I'm curious " poll

« on: February 21, 2012, 07:48:17 pm »

    Re: another "I'm curious " poll
? Reply #10 on: Today at 10:20:34 AM ? Quote 

-- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The only time I even think about it is when the table is tilted and I'm stack cutting inlays on a project. Which brings to mind............."
            I do a lot of double bevel inlay and depending on which piece of wood I want to drop down into place or come up into place will determine which way I cut the image.  So I cut on either side of the image.
 

448

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Type of woods

« on: February 16, 2012, 01:34:08 pm »

Bill is right:  Are you planning on doing Fretwork?  Intarsia?  Segmentation? Compound cutting? Inlay? Bowl making? Toy making?  Each of these are best done with different woods  but all are done on a scroll saw.  Let us know what you intend to try first.

449

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Foot Switch....state your preference...

« on: February 14, 2012, 09:33:44 am »

I spent too many years holding down a peddle while TIG welding.  Leg gets tired holding that peddle down all day so I have used the on /off type . I can move back away from the saw a bit when cutting long pieces without a problem.  When doing inlays (I do not do fretwork) near the end of my cut I depress the foot switch and hold it until I reach the end and then release just as you do with  a dead man type.

450

General Scroll Saw Talk / Re: Using Cedar

« on: February 09, 2012, 11:41:39 am »

I buy eastern red cedar by the pickup load full about every 9 months or so.  I make boxes with inlayed images on the  hinged lids.  I get rough 1"x 8" x 96" boards and resaw and plane them to 3/8" thickness for these 11" x 8" x 2 1/2" deep boxes.  What sells these boxes is the smell.  The buyers all sniff them before buying.  I do not put a finish on the inside of the boxes for this reason.  I have a dust collection system and a ceiling hung air filter.  I also wear a canister type face mask when doing the sanding on cedar.  My shop still has a red hue to it from all the cedar dust.