1st Attempt and a Thank you

[rcflyer23]

Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Cathy(Cskipper) my wife and I now have a great scroll saw. Cathy we can't thank you enough. We stopped by Woodcraft on the way back and I was able to get a stand for it. My wife has to work in the morning and didn't get a chance to play and the saw was calling my name so having never done any scrolling before I decided to be brave and try something with inside cuts.

For reference the piece is about 4" in diameter.

Here is what came out:

I am pretty pleased with it for a first attempt. I think I broke two or three blades I saw part of what my problem was. I was pushing the wood into the blade from the side instead of just letting the blade do the cutting and moving the wood. Once I figure that out I didn't pop any more blades.

Cathy, Bonnie had a great time meeting you and your family today. Hopefully Josh didn't drive you to nuts.

Oh and Tracy he didn't snatch anyones checkbook today.

 

[Partman]

Looking good. You cant do that on a lathe,:nah: is that 3/4" stock that you used.

Danny

 

[ScottM]

Kevin you are off to a wonderful start. That turned out far better then my first project. :embaresse There are a couploe other reasons for blade breakage. The tension could be too tight or you are forcing the wood faster then you have to. Just go slow.

For those who do not scroll that is not a simple as it appears.

 

[CarvedTones]

Nice job! :icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum

I had that same problem with pushing sideways when you get a little off the mark. A lot of my early work smelled like I worked next to a campfire. Think of the blade as being like a tiny car and the teeth are the headlights. Also keep in mind that when you are barely off the line on most patterns (fine fretwork and stuff with straight lines are an exception), it is inconsequential. No one else will notice.

Oh yeah, don't tell anyone :crossedlips:, but I prolly woulda let my buddy Forstner help me with the center hole. :rolf:

 

[sawduster]

Bro that looks a lot better than my first cutting ! As Scott said, that is not nearly as simple as it looks . You took a big bite for a first project and definitely did it justice !! :eusa_clap Sounds like you learned some valuable lessons already . It took me a long time to release my " death grip " on the wood and just feed it slowly without the side-to-side pushing
Tuck this safely away somewhere and pull it out as you progress . You will be amazed at the progress you make in a short amount of time if you scroll with any regularity at all. circles and hearts are tough to do until you learn to pivot and feed. i know they gave me a fit and still do :BangHead:

What blade/size did you use ?

Great job !! :icon_thum

 

[TracyP]

Oh and Tracy he didn't snatch anyones checkbook today

.

Your first attempt looks good, Maybe Josh is in remission right now:rotflm:

 

[skeeter]

Nice job. I can't remember how many blades I broke on my first attempt, but it was a lot.

 

[Rob]

Very nice, having never tried scrolling, I'm sure I wouldn't post my first one. My wife took a class, we're on the hunt for a deal on a scroll saw now.

 

[PChristy]

Kevin, great job on the first - :icon_thum sounds like you learned alot - I can't even remember what I cut the first time 20 some years aso - I am sure it was not as nice as yours - Looks like you used a spiral blade? If you did try a straight one on this same project and you will see a difference - Like the others have said take your time and enjoy :eusa_danc

 

[LeftyTom]

Terrific start on the new hobby, Kevin. :icon_thum After this first taste, remember you have to share the scrolling fun with your wife. :confused_

 

[Splint Eastwood]

Great! A pretty intricate pattern and with thick stock. There's a person with no fear in their heart!

Can't wait to see the next project!

Matt

 

[cskipper]

Wow! You did very well for your first time (or even 2nd or 3rd!). I'm glad you were brave and cut the center on the scroll saw. I always cut my circles on it - and am tickled when they turn out (and wish I'd used a Forstner bit when they don't - lol).

Were you using the blades I gave you? Robert, they were #2 PSWood blades, the only type I had extras to send along. I also sent a sheet of the plywood I got from you and some patterns to get started with. (What's the fun with a new toy if you can't use it right away?)

Kevin, you will find information about how to choose what blade to use with what size wood, etc.... when you go to the Flying Dutchman website. Like others have mentioned, there are several reasons that blades break. You'll discover them all along the way. Remembering that there is no automatic feed on a scroll saw, and guiding the wood rather than pushing it will give more accurate results. Have a blast!

We enjoyed meeting you guys. Josh was fine. I can't wait to see what you both cut! Enjoy the saw!

 

[rcflyer23]

Thank you everyone I appreciate all the comments. I had a really good time trying this. I think I am going to try it again today. Like I said the wife is at work today so I don't have to share the saw ... I know she is going to really enjoy it as well. She is talking about joining the site and I am encouraging her to do so. I am hoping that by taking on this project I will encourage her to give something like this a try as her first one. I can't wait for her to try it. Okay so let me try and answer a few questions.

Cathy answered the question on the blade it was the PSWood #2 Straight blade. I will be ordering some Flying Dutchman ones soon. I bought so Olson blades at WC last night just to have some more in case we broke all of the ones Cathy sent with us. I think we got #3, #5.

I know I did have the tension to tight on one of the blades. I did learn alot in just a short period of time.

As everyone here has said it is not nearly as easy as people make it look. I have even more appreciation for the scrollers on here. I knew it wouldn't be easy but I didn't read any books just going off what I have read on here and I jumped in. That's typically how I do things sometimes I fail sometimes I make out pretty good.

That center circle was a bear especially since it was the very first thing I cut. I figured it was a circle and was either going to be the easiest thing or the hardest and it turned out being the hardest.

As far as the thickness of the stock I will have to measure it. It was that same stock I used on my first chip carving just some junk wood that I paid way to much for at hobby lobby. I figured I sure as heck wasn't going to carve it so I figured a saw would do better with it.

I actually think the hardest thing for me was the outside cut of the circle it was wavy and just plain ugly until I sanded it down a bit. Now I just need some tiny little sander for the inside cuts. I wonder if I can teach my dogs fleas to do that for me. :rotflm:

Hopefully you will get to see my wifes first attempt soon.

 

[sawduster]

I have a couple of sets of " mini files " that are made just for cleaning up inside cuts . Using a reverse-tooth blade will also minimize any need for sanding the back . The last4 teeth or so are pointing up so the cut is clean on the back .
When perusing the FD site, pay attention to the " Utra Reverse " style of blade . Best driving blade I have ever used :icon_thum. not a lot of " drift " like other blades Another trick on circles is to cut slightly proud of the line and sand to the line with the pattern still attached . This works well on any outside edge that must be fairly accurate
One of the beauties of scrolling is that the lines are simply there for a reference . Deviations ( also known as " personal enhancements " or designing-on-the-fly ) are perfectly acceptable . Only you know where the line really was :gar-La;

It is always exciting to see someone else discover the joys of scrolling :eusa_clap

Welcome fer shure . we've got some pretty knowledgeable scrollers here for all of your questions and with Cathy in your back pocket you will achieve great things with your saw :icon_thum
Would love to see the missus join the site as well ....the more the merrier :mrgreen:


Cathy .......good on ya ! :eusa_clap

 

[rcflyer23]

I wondered about those Ultra Reverse blades. I will pick up some of those and see how I like them. Where did you get the mini files from? I know I will need some of those.. Yeah I am itching to get back out there once my little guy goes down for a nap hopefully I can get out there and give it another try.

 

[sawduster]

Harbor Freight has a decent set for not many dollars and I think Mike has a set on the FD site

 

[sawduster]

oh yeah , Mike has a " sample pack " on the FD site that is well worth the money and gives you some choices of different blades to try. I highly recommend it :icon_thum

 

[CarvedTones]

If you get the reverse ones, be aware the wood will want to come off the table on the upcut. You will figure that out pretty quickly. But don't over compensate and hold it down with white knuckles (I did) or you will find it harder to cut accurately. But they cut oh so clean. Man, I want a good saw; these threads make me jones for it bad. Maybe I should go turn something.

 

[PChristy]

Kevin you can also pick up some of the Scroll Saw sanding blades that you can hook to your scroll saw - you can pick some up at WoodCraft I am not sure if HF has any or not - I have a very old scroll saw that I put these on and they work great.

Added: you can also order some from here
http://www.sloanwoodshop.com/scroll_sanders.htm

 

[rcflyer23]

Phillip I need to get some of those. The saw I got from Cathy had one on it and it was just too wide to really use on the inside cuts. I didn't see them last night at Woodcraft. I am possibly going to HF today I will look there and see what they have.