Couldn't come up with a great topic title but you will get the idea when you read the post.

 

Today I was working on an eagle pattern using 3/4" walnut.  When cutting the feathers, it dawned on me that the "non cut area" around most of the feathers was really slim.  Hmmmmm, 3/4" material and only a 1/16" left between feathers - could be in a real mess when looking at it from the other side.  AND, this eagle is a free-stander - both sides will be viewed.  

 

Got me to thinking:

• Is my blade perfectly perpendicular to the table?
• Is the tension ok?
• Do I have the right blade so it won't bend in the middle?
• Am I pushing too hard?
• Am I pushing absolutely straight into the blade?

Bunch of questions I couldn't really come up with an accurate answer.

 

How else could I solve the problem of the cut looking the same from the front AND the back?

 

"Turn on the bulb, mister    ", I said to myself.  "I think we just might have come up with an answer.      Well, at least it's an answer."  

 

PLAN THE CUTS  - Planning the cuts so that I will be cutting in the same direction on both sides (left and right) of the narrow part.  Same angle on the blade ! ! ! !  Then ease up on the pressure.  I'm sure the the blade and tension are right.

 

Then, as old men tend to do, I got myself cornfuzed with which direction was shich.  I then got out my trused pencil with a sharp blade and started marking the directions I would be cutting.

 

VOILA - it worked perfectly for me.  Both sides look good, no messy spiders on the back side.

 

Maybe this trick will work for you..........................

If you have another idea for this dilema, let us know.....................

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this little tid bit.

 

Fred

Thanks for the post and info Fred. It is always helpful.

Right on Fred, see the ol noodle is still working, even after all that! But only experience could have come up with this. I'll get this Facebooked so folks elsewhere can benefit from your wisdom.

Thanks, guys

Fred

For someone that couldn't come up with a great topic you did a great job. have ran into this before and once the pattern was attached I marked out the blade entry holes. That way when I was cutting it would always start me out in the the place I needed to b to make the cut.I have also backed out of the cut I just made going back to the entry hole and started the next section of the cut. Same direction of cut on both cuts. If you can post a photo of the Eagle please.

Wayne - you asked for it - so I will share the fish cutting first (gotta find pix of eagle)

 

This is pix of front of fish - looks good - until.........

 

I flip the fish over and you can see how much the angle of the blade was off.

This is after doing all the normal checks for perpendicular blades

 

Did a few more checks and balances and cut a very slim piece and checked

the bottom and top of the waste.  Using 3/4" material.

 

This is the top (marked it so I wouldn't forget which was which)

 

This is the bottom - looks pretty darn good to me.

 

Broke in half to show both top AND bottom in the same picture.

 

And then there are times I would rather be lucky than good.

 

Whatcha think, Wayne????????????????????????????

 

Ok Fred time for me to fess up. I have had this exact problem, when cutting thicker wood it would end up narrower on the back side of the cut. Did the same checked my machine to make sure it was setup properly. Everything checked out good. Came to realize that it was caused by me. Pushing to fast and not allowing the wood to pivot properly under my guiding hand or fingers. How I fixed mine was up one size on the blade and really slowed down my feed rate of the wood. Being I went up one size on the blade I also increased the blade speed slightly. I played with a section of the wood I was working with so that no burning and proper balance worked out for the best cut. This has worked for me, I know there are other cures and fixes others have found and as you have said many times. There is more then one way to do something and it works out as what works best for you.

"This has worked for me, I know there are other cures and fixes others have found and as you have said many times. There is more then one way to do something and it works out as what works best for you."

 

Wayne - you hit the nail right on the head.  I have said that to many folks over the years.  The basic techniques never change.  That being said, the little changes we make in those basic techniques make it unique to each of us.  What works for me might not work for someone else and that's ok.  

 

On that note, I joined a woodworkers guild here in north Georgia.  After going to several meetings and being told that I was doing it all wrong, I quit the guild and no one seemed to understand why.  Over the next few years, I have met several of those same guys at craft shows and they have really admired my work.  Just who is the one with blonde roots here.      

 

Great post, Wayne - thank you sir.

 

How about some of the rest of our scrollers out there - have a comment or two or four - join in