This shows me working on another clock back when I used a regular Canon single lens reflex camera so I didn't take a lot of pictures back then.

  The body is Baltic Birch plywood, lots of it.

This was the only time I used a softer wood to carve and after that I switched to maple. It reminded me of when I use to use balsa wood on model airplanes. You didn't throw it around for it would dent up real easy... most of my woodworking came with lots of on the job training with no outside help.

 

smallpatch

Can you tell me what kind of scroll saw allows you to make these cuts and can you do multiple cuts quickly? Thanks?

Sorry Frederick I was just now checking all my post to see if I should have checked earlier.

 

I use a Dewalt 788 scroll saw and 99 percent of the time number 5 flying dutchman blade's and they come from The Wooden Teddy Bear.com.    And don't forget to put The in front of Wooden or you will get many teddy bears sites. The gross amount has the best prices

   FDUR5 ultra reverse blades. These blades  has a little crimp in the top of the blade to let you know that end goes up...

The FDSR5 is the same blade without the little crimp.  The five little reverse teeth always goes on the bottom...

  Look up some of my post on scroll sawing or carving and I explain what I know in most of my post. But anything you want to know I will try to answer... and the scroll saw is the hardest machine to learn for there are no fences or guides or any kind of help. Its just you and the blade!

  The way the blades  are made a person has to sit to the right of the blade and not directly in front of it.

All the controls are right there and easy to get to. If they was to give you a three lagged stand for free don't use it...It is made for a person to stand and saw...I built a table 20 inches high to set the saw on and I use old car inter tubes under the saw to cut down the vibration and I use an office roll around swivel chair. I use the scroll saw to cut up all the carving things to hold in my hands using power tools to do the shaping of the wood. I use a backer board to glue all the pieces of wood back together and I use an air brush with water base colors before I spray my projects with Rusteoulem 2 X in the spray cans for the finish...I started using Lacquer in 1954     and it was king for a long time but I find this new Rusteoulem has it beat on every thing I didn't like about lacquer.... I think Rusteolum is spelled this way but computer says the other way..

   Just start out with the settings at half scale then you will learn what suits you the best but will come much later after you get the hang of the saw.  The speed maybe to start with less that half scale. This is a Celtic Knot project I started yesterday. I find a pattern  or picture and print out a copy and glue it on the wood for sawing. I first put Scotch Brand shipping tape on the wood first then spray temporary glue on the tape then apply the pattern  then when I am finished sawing out the pattern the rest of the pattern pulls off with out leaving any residue or sticky. When sawing a pattern with black lines saw down the middle for you will see its easier to stay in the middle of the line than it is to stay a certain distance from the line...

   The reverse teeth will give some kick backs when you are pushing sideways so keep a firm  hand on the wood and to see if you are keeping the blade straight up and down while sawing gently come to a stop pushing the wood and let up on the pressure and even move your hands off the wood and the wood should sit there without moving. 

  Also if you are sawing out some pieces like in the picture, they should push out one directions or the other.

 

If you have a question I'm either here or at some doctor getting pills that don't help, it seems like.

  

 

All the carvings in that picture was done using a Dremel 3000 with a flexible shaft and some bits from Wood Carvers Supply, Inc

 

Edited June 20, 20232 yr by Smallpatch

Thanks for the information. As you can see, I'm using a Craftsman saw and it's a PIA to switch the blade to cut an inside cut. I may be looking for a Dewalt saw.

Does this saw only take pinned end blades? And if so you have to use much larger teeth blades and a person can't turn sharp enough to follow the patterns like staying on the line.

  I use number drill bits and the numbers 55 and 56 in that range for the pilot holes. This way its easy to do away with the holes when sawing  inside cuts.. I don't see a tall bar stool so do you have to stand when sawing?

 

These little elongated holes I use the #5 blades and there is no sign of any holes that had been drilled to get the blade through.

I think I saw where Lowes had the Dewalt 788's for 399.00 just lately.

My saw can be used with/without pinned blades. The blades are held in place with an allen screw... both top and bottom. I've used very fine blades before but they tend to break in thicker pieces, like this panel. If the cutout is on the larger side, turning the board around is not a big deal. Where my main gripe is, removing/replacing the blade for the holes. I have to drop the top spring assembly down, loosen the blade, then loosen the blade at the bottom. Reverse that for installing the blade again. I do tend to stand when I'm cutting but I do have a high stool to use when needed. That's a beautiful piece there!

 

Edited June 20, 20232 yr by FrederickH