# Just to show I have actually done a bit of fretwork!



## scrimper (6 Sep 2013)

I am posting a picture of a couple of my pieces, I seem to pontificate quite a lot here lately so though I would give a little proof that I do actually make things. 

This is a small Fretwork wall cabinet I made for one of my daughters it is made from recycled wood (old furniture) The fretted panels are from some old oak drawers.
The second picture is a couple of letter racks made again from recycled wood (old mahogany door frame gleaned from a skip).

If anyone is interested I do have photos of other things I have made but I don't want to inflict them on folks.


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## Woodchips2 (6 Sep 2013)

NIce work!

I never get fed up of seeing other people`s work.Keep them coming.

Regards Keith


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## bugbear (6 Sep 2013)

scrimper":1nppw7mw said:


> I am posting a picture of a couple of my pieces, I seem to pontificate quite a lot here lately so though I would give a little proof that I do actually make things.
> 
> This is a small Fretwork wall cabinet I made for one of my daughters it is made from recycled wood (old furniture) The fretted panels are from some old oak drawers.
> The second picture is a couple of letter racks made again from recycled wood (old mahogany door frame gleaned from a skip).
> ...










At the risk of being blasphemous, I find the shapes and proportions of the letter racks so appealing that I think they'd look better with a few simply cut outs, and possibly some edge mouldings, i.e. less fretting.

Sorry.  

BugBear


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## boysie39 (6 Sep 2013)

Scrimper , pontificate all you want , but keep the pictures coming . Other scrollers work is a great source of enjoyment to me . It's like having your own Art museum .

The pictures you have shown of your work are really very good .What makes your work better apart from them looking good is the fact that they can be used as and when needed .

Thank you for posting.


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## scrimper (6 Sep 2013)

Thanks for the kind comments.

The one below is a notepad holder I have made several variants of this all given as gifts and most people find them really useful. They use recycled A4 paper that has been printed on one side and cut into 4 pieces (hence A6).

People stand them by the phone or on the desk and are really handy, for our own use I make a different simpler version without the cutouts.

The one in the picture is recycled mahogany but I also make the simpler ones using spruce, (I get the spruce from roof truss offcuts) 

I made the pattern by scanning a sycamore leaf I picked up in our orchard. 

I prefer to make things that can be used rather than just decoration.

The other image was cut out of a plywood offcut with a bit of recycled door frame to make the surround. 

Being a scrimper I never buy any wood I prefer to scrounge stuff others throw out, when out cycling a few weeks ago I passed a skip full of plywood offcuts I noted the company and emailed the next morning they said it was for burning (!!) and I was welcome to take some away! It's good quality ply but only small pieces and very usable for fretwork.
The wolves plaque is made from that plywood


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## martinka (6 Sep 2013)

Lovely looking pieces there, scrimper. Please keep posting stuff you made.

Much as I like this forum, I've always been disappointed that very little work is shown. I couldn't help wondering if it was because those who sell at craft fairs didn't want their ideas pinched.  I love to see what others have made, which is the reason I also use Steve Good's forum, no one is shy about showing their work on there. 

Martin


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## scrimper (6 Sep 2013)

Thanks Martin, TBH I was dubious of showing my stuff in case people thought I was bragging.

I don't mind people making stuff that I make in fact one day I would like to do a web site and put home made patterns on for folks to use but I never seem to have time.

Some of the stuff I make is gleaned from old Hobbies patterns dating back to the early 1900's.

Another version of the wolves plaque below.

(FWIW The Wolves plaque is not my design, it's taken from a Fox Chapel book.)


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## nadnerb (6 Sep 2013)

](*,) Hi Scrimper
I really enjoyed looking at your work, I am going to have a bash at the "notes holder" when I can get the time, I can never find anything to write on around here!!!https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/posting.php?mode=smilies&f=19#
Also I like skip diving myself, amazing what some people throw away. A good site for old furniture is JUMBLETOWN. I keep an eye on it for old pianos being given away for free. you can get some lovely wood from them
Regards
Brendan


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## ChrisR (6 Sep 2013)

Nice work Scrimper, I also like projects that have a use, a very good second life for the wood.

I pontificate on here a lot, but don’t have the tecno savvy to upload photos, apparently as my photos are stored in Photoshop elements 4, and this programme does not have an upload facility. 
The truth is I am rubbish with computers, to me they are the work of the devil himself. :shock: 

Take care.

Chris R.


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## scrimper (6 Sep 2013)

Chris you don't need special software to upload pictures, just save them on your hard drive then use the *browse* button to find it and hit the *add the file* button your browser and this forum will do the rest and they will appear like magic! 

It's best to reduce the file size of your image if you can as it will be much quicker to upload. A very good simple programme to do this is Image resizer http://imageresizer.codeplex.com/ It's a free small programme that is so easy it's unbelievable, once installed you don't see it but if you right click on any image file on your computer it will show image resize, just click and it will resize the image instantly by creating a copy leaving you original as before. It's simple and brilliant.


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## ChrisR (7 Sep 2013)

Scrimper.

Many thanks, I will give your idea a try when I have some time to spare, but I don’t hold out much hope.

I also belong to the Pentax users site and the Disabled Photographers site, I have tried various methods as advised by Pentax forum members, but no go. The painter and decorator we use is computer wise, he tried various ways on my computer, in the end he set up a host site for me :?: . He then transferred images to this host site, from there to the Disabled Photographers site. What or were this host site is I have no idea, when we next have some decorating done, I will have to eat humble pie and ask him again. :? 

Thanks again for your advice, and I will give it a try.

Take care.

Chris R.


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## scrimper (7 Sep 2013)

ChrisR":2o8avmb4 said:


> in the end he set up a host site for me :?: . He then transferred images to this host site, from there to the Disabled Photographers site. What or were this host site is I have no idea,



It's probably something like imageshack http://www.imageshack.us/ but you don't need it to post pictures on one as you can do the same thing here, the images are stored on UK Workshop computers directly.

Honestly it is so easy to post pictures here, you don't need any software, if you have a picture on your computer it's just a case of hitting the browse button below.


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## scrimper (10 Sep 2013)

Just finished cutting this one out, no finish applied yet!


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## Woodchips2 (10 Sep 2013)

Well done,I like the contrasting woods.What finish will you use?
Regards Keith


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## ChrisR (10 Sep 2013)

Scrimper.
Good fine detail.

Take care.

Chris R.

PS Not tried uploading yet. ](*,)


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## martinka (10 Sep 2013)

Very nice, scrimper. Where is the pattern from? It looks familiar.


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## scrimper (11 Sep 2013)

martinka":2qbw8a82 said:


> Very nice, scrimper. Where is the pattern from? It looks familiar.



Fox chapel book. 

It's pretty much the same as in the book but sometimes I make up my own designs using parts of the patterns, for example I might change the subject matter but keep the surrounding design.


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## boysie39 (11 Sep 2013)

Hi Scrimper , to my eyes that looks to be a class piece of work . Great contrast and lovely detail .

Thanks for showing .


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## scrimper (11 Sep 2013)

Thanks Eugene, in fairness it probably looks better in the photo than it actually is in real life.

Strangely I had more problems cutting out the surround than the fine detail of the subject, I did not break a single blade cutting out a stack of 4 of the internal bit but broke 3 blades cutting the leaves on the hardwood frame!


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## scrimper (11 Sep 2013)

The Eriba Turner":3a20a2b5 said:


> Well done,I like the contrasting woods.What finish will you use?
> Regards Keith



Thanks Keith

I have just given it a couple of coats of cheap spray varnish I bought from a pound shop.

TBH I am hopeless at doing the finish I always feel that I have spoilt the work afterwards.

I am very open to suggestions as to the best way to finish fretwork.


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## ChrisR (11 Sep 2013)

scrimper":2xjy6xlo said:


> The Eriba Turner":2xjy6xlo said:
> 
> 
> > Well done,I like the contrasting woods.What finish will you use?
> ...



Scrimper.

Lemon oil is the easiest followed by Tung Nut oil, I use both.

Lemon has the viscosity of water, Tung oil has the viscosity of light machine oil, so the Lemon is very easy to get into all intricate cuts, but Tung oil is food and toy safe, bearing in mind, nut allergy.

Both above available from Axminster and Tool Station.

Regards.

Chris R.


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