Last piece done

whatknot · 14 May 2019

Just finished this Nativity Cross as a special order

This is the second one of these, having sold the first one
(Steve Good pattern)

It was a right pain to make, due to the material, the latest batches of ply have been particularly poor

I didn't like the light colour so stained the faces and edges, leaving the inside of the cuts lighter, which made a nice contrast

And please don't say I need baltic birch ply, its either unobtainable or like the price of gold

I tend to use recycled wood where I can but on this occasion I had to buy some (12mm) ply, its very light in colour and splinters up on the edges as its brittle

Anyway, it was well received and thats all that matters isn't it

Bm101 · 14 May 2019

http://www.hardwoodoffcuts.co.uk/
Whatknot, not (at all) sure if he will post but he does sell small offcuts of bb ply at proper offcut prices. A pound or two for small bits about a foot sq. I only popped in once because I had a nearby job and it got good reviews on here. He's a very nice fella and it might be worth giving him a bell to find out. You never know. Maybe he will slip a few bits into an envelope? He said he's looking to develop the shop a bit over time. I was there for half an hour odd, just having a mooch and a chat (which was fine by him, very gregarious and likeable chap). In that time at least 5 guys came in, all turners. Not a bad way of reducing landfill and selling off waste product from a fitting business. Look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves as my Gran used to say.
Just an idea of course, but worth a punt on the offchance.

'Anyway, it was well received and thats all that matters isn't it'.
Absolutely.

Regards,
Chris

whatknot · 14 May 2019

Thanks for that lead, I will investigate, as to a personal visit thats unfortunately out of the question, being rather a long bus ride from Cornwall ;-)

It looks a very good resource though much appreciated

Claymore · 15 May 2019

That's a beauty, only time i tried some actual scroll work was a disaster and managed to break bits off and someone said its easy wrong its tricky hence reason i leave it well alone. Regarding plywood its a bit hit and miss here, i buy it for the backboards on mt Intarsias and get mine at Home Hardware store and sometimes its gert big holes in the edge after sawing but its cheap and does the job. Have you tried using Corian yet? lovely stuff to use and after a bit of practice testing blades you can make alsorts (i buy mine on Ebay ) don't know if you have seen my old Bulldog Intarsia but its made entirely from Corian apart from the metal studs in his collar that are "metal" studs i turned in my drill chuck lol did the job ok.
Cheers and look forward to seeing more scrolling work
Brian

whatknot · 16 May 2019

Hi Brian

No I haven't tried corian yet, although have seen it posted before and should give it a try

Your bulldog is a wonderful piece, like a painting I like an item to look like the subject its portraying, its a work of art

I have only tried a few small intarsia, I really want to try something a bit more involved such as your bulldog

The scroll saw is such a versatile machine, I thought I had seen all of Steve Goods videos but came across one the other day that I hadn't seen, he was cutting card and paper with the scroll saw which gave me some ideas to try out

Always something new to learn eh ;-)

Claymore · 16 May 2019

Glad you like it, I made it quite a while ago and one of the few i still have here after a dozy sod knocked it off the wall where it was for sale and smashed some of it dohhhh.
Corian is very tough to work with regarding sawing and I use a slowish speed and blades with not too fine teeth also use some silicone lubricant spray to stop blade sticking as going fast can make the pieces stick back together while your cutting due to it being cast resin. You don't need any lacquer because you can polish the Corian with polish i use Solvol Autosol in a tube after sanding with 600 grit wet and dry paper.
And totally agree with ya about scroll saws they are one of the few workshop tools where you can make something to sell using just the saw and some sandpaper (same goes for bandsaws) I am still learning new tricks too.
Cheers
Brian

whatknot · 16 May 2019

At a recent craft show I had some simple T light stands, just two pieces of ply slotted together basically, left so you can fold it up when not in use, a man picked one up and the look of horror on his face when it slid apart was priceless, he thought he had broken it, he was very happy when I reassured him it was meant to come apart ;-)

Claymore · 16 May 2019

LOL many years ago I once went into a pub and put my crash helmet and gloves on top of the cigarette machine and when we were leaving i grabbed them to go and the machine fell off the sodding wall and smashed......it was held on the wall with wall plugs that were too small for the holes they had drilled so its amazing it didn't fall off before lol I did get barred by the landlord as he thought i had done it on purpose or messing about........i can still see Ruth laughing her head off while i stood there in shock lol.