Chippygeoff
Established Member
I get quite a few PMs from members asking how they go from printing off a pattern and the first cut. I know the more experienced members will have their own favourite way of doing this but this is the way I do it and this is aimed at the newcomer to scrolling.
After I have printed off my pattern I cut round it to within a few millimetres of the line. After choosing a suitable sized piece of wood, as close to the size of the pattern that I can get, I cover the wood with 2 inch wide masking tape. I then use stick glue on the back of the pattern and then place this on the masking tape covered wood. At this stage it is very to position it and I then smooth it out with an old credit card working from the centre outwards. I then cover the entire pattern with 2 inch wide clear packing tape. This will prevent the blade burning the wood and also reduce friction allowing the saw to cut that little bit faster.
At this stage I then drill all the entry holes for the internal cuts. After drilling the holes make sure you sand the back off as there will be bits of wood sticking out from each hole and this can cause the wood to chatter when it’s on the scroll saw table. I then cut the outside of the pattern before I start the internal cuts and the reason for this is that after you have cut the outside you are left with less wood to occupy space on the scroll saw table and there is a good reason I do this. Sometimes the wood is not completely flat, it could have a slight bow in it or maybe a bit warped. If the wood is not flat again you will get chatter or bounce, especially when turning corners.
When the pattern has been cut remove what’s left of the pattern and the masking tape. To do this I roll my thumb over the edge and this lifts the edge of the masking tape allowing me to get hold of it and peel the remainder off. I then put it on the belt sander as there will be fuzzies on the underside and I find the belt sander takes of about 95% of them. I also sand the face side as well to get rid of any residue left by the masking tape. Be careful with any delicate bits, if the pattern is that delicate then remove the fuzzies by hand.
After I have printed off my pattern I cut round it to within a few millimetres of the line. After choosing a suitable sized piece of wood, as close to the size of the pattern that I can get, I cover the wood with 2 inch wide masking tape. I then use stick glue on the back of the pattern and then place this on the masking tape covered wood. At this stage it is very to position it and I then smooth it out with an old credit card working from the centre outwards. I then cover the entire pattern with 2 inch wide clear packing tape. This will prevent the blade burning the wood and also reduce friction allowing the saw to cut that little bit faster.
At this stage I then drill all the entry holes for the internal cuts. After drilling the holes make sure you sand the back off as there will be bits of wood sticking out from each hole and this can cause the wood to chatter when it’s on the scroll saw table. I then cut the outside of the pattern before I start the internal cuts and the reason for this is that after you have cut the outside you are left with less wood to occupy space on the scroll saw table and there is a good reason I do this. Sometimes the wood is not completely flat, it could have a slight bow in it or maybe a bit warped. If the wood is not flat again you will get chatter or bounce, especially when turning corners.
When the pattern has been cut remove what’s left of the pattern and the masking tape. To do this I roll my thumb over the edge and this lifts the edge of the masking tape allowing me to get hold of it and peel the remainder off. I then put it on the belt sander as there will be fuzzies on the underside and I find the belt sander takes of about 95% of them. I also sand the face side as well to get rid of any residue left by the masking tape. Be careful with any delicate bits, if the pattern is that delicate then remove the fuzzies by hand.
