Signals From The Bunker

[Lin]

Gill, I enjoyed the story of your new saw and the previous owner plus the great service you recieved on yur other saw.you are right.......most do not fix anything for no charge except the parts.great service is really hard to come by nowadays............
But I do have to ask a question..........You now have three scrollsaws.......right?
Is hubby scrolling also or have you learned to scroll with both hands and a foot?..............I just had to ask..... :lol:
Lin

 

[Gill]

Hi Lin

I now have an embarrassment of scroll saws : two Diamonds, two Hegners and a Spiralux. But when you see a lightly-used Diamond for sale at only £100 (roughly $175)... well, you'd be mad to ignore it. It would have cost over £600 (over $1000) brand new.

Now I've got to find somewhere to keep my saws because the Bunker just ain't big enough. His Lordship muttered something this afternoon about how he could easily find space for a scroll saw and a bandsaw alongside his lathe, once we've stopped using his workshop as a general storage facility whilst a new kitchen is fitted*. So he may have a secret desire to start scrolling but just be reluctant to articulate it.

Alternatively, now I have all these saws, perhaps I should start running classes! :lol:

Gill

* The suppliers' warehouse burned down, so that's now going to be delayed until June. The delay is quite understandable but it's nevertheless frustrating because I'll have been operating without a kitchen for 7 months by the time work is finished.

 

[Chris Knight]

Gill,
Thanks for the story - you indeed had a wonderful day.

 

[CHJ]

Gill, Perhaps if all the saws are now fully tuned you can orchestrate a bit of a concerted effort and put on a show for us.

P.S. Di sends her sympathies on the kitchen, nine months operating out of cardboard boxes and surrounded by building debris is one of those experiences she would rather you did not have to share.

 

[dedee]

Gill,
a girl can NEVER have too many diamonds - well done.


Andy

 

[wizer]

Fantastic story Gill, It's great to hear there are some nice people in the world.

 

[Anonymous]

What a great day Gill.

For the record, I think you should run classes, although I only met you once, I have read many of your posts and seen much of your works and I think you'd be a good teacher.

 

[Lin]

Gill, That is a heck of a deal....One I doubt if I could pass up either.
Classes..........hummm............I think you may be on to something there.
Once you get your space back.......that sounds like a plan. (Here I am thinking you now have three saws.and you have five)
Lin

 

[Gill]

Scroll Saw Workshop magazine is hosting a communal project for woodworkers to produce a 5” x 5” tile which can then be assembled with other tiles to create a large panel. This panel will be auctioned and the proceeds donated to a children's hospital charity.

Here's my submission, a segmented piece of MDF cut according to a design of my own:

If there are any other scrollers out there who would like to participate in this event, send me a PM for further details.

Gill

 

[Paul Chapman]

That looks really nice, Gill.

Paul

 

[Gill]

More MDF...

Here's how I secured the backing board and acrylic:

Gill

 

[CHJ]

Another good one Gill, do I note a Terpsichorean theme creeping in to your work?

Like the finish you are getting on the figures.

 

[Gill]

I'm glad you like it, Chas .

Terpsichorean? Where on earth did you drag that one from :lol: ! It's surprising how many of my projects do have dance themes, now you come to mention it. The next few won't be any different.

The finish is just a coat of acrylic sprayed on.

Gill

 

[Paul Chapman]

Another nice piece of work, Gill =D>

What sort of MDF do you use? You achieve such a nice finish I assume it is one of the better quality ones that doesn't go all furry when you machine it :?

Paul

 

[Gill]

Thank you Paul; you're very kind.

I use standard MDF from whichever of the local DIY 'sheds' is handiest. It's nothing special. After sawing the wood to size and shaping it, I sand it down to 240 grit. Then I apply a coat of Wickes Acrylic Undercoat which provides a good base but unfortunately tends to lift any exposed fibres. So it always gets sanded back to 240 grit again and another coat of acrylic undercoat is applied. After that, it's just a matter of brushing on acrylic paint. I normally cover large areas with a foam brush and smaller areas with a bristle brush, applying two or three coats depending on the colour. Then I spray on some acrylic to finish it.

It's very simple; each coat only takes about twenty minutes to dry yet the results are quite satisfactory.

Gill

 

[Paul Chapman]

Thanks, Gill, that's helpful

Paul

 

[dedee]

Terpsichorean :!: I had to look it up as well.

Nice work Gill, I must try acrylic sprays one of these days


Andy