Scroll Saw Village

Dave Lampman has been doing lath art since 1979. He describes his work as “Casual art with a touch of understated elegance.” Whatever it is, it certainly is beautiful. Check out his online gallery of some of his work. Perhaps it will inspire you to give lath art a try. When you’re ready, head over to Lath Art Discussion Help and Examples blog, where he’s a contributing author. There you’ll find some great tips and more examples that will get you on your way!

Here’s a neat project from Christine of Chantournage which I thought was rather clever. She cut out a silhouette of an animal. But instead of throwing away the scrap, she turned that into the back panel for this letter/napkin holder. It really gives this project a nice effect. Possible Christmas gifts? I think so! This would be a great project for those on your Christmas list as it can easily be cut in an afternoon. You can find silhouette patterns in a number of areas. Dingbats, internet clipart, Dover Clipart books or even 99 Silhouette Patterns for the Scroll Saw by Terence Calway!

Be sure to check out Christine’s website and check out some more of her other work. Maybe it’ll spark an idea or two for other Christmas gifts!

Yost69 of HuhDoWhat.com has a nice collection of original scroll saw patterns he made available to those who want them. He covers a wide variety of subjects from Whistler’s Mother to sports cars. He has a little something for everybody. While you’re there, be sure to check out his cuttings in his gallery. He has a lot of great pictures that will surely inspire your next project!

You can definitely tell Brent Rogillio of Intarsia Workshop was bitten by the intarsia bug. His love for the artform is very apparent in his work. Brent has put together a great gallery of over 60 pieces he has created, mostly for his friends and family. He creates each piece for a specific person who has influenced his life. While he works, he often reflects on what that person means to him. What a wonderful way to work.

His website also includes a brief history of intarsia as well as an overview of the process. He even has a few pictures of his workshop! Check it out! Perhaps the intarsia bug will bite you too!

International travel is fun, huh? Well, let’s not stop, because this time we’re flying over to Ireland. Last week I wrote about hobby horses during folk toy week. During my research, I came across some hobby horses that I was in awe of. I desperately wanted to write about it at the time, but they were so wonderful, they really deserved their own post.

Dan Hillman of Hobby Horse Toys has a really neat approach to his hobby horses. Each hobby horse includes wheels on the end to lighten the wear and tear as well as help facilitate easier movement. He also incorporated a saddle-like swoop for comfort! He painstakingly paints each horse individually with his own homemade paint and finish. Each customized with whimsical scrolls and the child’s name. Dan’s hobby horses really captures magic and fantasy that will delight the imagination. Be sure to check out his blog and website. He has several other cool products that you might enjoy. And keep an eye out for the dragon hobby horse! Very cool!

While you have your passport out, lets jump over to Algeria. Real Fez has a new blog where he shares his most recent works. If that wasn’t enough, he was also kind enough to share some of his patterns! And who doesn’t love free patterns? Recently, he’s been experimenting with cork, which has been really interesting to read. It would be fun to try working with this often overlooked material. I think there are a lot of possibilities there. Anyway, check out his blog. He has a unique approach to his projects that might serve for some great inspiration.

Time to grab your passport, because this time we’re flying to Italy. Cristina Gallons is an Italian scroll saw artist with a relatively new blog called La Bottegaccia. Here she displays many of her portrait cuttings of the stars of the past, my favorite being this portrait of Charlie Chaplin. You’ll find such stars at Abbot & Costello, Marylin Monroe and John Lennon. Her most recent cutting was a backlit lamp, that really turned out stunning. She has a lot of great stuff to look at, so be sure to stop by and check it out. Perhaps it will spark an idea or two for your next project!

If you don’t speak Italian, don’t worry. You can easily use Google Translate or Babel Fish to translate her website. Or you can just click here for a translation. The translation tools aren’t perfect, but it should give you a pretty good indication of what’s being said.

Here’s a fun site for you intarsia artists out there. Kathy from Kat Cat Intarsia offers a number of great things on her website which really makes it interesting. First, and formost, she has several original patterns for sale that might interest you. But my favorite area is her Catalog. Here she is able so show off her work and skill. There’s nothing more inspirational than looking at another artist’s work. Perhaps it will even spark an idea or two for yourself! While you’re there, check out her quick history of intarsia and be sure to check out her workshop! She has provided a couple of great photos and a description about her work area. Fun website!

Frank from FranksWoodshop.com has put together a great video, demonstrating how he put together a windmill plaque. This 3 part video shows you each step of the way as he cuts and assembles his windmill plaque. The steps are covered in detail along with plenty of commentary. A very cool project. After you’re done watching these great videos, be sure to check out his website. He has some really great stuff in his gallery. He also has another video in the video section, showing you around the scroll saw.

There is no such thing as too many fonts. Scrollers love them! But often we have to modify our favorite fonts in order to get them cuttable. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were some fonts designed specifically for scrollers? Well, Mike from Scrollcrafters has come through by offering 3 different fonts for your computer. The first font (Deskset) is designed for desk nameplates. The other two (Scollsoni and Stencil) is intended for fretwork. Be sure to add these free fonts to your collection. While you’re there, check out some of his cuttings. He does fantastic work!