Scroll Saw Village

As woodworkers, we are in awe of exotic and unusual species of wood.  We scramble to find the right project for this wood.  However, not all woods are safe to use.  Many species can trigger allergic reactions when exposed to these woods.  Wood allergies can range from minor discomfort to life-threatening reactions.  Here’s a Wood Toxcity Chart that you can download and print for your workshop.  While it’s not an exhaustive list, it should give you a good idea of what to look out for.  So, next time you work with a wood that you’re unfamiliar with, check the species against this chart.  That way you know if you’re experiencing symptoms.

With Christmas right around the corner, its time to start thinking of making a few Christmas gifts for loved ones in your life.  To help motivate you to create a little Holiday sawdust, Scroll Saw Village is holding a contest! The winner will recieve a Rose Jewlery Box intarsia kit provided by Midlothian Woodworks, a $40 value.  Entry into this drawing is very easy.  Just post a picture at Scroll Saw Village of a cutting you intend to gift this Holiday season.  That’s it!  Want to increase your odds?  Post a Works In Progress tutorial in the forum as you put together your gift.  Include pictures and description and you’ll get another entry in this awesome drawing.  The winner will be drawn at random on December 1st, 2009.  You can find the entry details here.

While you’re at it, check out the other intarsia kits Midlothian Woodworks has to offer. Mike has a wide variety of kits to choose from and any one of them would make an awesome Christmas gift.  Be sure to thank him for sponsoring the contest too.  Without him, this fun little challenge would not be possible.

While we’re in our Holiday festivities mode, Scroll Saw Village is holding a Secret Santa.  Give and receive a cutting from a fellow scroller.  The deadline for registration is Black Friday (Nov. 27).  After which, you’ll get the name and address of of your recipient.  Put it in the mail and wait for your scroll sawn gift to arrive.  There’s a $10 cap on materials.  You might want to get started on your gift sooner than later to ensure it gets to the final destination on time.  You can register and find the details here.

I was digging through the archives of Scroll Saw Workshop and came across this blog post that I found really interesting. Steve uses polymer clay as an inlay for some of his projects. This is a great way to add color and adds a unique flare you wouldn’t find anywhere else. I think it would take a little experimentation on your part to hone the process, but I think there could be some really cool possibilities here. Check it out!

Selecting wood for your intarsia project could be a tricky deal.  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a chart you can look at to help you choose?  Well, Mike Mathiew from Midlotian Woodworks has a great article and reference chart he wrote for Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts (Spring, 2009).  He includes a picture of each wood, a color description, intarsia uses, and effects over time. The article and chart is free to download and print from SSW&C website and made available in PDF format.  I’d suggest printing out the chart on photo paper to ensure color accuracy.  Check it out!

This episode is all about sharing my latest projects.  If you can’t see the video below, please go to Scroll Saw Goodies and check it out there.

Wood Deals Online – I wanted to share a project that I’ve been working on over the last few weeks.  What started out as a tool to make my life easier, I quickly realized other folks would really enjoy this too.  But first, a little backstory.  I normally like to buy my  lumber online.  I find that I have a better selection and the prices are very reasonable.  One of my favorite places to shop for wood is eBay.  However, if you have ever shopped through eBay, it can be a bit overwhelming.  There is a lot of information thrown at you, you have to sift through so much garbage, and it can be cumbersome to find what you’re looking for.  So I created brand new website called WoodDealsOnline.com.   I gather all of the information from eBay and package it up in a nice friendly interface and organized it for easy shopping. We have woods broken into craft type (pen turning, wood turning, carving, scroll sawing, marquetry, etc.).  We also have the woods broken down by species, which intarsia artists will absolutely love!  So if you’re looking for birdseye maple or the all elusive ebony, it’s just a click away.  We even have the woods broken down by characteristics such as burl, spalting, tiger, etc.  This website is mostly geared to the woodcrafter/small woodworker, but furniture builders will find it very useful as well.

Be sure to check out the above video for a tour of the new website, then head over to Wood Deals Online and kick the tires a bit.  I confident you’ll like what you see.  Make sure you bookmark the website so that when you’re ready to buy wood for your next project, you’ll have it available.  You won’t regret it.

The Village Square – I’m happy to announce The Village Square, a monthly newsletter brought to you by Scroll Saw Village.  Subscribing to the newsletter is absolutely free.  Inside you’ll find informative articles, tips, pattern/project spotlights and more.  It will be conveniently delivered to your email inbox on the first Monday of each month.  Be sure to sign up now so you don’t miss out on a single issue!

The Village Store – When Scroll Saw Goodies was hosted on blogspot.com (before moving to Scroll Saw Village), I had a small Amazon associates store where I hand picked a number of products I believe my readers would enjoy.  It took some time, but I finally brought it back.  The store is now hosted on Scroll Saw Village.  You can easily find it in the top navigation bar.  Inside you’ll find a lot of great books organized by subject, a nice selection of clipart, professional graphics suites, and even scroll saws.  There are a lot of great stuff inside, so be sure to check it out.  If you don’t find what you’re looking for, click the Amazon banner to shop directly from Amazon.  It doesn’t cost you any extra, and any purchases made as a result of the store or banner helps support this podcast and website.  So next time you think of Amazon shopping, think of us and click our banner first.  You’re support is greatly appreciated.  We also have associate links to Rockler and Woodcraft.  So check those out too.

Inkscape Class – One last announcement that I didn’t cover in the video, we will be holding an Inkscape class starting at the beginning of September.  We’ll learn to use Inkscape to create our own scroll saw patterns.  It will operate much the same way as our GIMP class.  It will be held in the Village University forum and include video demonstrations, written instructions and class discussions.  It will be a 4 week class, with 2 lessons each week.  So mark your calender.

This summer, I’m going to try my hand at intarsia. So I’m reading all I can before I jump in. During my research, I came across a great series by Mike Mathieu of Midlothian Woodworks. He wrote a series of 6 blog posts, aptly named Intarsia 101, on Lumberjocks. Mike shows the process of taking an intarsia project from photo to finished product. He includes a lot of great pictures with descriptions of what is happening in each photo. Check it out! It is well worth the read if intarsia is your future too.

One thing that holds a lot of scrollers from trying intarsia is the amount of wood inventory you must maintain in order to create a project. This initial investment could be hefty, depending on the complexity of your project. Mike Mathieu of Midlothian Woodworks has made it easy to jump into this wonderful hobby, without the large investment. He offers a wide variety of intarsia kits ranging from jewelry boxes to large scale scenics. Each kit comes the plans, instructions, hardware, and all the species of wood needed to create a finished project. Check it out! Maybe the intarsia bug will bite you too.

Awhile back, a member of Scroll Saw Village (Clayton 717) put together a wonderful set of progression pictures where he created this intarsia portrait of Christ.  It was a lot of fun to watch the process.  The end result was stunning.  I asked Clayton if he’d be willing to write an article for Scroll Saw Goodies on how to get started in intarsia.  He was kind enough to share some advice on getting started in this wonderful hobby.  Once you’re done reading his article, be sure to stop by Scroll Saw Village and check out his progression pictures and descriptions.

Getting Started in Intarsia

by Clayton Baker

Intarsia is a type of woodworking/art combining several pieces of wood, (different species) to create a finished project. It is often created with varying thicknesses of wood to make a 3d type affect. By using different species of wood you get different colors and varying grain patterns that makes each project unique. There are never two exactly the same.

There are no special tools required.  I started doing intarsia with just my scroll saw and a dremel rotary tool, (used for shaping) and a regular orbital sander. There are several tools which make it easier. Now I have a oscillating spindle sander(OSS), this makes it much easier. The OSS will square up the edges after cutting, along with the shaping part. There are several sanding machines that are available, that will aid in the shaping of the pieces. I use the OSS, an orbital sander, my dremel and of course hand sanding.

If you would like to start intarsia, but don’t want to buy a bunch of patterns, check you local library for books. This is where I got my first patterns as well as some directions about intarsia. There are several intarsia artist out there. A few of my favorites are Judy Gale Roberts, Kathy Wise, and Bruce Worthington. These are just a few.  I have used patterns from them and they are very good to work from. They all have websites.  Judy Gale Roberts is www.intarsia.com – you can buy patterns, books and instructional videos about intarsia. Kathy Wise is at www.kathywise.com and she sells patterns.  And the last is Bruce Worthington at  www.intarsia.net he has patterns and a couple free ebooks for intarsia. All three have great patterns on information.

There are also several books, one that I recently had was by Kathy Wise called Intarsia Woodworking Projects. It has patterns in the book and has lots of tips and info about intarsia.

I like to glue the whole pattern to poster board then cut out all the pieces with an exacto knife, this way I can save them and use them over and over. Instead of printing or getting copies made every time I want to do the project. I then put these pattern pieces onto the wood and trace around them with a fine pencil or marker. This way I can kinda pick the grain patterns I like. Many just use spray glue to attach the pattern to the wood. No matter which way you use, NEVER use the original pattern, make copies. After all pieces are cut and I start the fitting process, I use two faced tape to hold the pieces down while getting the fit I want. On large projects(like the Christ I’ve done) there are to many pieces (122) to hold together to get the fit. The tape holds them down and together while getting all pieces to fit together. After all pieces are fit together I’ll start the shaping process, once this is done I’ll glue up small sections (for  a large project) and let them dry then I’ll glue the whole thing together. For this I use silicone, just a couple of dots on the edges, enough to hold the together, this way if something goes wrong or doesn’t fit right on the final assembly, the pieces will come back apart without having to cut new ones. The once its all together and dry I will glue to a backer board. And attach the hanger. I stamp and sign all of my work. Then I’ll hand sand any problem areas, like where I got sloppy with the silicone or glue.  Next step finishing.

For finishing I like to use polyurethane. I apply with a brush, so I can squeeze it into all the cracks. I never use stain, this way the natural beauty of the wood comes out. There are several types of finish available, this is just my preference because I can buy it almost anywhere I go.

If you have been thinking about trying intarsia, don’t be intimidated by it give it a try. I was at first, I didn’t think I could do it, now I love it. I spend most of my shop time working on Intarsia. It requires a lot of work but the finished project is worth it.

About The Author
My name is Clayton Baker. I live in NW Ohio. I have always been into woodworking and have been scrolling for about 17 years. About 2 years ago I started doing Intarsia. My first project was a pretty simple one, I just wanted to “try” it, now I am hooked. Intarsia is my favorite type of woodworking now. I am still learning this craft as I go, but have finished several different projects. Intarsia makes beautiful wooden art. My advise is to start with a simple pattern and go from there. My finished work can be viewed at www.cbaker71.myphotoalbum.com

A while back, I wrote about Frank’s Wood Shop and his video demonstration of a windmill project. Well, Frank came through once again with a very detailed set of videos, documenting the cutting and finishing of a bass portrait. So, grab some popcorn and enjoy the videos. After you’re done, be sure to stop by his website and check out some of his work located in his gallery. Very cool stuff!

Note: I believe portrait being demonstrated was designed by Charles Dearing and is available in the Spring 2007 issue of Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts. Give it a try!

When I came across Pictures In Wood, I had a tough time choosing what to write about. They had this really cool farm toy with some progression pictures of the construction process. I was really drawn to that because of my recent interest in toy making. But on the flip side, their intarsia is amazing as well! You see my dilemma? Do I talk about their super cool toy, or do I talk about their amazing intarsia? Well, it looks like I just talked a little about both! Check out their website. It’ll certainly inspire you to get out into the shop and make something super-cool too!