Scroll Saw Village

This is lesson 2 from our free online pattern making class.  This time we talk about styles of scroll saw patterns, what makes good reference material, then we tackle the subject of copyrights.  Be sure to check out the forum for written instruction and discussions.  On with the show!

If you enjoyed this pattern making series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
Make A Donation

Sharpen up those #2 pencils because school is back in session.  I’m teaching an online class on using GIMP to create scroll saw portrait patterns.  This class is a bit more structured than the tutorials on Scroll Saw Goodies.  Each lesson builds upon the previous until the end when you’re a pattern making pro!  The class lasts for 4 weeks with 2 lessons per week.  Each lesson will include a video demonstration, a written out tutorial and additional material.  A dedicated forum is available for you to ask questions and get some feedback on your progress.  I’ll be posting the video portions on Scroll Saw Goodies, but additional source material and files are only available in the forums.  So be sure to sign up for this great class.  Did I mention it is free?  So is the software!  How can you go wrong?  See you in the forums!

If you enjoyed this pattern making series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
Make A Donation

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.

The last couple episodes we used Inkscape to clean up patterns we found on the internet and prepare them for printing. This time, we’re actually going to dig in and design a simple scroll saw pattern with Inkscape. We’re creating a name plate for somebody’s desk. This is an easy pattern to put together, easier to cut, and it makes a great gift for those in the office. Enjoy the show!

If you enjoyed this pattern making series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
Make A Donation

There are times when we need to print a pattern larger than a standard sheet of paper.  This can be either for large fretwork patterns, intarsia, lath art, or even yard art patterns.  This episode, we use Inkscape to prepare an oversized pattern for printing.  We review importing and cleaning up the pattern from the last video.  We also cover adding registration marks and show you a a process to make printing large patterns easy.  Enjoy the show!

If you enjoyed this video series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
Make A Donation

We’re continuing the Pattern Workshop with a new series as we explore a new program, Inkscape.  Inkscape is a vector based graphics software, similar to Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw.  The main difference is the price tag.  Inkscape is Free!!!  You can find your copy of Inkscape at Inkscape.org.  It is a very cool program and perfect for us scrollers!

In this short video tutorial, we explore what Inkscape is and how to download this wonderful free program. Then we import a downloaded pattern, resize it, and prepare it for printing.  It may seem a little silly to have a whole video on printing a pattern, but I do this each and every time I print a pattern.  I love the results and makes my scrolling that much easier.

If you enjoyed this video series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
Make A Donation

It’s Wiki Wednesday!  I’m starting a new series called Wiki Wednesday.  I’m not sure how long I’ll run the series, but each week I’d like to highlight a new feature of the wiki.  Hopefully, before long, you’ll be wiki experts and wanting to help out in this collaborative effort.  You can find Scroll Saw Wiki at www.scrollsawwiki.com.  Check us out.

This first video screencast, I’ll take you on a tour of Scroll Saw Wiki.  I’ll show you around the front page, explain what a wiki is and how it works.  I’ll also touch on some basic wiki navigation.   This short video should give you a pretty good jump start on using the wiki.  Enjoy!

Sure, you can buy hinges for boxes.  But if you want to add that extra touch of class to your next project, try making your own hinges!  Gary MacKay wrote a great article for Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts back in 2005 about how to create your own hinges with a scroll saw.  Don’t have that back issue?  Don’t worry, Woodcraft has made it available on their website for everybody to read.  Inside, Gary  guides you step-by-step through the process.  He includes a lot of great photos, along with detailed explanation.  He even throws in a free pattern!  How could you go wrong?  Check it out! Your scrolling reputation hinges on it!

Creating A Dog Portrait Using Adobe Photoshop is now available on DVD!  How cool!  Well, don’t get too excited, this DVD does not include any additional materials. This is the exact same series you can download for free in the podcast section. Why am I putting out a DVD then? There has been interest from those who have trouble downloading these screencasts.  This way you can watch them on your home television.  So for those of you interested, you can get this complete series for $10. That’s almost 3.5 hours for $10! The price even includes shipping! Now that’s an amazing deal! Plus you’re helping to support future podcasts. Doesn’t that make you feel good?  So if you’d like a copy of this series on DVD, click the Buy Now button below and I’ll send your copy out right away.

Note: This offer is good for US Residents.  Outside of the US, please contact me for more information.  This is presented in NTSC and on DVD-R format.  Some older DVD players may not play DVD-R formatted disks.

We made it!  Finaly finished with our portrait of a dog using Adobe Photoshop.  We pick up wherw we left off and finish off the muzzle and experiment with redesigning the nose a bit.  We end up with a scroll saw pattern ready for mounting to the wood.

I hope you enjoyed this series.  If you’d like to see anything specific, or would like to suggest a future screencast, you can contact me at scrollsawgoodies[at]gmail.com.  Or PM me at in the forums at Scroll Saw Village.

If you enjoyed this pattern making series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
Make A Donation