Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everybody! Don't eat too much candy and watch out for the black cats! For those of you who subscribe via email, stop by the website to see how Martians attacked my website. I found it rather amusing. Anyway, I hope you all have a spooky and safe Halloween!

This just in. The UFO attack has been defeated. The martian attackers returned to their home world, vowing to come back next Halloween better armed. But we'll be ready!

--Travis

T-Rex Dinosaur Puzzle

Since we're on the subject of T-Rex, here's a fun little dinosaur puzzle you can easily make for the budding paleontologists in your life. This free standing puzzle was designed by William Berry for Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts (Issue 29 Holiday 2007). You can read the full article online which includes detailed instructions and a free PDF version of the pattern. Check it out!

T-Rex Pattern

Long ago, dinosaurs ruled the earth. And the king of all "terrible lizards" was the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

I designed this pattern for my nephew who really wanted a dinosaur picture for his room. The pattern is provided in PDF format for easy printing. It is sized at 8x10" so it can easily fit into a premade picture frame. Give it a try. When you're done, be sure to learn more about T. Rex to find out why he was the king of dinosaurs.

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Hooked

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!

As Chance Has it

Its often said that "Its a small world" and "technology is shrinking the world." But with the vastness of the internet and the endless number of websites, I would normally disagree. Until now.

Our good friend and fellow blogger Allison from Wood-Alley recently tried her hand at scrolling cork flooring after reading a article here on SSg. As chance has it, the fellows at Wicanders stumbled across her blog. They noticed that the cork flooring she used looked like the cork flooring they manufacture. So they asked about it. While she was reading the email from Wicanders, the person that gave her the cork flooring happened to be there with her. So she asked him about it. And sure enough, it was the same stuff. Once she confirmed that it was indeed their product, they asked Allison if they could write about her cutting on their blog.

What makes this story interesting is the amazing collection of coincidences. One blog post leads to another, to another to another. The mere chance Wicanders happen to stumble across Allison's blog. The chance that she scrolled the same cork that these people manufacture. And the chance that the person that gave her the cork happen to be there at the same time she read the email. What does it mean? I'm not quite sure. Maybe there's the meaning of life hidden somewhere in there. Or maybe it's just a crazy coincidence. Either way, it's pretty cool. Congrats Allison on being recognized in the "civilian world" for your work.

You can read Allison's blog here. You can read the article from Wicanders about Allison's work here.

Pictures In Wood

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!

Huh's New Hobby

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!

Intarsia Workshop

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!

Happy Birthday Scroll Saw Goodies!

Scroll Saw Goodies turns 1 years old today! Can you believe it? Time really flies when you're having fun. It has been a great ride and I look forward to what the next year will bring. I want to thank all of you that have taken time to read this blog. I had a great time looking at your galleries, your projects and ideas. What started off as a way to bookmark some of the great scrolling resources I have come across has quickly become a great resource in it's own right. I have written 213 articles (as of this post) covering a wide assortment of topics and information for scroll sawyers. From tips to tutorials, galleries to new ideas and inspiration. Lets not forget the free scroll saw patterns! Hundreds and hundreds of free patterns available at your fingertips. I have highlighted fantastic books and hand picked a lot of great products I believe my readers would like (available in the SSg estore). I started a new podcast for scrollers that I hope will become a great resource as well. I even have a few other ideas in the works that I hope the scrolling community will really enjoy. But you'll have to wait! ;)

Ahhh. What a year. I must have done something right, because a lot of you have really enjoyed what we have to offer. Here's a few numbers for you statistics hounds out there.

• 33,473 Visitors to the website.
• 21,637 Are new visitors.
• 11,836 Are returning visitors.
• 97,214 Total page views.
• 184 Subscribers to the email updates.

• 63% are from the US
• 8% are from Canada
• 4% are from the UK
• 3% are from France
• 2% are from Australia
• 1% are from Germany
• 1% from Italy
• 1% from Spain
• 1% from Brazil
• 1% from Netherlands
• The rest come from pretty much everywhere else you can imagine.

• 82% speak English
• 5% speak French
• 3% speak Spanish
• 2% speak German
• 1% speak Portuguese
• 1% speak Italian
• 1% speak Dutch
• 1% speak Turkish
• There are a lot of other languages, but too many to list.

Here's to the next year! Continuing to provide even more Scroll Saw Goodies! Now lets eat some cake!

9 Halloween Scroll Saw Patterns...Ah, Ah, Ah!

Arpop of Free Scroll Saw Patterns by Arpop has put together a nice collection of Halloween designs free to download. He has 9 Halloween scroll saw patterns to choose from. From blood suckers to late night mistresses to thing that go bump in the night. Check it out! And while you're there, check out his other patterns. Arpop is a talented designer with a lot of great stuff to choose from.

Ghosts, Pumpkins, and Bats. Oh My!

Here's another great Halloween craft pattern for the scroll saw provided by Accents Woodcraft Designs. This is a layered design that adds depth and makes painting much easier. This free pattern is provided in 3 separate GIF files with detailed instructions for sawing, assembly and painting. Check out this quick and easy project and add to your Halloween spookiness! While you're there, be sure to check out some of their other great Halloween projects.

Halloween Witch

Here's a fun little witch decoration designed by Trish from Trish's Crafts. It can easily be made out of scrap 3/4" stock. Trish provides a printable pattern in JPG format. She also includes detailed painting and assembly instructions. The painting may look intimidating, but you can be as elaborate or as basic as you want. Either way, this free project will be sure to please all the ghosts and goblins in your home.

Ready-to-Use Humorous Halloween Illustrations

I thought I'd stay on the Halloween theme this week. So to kick things off, this week's Book of the Week is Ready-to-Use Humorous Halloween Illustrations from Dover Clipart. I really like Dover clipart because they are all royalty free images and perfect for designing some of your own patterns. Often, the clipart is in black and white, which really makes it easy to adapt for the scroll saw. If you're pattern maker, or an aspiring pattern maker, check out the clipart that Dover offers. There are so many possibilities, you won't know where to begin. Would you like a few free samples from Dover clipart? Check out this article I wrote last February.

Peek A Boo

Here's a ghostly box to hold all of your Halloween treats. This free pattern was designed by Heidi Markish of Heidi Markish Designs and hosted by FreeCraftz.com. Heidi includes a materials/supplies list, printable pattern, assembly instructions and a great painting guide. This is a quick and easy cutting, but the painting may take a little longer. Even if you don't think you have talent with a brush, I think you'll still be able to put together this great design to add to your Halloween decor! Boo!

Halloween Luminaries

Here's a great idea by TLT on the BT3Central.com forums. Rather than cutting pumpkins this year, he decided to take a few of the free pumpkin carving patterns available on the internet and use them as patterns to make his own luminaries. He used corner blocks with dadoes cut to hold the plywood panels, which really dresses up the project. However, you can easily glue the corner blocks to the inside instead. You can read the details of the thread here. Registration is required to see pictures, but it's easy and free. So check it out. And to get you started, I listed some of my favorite pumpkin pattern sites below.

• Zombie Pumpkins
• Pumpkin Lady
• Pumpkin Masters
• Hershey's
• SpookMaster
• Pumpkin Glow
• JP's Jammin' Pumpkins
• HP
• DLTK
• Cyberhaunt
• Jack-O-Lantern

Black Cats Only

Sue Mey is tempting fate by inviting black cats over for Halloween. Bad omen or not, you can't deny, this is a great pattern. This Black Cats Only design is available free on her website. This design is provided in JPG format for easy scaling. While you're there, check out some of her other Halloween patterns. She has some really great looking haunted house designs. Check it out!

The New Scroll Saw Handbook

Yesterday, I posted episode 2 of Scroll Saw Goodies Podcast. In this episode, I talk about how to choose a scroll saw. One of the major resources I used while researching this topic was Patrick Spielman's The New Scroll Saw Handbook. This is such a great book, I wanted to make it the Book Of The Week. This book is a must own for all scrollers. It has some great history, which is really interesting. But what makes it a necessity is that he explains everything you wanted to know about scroll saws, blades, and additional equipment. He also goes into great detail about pretty much every form of scrolling, from fine fretwork to intarsia. But, don't come here looking for patterns, though. Instead he packed it full of invaluable information and techniques. This is great for casual reading or as a reference book and is a must have for any serious scroller. Check it out!

ep02 - Choosing A Scroll Saw

Choosing the right scroll saw for you is an important decision. It can really make or break your enjoyment of this great hobby. Knowing what to look for is half the battle. In this episode, I cover a few things to look for when choosing your next scroll saw.

Here are a few helpful resources I found when researching this episode:

• The New Scroll Saw Handbook by Patrick Spielman - A must-own book for every scroller. This will tell you everything you could possibly want to know about the scroll saw. Highly recommended.
• Rick Hutcheson's website has a lot of great information about scroll saws, including a nice article called "Choosing a saw."
• SAW (Scroll Saw Association of the World) also has a great article called "Choosing A Saw."
• The Home Depot has a pretty good buying guide for scroll saws.
• Woodcraftplans.com has a nice article "Beginner's Guide To the Scrollsaw" with a specific section on choosing a scroll saw.

Aside:
I recorded this episode last week, but the sheer amount of information provided required a lot more editing time than I expected. This episode runs about 35 minutes. I used a higher compression when making the MP3. So the sound quality may not be as good as last time, but the file size is 8 megs as opposed to 42. This will save you a lot of download time and save me a lot of bandwidth. Let me know if this isn't something you can live with. I can tweek my settings until most everybody is happy. Anyway, on with the show!

Listen to ep02 - Choosing A Scroll Saw

Hobby Horse Toys

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!