Finishing Trivets

Finishing trivets is a bit tricky. You are putting hot plates on the wood and you don't want to discolor or melt the finish. There is a great thread on Absolutely Free Scroll Saw Patterns about finishing trivets. People discuss their personal preferences about finishing trivets as well as providing a few product links. Definitely worth checking out if a trivet design is in your future.

Stretch Those Cutting Muscles

As a dad with a 1 year old boy and a husband with a honey-do list a mile long, its tough for me to spend some quality time with my scroll saw. Typically, I can only get in a couple hours a week. The problem with scroll sawing, like any other skill, you have to keep doing it or else you lose your 'knack.' When I finally able to sit down at my saw, it takes me awhile to get back into the groove of things. My lines are wobbly, and my corners are far from sharp. But, with little frustration, a few choice words, I finally get back into my cutting groove.

Wouldn't it be nice to stretch those cutting muscles before jumping into the game? GrayBeard Phil of SSWC forums has put together a nice exercise. Just print it out and stick it to some scrap wood. Before you sit down and work on your next masterpiece, use this practice sheet to get back into your cutting mode. It only takes a few minutes, and you won't risk ruining your project with sloppy corners and wobbly lines.

Dollar Store Goodies

There is a great article by Toni Burghout in the latest issue of Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts (Spring 2008) about dollar store finds. She found great items that can be used for your scroll saw projects. From salvaged clock parts, to clipboard blanks. So I thought I'd drop by my local dollar store to see what I can find. You wouldn't think it, but what a great resource of supplies! Not only can you find items to use in your projects, you can find a multitude of products to help you make your projects.

Here are a few items that caught my eye:

Foam Makeup Applicators - These those wedge shaped foam applicators that would work great for applying stains. Just toss them when you are done!
Foam Brushes - I use these to apply BLO to my projects. I just toss it when I'm done.
Craft Knives - I found both the Xacto style of craft knife, as well as the retractable craft knives where you break the tip off to get a new cutting surface.
Roasting Pans - I use these as dipping trays for my projects. It hurts my feelings to pay $2-3 for a roasting pan at the grocery store. $1 seems much more reasonable.
Baster - Never thought of it, but I could use a regular turkey baster to 'baste' my projects in BLO.
Sand Paper - I found a lot of sandpaper. No need to pay premium prices for those.
Super Glue - Super Glue is a savior when you spend hours working on a fret piece, only to have one of the fragile areas break. Super Glue fixes it without anybody being the wiser.
Dust Masks - Safety is cheap. Medical bills are expensive. Kinda a no-brainer, huh?
Table Cloths - I'm a bit messy. So these make great drop cloths.
Popsicle Sticks - Great for mixing up small amounts of epoxy, or glue some sandpaper to sharpened Popsicle sticks. They make great sanding tools.
Plastic Cups - Great for mixing paints, stains, or whatever. Toss 'em when you're done!
Plastic Plates - Great paint mixing palate.
Emory Boards - Another great detail sanding tool.

This is just a few of the items I found. There's so much more potential. So check out your favorite dollar store and see what you can find. I bet you'd be surprised. I'd love to hear your dollar store goodies. Post your finds in the comments section of this post. It would be fun to see what others have found.