Buckeye Butterfly

David from Tuliptree Crafts has published another great pattern for those who wants it. He's been working on this Buckeye Butterfly pattern over the last few days, and he finally finished it. Cut from 1/8" hardwood for the wings and 1/4" for the body, this will make a stunning centerpiece. This pattern can easily be turned into a magnet or a pot sticker. Or just hang it on the wall. This free pattern is provided in PDF format for easy printing. It also includes instructions to get you on your way. Bring a bit of nature indoors with another great pattern from David!

You can read more about the Buckeye Butterfly in this short Wikipedia article.

Dachshund CD Holder

Here's a fun little project for a kid's room to help keep the CD clutter under control. This free Dachshund CD holder pattern is provided by Sawdust Making. The materials are inexpensive and can be accomplished with minimal tools. But you end up with great results. I really like the CD holder unfinished, but you can easily paint it for a little extra flair. One note, however. When you look at the pattern for the body parts, the image is distorted. This is easily fixed. Just right click the image and choose the View Image option before printing. That should fix it. So if you're looking for a quick project, be sure to take a look at this great CD holder project.

Wooden Scroll Saw

Imagine you're at a craft fair, selling some of your creations. You'll get some traffic, sure. But what if you brought your scroll saw with you and demonstrated your techniques. You'll get a lot more traffic. But imagine pulling out a homemade, foot-powered scroll saw made with various hardwoods and polished to a high sheen. Think of the crowds! Even if you didn't do craft fairs, it would still be really cool to have a scroll saw you created with your own two hands! Well, Michael Martin (aka Nailbender) has come to the rescue with this great set of plans to build your very own wooden scroll saw. You'll end up with a showpiece that will draw a lot of oohs and ahs.

Michael offers these plans for free off his website. The plans are broken up into two PDF's for easier downloading. He has plenty of instructions, diagrams and photos to make construction that much easier. Check it out. Very cool!

Scroll Saw Stand Plans

Almost as important as the saw, is the stand the saw sits on. If it isn't at the right height or angle, your neck and back won't be happy with you. You could buy a commercial stand, but where's the fun in that? Michael Martin (aka Nailbender) has provided a nice set of plans for your scroll saw. The stand includes an adjustable tabletop angle, an easy access cubby to hold tools, and enough room on top to hold other odds and ends. If you look closely at his pictures, you can see a clever scroll saw blade storage made from PVC (no plans available, but I'm sure you can figure it out).

Michael has created his stand as inexpensive as he could, but you could easily upgrade the building materials to create a great looking scroll saw stand. You can adjust the height and angle of the stand to fit your needs. So if you are ready to move your scroll saw from the TV tray to something a bit more stable, check out these free plans!

Whitewolf Pattern and Tutorial Update

I must say, Darryn's (aka Whitewolf) pattern collection and Photoshop tutorial is quite popular! In an effort to save Darryn bandwidth and hosting fees, we decided to move his collection over to the Scroll Saw Goodies server. During the file move, I have made the following changes:

• I fixed the tutorial ZIP file, so it should work properly for all users.
• I removed the RAR version of the tutorial, as RAR is an obscure compression format which the majority of users do not have access to.
• The pattern ZIP file has been renamed to make organization a bit easier.
• I have also updated the original blog entry to reflect these changes.

Hopefully these measures will keep Darryn's great pattern collection available to everybody for a long time to come.

Incidentally, if you have patterns, tutorials, or files you wish to make available to the scroll saw community, please contact me. I'd be happy to host the files for you, saving you bandwidth, time, and most importantly, money!

Whitewolf Patterns and Photoshop Tutorial

Last post, I talked about Darryn's (Whitewolf) patterns. He has designed a nice collection of patterns. He was kind enough to zip his entire collection for one easy download! His collection includes all of the patterns shown on his myphotoalbum.com website, as well a few new patterns. In fact, he has over 200 in all! The download is a hefty one, weighing in at about 15 megs. So those with dial-up may want try downloading the file while you sleep.

Not only has he made these patterns freely available, he has also included a on how to create your very own patterns. I checked it out and it looks pretty good. So if you want to try your hand at designing your own patterns, this is definitely a great place to start.

Darryn has 2 files available for you to download:

• WhiteWolfPatterns.zip is Darryn's pattern collection with over 200 patterns!
• WhiteWolfPhotoshopTutorial.zip is the Photoshop tutorial. I checked it out and it looks pretty good. A great place to start if you're looking at trying your hand at pattern making.
  

Whitewolf Patterns

Native American portraits have always been popular. So I was excited to see a number of great Native American patterns designed by Darryn (aka Whitewolf) from The Wolf's Den. The patterns are hosted by myphotoalbum.com. Unfortunately, myphotoalbum.com's free service only provides low resolution pictures. But Darryn is happy to send you a high resolution copy of any pattern you wish. Just shoot him an email with your request. His email is located on his profile. You can find his profile link on the lower right corner of the screen (just look for Darryn's name) or just click here for direct access. Check it out! He also has a great collection of tiger patterns along with several other portraits. Definitely worth checking out!

UPDATE: Darryn has made his pattern collection available in one easy zip file. He has included a great Photoshop tutorial. You read more about his collection and tutorial here.

Wooden Bi-Plane Toy

As a blogger who highlights scroll saw resources on the internet, I have a difficult time not constantly writing about Steve Good's website, Scrollsaw Workshop. If I was to write an article each time Steve creates a wonderful pattern, this blog would quickly turn into a Steve Good fan site. So I constantly have to reel myself in and only write about the patterns I really find extraordinary. Today, Steve came through with this wooden toy bi-plane pattern. The thing I like best about this pattern is that this design isn't bogged down by excessive detail. I think a lot of designers get caught up in detail. There's a fine line between too much detail and not enough, and I think Steve found that balance. The simple elegance and smooth curves really make this project stand out. This free scroll saw pattern is provided in PDF format for easy printing. Steve has also included a great video covering construction tips. Check it out! You won't be disappointed.

Native American Intarsia Portrait

I love progression pictures/tutorials. I love learning new things and new techniques. Allison from Willowshimmers Woodworks created a nice progression/tutorial on an intarsia Native American portrait. The end results really turned out stunning. She has included several pictures of the portrait coming together, along with some really great insights about intarsia. She even shares a few tips. My favorite being her heat gun tape removal method, which I hope to try out soon.

She has the Native American portrait spread over 3 posts. I've listed them below in chronological order for easier reading. While you're there, be sure to check out some of her other work!

• Indian Intarsia- A Tutorial
• The Mountain in the Indian Intarsia Pattern
• Indian Intarsia

Where'd He Go?

Sometimes life gets in the way of your hobbies. I've been renovating my basement in a desperate attempt to beat my in-law's vacation to our humble abode. I've been working nonstop to create a comfortable space for them, which leaves very little time to enjoy my hobbies. But fret not. I haven't quit. I'll be back in the saddle before you know it, bringing you many more Scroll Saw Goodies. Until then, I invite you to look through past entries in SSG. There is so many great projects, tips and tutorials to keep you entertained for quite some time.