What got you started in this hobby?

[northie66]

For me it was an older gentleman at work.  His work is all over the office.  One day I asked him to explain how he makes this stuff and he told me about the scroll saw.  I was really interested and he let me borrow one of his old saws.  I loved it immediately! 

He let me borrow it for a while to make sure I wouldn't get tired of it.  Then, I ordered myself a Dewalt 788.  He told me I was going to love it even more when I used that and he was right.

We talk "shop" all the time at work.  How did you get started?

[dunk]

I was working as a correctional officer in a maximum security prison, (from which I retired)  and really needed something to release the stress.  I was at the state or county fair and saw a guy cutting names out of wood.  I watched him for almost an hour and was amazed.

His wife was talking to me and explaining how it worked.  It got a little slow for orders and he asked if I wanted to try the saw.  I said naw I'd cut my hand off.  He explained to me that the scroll saw is probably the safest power tool you could own.  I sat down and he gave me a couple of scraps to lay with and then he drew out my nickname on a hunk of pine and I cut it with him coaching me.  I still have my DUNK sign right here in my office.  That was in 1985, I've been tinkering in wood working ever since.  I went home and thought about it and went down the next day after work and got a 16" Ryobi, my first and worst saw.

I of course now love my 788 Ol' Yeller, she is about 9 years old I think.

How did you get started?

[cherie]

A trip to Lowes.  Jaun was explaining what I could do with the scroll saw and I had the money at the time.  It was a basic Dremel about 6 years ago.  I had no idea what I was doing so I went searching for answers via the internet.  If it were not for forums like these, then I would be totally lost.  I half-way know what I am doing now....I think.  LOL.

[MadHatter]

I saw a friend working on a project and it intrigued me as to how taking a plain piece of wood and watching it almost come alive by all the different fragile cuts. I was hooked and cant think of any other hobby I'd rather have (I do sneak off to a fishing spot sometimes tho lol).

[garyinnevada]

12 years ago I owned a Coping Saw and I did all my scroll work with it. One day I saw a Scrollsaw in a wood magazine and I was amazed. I had no idea there was such a thing. I ran down to Home Depot and bought me a 788 and I havent stopped since. I did lose my DeWalt and reinvested in my Hawk.
I really love the hobby, I just wish I could work the software programs and learn how to make patterns. Im in need of a Clock Dial right now and it cant be that hard to make if I just knew how to use my computer to help me design it.

I hope everyone is having a good Weekend!!

Gary

[GrayBeard]

Suet Feeders!

I found a plan to make an acorn shaped suet feeder and began by cutting them out of cedar fence boards. Learned early that doing them with a hand held jig saw was the pits! So i bought a junker scroll saw and tried that. Then I tried something just a bit different and needed a better saw so I bought a used Craftsman 16" vs. That totally hooked me! Made a bunch of Christmas presents, ornaments and such as well as wedding present for my grandson. That drew so many compliments that I have to get a better saw!
Now I am  selling my various bird feeders at a local farmer's market and putting that money away for a DW788! Should have enough by August so I can make Christmas gifts this year for almost everyone!
Never had such a relaxing and also vexing hobby in my life!

GrayBeard

[keidiag]

I was at a wood working show in Vancouver BC and there was this old gentleman that had a wood gear grandfather clock that he had made. I was very impressed with the clock and had asked him several questions of how it worked. He explained in great detail all the various parts and apologized profusely that it wasn't working. He said it was because of the high humidity. At the time I found that hard to believe (since then I have learned just how much humidity can effect a wooden clock).

A friend of mine came across an advertisement for a wood gear clock in a British newspaper and showed it to me. I ordered the plans and bought a low level scroll saw. There was a lot of wood lathe detail that I had to do, but that didn't bother me since I knew how to use a lathe. The scroll saw was different, I knew nothing about how to use the saw let alone anything about making clocks. I had to learn how to use the saw then I had to learn how to cut the gears. It took me about 6 months to make the clock but I couldn't get it to run. There are several reasons why the clock wouldn't run but I won't go into those details here. I can elaborate if anyone is interested.

Since those meager beginnings I have perfected my skills on the scroll saw as well as learned the process of building a wood gear clock. I have made 6 different clocks, I have 2 hanging in my living room and gave one to each of my children. They keep almost perfect time and have a run time anywhere between 26 hours and 6 1/2 days.

Presently I am trying to go one step higher by building a Kinetic Sculpture that will be driven by a wood gear mechanism. It's about half finished and I hope to be able to complete it this summer.

Regards, Keith

[wombatie]

I was learning to woodturn at the time when my husband brought himself a scrollsaw, I ask how it worked and that was that.  I gave up woodturning and got hooked on the scrollsaw, since then my husband has never been on the scrollsaw and I've never been off it.  The one I started with was a 16" Delta and now I have a DeWalt (my Baby).  A friend said that I should not spend so much time on it otherwise I would soon get bored, that was about 11years ago and I'm not bored yet.

Marg

[Wandascroller]

When my children were little I dreamt of making wooden puzzles as we are a family of puzzle lovers. I soon found out that a Jigsaw wasn't the tool for the job and that was that.
Many years and a new husband later we attended an agricultural show in Gympie in May 2002. I was thrilled to see a display by the local Woodwork group which included a wonderful lady using a scroll saw who patiently demonstrated it for me & answered my many questions. I then dragged my hubby from the goat & cattle judging to show him. The rest is history we purchased a Delta 16"saw for $279 which I still use.

[patch]

I was learning to woodturn at the time when my husband brought himself a scrollsaw, I ask how it worked and that was that.  I gave up woodturning and got hooked on the scrollsaw, since then my husband has never been on the scrollsaw and I've never been off it.  The one I started with was a 16" Delta and now I have a DeWalt (my Baby).  A friend said that I should not spend so much time on it otherwise I would soon get bored, that was about 11years ago and I'm not bored yet.

Marg

you will never get bored because every new piece of wood  is like a new adventure

[ljfrompa]

i work in a woodshop for a frame company.  we make frames for, and frame art for frame shops, galleries and museum's in new york city.   one of my girlfriends at work had a scroll saw and she brought in a fretwork picture of a bear that she had made for someone and i was amazed!  i had never seen any fretwork before...that was where i first got interested.
 i was making bowed psalteries out of scrap wood and another friend who wanted a psaltery asked me if she could take the face of her's home and have her husband scroll something for the sound hole....this was the result:

after that i was hooked!  i just had to have a scrollsaw!   
an elderly gent at church used to give me a christmas present every year...something he had made out of wood.  that christmas he told me to come out to his car, he had something for me...it was a scrollsaw!  he had 2 and knew i wanted one, so he gave one to me.
it was an old craftsman...only took the pin-end blades but i was happy

a couple months later when my husband saw me struggling to work with that old saw, went out and bought me a new craftsman and that is what i've been using every since....someday i hope to get a more expensive one.

i had it set up in my office at our house where it was warm and i could use it whenever i wanted to...since then we've moved and i'm now set up in our basement where the woodstove keeps me toasty warm in the winter and eats all my mistakes too LOL!


because of my job, i have all the scrap wood i could ever want...maple, poplar, padouk, wenge, rosewood, mahogany, ash, oak, walnut...etc.

[cherie]

Those are just plain awesome. I have never heard of a psalteries.   Thanks for showing us.

[northie66]

I had never heard of psalteries either.  Now I want one as they are beautiful.

It seems the common theme of how people get started tends to be "the kindness of other scroll sawers".  We must be a kind bunch.

[crusty59]

Hi. I love woodworking! My story is a little long but I think you will find it interesting. Take a look at my page in my website.  http://woodcraftsbychris.com/aboutme.html

[northie66]

Sorry to hear about your health issue crusty but I'm glad you have a hobby that you love.  Your work is very nice.  I've never seen a scroll sawed shot glass.  Very cool.  Do you make your own patterns?