Texas Scroll Saw Picnic

Ray Seymore, owner of Seyco, congratulates Kathy Graney, the winner of the Excalibur scroll saw. Ray donated the saw which was raffled off at the Texas Scroll Saw Picnic.

Spending a weekend with other scrollers who share your excitement for the art recharges your passion for scrolling.

Spending a weekend with other scrollers who share your excitement for the art recharges your passion for scrolling. Two things reinforced my dedication to scrolling at the Texas Scroll Saw Picnic: the work on display on the bragging tables and in the contest, and meeting and talking with folks from around the country.

The event, held April 17 to 18 at the Denton, Tex., Civic Center was sponsored by the Dallas/Fort Worth Scrollers. Aside from the many seminars, scrollers from around the country gathered to chat, show off their work, and compete in the scroll saw competition.

Lyndal Hutchersen, the picnic's promoter, did a great job lining up seminar speakers. While many of the other speakers focused on scrolling topics–Judy Gale Roberts discussed intarsia–I focused on how to take magazine-quality photos. I had a great presentation planned, with a camera, lights, and my laptop so I could show everything on a projector, but it all fell apart when I realized I forgot the adapter I need to hook my Mac laptop up in a PC world.

Regardless, I made it through my seminar and shared a lot of tips and techniques that will hopefully result in some great submissions to our Bragging Pages and encourage future contributors who are apprehensive about their photography skills.

Many people traveled several hours to attend the show. It was fun to chat with members of the Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts message board, many of whom I had never met in person. Most of the forum members, including Bud Hanson and his wife, who drove to the picnic from Ontario, Canada, stopped over to introduce themselves.

I highly recommend you make a point to attend a scroll saw event in your area. These events give you the opportunity to learn from great scrollers and teachers, and let you connect with people who share your love for scrolling. The Midwest Scroll Saw Trade Show in Richland Center, Wis., will be held from July 31 to Aug. 1 (www.midwesttradeshow.com). Look for Shannon Flowers at the Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts booth there!

Bob Duncan
duncan@foxchapelpublishing.com