Questions for Kathy Wise

[BobD]

Hi Gang,
If you have any questions for intarsia artist Kathy Wise, feel free to post them here!

Bob

[Janet'sWood]

Hi Kathy,

I was wondering did you come up with the idea for using the rubber finger tips (you called secretary something)? It's odd the same thing was mentioned in last Spring Intarsia Times Newsletter. Also curious how many projects have you made so far?

Janet

[Kathy-Wise]

Hi Janet,
Actually my Mother suggested using the rubber finger tips used by secretaries back in February of 2004 when I wrote the first set of four articles for Scroll Saw Workshop. I was complaining on how my fingers were getting sanded and being the good mother that she is, she found a good solution for me. I'm sure many others have though of it as well. I guess it is just one of those good common sense ideas. I use the rubber finger tips all the time now, especially when sanding small pieces. I thought it was a very good tip to include in my article, as it may help save the skin of other woodworkers.

I've made about 40 intarsia wood projects (all my own designs) with 7 published Scroll Saw Workshop/ Wood Carving Illustrated articles... several more articles are in the works right now. I am a professional sculptor and have sculpted well over 1000 animal, dog and cat figures for the giftware industry. I have worked in Bronze ( shown in Fine Art Galleries), Wood (craving & relief), Clay, Ceramic, Resin and Stone for over 25 years. My background with the giftware industry was invaluable in turning to intarsia patterns and writing projects for Scroll Saw workshop. It is basically designing a beautiful or useful item, as I have done for years, and photographing & writing the steps. I started designing the patterns for my father-in-law's intarsia business over 8 years ago. So I have been designing patterns for quite awhile, even if I've only been selling them to the public the last 3 years. The response from
creative woodworking people has been wonderful. If you are curious to see what other woodworks who have tried my patterns think.: go to this link on my site and read their comments. http://www.kathywise.com/testimonials.html I also have a free pattern ( $2 postage only) for you or others to try. I have many hard to find dog breeds in both head and full body poses. Just go to my site www.kathywise.com and drop me a line. Thank you for your questions,
Kathy Wise
Kathy Wise Designs Inc.
PO Box 60
Yale, MI 48097
Fax: 810-387-9044
kathywise@bignet.net

[BobD]

Janet'sWoods,

The discrepancy may be because of how long it takes for us to get a magazine out. Right now, we just sent the Holiday issue to the printer--and we're gearing up for our Spring Issue... Hope this helps!

Bob Duncan
Scroll Saw WOrkshpp

[sheltiecarver]

Hi Kathy,
I love your patterns, but for me they are a bit on the large size. Most of the folks who would buy or recieve them as gifts live in small quarters, so I'd like to reduce them in size. Perhaps to no more than about 8 1/2" x 11", or about 12" square. (or so) What I'm wondering is, how small can the pieces be to realistically work with them? I know that many intarsia projects have one or two tiny pieces, but for practical cutting, shaping etc, how small before a person should be merging 2 or 3 pieces into one for cutting and shaping?
Thanks, and I'm looking foreward to seeing more of your patterns.
Sandy

[Kathy-Wise]

Hi Sandy,
Thank you for your kind comments about my intarsia pattern designs. Many of my dog patterns range around the 12" x 12" size you like. Most of my patterns average around the 14" x 14" size with many being shorter but longer or longer but shorter. Some of my customers have reduced these patterns by 1/3 and have been quite happy with the results. I guess it depends on your skill level and how much time and effort you want to put into a piece that determine how small you should go.
I will work with pieces as small as 1/2" x 1/4" for areas around the eye or other detailed spots and I do not have a problem with them. They could be left out if too hard to work with, but I feel the small pieces add to the special personality of my designs. I will often use a 1/2" sanding drum on a dremel tool to carefully sand the edges of these very small pieces. I then use large tweezers to pick up and place them when gluing.
To answer your question: How small before a person should be merging 2 or 3 pieces into one for cutting and shaping?.... I will have to say that pieces smaller than 1/2" are harder to handle and could most likely be left out. But you have to pick and choose which pieces to merge together or leave out so you don't lose the appeal of the intarsia piece. Some pieces just can't be removed.
You have brought up a good point regarding the size of patterns. I do enlarge my patterns for customers who what to work on larger scale intarsia for a fee of $5. I see no reason why I could not reduce any of my designs and delete a few of the more complex parts for the same cost. I am endeavoring to give my customers exactly what they want, from the pattern content (a certain dog breed) to the way I lay the pattern out. I already offer a red line option, which some of my customers prefer, and some of my more complex patterns have numbered pieces for easy placement. I would like to hear from intarsia woodworks what they would like to have in a pattern or would like to see in the patterns they purchase.
Thank you for your question,
Kathy Wise

[sheltiecarver]

Gosh, thanks, Kathy, for your nice reply. So I guess I can really try what has only been a brain annoyance so far. Cool!! It takes me a while to get into gear, but you will be hearing from me.
Thanks again,
Sandy
PS. Should I be able to use the same thickness of wood (at least to start), or will that need to be reduced also? I don't have access to a thickness planer, but I could sand pieces down individually or in groups with - you know-- dremel, sanding drums,1" band sander, etc.. All those weenie tools that a not-real-woodworker accumulates instead of the "real" tools.

[Kathy-Wise]

Hi Sandy,
Thanks for your reply, sorry for the delay in getting back to you, I've had a few computer problems. I think using the same thickness of wood in the large pattern as you would use in the reduced pattern will not be a problem. 3/4" wood is generally my starting point, or you can use 1" and sand down or shim up in areas. You can still get a lot of depth variance in 3/4" wood by sanding down 1/4" to 1/2". I don't think there are any "real" tools for "real woodworkers". If you are making intarsia art, you are a real woodworker, using smaller tools will just take you longer. Less is More (more time)!
Kathy

[irish]

Hi Kathy
I have only done a few intarsia projects . So far I am not real unhappy with my shaping or cuttings although I still need to improve both. My main problem is glueing. I seem to get a decent fit but then when I finish glueing, it is off quite a bit. I read in one of your articles you use 100% silicon glue but I could not find a brand name even in your pictures. I bought some in a local home depot but it did not hold anything together on a scrap piece of wood. Perhaps you may have some suggestions. Thanks for any advice you can give
Irish

[Kathy-Wise]

Hi Irish,
I like to use 100% silicone glue when gluing all my projects together. GE is the brand I usually use. They call it glue when they package it in a smaller tube, but it is the same 100% silicone sold in the larger caulking tubes. I get mine at Home Depot, Lowe's and sometimes Ace. The silicone is used just to tack the pieces together so when you place your sections on the backer board to glue (with Titebond) you don't have pieces sliding around. Lay your finished pieces on the master pattern and make sure you have the fit you want. Divide your piece into 4 or 5 sections depending on the size of your project. When you tack the sections together just use a few drops between the pieces, making sure it doesn't squeeze up in the joints. If some glue does get on the front of your piece, it will rub off easily when it is dry. Lay your tacked sections all down on the pattern. Let the silicone dry overnight...if you don't it won't hold. Put Titebond or other good wood glue on your backer board and place the sections on the board. The nice thing about the silicone is if you have a small gap somewhere on your piece, after is set on the glued backer board, you can take a small screwdriver and gently wedge it between the tacked pieces and re-space so the gap is not noticeable. You eliminate pieces sliding around in the glue and being attached permanently in the wrong spot. It is also faster to glue pieces together because you are not gluing one or two sections at a time. Hope I helped answered your question. Kathy