What got you started scrolling?

[Bill Wilson]

Maybe this has been done before, if so, my apologies. But I'm curious, what got you into scrolling? Did you, or do you still, do other forms of woodworking as well? Let's hear some stories.

[Daryl185]

back in the late 90s around 97 I think my Mom and Dad got started making outdoor yard decoration from the Whitfield collection, I joined in and started making planters and such, my Dad bought Mom a Dremel scroll saw so I tried that out, I really liked most aspects of it and I ran acrossed CWWC magazine did a few of the patterns and I have been hooked ever since

[Jediscroller]

I had a scrollsaw in my workshop for years but only used it occasionally for heart cutouts and such in shelves. I cut this fish and was offered $30 for it and got hooked.
As far as other types of woodworking, I enjoy making furniture, in particular antique reproductions. My woodworking library consists of all kinds of very old books of furniture plans (from the late 1800's to the early 1900's) so that when someone commissions a piece I can faithfully duplicate it including the joinery used. I'm always browsing used bookstores for old books on woodworking, there were some amazing craftsmen 100 years ago.

[utbva]

I have been doing some woodworking as a hobby for many years. I have had an interest in make wooden clocks for sometime and as I looked into it I realized that a scroll saw would be necessary. Now that I have a scrollsaw, I am ingrigued by the many differnent things that can be done with a scrollsaw. Now with after receiving my first issue of SSW and with the help and incoragement of members of this forum, I am really looking forward to trying out many differnt aspects of this hobby and maybe settle down to one or two styles of cutting. I see that the new issue of SSW has wooden clocks in it so I am very much looking forward to getting my copy of it.

[beemerbob]

Got started back in the early 90's I subscribed to several woodworking magazines and one of them had some scroll saw patterns.

Got a couple of cheap saws but I couldn't control the blade on the 3D plaque plans from the old Scroller web site that the magazines were publishing back then.

Tried a couple of Delta models and a couple of Hawk models. All of the saws vibrated to much and I couldn't cut the pattern out of 1 sheet of 1/8th ply.

The old Scroller website only sold the 3d plaques back then. Roy had a deal where He would sell you a Hegner 18VS and a hundred of his patterns for less than $1000.00. The Hegner was the first saw I tried that didn't vibrate and the back and forth blade movement made it a lot easier to control.

Used the Hegner for years until my skill level increased to the point where I wanted to cut some of the really intricate patterns that appeared in the magazines.

Found out that the back and eyes got to old to bottom feed anymore.

Got a DW788 and it worked OK. Lots of fiddling to keep it working.

Saw some the the Work Bill Young was doing with his Delta P20. I had a thought in the back of my mind that that might be a saw to try.

Amazon had a really good deal on the P20 - cheaper than the DW788's they were selling. Bought one and haven't turned back.

[earlinjax]

My folks gave me a Sears scroll saw and band saw when I was about twelve. I broke more blades than I finished projects. Was away from woodworking for many years. Did a little when our girls were small. Started in again after I retired. Bought some tools and dabbled at a bit of everything. Scrolling intrigued me so I bought an inexpensive Ryobi. What a pain for changing blades and tensioning but I made some things I really liked. Now have worked my way up to a Hawk and really enjoy making sawdust.

EarlinJax

[Jim8Mad]

I started out in woodworking with just the basics, a hand drill, sabre saw, hand held circular saw and a palm sander. That all worked fine for shelves. When I built my first 'real' project (a blanket chest) my wife realized I needed some better tools.

I bought my first scroll saw from a friend in 2000, a Ryobi single speed that only used pinned blades. I couldn't figure out how to use the plain end blade clamps that came with it without breaking blades every 10 minutes and was about to give up when I found a great project in a magazine that didn't need any small inside cuts. When I finished it and gave it away as a Christmas present the oohs and aahs were enough to convince me to stick with it. A couple years ago I bought myself a Dremel 1680 and passed on my old Ryobi saw to my uncle who has also taken an interest in scrolling.

Today I still do other forms of woodworking, from small cabinets and shelves to large furniture (bed frames and tables). It doesn't matter which form of work I am doing, it all relaxes me.

[Eric]

My story is no different from anyone here, got a scroll saw and got hooked on the endless possibilities. Now 4 years later I look for every excuse in the book to use a scroll saw. I even use it at work with the youths I work with.

Eric

[Marsha]

My love of scrolling started one day while sitting at our local pub. The owner had just returned from Florida with some beautiful Christmas condiment caddies and knowing that I did a ton of different crafts he brought them right over to our table for me to have a look at. They were fabulous, Santas and Snowmen and one I really liked in particular was a Christmas tree with fretwork. I told my hubby, if I had a scroll saw, I could probably make stuff like that. So he bought me a little Delta 16" VS. We had just bought our house the Jan before, and I had no where to set the saw except the dinning room table. I struggled along until we build my shop the following summer. Then we added the usual tools, drill press, table saw, chop saw, and a router, which was suppose to be his, unfortunately he hasn't turned out to be much of a woodworker, so I use the router alot more then he does. I struggled along with my little Delta, I didn't do much with it. I found the blade clamps a PITA when I tried fretwork and I almost gave up scrolling when I tried the first compound cut project, that little saw just couldn't handle the thick wood.
The following summer of 2000, hubby, me, and a very good friend went to a wood show, our friend purchased a Dewalt 788, it was a show stopper and he got it for around $ 700.00, I was very jealous, because we simply couldn't afford one. Well we got it home and he set it up, and he hated it. After a couple of months he told me scrolling was for girls and if I was willing to trade the router for the scroll saw, then I could have it. I laughed and said ya right. He mentioned it again to my hubby and Fred came home and told me John was serious about the scroll saw, so I said OK lets go by a router and see how serious he is. So we went and bought a $ 340.00 Hitachi router and went to his house with it and made the deal. I brought the Dewalt home with me and never regretted it.
BTW I still haven't made any of the condiment caddies
Marsha

[CanadianScroller]

Back in 1996 just after we moved into the townhouse one of our new neighbors came to visit.
Roy Brown is a gentleman in his 70's asked me if I had any hobbies. I told him I use the computer and listen to the short wave radio. He said those are not hobbies.
He smiled and left. 20 minutes later he came over with a scroll saw some wood and some patterns. "Here is a hobby" he said.
He showed me the basics, left the saw and the wood and the rest is history.

That first saw was a 2 speed Delta. I fell in love with the blade clamps right away. Funny how those are the things that attracted me to this saw and put Marsha off
I seemed to want to jump right into the complicated fretwork right from the beginning. My first project was a rose coaster, then a tiger coaster. After the first month I jumped into a cut out of an ark, one of John Polhemus patterns on a piece of scrap wood I got from another neighbor. The wood was 16 x 22 and was painted white, the sawdust was a darker colour. I was delighted to find out it was cherry. I redid the ark a few times. Once on a cupboard door and once on a piece of mahogany 5"x7"

I have since taken that saw apart, The arms wore out. I sent the motor off to be used in another saw and the clamps I gave to my younger brother.
I enjoy making patterns. Pattern collection can be an obsession.
There is still othing quite as satisfying as sitting at the saw and cutting something out of a piece of wood.

As retirement approaches I can see my shop getting cleaner and more used