The Newest Newby

[wmorriso]

Hi,
My name is Bill, a 66 year old senior from Greenwood Indiana. I am new to scroll sawing; so new I haven't taken the saw out of the box yet. I recently visited my in-law in Germany and admired the work he had done with his scroll saw and said to myself: I think this is the hobby for me. But since I am so new at this I really don't know how to get started. So any help you can give me will be really appreciated. Like: where do I find patterns for begginers, how do I trace and use patterns, etc.

[Greenfield_Bob]

Hi Bill, welcome to the group.
I'm from Greenfield.
Don't start out with anything to hard, I did and almost give up scrolling.

Bob

[sawdustus]

Hi Bill,

Welcome to the group. I am only a bit older and have been scrolling for about 10 years. It's a great hobby. Start small, work your way up to complicated, and remember to keep the dust under control. This is a great group. If you have any questions, ask. Someone will have an answer.

George

[Pajaro]

Hey Bill, Don't worry about knowing where to start. You got a saw right. Just set it up, get some wood and start playing around with it. Get the feel of the way it cuts. I started making simple birdhouses. Then worked my way up to Victorian scrolling. Find a book on beginner scroll sawing, it will have a lot of patterns for beginners. But most of all Have fun. And Welcome to the forum. You have all most unlimited resource for answers to your questions here.

[CanadianScroller]

Welcome to the board. You hit the jackpot for scrolling.
There are lots of places to get beginner patterns, there are even free patterns right here from Fox Chapel Pattern Downloads - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts
I also like the patterns from Accents Woodcraft Design. There are some free patterns there FREE Woodworking Patterns - Scroll Saw Patterns

It is easy to put the pattern to the wood, just print it out and spray it with temporary adhesive. Attach it to the wood and away you go.

Each issue of ScrollSaw Woodworking and Crafts has a section on attaching patterns and cutting tips for beginners. It is a great hobby and can really make the time fly. If you have any questions, there are tons of knowledgable people here that are eager to give you a hand.

[ajay]

Hi Bill, welcome to a great forum. Feel free to talk, share and ask questions.

[lucky788scroller]

Welcome Bill. Carl posted a couple links you will find very useful. This message board can answer pretty much any question that comes up, and in here Free Issue Offer - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts you will find heaps of everything youve asked for, including directions to get you going on your first project, with photos and descriptions making it as easy as it gets. The first thing though for you...GET THAT SAW OUT OF THE BOX!!! Tell us a little bit about it, what saw did you get? Get it out, look it over good, and just play with it a little.If all else fails, theres probably an owners manual with it, but hands on and this forum is a great way to get started. Welcome to a fun hobby. Dale

[Ramjet]

Bill Welcome . Don't be afraid to ask crazy questions as there are lots of crazies out there than really know their stuff . Have fun . One step at a time . What make of saw is it ?
Roger

[minowevie]

Originally Posted by wmorriso

Hi,
My name is Bill, a 66 year old senior from Greenwood Indiana. I am new to scroll sawing; so new I haven't taken the saw out of the box yet. I recently visited my in-law in Germany and admired the work he had done with his scroll saw and said to myself: I think this is the hobby for me. But since I am so new at this I really don't know how to get started. So any help you can give me will be really appreciated. Like: where do I find patterns for begginers, how do I trace and use patterns, etc.

Hi Bill, welcome, there is so many books avalibale to learn buy. and magazines. as far as traceing, I did that at first, and fownd , it was cheaper, and faster to just go to your lockale copey place like hear it is staples. .18 cts per copey. and it copeys better. you can't go roung getting the magazine. has lots of patterns. and how to do them impho. some of the books I used was buy Patrick spielman. scrollsaw Handbook. and lots of others buy spielman. also John Nelson has a great strarter one. you can ask Bob about that one. ..... FoxChapelPublishing has tons of books to learn from. you can go to Woodworking Books & Magazines for the Inspired Woodworker welcome your new friend Evie

[Powakee]

Bill
I started out because I saw a design I wanted to make for my daughter. I've been cutting ever since then . . . about 14 years now. I still can't cut enough and I while I always want to cut more someone did some rather poor planning and only put 24 hrs in a day!

I started out simple and with (what I later learned was) a simple saw. I use a DeWalt scroll saw now (my 3rd saw) and while I know there are fancier saws this one meets my needs and desires. Little cuttings made me want to do bigger cuttings and simple designs caused me to get more and more complicated as the years have gone by. Now a days I just cut and my wife gets first dibs. Just a couple of days ago I had one of those moments where I was standing at the sink and enjoying a nice cold ice tea and as I turned around and looked up the wall near the ceiling I noted that she had placed about 8 or 10 of my cuttings up there. Some were from quite some years ago and one was from this past winter. I remembered and thought about each cutting (when I made it and what I liked about it) and I appreciated my wife ~ once again. I was quite touched that she would display such things around the house. It was a nice moment.

Enjoy your scrolling. There are some fine folks here and I hope you enjoy this new adventure you are beginning.
John