Hi Everyone!

[bdsears]

I am Brenda, from Illinois.

I recently inherited my dad's scroll saw. This saw is nearly 50 years old and still works.

I used to spend a lot of time in my dad's workshop, marveling at his talent. He is gone now and I hate that the saw was just sitting there so I decided to try my had at his craft. I immediately fell in love with that saw and more in love with my daddy.

I hope to improve as time goes on and try my hand at more intricate items.

I am a crafter at heart. I do many papercrafts, scrapbook, crochet, and I am avid reader and gardener. I work full time outside the home and I have a husband and 2 children (one married [age 31] and the other a senior in high school [age 17].) Not that it matters but I just turned 50 in March.

[wood-n-things]

Welcome A Board!! Glad to see you picked up where your father left off. Sorry for your loss. You will be hard pressed to find a friendlier or more knowledgeable group on the net re: woodworking. Share your knowledge and do not hesitate to ask questions. The only dumb question is the one that remains unasked.

You may find the stickies at the top of this forum to be very helpful. Use the Link below.

Message Board FAQ, Suggestions and Feedback - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Message Board.

Take a few minutes to read through them. They are chock full of great information.

Be sure and share pics of your projects. We thrive on pictures. You will find we are not a judgmental group.

Whatever reason brought you to our forum we are pleased you found us.

Take some time to read the bylaws of the forum. We do not allow open/direct selling on the forum.

[Bill Wilson]

Welcome Brenda,

Your testimonial about your Dad touched my heart. I too lost my Dad several years ago and like yours, he loved working in his shop. Even though our specific woodworking interests differed somewhat, I did inherit his love for making sawdust. I think it's wonderful that you have this connection with your Dad and that you want to put his saw back to work. I'm sure it would please hiim immensely to know you are carrying on in his stead. I hope to see some pictures of what you are able to create using his old saw.

By the way, you can cut very intricate designs using compressed stacks of paper, pretty much just like wood, so you may find even more uses for your Dad's old saw.

[ubgoofy2003]

Welcome Brenda. Glad you joined us. I love that you want to use your fathers saw & was interested in his woodworking. My daughter was that way when she was growing up. She always wanted to help Dad. Even changing oil in the car. I think it is great when the kids take an interest. Would love to see the old saw if you could take a picture of it & post it here on the forum. Thanks for joining us. Take Care

[bdsears]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I didn't expect that.

I took time to look around the site and I think I will like it here!

[Rolf]

Welcome!
What kind of saw?
Your post made me think of my Dad also. He was a tool junkie like me. Although he had a scroll saw he never really did anything with it. I inherited it (old Craftsman nightmare) and did a couple projects, enough to get me hooked. I Only wish he were here to see what is and can be done with the scroll saw.

[bdsears]

This is an old Craftsman as well... I went to a couple of blogs and read about how to get started and my first project was a nightmare. I didn't practice shapes or do a simple outline silhouette, nope I had to start right in with the fret work.

That first project is kind of a laugh and a half and I got a bit frustrated because I didn't know what blade did what and those cuts are pretty rough.

Then after doing some basic practicing shapes and very simple things I started again. I am keeping that first project just as a reminder of my progress.

Here is a picture of it.



I am one of those people who jump in with both feet and no life preserver! I will post more projects as I complete them. (I have 2 trivets almost done.)

I want to complete 5 trivets and 4 Christmas ornaments, 2 candle rings, and a fishing plaque all by Christmas.

[Jim Finn]

Looks pretty good for a first project. I found lettering hard to get right at first.

[Bill Wilson]

Originally Posted by bdsears

I am one of those people who jump in with both feet and no life preserver! I will post more projects as I complete them. (I have 2 trivets almost done.)

I think that is a good approach. You'll have a few setbacks and some frustration. We all do. Just don't let them become obstacles to pursuing your new hobby.

This is a great place to go for advice & support. A lot of us are self taught, but the resources available on forums and websites like this one are a real blessing to beginners, as well as veterans. I wish it had been around when I first started.

Good luck and have fun making sawdust!

[Fretnot]

I think we all started with an old saw and after making some sawdust the bug kind of sets in and we are hooked. Its the best thing I ever did. As someone said, there will be frustrations and set backs but its all part of the learning curve but whatever problem you come up against or when its not going right there are a lot of people on here who will help and give you the benefit of their experience. never give up.