mickyd's Woodworking Projects

[SDSSmith]

Didn't think the jigsaw had the ability to make the intricate tight radius cuts. Would it? What is the smallest radius you could cut with a jigsaw and what blade would you use? (asking out of ignorance) I've only used the jigsaw once to make a zero clearance insert. Large sweeping 1-1/2" radius was cut with it since at the time, I didn't have a bandsaw.

Like the scroll saw the tightest radius cut is a function primarily of the size of the blade and the operator (or patience thereof).]

[horologist]

Mike,
Nicely done. The scroll saw was definitely the tool of choice. You will probably do better with higher quality blades. Check p.258 and 259 of the catalog. 20 TPI sounds a bit coarse, even if you have all the pieces stacked together. As a rule you want at least three teeth on the piece at a time.

http://www.julesborel.com/

It is also possible to cut such things by hand, for the most part I do better doing this by hand than with the scroll saw. About the same amount of time but with a lot fewer broken blades. To cut by hand you need a bench block. I can post a photo later if it would help. We had a water heater failure and my shop is a bit of a disaster right now.

Troy

[JPG]

Assuming there is a 'next time', do the blind inside cuts first, then the tight outer cuts, then the easier(straighter) outer cuts last.

[judaspre1982]

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[mickyd]

.........

It is also possible to cut such things by hand, for the most part I do better doing this by hand than with the scroll saw. About the same amount of time but with a lot fewer broken blades. To cut by hand you need a bench block. I can post a photo later if it would help. We had a water heater failure and my shop is a bit of a disaster right now.

Troy

Photos please Troy. Can't even imagine the process to do these by hand.

Bummer about the heater. Hopefully all the water found your floor drain quickly.

Assuming there is a 'next time', do the blind inside cuts first, then the tight outer cuts, then the easier(straighter) outer cuts last.

Direction with 'porque' is always much appreciated. And there WILL be a next time, maybe 3. Folks (neighbors / co-workers) are buggy me to make them a set. The price tag may scare them away. I have enough glass for 1 more set.

[charlese]

Hi Mike! Those flowers (Iris I think) look very well done, especially as a training exercise. A little file work might be needed to clean up some edges, however as they are in your photo, they will look very nice on the lanterns.

Slow is a good thing when it comes to project work. Especially the first projects! Just think of everything you have learned through this project and the 300 posts. (mind boggling!) I've also learned a lot!

[mickyd]

Hi Mike! Those flowers (Iris I think) look very well done, especially as a training exercise. A little file work might be needed to clean up some edges, however as they are in your photo, they will look very nice on the lanterns.

Slow is a good thing when it comes to project work. Especially the first projects! Just think of everything you have learned through this project and the 300 posts. (mind boggling!) I've also learned a lot!

Hey Chuck...I agree about using a file (or even a dremel tool) in some areas where I now see a cutting transitions that could be smoothed out. I hadn't really noticed until you mentioned this. (I guess I wasn't looking at the trees through the forest). In actuality, no one would even notice those areas when viewed at a normal viewing distance but now that you brought it to my attention(thanks for nothing!!:D ), I have to clean them up. That's all I'll see now if I don't.

[charlese]

Hey Chuck... In actuality, no one would even notice those areas when viewed at a normal viewing distance but now that you brought it to my attention(thanks for nothing!!:D ), I have to clean them up. That's all I'll see now if I don't.

You are very welcome!!:rolleyes: Even after a cleanup, you'll have some particular areas of the project that will attract your attention. That always happens to me! I've found my biggest challenge is to keep my mouth shut and NEVER point out these areas to others, not even my wonderful wife. This is hard to do!!!!!!

My daughter-in-law gets a kick out of me when I go to her house and open drawers and doors of projects I've made for her. These actions are really hard to resist! My wife points out how rude it is to open others furniture drawers and peek into their cabinets, but I can't help it! Thank goodness everything still works as intended.

[mickyd]

For the record, I realized I left out some pics of a process step to sand and smooth the exterior surfaces after the the sides were assembled. The tops were also treated the same way after they were assembled.

I sanded the surfaces freehand on the disk sander with 120 grit paper. This removed the various 'issues' going on the surfaces (i.e. tiny lap joint steps, saw marks, miters on the top not exactly flush with it's neighbor etc.). Prior to sanding, I would take a pencil and mark the surface in several places so that I could watch how the sanding process progressed.

The critical sanding part was making sure that the initial part contact was flush with the sanding disk before applying any pressure. Once the part contacted the disk, kept even pressure on the part. I would rotate the part front to back a couple times to make sure it sanded evenly since the center of the disk has less SFPM than the outer surface.
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I was almost going to use the conical sanding disk to do this op so that I could use the fence vs. holding freehand but.....I took a chance and it came out good. No divots or signs of misalignment during initial contact with the disk.

I finished off the sanding with a finishing sander with first 150 then 220 grit paper.

[dewey2me1mothyme]

They are looking good mickyd