|
Scroll
Saw Name Chain
|
Pattern
|
Making some name chains for four of my young friends
in the neighborhood.
Looked around Internet and zeroed in on a pattern
style that I liked...
Using Word, I created a name in large Cooper Black font
(~200).
This filled the page in landscape orientation
|
|
|
Then on the advanced tab of
the font selection, I played around with settings until the
letter overlap looked about right for scroll saw work...
Spacing = Condensed > By = 13 points
|
|
Then on the Format
Text Effects tab...
for a nice working template look...
Text Fill = No Fill
Text Outline = Solid Line |
|
|
|
| I used a thin blank of African
padauk...left over from the jewelry cabinet. |
 |
| Surfaced with a bevel up
smoother... |
 |
| Squared with a jack plane... |
 |
|
|
Scroll saw blade selections...
for tight outer cuts...Olsen 5R reverse skip tooth
For inner cuts, Olsen #2 spiral tooth,
|
|
| Downsized the names,
printed the templates...fit them to the wood blank...glued
on with 3m #45 spray adhesive |
|
| The spiral blade
required a 3/64 inch pilot hole. |
 |
| CTD test
for blade and bit selections |
 |
After the full template is cut
out...
|
|
The template paper removed...Goo
Gone...
|
 |
Sanding,
Rasping and Finishing
|
For the flat surface sanding I
used 220x and 320x grits adhered to a granite slab...edge
sanding was done with a variety of grits with small backing
pieces
|
|
For shape refinement I used
wide variety of Auriou rasps and Auriou or Ajax Plinky rifflers.
|
 |
|
A great finishing cutter was a Murphy
knife with a long cutting blade.
|
|
| Amber shellac...brushed onto
inner and outer edges......padded onto flat surfaces. |
 |
Drilled a 1/16 inch hole
for eye hook...the bit was too small to fit in the drill press.
At first I designed these to have the hook in the first letter
of the name and the unit would be vertical... |
 |
| ...later changed to placing hook
to hold the name horizontally. |
 |
I experimented with options to
hold a smaller bit in the drill press...I put the small bit into
a pin vise and then secured that in the drill press chuck.
|
|
Reasonably successful...in
particular, it made the hole drilling easier to keep aligned
vertically.
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
Doing a batch of name chains for
Christmas 22, used African mahogany cutoffs from blanks
that went in the drive cabinet.
The cutoffs were jointed on one side with bandsaw marks on the
other.
Ran the cutoffs through the drum sander until I had consistent
thickness...a slightly fat 1/8 inch thick.
|
 |
|
Here are the templates of the
10 name chains.
The templates and the blank
were coated with contact cement.
Note: Spray can had
powerful force and blew the templates all over the
place...next time secure them.
|
 |
The blanks were then downsized at
the bandsaw.
I learned previously to leave a blank space at the front of the
names...this gives the piece a hand hold while scroll sawing.
|
 |
At the press I drilled 3/64"
pilot holes for inside cuts using the #2 Olsen spiral tooth.
|
 |
| I used 8 tpi skip tooth
blades for the outside cuts and began to to shape out the names
at the scroll saw. |
 |
While working in this phase, I
had a health problem that made me unable to work at the scroll
saw.
My fine motor control of my fingers forced me to avoid the power
saw and I switched to hand saws.
The material was too thin for the vibration of the hand saws.
I worked hard to secure the material. |
 |
| Finished one of the thin name
chains... |
 |
| It was difficult to drill a hole
in the top... |
 |
So, I created a thicker stock and
worked it with hand tools...
|
 |
Thicker stock made everything a
bit easier...
|
 |
| Using the thicker stock also
allowed the name chain to stand on its own...it could be placed
on a shelf. |
 |
