Are you tired of spending your hard-earned money on interior and exterior crafts that need replacing or repairing year after year?  Make your own crafts and possibly turn your projects into extra cash by selling on ebay, even if you live in an apartment and don't have a workshop available!

If you are able to operate a jig saw or a sewing machine, then you can operate a scroll saw.  They are safe, quiet, and operate on low electricity.  Simply choose your wood, trace out your pattern, then follow your lines and you're on your way to creating most anything!

To get started, you will need to invest in the following basics:(At Home Depot or any Woodworkers Retail Store)

• Scroll Saw (Prices generally range from $100-$400)
• Scroll Saw Blades (inexpensive)
• Carbon Paper (For use with patterns)
• Scroll Saw Patterns (Unless you draw your own)
• Wood (In various sizes and thickness)
• Wood Glue (Available at your hardware store)
• Drill (For most projects)
• Sander (For making your projects smooth)
• Sand Paper (Usually just a fine grade for finishing would suffice)

After you have set your saw up in a well-lighted area, attach a blade to the saw.  I used a spiral blade for my first project because of their versatility.  To attach the blade:

• Gently run your fingers up and down the spiral blade to determine which way the cutting edges run.  The cutting edges should be facing down.
• Loosely attach the top of the blade in the top clamp of the saw leaving approximately 1/4" of blade above the clamp.  Next, attach the bottom of the blade under the plate and secure tightly.  Last, go back and readjust and tighten the top clamp.
• Adjust the blade tension on the machine itself so that the blade is tight, but not too tight.  Some scrollers test the tension by listening to the 'Twang' (to the key of 'C') and some scrollers go by the feel.  This is something that you will get the feel of with practice (and after breaking a few blades!)

Once you have successfully attached your blade, take a piece of wood and lay it on your table top.  Slowly practice making cuts in your wood by gently, but firmly, holding your wood down on both sides of the cut.  Let the saw do most of the work while feeding the wood through slowly.  As you get used to the saw, this will become second-nature.  Don't get discouraged if you break a few blades.  As you become more and more familiar with different blades and different woods, you will break less, as a rule.

After you have mastered the above, try drawing lines on another piece of wood and practice cutting on your lines.  The rule of thumb is not to force the blade through, but to encourage it through.  When you are comfortable with the saw, in general, and making cuts, then you're ready to create your own crafts.

There are many scroll saw pattern companies out there that have patterns for most anything you could want to make.  Often, Ebay has patterns for less...so check there first.  Winfield Collections, Cherry Tree, etc...are just a few pattern companies that offer a wide variety of patterns.  Plug 'Scroll Saw Patterns' into your favorite search engine for a list of retailers.  Generally, companies that make the patterns also sell the blades and other accessories ie: carbon paper etc...

On most of the patterns that you buy, you will notice that you will be cutting out pieces of wood that you can't get to from the outside edge of the wood.  This is where your drill comes in.  Use a small drill bit that is slightly larger than your saw blade.  Drill a hole all the way through your wood where you want to cut.  Then go back to your saw and release the tension on your blade.  Undo the top clamp holding your blade, then inset your blade up through the hole you drilled from underneath the wood.  Re-clamp the blade and tighten your tension back up.  You can now cut out that middle piece!

When your project has been cut out, you now have the option to leave it the way it is, or to stain or paint it.  For indoor projects, an acrylic paint is sufficient.  And again, there are many retailers of paints available in the 4-ox. size or the 8-oz. size.  Shop around for the best buys!

If your project is for the outdoors, then we highly recommend a stain of your choice...dry thoroughly, then cover with several coats of polyurethane or a spar varnish.  In between coats of polyurethane, either use a fine sandpaper or use a fine grade of steel wood '0000'.  Your crafts will last for years to come, even outdoors, if care is taken in the finish work.

*Note:  Experiment with other blades.  The spiral blade is perhaps the easiest to work with but for a finer cut on more delicate work, you would want to use a reverse tooth blade for a cleaner, more defined cut.  As you become more familiar with your saw and what you can do, research these things out and find out what is available for even the most difficult projects.

Scroll sawing is relaxing and rewarding and can be done by just about anyone!  Have fun,  Enjoy,  and Good Luck!