Introduction - Sign Up and Objective
Hi, Everybody!
My name is Sheila Landry, although many of you may know me as 'Scrollgirl'. I've had that nickname for over fifteen years now and chose it because I LOVE SCROLL SAWING!
I work as a contributing editor for
Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine and I also have my own pattern business called
Sheila Landry Designs where I sell my original scroll saw and painting patterns.
I was asked by MsDebbie if I would like to host an online scroll saw class here on Lumberjocks and I gave her a resounding YES as an answer! So here we are!
During my first year here on Lumberjocks, I realized that many of you have sad and lonely scroll saws sitting in a dark, deep corner of your shop or basement, covered with dust and rotting. Others have fresh and new scroll saws, shiny out of the box, and you want to be able to use these saws to create beautiful and magical woodworking projects, but don't really know where to start. And there are still more of you who already make wonderful projects, and may just want to come along for the ride to help contribute to the class and perhaps learn something new in the process.
Everyone is welcome!
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In conducting this class, I want you all to know that no matter what your skill, I am looking forward to having you here. I am going to pace the class slowly so that it is geared for the absolute beginner (After all - we aren't going anywhere, are we?) and if it moves a bit too slow for some people, that will be a good time for those people to chime in and also help out with their own experiences and advice.
Scroll sawing - as with many things - is not an exact science. There are many roads to the destination. While one thing may work well for one person, other things may work well for others. There are several "right" ways to do things and as long as they are safe, than I will encourage you to use the method that you are most comfortable with.
As far as safety goes, you need to use your normal safety practices that you do in your shop when using the scroll saw. Use your own judgment and follow your manufacturer's instructions on the equipment and supplies. I cannot accept responsibility for accidents resulting from how you use the information provided here. I merely want to show you which techniques work for me.
With that said, I hope this class proves to be both fun and educational to you all. There are many different applications in which you can use your scroll saw in creating other, larger projects. Or you can use it on its own to make projects ranging to basic and simple to very intricate and elaborate. There really is no limit, which is why I find working with the scroll saw so exciting. It is a very versatile tool that requires a small amount of space (I scroll saw on the side of my kitchen!) and makes very little mess, unlike larger saws or other tools. It is a great way to do a little creative woodworking even if you have a very limited area to work in and budget.
In creating the projects for the class, I have decided that since there are many different techniques and aspects to scroll sawing, the best way to show you these is by us creating several smaller projects. I will be sharing with you many different small ornament patterns that I have designed, and each which will focus on a particular technique. This will allow us to work on different thicknesses of wood using different sizes and types of blades. It will also be less costly to you than investing in one large project or lots of materials. You will be able to use scraps from around your shop to practice on and keep you cost minimal. You can also practice by making the items several times if necessary, to really understand what you are learning to do.
I will give a general supply list on the next post. But for now, I would like to as you to 'sign up' so I have an idea of how many people are going to follow along. Please acknowledge your participation either in the comment section here, or via a personal message to me. I ask that you give me your name (first name is fine, but both names is OK too), email, experience you have on the scroll saw, and if you wish, a couple of lines as to your goals for the class or what you want to see here. It will help me make a better class for you and address your needs better.
I will be mainly teaching through this blog, but I will also have some videos from time to time to illustrate different cutting techniques and other issues that come up. I will do as many videos as possible, but I don't want to limit those who are on dial-up connections and don't have access to internet videos, as some have brought to my attention. Even if I do a illustrate an idea using a video, I will still have photographs presented here to try to show the same thing on the blog, so everyone can follow.
So that is it for now. I will do my best to make this a fun and educational experience for all of us. I hope that you will join us!
