I’m pleased to announce that the Ornaments For Charity eBook is now available! The last couple years, designers from Scroll Saw Village donated original ornament patterns not available anywhere else. We compile these patterns into an downloadable eBook. You can download the eBook for free and check it out. If you decide to keep the eBook, we ask you to donate to your favorite charity (we’re on the honor system here). Remember, this isn’t about “buying” an ebook of patterns, it’s about giving to a worthy cause. So dig deep when donating to your favorite charity.  I hope you enjoy the eBook and what I hope will become a long standing tradition at Scroll Saw Village.

Awhile back, I created a classroom series on how to design your own scroll saw patterns using GIMP and Inkscape. This class was freely available on Scroll Saw Village in the Village University forum. It included a video tutorial along with written instructions.

Recently, I started working on a new website; How To Design Scroll Saw Patterns (http://www.designingscrollsawpatterns.com). Quite honestly, its the exact same information as provided in the Village University. So why create a new website? There’s a couple reasons:

• First, I wanted a more pleasant presentation of this information (I wanted it to look pretty ). You’ll find the layout much easier to read and view the videos. The illustrations in the written instructions are also easier to see. I think the navigation is much easier too, moving from one lesson to the next.
• Second is for search engine purposes. While the lessons in the Scroll Saw Village do show up in search results, this new site is better optimized for search engines. Hopefully this will make the information a bit more visible. At the end of the day, I really want people to find these lessons and learn to create their own patterns. I think it adds a whole new dimension to the scroll sawing hobby. I’m proud of these lessons, and I want to share it with as many people as possible.

I added a couple new features to the new website. At the top of each lesson, I’ve added links for you to download the actual video file. I get a lot of requests for this option, and I find it easier to provide a link rather than explain how to do it. I also have a link to the written instructions in PDF format for you to download. Many people find it easier to print the instructions and follow along with a hard copy.

Just to be clear, the information in the Village University will remain there. I’m not closing that section down. All classroom discussions and questions from How To Design Scroll Saw Patterns will still be directed to the Village University forum.  The new website is only there for concise reading.

So there you have it. The new website. If you have your own website, feel free to link to http://www.designingscrollsawpatterns.com (It would be much appreciated). If you know anybody who wants to learn to make their own patterns, please direct them there too.

Enjoy the new website!

With all the news of toxic chemicals in toys made over seas, child-safe finishes have become a hot topic.  Cynthia Lewman from Toymaker Press put together a really nice tutorial on how to make your own non-toxic, child safe finish for toys.  This finish will display the beauty of the wood, but won’t hurt the little ones if they decide to chew on the toy before playing with it.  Be sure to check out Toymaker Press for some really cool toy patterns, too.

As crafters and artists, we get to the point where we start selling our work.  Either at craft fairs, or word of mouth.  But, since most of us don’t make a living at selling our work, options like accepting credit cards is practically non-existent.  Until now.  Square is a really neat credit card processing service that allows anybody to take credit cards.  This works especially well for crafters and artists who want to sell their work.  When you sign up, they send you a free credit card swiper that plugs into the audio jack of your smart phone (supports Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad).  Then you link your bank account to your Square account.  That’s it.  You’re open for business.

When you make a sale, you simply swipe their credit card.  You type in the amount, description and even take a picture of the product you’re selling.  Hit submit, and you’re done!  You can even email or SMS the reciept to the customer.

When Square processes the payment, they charge you 2.75% transaction fee (all credit card processors charge this if not more).  The next day, the money is transferred into your bank account.

Hardly anybody carries cash anymore.  Now you can say, “That’s OK.  I take plastic!”

Check it out!

Many of us are afraid of painting our projects.  You may not know where to even start.  Well, here is a really neat series by Sheila Landry.  She shows you each step of the way from preparing the pattern, stack cutting, and painting a snowman for a winter scene. You can find the pattern she’s working on here.   Speaking of which, be sure to check out her other patterns, too.  She has a lot of great designs. On with the show!

Short on cash, but still need a scroll saw?  Build your own!  Kurt built his own scroll saw based loosely on a Roy Underhill design.  He documented each step in an Instuctables tutorial.  Even if you don’t build your own scroll saw, it is really neat to see how to put one together.  You’ll definitely come out understanding the mechanics behind this simple tool.  Check it out!

Natural wooden toys are becoming more and more popular, especially with the concerns of toxic materials in toys made overseas.  Here’s a neat video on how Sherman Francisco builds a toy car that he and his club donates to Toys For Tots.  He’s using the Ripsnorter pattern from Toymaker Press.  Be sure to check Toymaker Press out.  They have a lot of great desigs and even a couple free patterns you can try out.

Daylight Savings is right around the corner, so what better way to celebrate warmer weather ahead than to have a Mini-Clock contest?  We need something to set forward on March 14th, right?  Cut or design a mini-clock and be entered to win a copy of Miniature Wooden Clock for the Scroll Saw, by Rick Longabaugh.  If you’re a pattern designer, I have made available a Mini-Clock Template for Inkscape.  The template is free, but the design is up to you!  If you’d like to learn how to use Inkscape to make mini-clocks, you can check out this video tutorial.

The contest is being held by Scroll Saw Village.  Details for the Mini-Clock Challenge can be found here.  Good luck.  But more importantly, have fun!

As woodworkers, we are in awe of exotic and unusual species of wood.  We scramble to find the right project for this wood.  However, not all woods are safe to use.  Many species can trigger allergic reactions when exposed to these woods.  Wood allergies can range from minor discomfort to life-threatening reactions.  Here’s a Wood Toxcity Chart that you can download and print for your workshop.  While it’s not an exhaustive list, it should give you a good idea of what to look out for.  So, next time you work with a wood that you’re unfamiliar with, check the species against this chart.  That way you know if you’re experiencing symptoms.

Did you survive the Holiday season?  Well, don’t relax too much, because  we’re throwing another contest at Scroll Saw Village! This time we’re focusing a bit on puzzles.  Puzzles are a lot of fun to cut and always a welcomed gift. This contest is open to everybody on Earth (however, special arrangements can be made for those outside our galaxy). This contest is sponsored by Dale’s Puzzles. He was kind enough to donate patterns for 1st (10 patterns), 2nd (5 patterns) and 3rd (2 patterns) place winners.

Entry is easy. All you have to do is cut a puzzle, take a pic, and post it in your User Gallery at Scroll Saw Village.  Be sure to post a link to your puzzle in the contest thread to be eligible.  Entries can be anything, as long as its a puzzle; a free standing puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle, tray puzzle, brain teaser puzzle, or (if you’re really ambitious) a Japanese puzzle box!

If you’d like another shot at winning one of these sweet prizes, you can also design a puzzle for the rapidly growing Pattern Library at SSV.  Design a free standing puzzle, tray puzzle, or template.

Winners will be drawn at random on February 4th, 2010 at 7pm MST in the Scroll Saw Chat Room.  Details can be found in the contest thread at SSV.  This should be a lot of fun.  I hope you take time to enter this fun little challenge.  Who knows, you just might win!

Special thanks to Dale for sponsoring this contest. He has a ton of really cool puzzle patterns on his website, so be sure to check him out. If you decide to make a purchase, please thank Dale for sponsoring this contest. Without him, this contest would not be possible.