Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Magazine Fall 2022

Easy Woodworking Projects For Beginners!

FALL 2022
ISSUE 88

25 Fun CRAFTS
CRAFTS
Projects

& Patterns

Classic
Toys with
A Twist

Build Your
Fretwork
Skills!

PLUS 4 Designs CampCinRgAFTS
Inspired by
Cut 6 • Deer Fretwork
Awesome • Wind-Up Chainsaw
Wildlife • Campfire Portrait
Designs • Cabin Scene

DISPLAY UNTIL OCTOBER 17, 2022

woodworkingFALL2022 ■ ISSUE88
CRAFTS

67 woodworkingINTHISISSUE
CRAFT S FEATURES
14 Makerspace Roundup
No shop? No problem—we’ve
gathered a list of community
spaces dedicated to your
woodworking needs
By Hannah Carroll

65 Out of the Box

Canadian scroll saw artist
Rita Cels trades packing lunches
for blasting sawdust
By Hannah Carroll

TECHNIQUES

33 Compound-Cut Star Wand

Bestow this stellar design on
the fantasy fan in your life
By Al Baggetta

44 Intarsia Koi Fish

Situate a stunning, swimming
creature above a bed of
river “rocks”
By Brad Matthews

DEPTS. COVER 44

4 Editor’s Note Classic Toys…19, 33,
6 Letters 36, 49, 63, 67
7 Coming Features Build Fretwork Skills …
8 Artists To Watch 23, 40, 53, 61
10 Product Review Deer Fretwork…23
12 Tips & Techniques Wind-Up Chainsaw…19
18 Stay Connected Campfire Portrait…30
71 Ad Directory Cabin Scene…40
72 Sawdust



2 Scroll SawWoodworking & Crafts

PROJECTS PATTERNS 30

19 Toy Chainsaw 23 White-Tailed Deer Fretwork

This interactive project will have Celebrate this famous forest-dweller
the little lumberjack in your life with an expressive (and tricky)
“sawing wood” in no time
By Rita Cels composition
By Wayne and Jacob Fowler
26 Easy Freestanding Village
30 Campfire Segmentation
Transform wood scraps into cozy
chalets that lend themselves to Use different sanding techniques
endless arrangements to bring these flames to life
By Bill Miller By Ben Hazlerig

36 A Gaggle of Ghosts Tray Puzzle 40 Looking Through the Window

These seven spirits are fun to scroll Frame this cozy cabin fretwork with
and easy for little hands to play with a scrolled windowpane
By Al Baggetta By Charles Hand

55 Pumpkin Pie Box 42 Compound-Cut Birds

Fire up your scroll saw and make a Take your skills to new heights
“delicious” keepsake for the family with four avian designs
By Carole Rothman By Sue Mey

63 Ball Popper 49 Robot Ramp Walkers

This interactive toy provides These sturdy wooden toys are the perfect
endless entertainment gift for the young and young at heart
By Bob Gilsdorf By Dmitry Bogomazov

67 Tic-Tac-Toe 53 Gothic Trivets

Inlay a contrasting wood to add Round off your next ghoulish
elegance to this classic strategy game gathering with this pair of
By Charlene Doucette and Brent Herridge striking surface-savers
By Keith Fenton

61 Ready for Liftoff!

Awaken your inner adventurer
with a retro spaceship fretwork
By Wayne and Jacob Fowler

Find these free extras at

SCROLLSAWER.COM 49

Upcoming Event – Visit our website to find

information about the 23rd Midwest Scroll Saw
and Woodworking Trade Show.

Bonus Project – Embrace cooler weather and the harvest

season with a colorful wall piece by Anatoly Obelets.

Sneak Peak – Get a look inside Wayne and Jacob Fowler’s

brand new pattern book!

Search for Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts
on Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 3

Toy Chainsaw

Liven up bland wood
with acrylic paints, if
desired; I used black,

bright orange, dark
gray, and silver.

This interactive project
will have the little
lumberjack in your life
“sawing wood” in no time

By Rita Cels

W inter is coming and firewood needs to be cut and Getting Started
gathered. Children love to help with grown-up Choose your wood, cut the blanks to size, and
chores, so make this wooden toy for the little helper in then sand them lightly with 220-grit sandpaper.
your life. Not only is the chainsaw safe, but it is also the Photocopy the pattern pieces and attach them
perfect size for small hands. It has movable buttons and to the blanks with repositionable spray adhesive.
even a pull cord that turns. Note: You will need two copies of the side body
I prefer to make my toys from hardwoods, not only template. Read all instructions before cutting.
to play with the natural colors of different varieties, but Drill a blade-entry hole for the interior cut
to create sturdy, long-lasting heirlooms. Experiment with on part B. Drill a 7/32" (5.6mm)-dia. hole through
different materials for unique looks. If colorful hardwoods the center of the pull cord rotor as shown on
aren’t readily available, or if you would like a less costly the pattern.
alternative, pine makes a wonderful substitute. Add paint
for a fun look or leave it bare.

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 19

TIP CUTTING THE PIECES
ALTERNATE CONSTRUCTIONS
• T hicker stock: If you do not have access to 1/2" 1
(1.3cm)-thick wood for the blade, you could use Cut part A. Using a scroll saw and a #7 reverse-tooth
3/4" (1.9cm)-thick wood for each component. The blade, cut the perimeter, staying as close to the line as possible.
only adjustment needed is to increase the width of Round over the edges using a pneumatic drum sander or a 1/8"
the handle pattern by ¼" (6mm) to accommodate (3mm)-dia. roundover bit in a router. Then cut the pull cord rotor
the additional thickness for the blade and you prepared in Getting Started.
middle body.
• D IY knobs: If you want to make your own knobs
instead of purchasing treaded wheels, you can cut
three 1/2" (1.3cm)-long pieces from a 1" (1.3cm)-dia.
dowel. Drill a 1/4" (6mm)-dia. hole in the center of
each, or use a 1" (2.5cm) hole saw bit attachment.

2 3
Cut part B. Start with the interior cut and then cut the Cut parts C, D, and E. Round over the edges of part E with
perimeter. Soften the edges of the inside of the handle using a the pneumatic drum or the 1/8" (3mm)-dia. roundover bit in a
rotary tool with a sanding drum or the 1/8" (3mm)-dia. roundover router. Then use an awl to mark the location of the peg holes on
bit in a router. parts C, D, and E as indicated on the pattern. Don’t drill them yet.

ASSEMBLING & FINISHING

4
Assemble the main body. Glue part B to part C. Clamp until set. Then slot part A in place, secure with glue, and clamp. Once dry, glue
part D to the unit and clamp until dry. Round over the edges of the main body with the pneumatic drum or the 1/8" (3mm)-dia. roundover bit
in a router.
20 Scroll SawWoodworking & Crafts

White-Tailed Deer
Fretwork

Celebrate this famous forest-
dweller with an expressive
(and tricky) composition

By Wayne Fowler
Design by Jacob Fowler

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 23

White-Tailed
Deer Fretwork
Pattern

© 2022 Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts

Wayne Fowler has been scrolling for over 30 years, first puzzles and then
fretwork. Jacob Fowler has been drawing scroll saw designs since he was
five (he drew a whale bank for his father, who collects whales). He got
serious in his teens and has drawn well over a thousand designs since then.
Together, Jacob and Wayne have published over 160 magazine articles,
as well as the Woodworker’s Pattern Book, available at Fox Chapel
Publishing. They live in wood-rich Ontario, Canada, just outside Toronto.
Find more of their work on Etsy at FantasiesISaw.

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 25

For a different look, add stain,
acrylic streaks, and aluminum
foil window panes.

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 27

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 31

Compound-Cut
Star Wand

Scroll a nostalgic piece full
of childhood magic

By Al Baggetta

A magic star wand is used by Tinkerbell in
J. M. Barrie’s and Walt Disney’s beloved
fictional worlds, so it seemed only natural to create
a wand with a star. Cutting this wand is pretty
straightforward. You’ll be using the compound-
cutting technique, where you cut one side of
the blank as a front view and then the second
as a side view, giving you a final 3D effect.

Getting Started
Prepare the blank and
pattern. You can make the
blank longer than 14" (35.6cm)
if you have difficulty holding a
shorter blank while cutting. Apply
painter’s tape to two adjacent sides of
the blank.
Apply an adhesive to the back of
the pattern; I used a glue stick. Fold the
pattern along the dotted line, and then
apply one half along one face of the blank,
lining up the dotted line with a corner. Fold
the other half over the corner and press it
firmly onto the adjacent face, removing any air
bubbles. If desired, drill a blade-entry hole on the
bottom (handle end) of each pattern view for easy
access to the profile while cutting.

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 33

CUTTING THE WAND

1 2
Start cutting the handle. Begin cutting the star side (the Start cutting the star. Cutting the star can be a bit tricky
front view) of the pattern by inserting your blade through the entry if you want to achieve really sharp points. I like to use a “looping”
hole and cutting along the perimeter of the pattern. Cut slowly and technique. It is straightforward but requires some practice. When you
try to stay on the line. Note: If you start to veer off, slowly move the get to the first inner angle of the star, slow the saw down and back
blank to get back on track. Cut all the way down to the first inner angle up a short distance, until you are about parallel with the first point of
of the star. the star.

3 4
Make a loop. Start cutting to the side, all the way neatly Finish the first wedge. Cut straight along the side of the
past the first star point, and then start to curve back around. first star point and all the way into the first inner angle where you
originally stopped and backed out the blade. The small wedge you
cut will drop or pop out.

5 6
Cut down the other side of the first point. In the new Tidy the blank. Finish cutting, and then remove the blank
opening, turn your saw blade so you can cut from the tip of the from the saw. Holding the cut piece inside the blank, shake or
first star point along its uncut side and into the next inner angle. blow any residual sawdust from inside the cut with compressed
This will ensure a sharp tip. Repeat the same process for all points air. This will make cutting the second side easier.
on the star.
34 Scroll SawWoodworking & Crafts

7 Sanding and Finishing
Add more painter’s tape. Before starting to cut the Release the wand. Take the blank and tap it on
second side of the pattern, place some painter’s tape over the top your workbench. Three pieces should fall out
and bottom of the cut you already made. This will hold the cut easily—the center piece is your cut wand. You
piece in place while you make the second cut. can discard the other pieces. Sand the piece
by hand using a sanding block or sandpaper
8 wrapped around the wand. You can also use a
Flip the blank 90° and cut the second side. Reinsert your sanding mop—turn it on a slow speed and gently
blade in the other drill hole so that you are cutting the side view. pass the wand over the spinning wheel.
Proceed to cut around the entire exterior of the pattern. There’s no Be careful not to over-sand the star points.
need to worry about cutting the star this time—just make a slow Apply a stain. Put on a pair of rubber gloves
turn at the wand’s tip and return to your starting hole at the top. to protect your hands, and then use a paper
towel to coat the entire wand in your chosen
stain. Note: Test stains on scrap wood pieces
before applying to the wand. Let the wand dry for
several hours on another paper towel, and rub
out any rough surfaces using a fine steel wool.
Then wipe clean with a new paper towel.
Apply a clear protective finish. I place the
wand across a plastic container and gently spray
it back and forth, applying a thin coat. Use a
method that works best for you and allows
the wand to be evenly coated. Let dry, and
then repeat several times over the course of a
few hours to avoid getting any drip marks on
the wand.

WANT MORE WANDS?
Compendium of Wooden Wand
Making Techniques

By Editors of Fox Chapel Publishing with
contributions by Albert Baggetta, Barry
Gross, James Miller, and Tamera Seevers
Item 01692. Available for $19.99 plus S&H
(parcel post) from Fox Chapel Publishing,
FoxChapelPublishing.com,
800-457-9112, or your local retailer.

Materials Materials & Tools Pattern for the
• Wood, such as pine, 11/4" (3.2cm) Compound-Cut Star Wand
square: 14" (35.6cm) long Tools
• Tape: painter's • S croll saw with blades: is in the pullout section.
• Glue stick or spray adhesive #5 to #7 reverse-tooth
• Sandpaper: 120 to 150-grit • D rill press or hand drill with Al Baggetta is a retired English
• Stain of choice bit: 1/16" (2mm)-dia. teacher and former musician who
• Paper towels • S anding mop (optional) took a liking to scroll sawing. Visit
• Clear spray finish: gloss or satin • S anding block (optional) his pattern site at baggetta.com.
• S teel wool: 0000
• C an of compressed air scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 35

The author used these products for the project. Substitute your
choice of brands, tools, and materials as desired.

3 4
Add color. Disassemble the puzzle, and then color the tray Attach the backer. Apply wood glue to the back of the tray,
with a coat of burnt orange spray paint. Let dry and add a thin avoiding the cutout areas, and smooth it out to cover as much
layer of semigloss spray lacquer, if desired. Note: Do not spray surface as possible. Place the tray on top of the backer and clamp
lacquer while the puzzle is assembled, as the pieces could stick to the the boards together. Let dry. Reassemble the puzzle. If the fit is a
surrounding area. Let dry. bit snug, hand-sand the edges of the ghosts until they easily drop in
and out of the slots.
scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 37

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 43

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 45

Gothic Trivets

Round off your next ghoulish gathering
with this pair of striking surface-savers

By Keith Fenton
Cut by Joe Pascucci

N o autumn feast would be complete
without spooky decorations—and
these fretwork trivets really take the cake.
Despite looking delicate, the designs are cut
from sturdy pieces of hardwood, so you can
use them for all of your party needs for years to
come. Dial up the color by applying contrasting
stains or dyes, and make a few extra to gift to all
of your ghostly friends!

Cutting and Finishing
Prepare the wood for cutting; I used maple for
the spider design and walnut for the bat. Sand

the blanks smooth with an orbital sander,
moving up progressively through
the grits from 100 to 220. Wipe off
excess dust with a tack cloth. Cover

the surfaces with blue painter’s tape, and then
attach the patterns to the tape with spray
adhesive. Alternatively, you could use adhesive
shelf paper. Drill the blade-entry holes for the
frets using a 1/16" (2mm)-dia. bit.
Cut the frets, going slowly and letting
the blade do the work. Once you’ve made all
interior cuts, cut the perimeters. Remove the
patterns, and then sand the surfaces gently with
220- and then 320-grit sandpaper. As before,
wipe off excess dust with a tack cloth. Finish
as desired; I used two thin coats of clear gloss
lacquer, letting the finish dry between coats.
Then I finished with a coat of satin. I do this
in order to achieve a nice satin finish without
dulling or clouding the wood, but you can use a
different process, if desired.

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 53

Pumpkin Pie
Box

Fire up your scroll saw and make a
“delicious” keepsake for the family

By Carole Rothman

W hat would Thanksgiving be without pumpkin pie? This TIP
wooden replica, complete with a dollop of whipped A SPECIAL TYPE OF SANDER
cream, will be a happy reminder of the festive holiday all year Round inflatable sanders are ideal for sanding
long, while serving as a repository for candies, keys, or keepsakes surfaces that curve inwards, such as the interior
of all kinds. Cherry was an easy choice for the crust, and aspen of bowls and baskets. Unlike pneumatic drums,
was the perfect wood for the “whipped cream” handle. While the their lower sections are rounded, which eliminates
construction contains some challenges, the techniques are not concern about gouging. They come in two sizes,
difficult and result in a satisfyingly realistic effect. each with sleeves of assorted grits. The larger
Getting Started sander is more efficient than the smaller, and
Apply blue painter’s tape to the 7/8" (2.2cm) and 5/8" (1.6cm)-thick intended for general use, while the smaller one
blanks, and then attach the patterns for the box body and rim/lid excels at sanding areas such as tight curves, which
using repositionable spray adhesive. the larger one cannot access.

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 55

Ready for Liftoff!

Awaken your inner
adventurer with a retro
spaceship fretwork

By Wayne Fowler
Design by Jacob Fowler

O ur family is full of science fiction
fans, and we like to attend
local and regional conventions that
celebrate the fantastic. As the world
(and several billionaires) move closer
to making space travel a regular event,
it’s sometimes good to think back to
the wonder of early space missions.
Jacob has drawn many versions of retro
spaceships over the years, and this is
one of our favorite designs. For best
results, cut the pattern from a piece of
fine-figured hardwood and pair it with
a contrasting backer (I used maple and
walnut, respectively).
Getting Started
Photocopy the pattern. I have
tried this pattern at varying wood
thicknesses and wood types, but any
combination of light foreground and
dark background works well. Note: The
pattern is sized at 51/4" by 10" (13.3cm
by 25.4cm), but we recommend cutting
the fretwork from a larger piece of
wood to allow more options for pattern
placement. Don't forgo the backer, as it
is not only decorative, but functional.
Since the design is attached only at the
bottom of the frame, using a backing
board will prevent the spaceship from

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 61

Ball Popper

This interactive toy provides
endless entertainment

By Bob Gilsdorf

How It Works

Put a Ping-Pong® ball or a hollow plastic
practice golf ball in the hole, and then
hit the paddle to send it soaring. After
it lands, the chase is on as the ball
bounces and ricochets around the
room. Capture it and do it again.

I enjoyed making toys for my kids for a long time but Transfer the patterns
stopped once they grew up and moved out. Luckily, to the blanks with your
every cloud has a silver lining, because now we have
grandkids! I wanted to make the little ones a simple, method of
interactive toy they can play with themselves (and choice.
give their parents a few moments to sip their coffee).
I hope you enjoy making this project as much as you holes in the flipper supports and arm, and then drill a
do seeing youngsters play with it. blade-entry hole for the internal cut in the ball holder.
Getting Started Note: The lower end of the ball popper arm will hit the
It is important to note that the arm is a 21/4" floor between turns. To reduce clatter, you can use a belt
(5.7cm)-thick compoundcut on the edge. If your sander to lightly bevel the bottom edge of the arm.
scroll saw cannot accomodate this thickness, a slight
reduction of the width of the horizontal components
will be needed. Transfer the patterns to the blanks by
a method of your choice; I traced them on, but you
could attach the patterns with spray adhesive or a glue
stick, if desired. Drill and countersink the screw holes
in the base, ball holder, and popper mallet. Drill the

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 63

Tic-Tac-Toe

Inlay a contrasting wood to E very year, we like to make our grandchildren a homemade
add elegance to this classic gift they can keep forever. While brainstorming ideas, we
strategy game landed on tic-tac-toe. It’s a fun game for children, and we often
play it throughout the year with them on scraps of paper or with
By Charlene Doucette and Brent Herridge sidewalk chalk.
While creating the pattern, we took into consideration the little
hands that would be using the game. We inlaid the board with a
contrasting wood and used complementary colors for the X and
O pieces.

scrollsawer.com n FALL 2022 67

SAWDUST

The Floor’s
The Limit

Contractor Wayne Highlander designs an
award-winning floor with his scroll saw

By Kelly Umenhofer

O n entering a building for inlaying different pieces of wood A floor medallion exhibits the
the first time, most people into a larger project for decoration. intricacy of Wayne’s work.
look up: at the walls, the windows, He looked to the work of Eugene
the stairs. Not so for Wayne Klotz, the founder of Renaissance inspired by his own surroundings.
Highlander—instead, he looks at floor inlays, and learned how to His designs are also influenced
the floor. As a second-generation make his own designs with modern by the personalities of the house
contractor with three decades tools: a table saw, planer, floor and the homeowners. “I like to
of carpentry experience, Wayne grinder, and of course, a scroll saw. make the floors unique to the
spent years asking himself: How Before he begins cutting people who live in the house, as
can I turn straight-laid hardwood the pieces, Wayne draws up a they will be the ones who look at
floor into an art form? Once design that he believes will work it every day,” he said.
he came across the scroll saw, best with the size and shape of Wayne’s floor designs are made
everything changed. the floor. Wayne looks through up of three main sections: the
With the scroll saw, Wayne woodworking magazines for field (inner floor sections), border,
discovered the art of marquetry, inspiration but is sometimes and medallion (centerpiece or
focus point). He breaks the floor
Sections are design up into sections to make
glued in place the process more manageable
and finished (his projects can contain up to
for long 6,000 individual pieces). Once
wear. the elements are cut, Wayne
inlays the field pieces first, lays
out the medallion design, and
then completes the floor by
adding in the border pieces. After
everything is installed, Wayne uses
multi-head sanders and sandpaper,
and then seals the floor with a
natural penetrating oil made
from modified vegetable oils and
catalyzed with a hardener.
(Continued on page 70)

72 Scroll SawWoodworking & Crafts