First timer bandsaw scroll work

[JohnnyEgo]

I managed to make it something like 20+ years without owning a bandsaw, and when I finally bought one in 2019, I mostly used it for resaw work.  But I did buy a 1/8 Starret blade when I got it, and today I pulled it out and tried my hand at scrollwork for the first time.  

My son wants a Pikachu themed Pinewood Derby car this year, and I decided the fastest route to achieve this would be to just have him cut a wedge, and then we'd glue a Pikachu cut-out on it and paint it yellow.  This is his final year, and he's already crossed over to Boy Scouts, so this isn't going to be as involved as prior cars have been.  For those of you who are not a Millineal, or didn't raise one, Pikachu is a creature from Pokemon.  It is a rat with electric powers, owned by a small boy who makes it fight his friend's pets until one of them is unconscious.  And this is the core of a franchise with $100 billion in total revenue, outstripping every Disney property including Star Wars and the Avengers.  But I digress...

Anyways, printed the little guy out and coated him with some template adhesive, then stuck him to a scrap of cherry veneer backer board I had laying around.


And then with great fear and trepidation, I scrolled him out.  I got better and more comfortable as I went along.  Reminded myself to steer with the front of the blade instead of focusing on feeding the piece.  Didn't take long to make a rough cutout, but my technique could definitely use some work.  The edges came out pretty jagged and required a lot of smoothing.




A copious amount of sanding with some profile shapes and some 220 grit at least made him smooth and splinter free.  Cut up his tail and glued it on.  I was pretty pleased with the end result.


This was not a complex undertaking or a work of art, but as the first fruits of trying something new, I have no complaints.  The downside is now my son just wants him as a stand-alone thing.  Told him I wasn't planning to cut another one, but we'd hot melt glue him to the pinewood car, so he would be easy to pop off when the race is done.

Thanks all!

[Bill Wilson]

Git yerself a scrollsaw and you can cut those out by the dozens, with no sanding required.  Then your son can give them to all his friends.  

[JohnnyEgo]

Thanks, Bill! I've bookmarked a few of your posts on scrollsaws over the years, with the intention of buying one someday. Going off of recall, last time I looked I was giving the eye to a King / Excalibur model. But I still need to get some things out of the garage to make room for another tool, so ratty cuts and a lot of sandpaper will have to do for the moment.

[fall]

Johnny if your looking in that class of scroll saw I would refer you to a Seyco or a Pegas, much better quality and support.

https://www.seyco.com/scroll-saws-etc/

https://www.bearwood.com/pegas-scroll-sa...h-usa.html

[fredhargis]

As one who struggles scrolling with a bandsaw, I think you did a darn nice job! I've never tried anything that small on the BS, though I do have have a 1/8" blade (I think) somewhere.

[mdhills]

Nice job on the ears; those look delicate.
And nice background introducing the pokemon-verse.

Matt

[BrokenOlMarine]

Just a tip or two. Cut out the basic shape, but don't try for details up front.  After the basic cuts are done, come in with relief cuts at 90 degrees to your pattern lines from the sides, a lot of them in the tighter areas. Then come back around very slowly, trimming as close as you can get to the lines.  For tight inside areas in curves, just nibble them away with tiny bites with the blade at an angle... 45 to 90 degrees, don't even try and make the turns. 


Works for me.  Then you can sneak up tight on the final lines with your sandpaper.