Shop Tips

Zero-Clearance Jigs

Zero-Clearance Jigs

Shop made jigs make it easy to cut small pieces on your scroll saw By Gary MacKay There are times when the hole around the blade on your scroll saw is big enough to interfere with your cutting. To avoid small pieces falling down through the hole or to support delicate fretwork, […]

by January 8, 2024 eNews: Short Cuts, Shop Tips
Tackling Tough Fretwork

Tackling Tough Fretwork

With these helpful tips and tricks, there’s no need to fret when scrolling a delicate piece By Rolf Beuttenmuller and Charles Hand Beginners and seasoned scrollers alike often find fretwork intimidating. High-hole-count patterns can seem impossible at first glance—but in reality, they are simply large collections of holes. If you […]

by November 7, 2023 eNews: Short Cuts, Shop Tips
HOW TO: Better Scrolling with BATS

HOW TO: Better Scrolling with BATS

Check the blade, angle, tension, and speed before scrolling By Tom Thompkins We’ve all experienced those perfect moments at our scroll saws when the blade seems to glide effortlessly through the wood, following the cutting line as if it had eyes, and the project is cut out almost before you […]

by August 22, 2023 eNews: Short Cuts, Shop Tips
Super Sanding Tips

Super Sanding Tips

Reduce the time you spend sanding and produce a flawless finish By Staff of Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts “Nothing affects the final finish as much as sanding does,” says furniture maker Mark Love. That is true regardless of the finish you apply. But there are all sorts of questions […]

by June 2, 2023 eNews: Short Cuts, Shop Tips
The Drum Sander: A Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed

The Drum Sander: A Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed

Pre-sand blanks or refine scrolled projects without breaking a sweat By Carole Rothman When you consider how many different types of sanders have the word “drum” in their name, you can appreciate how confusing the terminology can be, for both novice and experienced woodworkers. Even if you know this tool […]

by September 19, 2022 Shop Tips
Space-Saving Hacks from a Tiny Workshop

Space-Saving Hacks from a Tiny Workshop

Learn to pack a table saw, band saw, 200+ tools, and 102 sq. ft. of shelves into an 8×6 shop space By Stephen Watson At first, utilizing a space smaller than the average bed of a CNC table seemed a far-fetched notion. However, when I turned that problem into a […]

by January 8, 2021 Features, Shop Tips
Hacking a Porter Cable Scroll Saw

Hacking a Porter Cable Scroll Saw

Make blade changes faster and easier for a couple dollars and 20 minutes in the shop By Bob Duncan The partially free-floating blade clamps on the Porter Cable scroll saw make it a challenge to change blades. But with a few tools and basic hardware, you can make them stay where […]

by May 23, 2018 Shop Tips
Adjustable Angle Drill Press Jig

Adjustable Angle Drill Press Jig

Drill at any angle without moving your drill press table By Tony Giroux I have an adjustable table on my drill press that I use to drill at angles when I’m making inlays, a stacked bowl, or some boxes. However, it’s always a challenge to reset the table to horizontal […]

by March 27, 2018 Shop Tips
Shop Lights

Shop Lights

Improve your scrolling experience with proper lighting by Bob Duncan This article was first published in issue 47 of Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Many home workshops are lit with a few hanging screw-in incandescent (or compact florescent) bulbs. Some have a few bars of traditional tube florescent lights. These can […]

by November 20, 2017 Shop Tips
Blades

Blades

Always pick the right blade for your project   Choosing the Right Teeth Use skip tooth blades when you need a fast cut and are not concerned about splintering on the bottom. Use reverse-tooth blades when you need a relatively fast cut that leaves a smoother surface on the bottom. […]