Scroll Saw Tricks to Amazing Art
Get Amazing Results Regardless of the Picture
Each scroll saw project I tackle seems to take an inordinate amount of time; however, as soon as I’m done and see that final picture, I immediately want to start planning out the next one. I think a lot of this has to do with my process, from preparing the art, to selecting the materials, to putting the pieces I cut in just the right spot. It all adds to the build-up towards seeing the end result. There’s something magical about artwork go from paper to wood. If you’re interested in techniques to make your artwork go from bland to WOW, try a few of the below tricks.
Find Your Muse
Scroll saw projects can be a test in patience. Why spend so much time on a blah looking picture? Find the artwork that inspires you and take time to prepare your picture before even turning on the saw. I like comic book art. The hand drawn lines and bright colors catch the eye, and I love the challenge of finding the right color wood species to put the project together. Sometimes when I read comic books, I stumble across a picture that makes me pause. When that happens, I take a picture of it. In the case of my latest project, I was reading Nightwing #66 by Chuck Dixon. The art was drawn by Rick Burchett and inked by Rob Leigh. When I saw this picture of Joker, I knew I had to make it. Constantly keep an eye out for what inspires you. It may not be comic art, but the same process applies – when your immediate reaction is to pause when you see something, spend time in that moment as ask yourself why.
Prep the Art Before the Workshop
To me, one of the biggest challenges to preparing artwork is identifying what I need to cut. A drawing may look great, but scroll saw work isn’t a wispy pencil line that fades away to nothing. To make something with a scroll saw, it takes definitive lines and shapes. That’s where preparing your artwork will ultimately pay off in the end.
Whether I draw a picture or find one from a talented artist, I use a vector program to convert the art to a black and white vector image. Ever try zooming in or printing a tiny picture? It looks pixelated and blurry. Vector software eliminates that by getting rid of pixels and replacing them with points or dots that all connect. The result is a picture you can scale to literally any size you want. You can print a vector drawing the size of a billboard sign and it will be perfectly crisp.
Don’t print out some fuzzy picture and squint to see which part to cut out. Take the time to put it into a vector software. Make sure lines are clearly visible. Identify what parts will be cut and how you will execute your plan.
I’m a Woodworker not a Computer Programmer
Maybe you don’t consider yourself tech savvy or prefer not to devote countless hours learning an expensive and complicated software program when you’d rather be in the workshop. I totally get it. I have a free three-part class in the R&D Lab on my website that teaches how to make woodworking templates using Inkscape, a free program. The videos in the class are literally free, no signing up is required. I make no money from them. I simply saw too many woodworkers using blurry, poorly printed templates and figured the videos could help. They walk you through the process to make your artwork scroll saw ready.
Inkscape for Makers Class
$0 FREE!
The Right Blade Every Time
I implore you to spend a day testing various scroll saw blades against multiple materials and thicknesses. It’s the best way to identify the blade that works best for you. There are an incredible number of saw blade types and sizes. I can’t say I’ve tried every one of them, but I’ve used a lot in order to know which ones best serve my scroll sawing style. There are two blades I reach for the most – a #5 Reverse Tooth and a #2 Crown Tooth. A #5R is simply a great overall blade. It works well in woods under 1/2” thick and it generally gives a clean cut. When I need to deal with tiny spaces or delicate pieces, I grab a crown tooth blade. A crown tooth blade gives the cleanest cut of any blade I’ve tried. Edges can look polished because they are so smooth. These blades cut slow, but are worth it. A size #2 is perfect for those ultra tight spaces that most blades can’t reach.
Embrace the Negative
Many scroll saw enthusiasts use an intarsia technique, meaning they cut out pieces of wood and assemble them together to make a picture. Perhaps most people would simply call this “scroll sawing” because it’s commonly identified as the shining example of the hobby. Instead of cutting pieces so they fit tightly together like a puzzle, do something different and embrace negative space.
I love using negative space because it provides a sense of depth that, otherwise, only comes by using wood with significantly different thicknesses. I don’t want my artwork to have thick pieces. It can get heavy, both in literal weight and visually. When I use negative space, I can make a thin board appear vivid, with dimensionality because of the “shadow” I create around the piece. That shadow comes from a dark background placed directly under the artwork. When I space pieces apart from one another on this background, the eyes are tricked into thinking there is significant depth. In reality, the thickest pieces of wood I use are only 1/4”.
Mix and Serve
Everyone’s taste in art differs, just like our favorite parts of scroll sawing can vary from one person to another. You don’t have to love comic book art to employ the techniques I use. Try one of them. Take the time to make a great template. Or try using that reverse tooth blade even though you always use a different type. Give negative space a shot, even if it feels strange to you. Try one or all of them in one scroll saw project. They may help you to develop your own methods to enhance your work and find a new, fun way to enjoy the hobby.
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