Magnolia box

I truly love this box!  It represents the use of three different techniques to create the magnolia--inlay for the leaves, raised inlay for the first tier of petals, and compound cutting for the second and third tiers. I created the patterns for the petals from photos of magnolias, and spent quite a bit of time sanding them until they "looked right".

The main difference between this project, and those that use compound cutting for all elements of the flower, was the need for careful positioning of the inlays.  The location of compound cut petals can be adjusted at the last moment, since they are attached with glue, but inlay locations need to be planned in advance and positioned precisely.  Once that's done, however, the project proceeds quite easily, and is, I think, worth the extra work.

Cutting on the line--some considerations

I've been trying out some different designs lately, which require more precise cutting than I generally have to do. This has forced me to be aware of things that I had not considered seriously, such as where on the line you cut. The answer would seem to be simple--just cut on the line. However, unless you're using a pattern with very thin lines, most lines have two edges and a center, and where you cut does make a difference.

For example, if I'm cutting a piece that will be glued on its cut edge to another piece, I'll probably need to sand or joint the edge. In this case, I'll cut to the outside of the line, which lets me straighten out the edge and keep the required size. If, however, this is not the case and I'll probably be OK with the cut edge and no sanding, I cut carefully right down the middle of the line.

Or, if I'm cutting several pieces that need to fit together, I have to account for the wood lost to the kerf. Sometimes it doesn't matter, and the pieces will line up tightly without adjustment, but if there are center pieces, those may need to be cut on the outside of the line to prevent gaps. On the project pictured, the double ring box from the new box book, I used a very thin blade to keep the kerf small and I stack cut the pieces to create the bloodwood insert. Since the pieces were glued to a backing, any tiny spaces would not matter. The alternative would have been to inlay the bloodwood, but I wanted to keep this simple.

Thinking in terms of techniques, not categories

In case you're puzzled by the title of this post, here's what it means. A lot of scroll saw projects are viewed as categories of projects--intarsia, puzzles, inlay, and so forth. Although there's nothing wrong with projects that fit neatly into these categories, I find it much more exciting when they can be used as elements of a larger project.

For example, intarsia can be used to make a different and exciting lid for a box, as can inlay. The hamsa box in a previous post is an illustration of the use of inlay for a box cover. I've just created a bread board that looks like a braided challah, whose pieces were cut with attention to the grain, as you would do with intarsia, even though the edges were only rounded, not deeply shaped. Several of the box projects in my new book use stacked rings as a technique to create lips for lids, thus avoiding the need for a router.

As I continue to develop new projects, I'm finding that the more techniques I am familiar with, the more options I have available to me. Best of all, the projects defy categorization, and present themselves primarily as attractive projects that make people ask "how did you do that?"