Making dovetails with the scroll saw

Among the less well-known capabilities of the scroll saw is the ability to do a large part of the cutting for dovetails.  The result is often much neater than can be done with a handsaw and chisels.

There is one important limitation: while all components of the tailboard and the sides of the pinboard can be cut with the scroll saw, the portion of the pinboard between the pins must be cut out with a chisel because the scroll saw cannot make the angled cut that is needed.

Here's a photo of a tailboard that will become one side of a small drawer.  I tried my best to keep the cutting as regular as possible, and am quite satisfied with the results.

Tile top table--the video

Just in case you missed it, here's some info about how the table was made. If you're planning one of your own, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. It was a lot of work, but we just love it!

What is Amazon doing with my box book pricing?

Talk about weird!  For reasons that make no sense to me, Amazon has listed my box book at full retail price for the past few days.  Needless to say, sales figures have dropped dramatically, which is no surprise.  Barnes and Noble has also listed it at full price, but Buy.com has it at a discount.  The bowl book is discounted on all those sites.

When my bowl book first came out, I noticed that there were price fluctuations for the book, of a dollar or two, on Amazon. When I asked my publisher what was going on, I was told that they had no control over what Amazon did.  The pricing seems to have nothing to do with how well the book is selling, so it's a mystery to me what is going on.

I would be really angry if I purchased a book at a particular price then found it on the same site, a few days later, for many dollars less.  I would also be upset if any of my readers paid more than they intended to--just doesn't seem fair.

Photographing your work

Whether you're submitting your work to a magazine, posting to a blog, or just sharing with a friend, a little attention to detail can produce a photo that does justice to your work.  Here are a few tips:

First, be sure that the background is not distracting.  A seamless background can easily be made using a table placed against a wall, and a sheet of poster board.  Prop the poster board against the wall lengthwise, with about half resting on the table.  This should give you sufficient area to completely surround the project.

Be sure the picture is in focus.  Unless you have a steady hand, or your camera has an "anti shake" feature, use a tripod or some other way to stabilize the camera.

Use natural lighting if possible.  If you must add light, position the lighting on both sides of the project to prevent shadows. If you are using only one source, try moving the light until you're satisfied. If shadows are an issue, try draping a handkerchief or thin cloth over the light.

And finally, take pictures from different angles.  You can do this by rotating the project or by moving the camera.  Upload them to your computer for a closer look, and to "tweak" them, if needed, with editing software.

Fun with Photoshop

I was cleaning out my files, trying to free up some space, when I came across the cover of the issue containing my original Ribbons and Bows box, along with a fun version of the cover, merging scroll sawing with cake decorating.  The cake in the moose's mouth was really quite a production--all the fruit was modeled out of sugar paste, and the basket was the actual cake.  I used to love playing with Photoshop, switching heads and stuff.  Most of my work these days, however, involves process shots for my projects, and it's hard to get creative with that.

Another good resource

If your work requires use of leather, you're probably aware of its high cost. After suffering from sticker shock at prices from woodworking sites and local upholsterers, we turned to eBay. There we found a well-rated seller, Kyson's leather, and bought an entire cowhide, large enough for four desktops, for less than the cost of leather for a single desktop from other sources.

Our piece, unfortunately, had a slash in a bad location, but the seller took the whole hide back, and replaced it, without our having to pay any additional charges. They now sell from their own website, as well as on eBay, and are well worth looking into, if you use leather for any of the work you do.

A new woodworking site

I was recently interviewed about the bowl book, for a new woodworking site, Ravinheart Renditions. The site's just been launched, but should develop into something really nice. Check it out if you get a chance.

Please read the instructions

The current Holiday supplement that Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts magazine sends with a 2-year subscription (and is also available separately) contains plans for a collapsible basket similar to the one pictured. I wanted to make the entire basket from a single 8" x 8" piece of wood, and used scrap left over from the main cutting for the base strips. So far, so good.

What I didn't anticipate is that people would not read Step 2 all the way through, to the part that says to save the scraps for the base strips. If you don't do that, then it will appear that no wood is provided for them. If I knew this was likely to be a problem, I would have highlighted that part in boldface or italics, but who knew?

So, if you've tried to make the basket and are wondering where to get the wood for the strips, just check back to Step 2.

It's a really neat project, and a great way to use up scraps. It also works well when made from a single piece of wood.

LI Woodworking Show

I spent yesterday at the LI Woodworkers Show, talking to people, and showing bowl construction to anyone not familiar with the technique. As always, it was a lovely show, and highlighted the projects made by the many talented members of the club.

Tight, but it fits!

With colder weather, and in accordance with my condo's rules, the car has to be garaged overnight in our one-car garage. We put all the tools on mobile bases, and although it's a tight fit, it works. Shows what you can do when you're really desperate for your own shop.

How do you price your work?

Last week, while visiting friends in southern Vermont, I brought some of my bowls to the owner of a really high end crafts store in Brattleboro. I've not yet sold any of my work, but my house is getting very crowded, and something will need to be done pretty soon.

I took home all their paperwork, which gives commission rate, policies, etc., and there was nothing there that was objectionable, but my biggest stumbling block is how to price my work. Since pricing ultimately depends on what people are willing to pay, I've always been stumped by how to figure this out. Sometimes I'm tempted just to give things away to people who like them. That's why writing books and articles is so pleasant for me--I can make stuff, get paid for my work, and don't have to worry about sales.

It can't be rocket science, and obviously other people have done this, but it's always been an issue for me.

The Wedding Cake

Well, the wedding was a huge success. The weather cooperated, and everything went off without any major problems. And the cake was delivered safely, securely wedged in the front seat, in its packing box. My son and new daughter-in-law were very pleased, and the feedback was terrific, both on looks and taste. Most wedding cakes are afterthoughts, and commercial, and not very tasty. I was amazed that people had room for cake after all the food, but they did. And the top layer is a dummy, which will keep indefinitely if protected from moisture, rodents, and insects.

I used commercial flowers, instead of making my own, so I would not have to worry about humidity, and kept the air conditioning on throughout the two days needed to get the cake together. With all the shelves removed from my refrigerator, the box fit in nicely.

I packed away all my cake decorating gear last night, until the next occasion, and can now get back to my shop with a clear head. But I'm glad that I did it--it's special to be able to make the cake for you child's wedding.

A small break from woodworking

I've had to reduce my shop time, temporarily, because I am making the cake for my son's wedding on July 11th. I finished up the top ornament yesterday, which gives me some time off before the actual baking and assembly next week. I'll post pictures when it's done--I'm pleased with how it looks so far. Since many of my woodworking ideas have come from my experience as a cake decorator, it was fun to go back to my "origins" and see how many parallels exist.