The
New Scroll Saw Handbook
by Patrick Spielman
Softcover
205 x 255mm
351pp
Published by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., New York USA
R.R.P.$29.90
ISBN 0-8069-7877-5
As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 107
Patrick Spielman is a leader in his field when it comes to Scrollsaws and their use. If you are considering buying a scrollsaw - or already have one - Spielman's latest book, The New Scrollsaw Handbook is a superb reference book and manual that will serve you for years to come. It is also an excellent follow on to this issue’s article on Buying Your 1st Scrollsaw (by Neil Schulz, pages 60-62). The New Scrollsaw Handbook lists 24 comprehensive chapters ranging from an historical overview of scrollsawing, the models available today, scrollsaw accessories, and selecting the right saw for your needs, to safety guidelines.
For those considering buying a new scrollsaw, the chapter on Current Scrollsaws is thorough and informative. Spielman lists the features of brands - for example, Black & Decker, Delta, DeWalt, Dremel, Hegner, Makita, and Ryobi and includes information such as whether the machines have dust blowers, tilting tables or variable speed control, as well as their blade types and blade-clamp design.
For the beginner who may already own a scrollsaw, the chapter on Scrollsawing Basics steps you through the fundamentals of operating the saw, how to place the work on the table (taking care not to cut yourself), cutting in relation to wood grain and tips on feeding the work into the blade.
For the intermediate and experienced scrollers, there are many hours of instruction as well as a selection of projects to hone the skills and provide beautiful gifts for their loved ones, friends - or as decorative works for the home.
These projects include Toys and Puzzles, Signs and Personalised Items, Logoscapes and Pierced Portraits.
The final chapter on Finishing Basics covers painting and finishing your masterpiece - and even applying gold leaf.
Whatever your interest in scrollsaws, The New Scrollsaw Handbook is a worthwhile addition to your workshop library and considering the many topics it covers, great value for money.
Photos: Black & White
Units of Measurement: Imperial
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Scroll-Saw Size
Types
of Scroll Saw
Constant-Tension Saws: Parallel-Arm Saws; C-Arm Saws; Double
Parallel-Link Saw; Oscillating-Loop Saw
Major
Parts of the Scroll Saw
Blades; Blade Clamps; Tables; Arms; Hold-Down;
Blade-Tensioning Devices; Dust-Blower System; Switches and Speed Controls; Motors;
Stands
Scroll-Saw
Capabilities
Simple Toys and Cutouts; Architectural Woodwork and Home-Restoration
Projects; Miniatures and Models; Jewelry-Making; Signs; Ornaments, Silhouettes,
and Paper-Cutting; Overlays; Inlays and Marquetry; Segmentation and Intarsia;
Fine Fretwork; Bevel-Sawing Shapes in Relief; Compound-Sawing; Incise-Carving;
Making Simulated Baskets and Vessels; Wood Joinery; Specialty Jobs
Historical
Overview of Scroll-Sawing
Early Patterns and Publications; Hand Frames;
Foot-Powered Saws
Current
Scroll Saws
Axminster Scroll Saws; Black & Decker Scroll Saw; Craftsman
Scroll Saw; Delta Scroll Saws; DeWalt 20-inch Saw; Diamond Heavy-duty Fretsaw;
Dremel Scroll Saw; Eclipse Scroll saw; Excalibur Scroll Saw; Grizzly Scroll Saw;
Hegner Scroll Saws; Hobbies Scroll Saws; Makita Scroll Saw; PS Wood Machines Scroll
Saws; Powermatic Scroll Saw; Pro-Tech 16-Inch Scroll Saw; RBI and Record Scroll
Saws; Ridgid Scroll Saw; Ryobi Scroll Saws; Shopsmith Scroll Saw; The Tool Company
Scroll Saws; Tradesman Scroll Saws; Scroll Saw Comparison Chart
Accessories
Foot Switch; Magnifiers and Lights; Floor Stands; Dust Blower; Arm Lifts; Blade
Clamps; Above-Table Tilt Scales; Sanding and Shaping Accessories - Files, Rotary
Tools, Trim Routers, Sanding Drums and Flutter Wheels, Surface Sanders; Auxiliary
Machines; Hand Tools
Selecting
a Scroll Saw
Space
and Portability; Bench or Floor Scroll Saw?; Type of Blade You Will Be Using;
Blade Suspension; Blade Clamps; Blade-Threading Capability; Blade Tension; Blade
Action; Blade Breakage Danger; Saw Vibration; Speed Adjustments and Control Locations;
Hold-Downs, Guards, and Dust Blowers; Tables; Throat Capacity; Motors and Bearings;
Engineering and Workmanship; Service and Warranty; Hands-On Test
Blades,
Speeds and Feeds
Blade Specifications: Blade Lengths' Tooth Size', Blade
Types; General Blade-Selection Guidelines;
Modifying Scroll-Saw Blades: Changing
Blade Length, 90-Degree Twist, Reducing and Adding a Point to Blade Ends, Honing
the Blade's Back and Sides, Painting Blades, Lubricating Blades; Blade Speed and
Feed Rate: Speeds, Feeds
Sawing Variable, Blade Storage, Lazy-Susan Blade-Storage
System, Blade Selection Chart
Safety
Techniques and Guidelines
Safety Rules; Health Concerns: Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome; Dealing with Wood Dust; Resin Dust and Plastic Fumes; Reactions to Wood
Dust; Devices for Alleviating Dust Fans: Filters, and Vacuum Systems, Shop Air-Filtration
Devices, Vacuum Systems
Patterns
and Layout
Pattern Types and Sources; Enlarging or Reducing Patterns:
Sizing Patterns with a Proportional Scale;
Project Designs: Ties, Line Continuity,
Circles and Ovals, Transferring Pattern Lines, Using a Transfer Tool, Pattern
Placement, Copying Scroll Work
Scroll-Sawing
Basics
Preparing the Scroll Saw: Blade Tensioning, Squaring the Saw Table,
Adjusting the Saw Parts; Swing Techniques: Roughing Out, Hand Positions, Starting
Points and Grain Direction, Following Cutting Lines, Sawing Irregular Curves,
Sawing True Circles, Arcs, and Ovals, Sawing Straight Lines, Making Sharp Inside
Cuts, Cutting Sharp Outside Corners, Making Inside Cutouts, On-the-Spot Turns
and Cornering
Stack-Cutting
and Cutting Thick Wood
Sawing requirements; Stack-Cutting Guidelines
Sawing
Thin & Small Stock
Safety Guidelines; Workpiece Support and Auxiliary
Tables: Zero-Clearance Table inserts, Reusable Auxiliary Table; Blade Speed and
Feed Control; Sawing Veneer; Sawing Small Parts
Compound
Sawing
Materials; Sawing Technique: Basic Technique, Compound-Sawing Piercing
or Inside Cuts, Stack-Cutting Compound or Three- Dimensional Shapes
Bevel-Sawing
Basics
Scroll-Saw Features, Projects, Sawing Techniques and Applications:
Sharp Inside Corners and Curves, Sawing with Spiral Blades, On-the-Spot Turns,
Inside Openings, Making Collapsible Baskets, Making Bevel Test Cuts, Making Designs
in Relief, Concentric Bevel Cuts, Bowl Variations
Inlay
Work
Vertical Stack-Cut Inlays; Bevel-Sawn Inlays; Solid-Wood Inlays;
Inlays for Wood Turning; Sculptured Inlays; Bevel-Sawn Joinery
Marquetry
Basics
Stack-Sawing Technique; Bevel-Sawing Technique; Scroll Saws Specially
Designed for Marquetry; Marquetry with Sculptured Overlays
Incise-Carving
Two-Cut Method: Determining Table Tilt, Drilling Blade-Entry Holes, Blade-Threading,
Sawing Technique; One-the-Spot Bevel-Cornering
Fine
Fretwork
Wood Materials for Fretwork: Solid Woods, Thin-Wood Warpage;
Blade-Entry Holes; Cutting Order; Sawing Accurately; Fretwork Assemblies; Thick-wood
Fretwork Projects; Carved Fretwork Projects; Large and Delicate Fretwork
Appliques
and Overlays
Gluing: Spray Adhesive; Overlays Over Inlays
Joinery
Joint-Making Tips; Tab-And-Slot Joint: Locked Tab-and-Slot Joint; Halved Joint;
Lap Joint; Cope Joint; Cope Dowel Joint; Flat Miter Joint; Through Dovetail Joint;
Hinged Corner Joint; Pin-And-Cove Joint
Sawing
Plastics
Types of Plastic: Acrylic Plastics, Polycarbonate Sheet Plastics,
Polystyrenes; Solid Surface Materials: Decorative Plastic Laminate; Blade Selection
and Modification; Other Tips and Suggestions; Photo Cutouts
Sawing
Metal and Other Hard Materials
Material
Sawability; Metal Sources; Buying Metals; Blades: Diamond Blades; Coolant Systems;
Tips for Cutting Metals and Other Hard Materials
Sawing
Paper
Drilling Tips; Blades; Stack-Sawing Fabric; Sawing Delicate Designs
Segmentation
and Intarsia
Cutting the Individual Segments or Components; Shaping and
Forming; Finishing and Assembly; Making
a Backer; Stack-Sewn Segmented Inlays; Pictorial Segmentation
Special
Project Techniques
Vessels and Simulated Baskets: Undulating Rings, Simulated
Baskets; Toys and Puzzles, Signs and Personalised Items; Logscapes; Pierced Portraits
Finishing
Basics
Painting: Spattered Finish, Sponge Finish, Painted Detail Lines;
Decorative Dots; Aerosol Special-Effect Finishes; Stains; Color Dyes; Clear Natural
Finishes; Penetrating Danish Oils; Olive, Peanut and Mineral Oils; Patina Finished
Brass and Copper; Patina Finished Wood; Applying Gold Leaf
Scroll-saw
Books by Patrick Spielman
Metric Equivalency Chart
Index