Leldon

I started woodworking when I was about 13. I use mainly a scroll saw as my tool of choice. I would love to be able to build furniture one day, but as of right now I am happy just scrolling along. I built my first "shop" with the help of my sisters boy friend at the time. It was just 8x10 foot. We used recycled wood from a chicken house that had got destroyed in a tornado. The tin came from that also. I first saw the scrollsaw at Big Lots. It wasn't anything fancy, a cheap made in China, saw. It lasted all of a couple weeks and went back. I bought a craftsman after that. It was better, but by much. It was good enough to get me hooked. I had added on to my shop by now another section that was also about 8X10. My shop was nothing fancy by any means. I did love it though. And for the first year or so I just had power from an extension cord from my dad's shop to mine. Then after adding another addition to the shop, another 8x10, my father and I ran me some REAL power to it. I stayed out there so much. It was like a getaway. I loved scrolling and by the time I got real power, I had got a small bench top band saw, table saw, drill press and other tools. I had also got a RBI Hawk 16" scroll saw. It was leaps and bounds the best saw I had used to date. By now, I had found the internet wood working sites. The first place I joined was on yahoo. There was a great group of scroll sawers there. They were all so friendly. Then they mentioned something about a site called wooders. I started going there to chat to scrollsawers also. If it wasn't for these two sites, I'm not sure where I would be in now. They taught me so much, and I consider the users to be valued friends. I never had met them face to face, but they were also a few clicks away when I needed something. Finally in 2000 I got to meet some of them face to face at a scroll saw picnic. A few weeks before the picnic, I had a table saw accident. I cut my middle and ring finger on the table saw. I had to have surgery and had wear a molded plastic 'cast' on it. (I still can't moved the tip of the birdie any!) From that point on, my scroll sawing did nothing but get better. I truly miss those times I had in the chats. Now, my old shop is falling apart. About 3 years ago I moved into my grandparents house. The house has a full basement and I moved all my tools into it. It took some time to get all the 'junk' of about 35 years out of it, but I am so glad to have my tools there. For about the 2 years though, I had all but forgot the scroll saw. I didn't saw that much and then last year, I got the urge to saw again. I love it more now than I did. I use it more to relax than anything. I had done craft shows before, and made some money at them, but I just lost my urge to saw. I plan on making a come back this year and having some projects that I have never had. I am so glad I am back again. It's hard to believe that I lost a couple of years at the saw just because I was "lazy". Right now I have 6 scroll saws. The craftsman from my beginnings, RBI 16" also from the start. I added a DeWalt 788 and started using it instead of the RBI. It was a much better saw and I loved it. Then I bought a used Delta Q3, never used it much, but I couldn't turn it down because of the price! A Hegner I bought from a school auction. I have never used it. It is missing a blade clamp and I need to buy one. It seems like a nice saw. Now I am using an Excalibur ex-21. This saw should be my last one bought. I love it. It is truly a wonder to saw on. I bought it before General Machinery bought out the Excalibur company. It's purple, but color doesn't matter. I have also added a bigger and better table saw, lathe, another drill press and I'm sure something else I can't think of.

In the mid 2000s I started designing patterns for the scroll saw. These were made using the portrait technique. I enjoy making portrait patterns, but I don't consider them to be true designs. None are to me. I have seen some with hundreds of cuts in them, and still, it is not as impressive as a fretwork clock with the same about of cuts. But they are some awesome looking portraits out there. I will cut some patterns that are in the portrait style, but I love fretwork. I hope to one day design some.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to reading all the great info posted here at lumberjocks!