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Recently a customer contacted us to ask if we might be interested in making a songbird napkin holder. Typically, we don't do custom patterns, but we do certainly take suggestions if we feel that the idea is a project that our customers would also like. In this case I thought the suggestion was a very good idea and I enjoy drawing wildlife so I got to working on it right away. Deer, moose, wolves and horses, are always popular with scrollers so I started with these "usual suspects". The wolves and horses napkin holders will be in the works in the near future for certain as well as a couple others.

I made these all out of 1/2" birch with walnut veneer backers. The sides were put together with 3/4" long screws to keep everything together while the glue dried. All of the edges were smoothed over with a router and a 1/8" roundover bit which I feel is needed to soften them up a little.

I found the trick to using veneer for backers like this is to varnish it before assembly. When varnishing it, I spray light coats on both sides at the same time and this prevents it from curling (I just set it on a drying board to dry and it doesn't seem to leave any marks in the finish at all since the coats are so light). This keeps the glue from wanting the make the veneer ripple and also keeps the veneer from pulling on the wood which can warp it if the wood is not thick enough. I do often also varnish the back of the hardwood piece with a couple light coats before gluing on the backer on in order to make it easier for me to spray into all the tight fretwork. The glue will still hold quite well since this is not a structural joint.

I could have used 1/8" Baltic birch plywood for the backer which would have given me the option to stain the background in any color I wanted. This would have the added bonus of being stronger than the veneer and would prevent anybody from putting their finger through the backer! :) I do mention the plywood backer in the instructions so that the builder can decide for themselves.

I also included linework for a matching plaque with each of these patterns although I did not cut the plaques out myself. Here is a computer generate picture of the cardinal plaque:



Thanks for looking.

Gallery

Comments

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187 Posts
Nice Keith. I got the set and will be adding them to the useful items that I am working on. Looking forward to seeing what else you come up with.
I will be in Saratoga in March so I will see you and Sheila there.
Rick
 

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4,010 Posts
these are really nice keith, im sure many will enjoy having them on there kitchen tables, your scroll saw skill are fantastic.
 

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901 Posts
Great project Keith. I know who is getting one of these as a Christmas present. Looking forward to seeing your other designs.
 

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184 Posts
Thanks guys. I really enjoyed making these and they seem to be well received by our customers so it's a win-win :)
 

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259 Posts
Those are fancy napkin holders. Beautiful designs and scroll work. Great job!
 
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