Scrollsaw Nativity Puzzle

     It is so cold here in Northern New York. Brrrr....

Years ago my husband bought me a scroll saw and it sat there, along with the router and other power tools.  They were intimidating.  I had never really used them before.  In school I took shop and had to use a band saw.  My pieces were not shaped evenly because I feared the powerful machine that ate through hard wood like it was butter.  I was sure my fingers were next.

Well I have overcome that fear thanks to a ScrollSaw magazine and Steve Good's website.  If you are new to scrolling you must check out this site.  Steve has a catalog of free patterns that range from down right beginner to much more complex.  He also had a daily freebie and video how- tos.

You can find him here: http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/

 These are some of my attempt at his patterns. 

 

I am thankful to Steve for getting me cutting on the scrollsaw.  Once I got going I felt more at ease and began to tackle more challenging material.  Below is a project that took me over a year to complete.  The pattern was free from Steve Good, but I modified it. 

 

                                                                                             The first thing I did was to size it and print two copies, one of which was flipped so the images were reversed.  Next I got rid of the puzzle shape areas.  I then designed a tri-layered setting for the pieces to sit on.  Then came the cutting, shaping, and lots of hand sanding. (After this project I bought sanding mops and other sanding tools)  Once I was satisfied with each piece they were stained and dried.  Each figure was then glued together and mounted to the scene.  The background areas were chosen for the wood grains so they would look like layers of sand dunes.  

 

 

 

I hope you like it.

-Take Care -