Making the Cuts

I left the shop on Saturday wondering whether or not I could make the cuts for my center sections that would contain the guitar pics.  This requires using the scroll saw and after practicing on it a few times, I wasn't entirely confident that I could handle it.
Honestly, that machine scares me.
Half the time I used it, it would freak out - or I would freak out - or both. It would kick up my piece of wood or start steering off in a direction I didn't want or become loose and shake violently or even break completely. I wasn't having the best luck with this machine, so I spent the most of my Monday morning practicing making drill holes and using the scroll saw.

 My first indication that the use of this machine would be difficult was when I used it for the first time on my saw cut cardboard prototype.
As you can see, I am not very good at this.


After speaking with Cotter about it, I discovered two things:
First of all, the scroll saw doesn't work well with cutting cardboard. It turns out, it's easier when cutting wood because that is exactly what the machine was designed to do.
Secondly, you have to tension the saw. I did not do this, nor did the assistent tell me to do so. I realized that it runs a lot smoother when everything is tightened properly.

Next, I figured I should start practicing on wood.

I discovered that if I made three drill holes that had a radius approximately the same as the curve for my cuts, that I could avoid having to make the curved cut on the scroll saw. By connecting the three drill holes, I could focus on just making cuts to connect them.

So I practiced. 

 Drilling holes.

Making cuts.

 Making more cuts.

And making more cuts.

 I felt like I was getting better and possibly ready to start cutting on my final pieces for my box.

 The first few holes went pretty well. There was no splitting of wood on the back and I managed to not drill too close to the edge.

My second piece didn't go so well. I must not have laminated one of the pieces together well enough, because when I put the drill press through, it split off the corner! The guys at the shop assured me that I would be able to glue this back together. As this piece was drying, I decided to make the cuts on the scroll saw for my other center section.

It went pretty well (in my option). I figured that I could file down the rest of the material that I wasn't able to cut, but it turns out that I was a little to aggressive with the file. It also turns out that filing this much material is extremely difficult. So, I took a deep breath and returned to the scroll saw to make a few more cuts to clean it up. 

My next cut I needed to make was the push through hole. I used the drill press to create the hole, and this step went pretty smoothly for me. 

I left the shop on Monday feeling good about my vessel. I sanded for a few hours and then went to Hallmark Symposium.