How To Design Your Own Scroll Saw Patterns
A scroll saw pattern’s beauty is its ability to be as creative and imaginative as you like. The design software will take care of all the details, such as ensuring that lines are straight and even ensuring they get to the right place. A computer can also create scroll saw patterns. This allows you to try out different ideas and see how they look when cut into wood.
You can download free software to create your own patterns. Simply choose a photo to use as a template, adjust its size to fit on your project board, then click print. The next step is important. You cannot simply print your new pattern and then start cutting. Scroll saw patterns have a grain, which must be respected in order to make your pattern work.
The grain is the direction in which the wood fibers run. If you cut against them or across them, your wood piece will split or splinter. It is important to consider where the grain of your pattern runs before you begin cutting.
Step-by-Step Instructions For Designing Your Scroll Saw Patterns
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You can choose a photo to use (can either be computer-generated, or scanned in).
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Free design software is available to convert images into patterns.
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The scrolling saw pattern should be resized to fit on your project board. It must also be properly sewn and does not exceed the size of the wood piece.
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You can save the pattern to a flash drive/external drive and upload it later when you’re cutting your jigsaw pieces.
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Follow all instructions in the design software to upload your pattern to the scroll saw machine.
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You should carefully cut along the lines of the pattern, paying attention to the direction of grain in the wood. This will ensure that you don’t break any pieces when you are done cutting.
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Continue repeating steps until you have enough jigsaw pieces for one complete picture.
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Use glue or double-sided adhesive to arrange and join your scroll saw puzzle pieces.
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After drying, sand the edges of each piece of jigsaw and apply paint.
Instructions
1. First, you will need to take a high quality photo of the image you want to create a scrollsaw jigsaw puzzle. If the image isn’t clear enough it may be difficult for you to follow the grain properly and your pieces might not fit together correctly. Instead of using your phone’s camera, use a digital camera. Most phones have poor resolution making it difficult for you to see what you are doing.
2. Open your image once you have it. Then save the image to your flash drive/external drive.
3. You will now need to resize your image to fit onto your project board. Otherwise, it will be difficult to fit every section together without them overlapping. You can resize the image until it is the right size.
4. After everything is done, upload the scrolling saw design to your machine and start cutting! You should also label each piece of jigsaw with a number or letter to avoid them getting mixed up after paint has been applied.
Scroll Saw Patterns
Scroll saws are a type power tool that is used to cut intricate or artistic patterns in different materials. A scroll saw’s blade is mounted vertically and can move back and forth. This makes it great for creating freehand arts and crafts. When working with metal, wood, etching glasses, or plastics, many people make their own scrolling saw designs.
Before you begin creating your design, make sure the grain runs in the right direction. You will notice that your pieces don’t fit together as they should if the grain runs against the seams. This is the most important step. Once you have decided on the size of your scrollsaw pattern, you can resize it to fit onto your project board.
After you are done, save the image to a flash drive/external drive. You can upload it later when you cut out each piece. Simply upload the scrolling pattern to your machine. Then, use your scroll saw to cut the image along the lines. Be sure to follow the grain’s direction.
Guidelines To Remember
- Scroll saws cannot be used on materials that are not suitable for hand cutting (e.g. wood, metal, or etching glasses).
- You can’t cut straight up or down when cutting your scrolling saw pattern from a flat surface. It is important to know which direction the grain of your pattern runs so you can cut it correctly.
- Before you upload the image to your machine, make sure that any logos are removed from your pattern. This option is available in many design software programs. If you are a skilled user, you can also change it yourself.
- You can put some images together in multiple ways but they still look the same. If you want to be able see every part of a logo on your jigsaw puzzle, rotate it first before cutting each piece.
- Simply resize and save after each cut to make multiple pieces of jigsaw from the same scrolling saw pattern. Remember the order in which they were made as that is how they will fit together later.
Final Thoughts
