Let's start with pattern selection. Choose a pattern that you would like to cut and that you think is within your skill level.

Next you will need to choose your wood. Most patterns from magazines and professional designers come with recommendations of species, and thickness. Use these as a guideline. Also look at your stock and the pattern and try to choose a piece of stock who's grain will enhance the pattern. I normally will trim the wood down to a size slightly larger than the pattern. If it is going to be framed I will normally cut it to the frame size before I put the pattern on the wood. Next I sand both sides of the wood, normally to 220 grit. This gives you a head start on your finish sanding. Next you will want to blow the dust from the wood, another way is to wipe it, I have found that the micro fiber towels used for polishing cars make excellent reusable tack cloths, and can be found in most automotive dept's or even at your local dollar store.

Now that our wood is prepped, we are ready to put the pattern in place. There are several methods, and I will go over the most commonly used here. First go ahead and trim your pattern from the paper, leaving at least a 1/4” of excess paper. Our first methods all involve using a spray adhesive such as Elmer's, 3M 77, Loctite, and Duro. The first method is to spray the back of the pattern with an even coat of glue, the simply attach the pattern to the wood. The biggest drawback to this method is that pattern removal will be a real pain. Normally you will end up scraping it off with a razor blade or soaking it with mineral spirits. Using a heat gun on low will also help. The next method is what I use. I cover the wood with painters tape, then glue the pattern down, it makes pattern removal a whole lot easier. Another way to do this is to use clear packing tape, however I find that it leaves a little residue on the wood. Another advantage to this is that the tapes gives the blade a little lubrication, which helps reduce burning. Another method is to use ordinary school glue sticks, such as Elmer's. With this method all you do is all the previous steps and the rub the glue over the back of the pattern and attach it.

Alright we're moving right long, now we're ready to drill any blade entry holes that are needed for inside cuts, so let's step over to our drill press. When choosing a bit for this I like to use the biggest bit I can that will fit within the pattern lines. At the end of this I will include a link to a blade use chart that has drill bit size recommendations. I will normally start at the center of the pattern, drill a hole in all the inside cuts. I also drill in the widest part of the cut, but close to the edge. Next I like to turn the wood over and give it a quick sanding with a sanding sponge or whatever is handy to knock of and splinters from the drilling. Since my saw is a bottom feeding saw I take a red pencil and mark all the holes on the bottom, making them easier to see.

Next let's get our saw ready. First lets choose our blade . Most designers will include a recommended blade size in their instructions. As a rule of thumb, the thicker the wood the larger the blade size should be. Choosing a blade comes down to some trial and error, since there are many different types and tooth configurations. Next we will mount the blade in the saw, you want the teeth pointed downwards, since the blades are so small one easy way to check for this is to run the blade across your thumb, the teeth will catch some. After the blade is mounted go ahead and set the tension on it. Now we are going to check to make sure our table is square to the blade. There are two easy methods; one is to use a small steel machinist square, a 2” or 3” will do. Place the square on the table against the blade to see if it is square, if not adjust the table until it is. The other method I use is to take a small school type protractor and place it behind the blade, checking for 90 deg. Either method works fine. The steel squares can be found at Woodcraft or any of the scroll saw suppliers.

Now get comfortable and let's cut our project. If it has any inside cuts, you will want to start as close to the center as possible, making each cut from the center on outwards toward the edges, I normally leave the largest cuts for the last. Once you have your blade through the entry hole attach it to the other blade clamp and set the tension, the make the cut, removing any waste material once the cut is done. Repeat this with all your inside cuts. Once all the inside cuts are done you can proceed to make the outside cut.

Now that all the cuts are done we will remove the pattern, if you used the painters tape method, you can simply pull the pattern from the wood. Be cautious when peeling it away from fragile areas, just take your time.

Now we're ready to sand and finish our project. The sanding method is entirely up to you. I recommend if it has a lot of fragile areas to hand sand it. If not you can use the sander of your choice. I normally will use 120 grit then 220. Make sure to sand the back of your project also. You may notice some “fuzzies” on the back of your project. One method of getting rid of these is to use a pencil torch to lightly burn them off, see picture below. Another is to take a small piece of sandpaper and sand them off, another useful tool for this is an emery board, like is used for finger nails.

Now that we are satisfied with the sanding of our project, we will finish it up. Most of my projects I finish using Danish oil, which I make myself, if you want the recipe let me know. If the project will be used by kids or in contact with food, by all means use a food safe finish such as mineral oil. Other finishes can be used, that is really personal preference. If your project requires a backing, there are several methods to use. If it will be in a frame I normally glue a piece of felt to the back using a clear drying glue in case there is any squeeze out. Some projects will require a wood backer, which should be included with the pattern instructions.

As always when working with tools, glues, and finishes please follow all manufacturers safety precautions.

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments , everything I have wrote about in here unless otherwise noted is the way I do thing, and there are other methods that can be used so feel free to make suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to read this. 

Blade size and pilot hole chart

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/yhst-16765698503918/ScrollChart.pdf

Also our member  Karl Taylor has some good videos posted in the video area http://www.thepatriotwoodworker.com/video or check them out on his site at http://scrollsawvideo.com/