Fretsaw project gallery: 'Batman' added

[Zebidee]

... and you accuse me of wasting space, talking about important & relevant issues, on your thread?

[yamatetsu]

[Zebidee]

saw that coming

[Mike A]

Cut it out.

[bobbyb13]

By the time we hit the Viking it was obvious I would never have the emotional fortitude for this endeavour.
Good on ya.

The Peanuts and Star Wars ones will always be winners.
Combining the two is like cheating from a marketing standpoint.

Sell them if you can (or must) but have fun with it anyway.

And this is hilarious of course.

Cut it out.

[yamatetsu]

By the time we hit the Viking it was obvious I would never have the emotional fortitude for this endeavour.

That's why most people do this kind of thing as a side project. Chip away at it for an hour or two, do that for some days, when you are fed up with it, do another, smaller project to get a sense of accomplishment when you finish that. Then it's chipping at the viking again.

The Peanuts and Star Wars ones will always be winners.
Combining the two is like cheating from a marketing standpoint.

It's also doubling the chance of getting sued for copyright infringement   

[RandyT]

I mean no offense whatsoever, but I'm torn when I look at these.  While I'm absolutely amazed at the skill and patience you must have to do them, when I see them, I can't help but think "that's why they invented laser cutters."

Someone with a laser cutter could knock these out in less than a half hour, and if done correctly, the end product would be virtually indistinguishable from something a skilled person spent weeks on.

So while I understand the value and appreciation for "hand-made", I still find myself asking why, when amazing tools exist to produce the same results with hugely less effort.

Is it just something to pass the time?

[Zebidee]

Got any good suggestions?

Reckon that, if yamatetsu sold a few of these works, might have a few dollars to go towards better tools like a decent laser cutter.

[pbj]

Is it just something to pass the time?

Have you considered a Pi?

[Zebidee]

mmmmm

[yamatetsu]

So while I understand the value and appreciation for "hand-made", I still find myself asking why, when amazing tools exist to produce the same results with hugely less effort.

Is it just something to pass the time?

Yep, it's a hobby. There is something very satisfying about turning something that's in your head into something real with your own hands vs just pressing a button. I went more than 40 years telling myself that I'm no good at doing something like "art" or woodworking, now that I actually tried doing some stuff I found out that it's not so hard after all, and it's fun. I'm catching up.

There also is a practical reason for doing things by hand: Money and space. I can't afford a laser cutter and I don't have the space for it anyway.

[RandyT]

Yep, it's a hobby. There is something very satisfying about turning something that's in your head into something real with your own hands vs just pressing a button. I went more than 40 years telling myself that I'm no good at doing something like "art" or woodworking, now that I actually tried doing some stuff I found out that it's not so hard after all, and it's fun. I'm catching up.

There also is a practical reason for doing things by hand: Money and space. I can't afford a laser cutter and I don't have the space for it anyway.

Well, it's more than just pressing a button.  Without the design files, you can press all the buttons you want and it won't do anything for you .  I.e. producing something like this with a laser is still "art", or at least it can be, just a different form.  Based on what I see from your works, I'm guessing a computer is already part of the process anyway, unless you are hand drawing the pattern on the material to begin with.

A small 40watt import laser will probably fit on your existing bench, and they don't cost all that much.  If you like tinkering with your tools, that one should be right up your alley.  And like Zebidee stated, you could probably sell some of your works and generate the cash for one. 

But I do understand that there can be therapeutic benefits for some in taking the "long road."  If the point is the journey, I get that. 

[bobbyb13]

I really like the whole "by hand" method of this.
One of my grandads was a pattern maker at a metal foundry, shaping the parts -out of wood!- to cast all kinds of things in metal.
Want to talk about careers that have gone by.
I used to enjoy watching him make some pretty detailed stuff in his home workshop, and the fretsaw hobby reminds me of those things.
I have fond memories of this type of work myself.
For me there is a zen aspect to tasks like these that can't be replicated with a lot of technology interjected.

The core of it is like any of the other stuff we do here really, yeah?
Get the right tools, learn the techniques to use them well and practice until you get what you like.

So while I understand the value and appreciation for "hand-made", I still find myself asking why, when amazing tools exist to produce the same results with hugely less effort.

Is it just something to pass the time?

Yep, it's a hobby. There is something very satisfying about turning something that's in your head into something real with your own hands vs just pressing a button. I went more than 40 years telling myself that I'm no good at doing something like "art" or woodworking, now that I actually tried doing some stuff I found out that it's not so hard after all, and it's fun. I'm catching up.

There also is a practical reason for doing things by hand: Money and space. I can't afford a laser cutter and I don't have the space for it anyway.

[yamatetsu]

Well, it's more than just pressing a button.  Without the design files, you can press all the buttons you want and it won't do anything for you .  I.e. producing something like this with a laser is still "art", or at least it can be, just a different form.  Based on what I see from your works, I'm guessing a computer is already part of the process anyway, unless you are hand drawing the pattern on the material to begin with.

A small 40watt import laser will probably fit on your existing bench, and they don't cost all that much.  If you like tinkering with your tools, that one should be right up your alley.  And like Zebidee stated, you could probably sell some of your works and generate the cash for one.

I'm using a computer for converting images into patterns, which I then spray-glue onto the wood. But that is just the prep work, from then on it's manual labor. I'm not opposed to using computers, but to me using the computer to do everything is like producing something vs. making something. Making something is much more rewarding.

As for a small laser fitting on my existing bench, nope. My "bench" basically consists of two wooden boxes clamped together, giving me a surface area of 33x30cm to work on, which is about one A4 sheet and a half. I don't have a dedicated work space, I'm doing my fretwork in my bedroom, sitting on my bed and sawing merrily away.

For me there is a zen aspect to tasks like these

Yep, right until some delicate part breaks when sanding. Then it switches over to being a much more mundane aspect, like swearing and cursing 

[RandyT]

I guess the way I view it is that the laser would only be taking the place of the saw.  After being cut on the laser, there would still be quite a bit of "artistic" work (sanding, shaping, painting and final assembly) to get the end result. 

But yes, if that is the extent of your working environment, and you enjoy the process, it's certainly not a wrong way to do it. 

[Mike A]

What he is doing takes mountains more skill than a stupid laser.

I have a laser. It is super easy and I could teach a monkey to do it in an afternoon.

Keep posting fretsaw stuff. It is cool.

[pbj]

I could teach a monkey to do it in an afternoon.

But could you teach a grouchy man how to be happy?  I really do not understand the hostility this thread has provoked.  There's so little activity that I'm happy to see people doing anything at this point.

[Mike A]

Then it switches over to being a much more mundane aspect, like swearing and cursing 

That sounds a lot like my work flow.

[Zebidee]

There's so little activity that I'm happy to see people doing anything at this point.

100% with this.

[RandyT]

What he is doing takes mountains more skill than a stupid laser.

I have a laser. It is super easy and I could teach a monkey to do it in an afternoon.

Yes, but would he survive the ordeal?

[yamatetsu]

"Coffee ?"

28,8 x 21,2cm, backer board 8mm, owl 3mm



Another gift for my sister. Thought this was going to be an easy one, but cutting, sanding and glueing those tiny little pieces was a PITA. But what the heck, it turned out really nice, now on to the next one.

[yamatetsu]

"Batman"

60 x 85cm, backer board 6mm, Batman 4mm.




A4 sheet for size.




4 months on and off, 100+ hours, never again. Looks absolutely amazing, though.