Fretsaw project gallery: 'Sisyphus meets Indiana Jones' added

[yamatetsu]

Since the fretsaw projects I have posted so far are a raving success , I give you now a gallery of all projects I have done so far.
All of these were done with a fretsaw and a ryoba, except for the Star Wars diorama, for which I also used a jigsaw to saw out one piece of wood.

Tools used




"Gorilla"

25cm x 35,5cm, 3mm thick, mix between sawing (outline) and painting (face)





"Swedish Chef"

19,8cm x 22cm, 4mm thick





"Raven"

10,5xm x 19cm, 4mm thick





"Cat & tree"

22,6cm x 20cm, 4mm thick





"Something fishy"

22,5cm x 15,5cm, 3mm thick





"Leopard"

43cm x 27,6cm (including the frame), Leo is made of 3 layers, 2 are 4mm thick, the head is 8mm thick,
the backer board is 12mm thick, mix between sawing (Leo) and painting (dots)

[yamatetsu]

"Hulk"

20cm x 28cm, backer board 12mm, Hulk 4mm thick







"Spidey"

46,5cm x 37cm, backer board 8mm, Spidey 3mm thick
Every single part of this has been sawn out by hand, sanded, painted and glued to the backer board.
This took 3 weeks to make.





"Frankenstein's creature"

28,5cm x 35,5cm, backer board 12mm, creature 8mm thick





"Peaky blinders"

30cm x 35cm, backer layer 1 5mm, backer layer 2 4mm, character 3mm thick





"Rainy day"

29,5cm x 31cm x 6mm, characters 2 layers of 6mm each

[yamatetsu]

"Laurel & Hardy"

36,5cm x 29,5cm, backer board 8mm, Laurel & Hardy 8mm thick





"Peanuts Star Wars diorama"

51,5cm x 22,5cm x 30cm, 18 mm thick
Snoopy & Woodstock several layers, 3mm - 5mm thick







"Boba"

44,5cm x 62cm, backer board 7mm, Boba 4mm thick





"Laurel & Hardy: On fire"

40,5cm x 27cm, backer board 6mm, Laurel & Hardy 6mm thick





"Felix the cat"

Roughly 8,5cm x 13,5cm, backer board 3mm, Felix layer 6mm, Felix parts 3mm.





"Donald"

Another fun scrapwood project. Roughly 21,5cm x 7,5cm, backer board 6mm, Donald black layer 6mm, Donald 4mm.





Donald meets Felix.

[yamatetsu]

"Contemplating life"

30cm x 20.5cm, backer board 4mm, Donald black layer 3mm, Donald 6mm.





"Elephants & bears in rocking chairs"

Roughly 14cm x 15cm x 18mm







"Viking"

27cm x 36.5cm, backer board 6mm, Viking 4mm





"Owl"

26cm x 21,5 cm, backer board 4mm, owl 3mm.





"Meeting Bruce"

27,5 x 17cm, Bruce/water 2cm, surfboard 3mm, surfer 8mm.







"Lt. Frank Drebin"

41,5 x 41cm, backer board 8mm, Frank 4mm.

[yamatetsu]

"Laurel & Hardy: Shhh"

34,5 x 25,5cm, backer board 6mm, Laurel & Hardy 6mm.





"The little mole"

ca. 18 x 12cm, backer board 3mm, mole/car 3mm





"23"

33 x 49,6cm, backer board 6mm, Michael 3mm





"Coffee ?"

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





"Batman"

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





"The Inspector"

21 x 14,5cm, backer board 4mm, inspector 4mm





"Norman Bates"

30,5 x 41,5cm, backer board 4mm, Norman 4mm






"Gina"

35 x 47 cm, backer board 4mm, Gina 4mm

[yamatetsu]

"Cutie"

14,7 x 15,5cm, backer board 4mm, cutie 4mm.





"Horse"

15 x 19,5cm, backer board 6mm, horse 4mm





"Bon appetit"

21 x 21,9cm, backer board 6mm, vulture 4mm





"Hagar the Horrible'

21 x 30cm, backer board 4mm, Hagar 4mm





"Johnny Bravo"

20,5 x 24,5cm, backer board 4mm, Johnny 4mm





"Johnny Bravo"

21 x 24cm, backer board 4mm, Johnny 4mm





"Hong Kong Phooey"

21 x 24cm, backer board 4mm, Hong Kong Phooey 4mm





"Mr. Lizzardo"

23 x 28cm, backer board 4mm, Mr. Lizzardo 4mm





"Sisyphus meets Indiana Jones"

45 x 60cm, backer boards 4mm, landscape 4mm, Sisyphus & Indy 4mm

[Zebidee]

Some very fine work here.

I hope you are able to display it prominently and appropriately at home!

My favourites would probably be Snoopi-wan and Woodi-Darth (really 3D!), Spidey and "Rainy Day", and Laurel and Hardy of course, but they are all good.

Keep it up

[yamatetsu]

Some very fine work here.

I hope you are able to display it prominently and appropriately at home!

Unfortunately not. I have no space at all for that. The small ones lie around gathering dust, the bigger ones are wrapped in towels to protect them and stacked in a bag.

I was able to sell "Peaky blinders", "Rainy day" is a gift to my sister, so those will get displayed properly.

[Zebidee]

Unfortunately not. I have no space at all for that. The small ones lie around gathering dust, the bigger ones are wrapped in towels to protect them and stacked in a bag.

Oh dear

I was able to sell "Peaky blinders", "Rainy day" is a gift to my sister, so those will get displayed properly.

Cool 

[yamatetsu]

"Boba"

44,5cm x 62cm, backer board 7mm, Boba 4mm thick



My hardest project so far. Some of these lines are just 1-2 mm wide, many pieces are just millimeters apart and there are 3 pieces that are very big, meaning it was a very long continous cut.
Sawing it out was a nightmare, sanding it was a nightmare, and, you guessed it, glueing it was even more of a nightmare. Looks very cool, but I will probably never do something like this again.

[yamatetsu]

"Laurel & Hardy: On fire"

40,5cm x 27cm, backer board 6mm, Laurel & Hardy 6mm thick

[Zebidee]

Nice.

[yamatetsu]

"Felix the cat"

A fun scrapwood project. Roughly 8,5cm x 13,5cm, backer board 3mm, Felix layer 6mm, Felix parts 3mm.

[Zebidee]

Classic!

[yamatetsu]

Classic!

Indeed. According to the Wiki, Felix is 102 years old. Mind boggling.

[yamatetsu]

"Donald"

Another fun scrapwood project. Roughly 21,5cm x 7,5cm, backer board 6mm, Donald black layer 6mm, Donald 4mm.



Donald meets Felix.

[yamatetsu]

"Contemplating life"

30cm x 20.5cm, backer board 4mm, Donald black layer 3mm, Donald 6mm.

[Zebidee]

Indeed. According to the Wiki, Felix is 102 years old. Mind boggling.

Used to watch Felix, in B&W, when I was about 6/7, before grabbing my bag (of tricks!), closing up the house and walking to school (by myself).

It boggles my mind that this was considered "normal" then, compared to the helicopter parenting that is "normal" nowadays.

Nice work on Donald

[pbj]

Are you selling any of these?  Doing commissions?

[yamatetsu]

Are you selling any of these?  Doing commissions?

I'm doing this for fun. I wouldn't mind selling most of these, excluding 'Spidey' and 'Boba'. I have sold one piece (the Peaky blinders character), the rest are stored in a bag and will probably be discovered in the attic when I have passed away.

As for doing commissions, I don't know, nobody has asked me to do one yet  That would largely depend on the source material, I'm not an artist so I have to have an existing image and that has to be suitable for being converted into simple lines.

[yamatetsu]

"Elephants & bears in rocking chairs"

Roughly 14cm x 15cm x 18mm





Found these while looking for scroll saw patterns. Each one took about an hour of sawing through 18mm wood and two hours of sanding.
Fun fact: The wood they're made of is the scrapwood they're standing on, after a lot of sanding and two coats of linseed oil.

[Zebidee]

You absolutely can sell those. Maybe try Etsy?

[yamatetsu]

You absolutely can sell those. Maybe try Etsy?

Someone already does, the elephants go for a bit more than 24 euros. I can't match that. 3 hours of work (one of that sawing through 18mm thick wood by hand with a very fine blade) + cost for materials is worth more than 24 euros to me.

[Zebidee]

Where I am, the standard wage is around $1 to $1.50 per hour, so it still sounds competitive. Especially for something you can do whenever it is convenient.

At least then your hard work would get better appreciation than it does in your attic (and you would have some money in your hobby account).

[yamatetsu]

In Germany the minimum wage is 12 euros before taxes, the cost of living is relatively high, for example a loaf of bread costs ca. 4 euros at the moment, with prices still climbing. So going less than 24 euros for 3 hours of work plus the hassle of packing & shipping is not that competitive.

Edit: Selling via a platform also adds costs, Etsy takes a small percentage of the price, I think.

[Zebidee]

That is all true.

If I compare the time it takes me to assemble/build a GreenAntz unit to the price I sell them for (less materials costs), I'm selling my labour very cheaply indeed. On the other hand I learn a lot, it helps many people and I get a few dollars back into my hobby account.

So far I've been able to avoid the platforms, ebay etc., but even Paypal takes a small chunk.

[danny_galaga]

Where I am, the standard wage is around $1 to $1.50 per hour, so it still sounds competitive.

😲
Where are you? Botswana?

[Zebidee]

Thailand.

Basic daily wage of 300 baht (~US$9) is often quoted and paid here, though if they do decent work and you want them to hang around, better to pay around 400 baht (~US$12) or more.

However, all these comparisons with hourly rates in traditional labour markets are of limited usefulness, unless you are choosing between making dioramas and going to a paying job. If you are producing these things in your spare time anyway, and selling for more than the inputs costs, in a way it is money for nothing.

At the moment you are making the artworks then storing them away... which kinda means you are working for no reward whatsoever beyond the "joy" you get inherently in what you are doing. So, if you can sell some, then you are definitely better off.

I also imagine that, after producing 100 Peanut Star-Wars dioramas your marginal "joy", from producing another one, will be wearing pretty thin. It will interfere with the rest of your worklife and leisure time more, effectively increasing your labour input costs.

On the other hand, you might find ways to reduce your input costs (cheaper materials), improve your skills and/or manufacturing time (more efficient production techniques).

What this boils down to is that it would probably be fun and worthwhile to make a few for sale, when you have the time. Probably not worth setting up a factory, unless you want a career change

Another big plus from selling them is some cashflow into your hobby account, which you can use to get some better tools or to diversify what you produce, or whatever. Some people like this because then they don't have to justify hobby spending to their spouses!

Sorry for long post already. I'm an economist and we love to waffle on about this stuff.

[danny_galaga]

Ah! Thailand.You at least have great internet there, way better than Australia! I've been fascinated with economics for a while, but haven't investigated further. I always imagined you should be great at maths, but then that guy from the Freakonomics duo says he is lousy at maths and hates it. That gives me hope 😄

[Zebidee]

Though my math skills would be rated above "average" generally, I'm no maths genius, and it was a weakness when studying. I often struggled to follow the maths twists and turns in economics lectures (and economic statistics, a separate year-long essential unit for the degree). Lots of differential calculus, economists love their curves and tangents. Mostly just learned how to do the math by rote, good enough to pass exams.

Instead of relying on maths, I focussed on understanding the principles and dynamics at work. All those equations can be charted out, and once I could see how the models work, as the numbers and assumptions change, the intuitive understanding would usually follow. Then the maths is really just punching numbers into equations, and you don't need maths to understand the fundamentals and forces at work, or to understand what Alan Kohler is saying on the ABC news.

The best part about being an economist is the ability to engage with other economists and like-minded people. It gives you new "language" and shortcuts, ways of understanding things. When I was in the public service there was a popular course "Economics For Non-Economists" specifically designed to help with that.

Interesting that you raise the internet in Australia. Remember the NBN dream?

Sorry, derailing yamatetsu's thread! Will shut up now

[yamatetsu]

"Viking"

27cm x 36.5cm, backer board 6mm, Viking 4mm



Found this in a scroll saw forum, just a photo of the finished work, not a pattern. Took me about 30 hours. Very challenging to do by hand, but well worth it.

[Zebidee]

No horns on the Viking's helmet, so that's a +1 from me 

[yamatetsu]

"Owl"

26cm x 21,5 cm, backer board 4mm, owl 3mm.



Found this in a scroll saw forum, having just a white background instead of a proper pic of the moon. So I looked for an actual pic of the moon and used that. Originally, I wanted to stain the wood for the owl, stain#1 turned out to be meh, stain#2 made the wood so dark that you couldn't distinguish the owl from the background. So I had to paint it over. Turned out well, but not in the way I wanted it.

[yamatetsu]

"Meeting Bruce"

27,5 x 17cm, Bruce/water 2cm, surfboard 3mm, surfer 8mm.







"Lt. Frank Drebin"

41,5 x 41cm, backer board 8mm, Frank 4mm.

[yamatetsu]

"Laurel & Hardy: Shhh"

34,5 x 25,5cm, backer board 6mm, Laurel & Hardy 6mm.



I hate Ollie's haircut. It's a ---smurfette--- to cut out.
This one was hard to do because the original photo is bad, it took me several hours to try several programs to translate it into a sawable pattern, to no avail. In the end I had to print the actual photo and trace the outlines with a ballpoint pen.

[Zebidee]

You must be very patient!

I like Bruce - Makes me thing of the Hangman game, except here he's about to be eaten by a shark instead!

[yamatetsu]

You must be very patient!

Sometimes. Mostly, I'm too stubborn to give up.

I like Bruce - Makes me thing of the Hangman game, except here he's about to be eaten by a shark instead!

Actually, Bruce is the shark. Like the one starring in 'Jaws'.

The guy who makes the scroll saw patterns aptly calls the dude 'Stickman'. You can find a bunch of them if your look for 'stickman scroll saw pattern'.

[yamatetsu]

"The little mole"

ca. 18 x 12cm, backer board 3mm, mole/car 3mm



My mother loves the little mole, this will be a present for her.

[yamatetsu]

"23"

33 x 49,6cm, backer board 6mm, Michael 3mm



I thought this was a little project that I could finish off quickly. Wrong. This looks deceptively simple, it has some very complicated cuts and some very small ones, to boot. The face (minus the ears) is one continuous cut, very scary to do while trying not to break something. Sanding these very carefully is also not much fun.
There are some very small parts which absolutely refused to stay glued on.
But, all nagging aside, I think this came out great.

[pbj]

[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.

[yamatetsu]

"The Inspector"

21 x 14,5cm, backer board 4mm, inspector 4mm



This was a fun little scrapboard project. Looks simple enough, until you try to keep the parts and their outlines parallel while the sawblade has the tendency to just veer off the line without any apparent reason. Look at the outline of the magnifying glass, those dents are not intentional.
Battling the sawblade for hours made this a chore. Anyway, it turned out well, that's all that matters.

[Zebidee]

The dents make it more authentic!

[yamatetsu]

I wouldn't mind them so much if it was my own ineptitude that caused them.
Look at the top right corner of sergeant Deux-Deux's hat. See that strange gap? That was literally the first cut I made. I drilled a hole, threaded the sawblade in, aligned the blade with the outline, started sawing and the sucker immediately veered off the line. Since the blade is very sharp and the board very thin, it took a me a moment to realize it and by that time the cut was well under way. Then I had to wrestle the blade towards the line, being mindful of not overcompensating. This went on for hours. It just absolutely sucks to botch something though you're doing nothing wrong.

[pbj]

I have some broken piece of jigsaw blade that I secured to a screwdriver shaft.  Something really high tech like electrical tape or similar to hold it all together.  Anyway, I can hold the apparatus like it’s a pencil and it absolutely tears through pumpkins for Halloween.  Since you’re working with such thin wood I wonder if something similar wouldn’t work.  Maybe just wrapping most of the blade with tape and doing it by hand?  Oddly, last month I  went through a box of tools I pulled out of a dumpster many years ago and found myself in possession of dozens of fret saw blades. 

[Zebidee]

Was thinking similar myself. Not so much about dumpster diving, but that a somewhat wider blade would help with control and minimise the twisting. Something like a hacksaw blade, centimetre wide or so, you'd need the teeth to be close together to ensure control.

[yamatetsu]

I have some broken piece of jigsaw blade that I secured to a screwdriver shaft.  Something really high tech like electrical tape or similar to hold it all together.  Anyway, I can hold the apparatus like it’s a pencil and it absolutely tears through pumpkins for Halloween.  Since you’re working with such thin wood I wonder if something similar wouldn’t work.  Maybe just wrapping most of the blade with tape and doing it by hand?

That wouldn't work. These blades are about .3 mm thick and flexy as heck. You need something that pulls them at both ends to keep them rigid. If they are not rigid enough, you can turn the saw to a 50-70 degree angle and the blade still doesn't turn. I had to buy a saw with a different locking mechanism to even be able to use those blades.
What absolutely baffles me is that I get this problem now, after using this type of blades for about half a year without any issues.

Was thinking similar myself. Not so much about dumpster diving, but that a somewhat wider blade would help with control and minimise the twisting. Something like a hacksaw blade, centimetre wide or so, you'd need the teeth to be close together to ensure control.

Doctor: Nurse! Scalpel!
Nurse: How about a hacksaw?

1 mm is considered to be very wide, 1 cm would be like trying to use a jigsaw to do fine cuts. Doing a really tight radius would be impossible, nevermind trying to do a 90 degree angle.

[RandyT]

1 mm is considered to be very wide, 1 cm would be like trying to use a jigsaw to do fine cuts. Doing a really tight radius would be impossible, nevermind trying to do a 90 degree angle.

Have you ever considered trying a diamond wire saw?  .6mm kerf and it doesn't care which direction you go.  The only drawback might be loading, but I have found the remains of a dried up tube of silicone caulk (waste not, want not ) works very well for cleaning wood out of sander belts, etc. so it should work for this as well.

[Zebidee]

Doctor: Nurse! Scalpel!
Nurse: How about a hacksaw?

Seriously though, a hacksaw would be a better choice than scalpel if you were performing an amputation. Dr Zeb would probably want both, for different parts of the job.

1 mm is considered to be very wide, 1 cm would be like trying to use a jigsaw to do fine cuts. Doing a really tight radius would be impossible, nevermind trying to do a 90 degree angle.

The suggestion was purely for those funky straight bits you mentioned, not the fine cuts.

But I get that you might make another choice, maybe something in between, a bit less like a hacksaw and more like a fretsaw?

[yamatetsu]

1 mm is considered to be very wide, 1 cm would be like trying to use a jigsaw to do fine cuts. Doing a really tight radius would be impossible, nevermind trying to do a 90 degree angle.

Have you ever considered trying a diamond wire saw?  .6mm kerf and it doesn't care which direction you go.  The only drawback might be loading, but I have found the remains of a dried up tube of silicone caulk (waste not, want not ) works very well for cleaning wood out of sander belts, etc. so it should work for this as well.

Diamond wire is not required. I have used .6 mm wood blades without any problems before stumbling onto the .3 mm ones. .6mm is too wide.
The point is that a .3 mm cut is so small that you almost can't see it. If you have a shape that has two colors, you can cut it in half, paint the halves and glue them back together without anyone noticing that they have been cut. Using a .6 mm blade, that cut will be visible.

Doctor: Nurse! Scalpel!
Nurse: How about a hacksaw?

Seriously though, a hacksaw would be a better choice than scalpel if you were performing an amputation. Dr Zeb would probably want both, for different parts of the job.

1 mm is considered to be very wide, 1 cm would be like trying to use a jigsaw to do fine cuts. Doing a really tight radius would be impossible, nevermind trying to do a 90 degree angle.

The suggestion was purely for those funky straight bits you mentioned, not the fine cuts.

But I get that you might make another choice, maybe something in between, a bit less like a hacksaw and more like a fretsaw?

The in between choice would be a .6mm blade which works fine, but the cut is too wide. Alternating between the two blades woud be too much of a hassle, plus you would notice the transition from a .6mm cut to a cut half the width.


The problem I most likely have is that you have to put the .3mm blade under extreme tension to keep it from flexing. The locking mechanism uses this to hold the blade:



You just twirl the lever until the blade is trapped between this screw and a metal plate in the saw. If you don't do it tight enough, the blade slips out. If you do it just right, the blade is held and hopefully won't flex.
Overdo it and you can kiss your saw goodbye. It's like overtightening a screw, that thing will never hold a blade again. The saw has two levers, so if you overdo both, the saw is useless.
After finding that out, I had to buy a new one which cost me about 30 Euros. So I'm a little apprehensive when tightening that lever.

[Zebidee]

So I'm a little apprehensive when tightening that lever.

Don't fret! Maybe you can find something cheaper online.

If you had a little more space you could get yourself a scroll saw, which is essentially a powered fretsaw with a table. Gives you more control for those fiddly bits.

[RandyT]

Diamond wire is not required. I have used .6 mm wood blades without any problems before stumbling onto the .3 mm ones. .6mm is too wide.
The point is that a .3 mm cut is so small that you almost can't see it. If you have a shape that has two colors, you can cut it in half, paint the halves and glue them back together without anyone noticing that they have been cut. Using a .6 mm blade, that cut will be visible.

I was under the impression that the idea behind these types of works were that each piece would have it's own color, or a gradient thereof like a vector image might.  I also thought that the separation lines were part and parcel of the style of this type of medium.  It seems to me that a piece where multiple colors are desired would just be painted that way.

I guess my naivety is showing when it comes to this art form.  BTW, the kerf on a 50w laser is  ~.13mm.  Usually smaller with less power.  Just ribbing you a bit with that info, I get the reasons for not using one.

[yamatetsu]

So I'm a little apprehensive when tightening that lever.

Don't fret! Maybe you can find something cheaper online.

Unfortunately this locking mechanism is a patented design and there's just one guy who produces those saws.

If you had a little more space you could get yourself a scroll saw, which is essentially a powered fretsaw with a table. Gives you more control for those fiddly bits.

Regarding the scroll saw - no space, no funds, no interest in it.

I was under the impression that the idea behind these types of works were that each piece would have it's own color, or a gradient thereof like a vector image might.  I also thought that the separation lines were part and parcel of the style of this type of medium.

Using visible separation lines or not depends of what I'm are going for. It's not always my goal to make it clear that the picture consists of pieces. It's nice to have people go "Nice painting! ... Oy, that is not a painting!"
The latest piece I made in this style was shown to 6 people, two of which actually touched it to confirm that it isn't a painting. Mission accomplished.

It seems to me that a piece where multiple colors are desired would just be painted that way.

To me, that would be the cheap way out. If I don't bother cutting those pieces up, I might as well don't bother cutting any pieces at all. I only do this when a multi colored piece is too small to be cut up.

[Zebidee]

Unfortunately this locking mechanism is a patented design and there's just one guy who produces those saws.

In that case, your guy has no incentive to improve the design's durability.

I accept at face value that your guy must make pretty special saws to impress you, but there must be hundreds of fret saw manufacturers out there. Or maybe all the others junk, explaining how PBJ found a set in a dumpster.

[yamatetsu]

Unfortunately this locking mechanism is a patented design and there's just one guy who produces those saws.

In that case, your guy has no incentive to improve the design's durability.

He doesn't need to. From what I have read, these saws are used in school classes for years without any issues. To be fair, I put more strain on the mechanism than I should.

Here's a vid to shows you how the mechanism works (although he does it backwards) https://youtu.be/cQOuOUesNCI?t=179.

Once you have used that, you never go back to fiddling with wingnuts.

[Zebidee]

I now know much more about fretsaws than I did yesterday. I enjoy listening to Wuppertal talk about stuff, even though I don't understand most of it (maybe 2/10 words).

[yamatetsu]

He gives a brief history of the fretsaw (has been around since the 16th century, was used to cut flowery ornaments/intarsia for furniture), tells us that each fretsaw consists of a grip, a bow and a blade, that most fretsaws use wingnuts to fasten the blade, that fretsaws come in different bow sizes (bigger board=bigger fretsaw needed). He then shows us the "Automatik Laubsägebogen" (the one I'm using now) and finally warns us not to buy cheap fretsaws at the flea market because those tend to have cheap metal plates in the locking mechanism that will warp after a few uses and then will not hold the blade any more.

[yamatetsu]

"Norman Bates"

30,5 x 41,5cm, backer board 4mm, Norman 4mm




Nice one. I love his warm smile and the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

[yamatetsu]

"Gina"

35 x 47 cm, backer board 4mm, Gina 4mm



A tribute to my dog, Gina.



This one has a lot of fine details (which mostly can't be seen in the pic) and is too big for my saw, which resulted in tricky work and a healthy dose of frustration. Took three weeks to make and is absolutely worth it.

[yamatetsu]

"Cutie"

14,7 x 15,5cm, backer board 4mm, cutie 4mm.



Nothing to say about this one. It's cute.


"Horse"

15 x 19,5cm, backer board 6mm, horse 4mm



This one has an 'oldschool cartoon character' feel to me. Silly, but likeable.


"Bon appetit"

21 x 21,9cm, backer board 6mm, vulture 4mm



This one taught me not to use the cheapest plywood, especially not in combination with a dull blade. Terrible tearouts on the backside, took a looong time to sand those down.
Saved a few cents, gained a lot more work and frustration.

[yamatetsu]

"Hagar the Horrible'

21 x 30cm, backer board 4mm, Hagar 4mm

[danny_galaga]

I'm always impressed with these sort of 'one shot's skills. That is, the type of skills where one mistake and you either throw it away or live with it. Water colours are another. What youve just put down is it, unlike oil paints where you normally have several DAYS to just keep going over it.

Well done 🧐

[yamatetsu]

I'm always impressed with these sort of 'one shot's skills. That is, the type of skills where one mistake and you either throw it away or live with it.

Heh. Funny that you should mention that, because this actually is the second shot. The first one went so bad that I threw it away.
Oddly enough, I'm pretty relaxed about this kind of project, because this hobby taught me that with patience, much practice and perseverance ... Murphy's Law is still out to get me. I have to pull off a flawless victory yet, so knowing that something will probably go wrong, I'm not that stressed out when it happens.
I have also learned not to be a bloody perfectionist all the time, because if I settle for good/very good, I'm getting more things done.

[bobbyb13]

Love the Hagar one!  This is such cool work.
I think it might be hard for anyone who doesn't engage in a subtractive art like this to appreciate it fully.

This lesson you are talking about I learned shaping surfboards.

Once you take it off, it is gone, and you can't put it back to take another shot at it.

When people ask I always refer to it as foam sculpture.

I'm always impressed with these sort of 'one shot's skills. That is, the type of skills where one mistake and you either throw it away or live with it.

Heh. Funny that you should mention that, because this actually is the second shot. The first one went so bad that I threw it away.
Oddly enough, I'm pretty relaxed about this kind of project, because this hobby taught me that with patience, much practice and perseverance ... Murphy's Law is still out to get me. I have to pull off a flawless victory yet, so knowing that something will probably go wrong, I'm not that stressed out when it happens.
I have also learned not to be a bloody perfectionist all the time, because if I settle for good/very good, I'm getting more things done.

[yamatetsu]

I think it might be hard for anyone who doesn't engage in a subtractive art like this to appreciate it fully.

True dat. The guy who made the viking that I copied also made some cute gnomes. Now take a wild guess which ones most people liked more 

[pbj]

David was a pillar of the community and pulled a thorn out of my paw once, don’t talk trash about gnomes, bro.

[yamatetsu]

David the Trash Gnome

[yamatetsu]

"Johnny Bravo"

20,5 x 24,5cm, backer board 4mm, Johnny 4mm





"Johnny Bravo"

21 x 24cm, backer board 4mm, Johnny 4mm



I like him. He's silly.

[yamatetsu]

"Hong Kong Phooey"

21 x 24cm, backer board 4mm, Hong Kong Phooey 4mm

[yamatetsu]

"Mr. Lizzardo"

23 x 28cm, backer board 4mm, Mr. Lizzardo 4mm



I wanted to do a more traditional pattern that gave me a challenge, and boy, did I get one. This thing is almost completely about very fine details, and lots upon lots of 'em.
25 - 30 hours of focused concentration, very careful sawing and even more careful sanding.

Despite all of that there are some spots where the cheap ass veneer cracked . Maybe later on I'll touch them up with a bit of stain, right now I'm just glad that Mr. Lizzardo is finished.

[yamatetsu]

"Sisyphus meets Indiana Jones"

45 x 60cm, backer boards 4mm, landscape 4mm, Sisyphus & Indy 4mm



Found this cartoon by Mark Parisi ("Off the Mark"), just had to do it. That look on Indy's face is priceless.

This seems to be a simple pic, but it actually was a lot of work to get it done (cutting all those simple straight lines ... two holes to drill, sawing the line up, sawing the line down... about more than 150 times). It didn't help that it's too big for my fretsaw. Because of that, cutting the letters was tricky, I couldn't cut Sisyphus, Indy & the rocks out of the 'landscape' board, and some of the straight lines were tricky also.
This time, I used stain instead of paint, looks great.

[bobbyb13]

 
These continue to get more fun!
Well chosen piece.

The look of the stain is awesome.

[yamatetsu]

The look of the stain is awesome.

It really is. Sadly, it's a bit impractical as it's very hard to find pics that only use shades of brown 

[bobbyb13]

Well then you haven't looked down the wood dye rabbithole yet maybe?

https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/CG21713/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw2dG1BhB4EiwA998cqENqZ7QKAL4pY79MQqGqdxjHM8pCeFdVXbwqLVpQeClaZt_JrhjwLRoCtBQQAvD_BwE

I've used dyes for cresting arrows and you can get some cool stuff out of it.
The kind I used was actually powder and I know there are both water and alcohol soluble ones depending on what your end goal finish needs to be.

[yamatetsu]

Well then you haven't looked down the wood dye rabbithole yet maybe?

I have tried some ready-to-use stuff, the brown colors work (mostly well), the others ... Let's say that green and white ended up in the trash. Stain is also a bit unpredictable, if you look at the inner parts of the letters P, D and O you'll notice that each one looks different and all of them look different from the rest of the board, even though it's the same stain and the same wood.

So, if I'm doing a pic that has many parts over weeks or even months, I cut out a few parts, paint them and glue them. I don't want to risk that parts of the some color are looking different.

Plus, there is a risk of overdoing it. I have stained pieces to get a light brown. 1st pass, too light. 2nd pass, too light. 3rd pass, almost black  .
Now that I think of it, I had to paint this one because the stain got too dark.

[bobbyb13]

The stain bit is definitely an art all its own.
Choosing the wood you work with counts massively but there is no way to control grain and density of course so it is inevitable that you get a spectrum of color no matter what.
Sometimes that winds up very cool!
Others it will just make you nutty.

[yamatetsu]

Choosing the wood you work with counts massively

I can only get wood from a nearby DIY store and the choice I have is "Take the least warped one." So, finding a board that has a nice veneer, isn't damaged and isn't warped doesn't happen. I'm seriously contemplating switching to the dark side, using MDF for the backer boards, as I then have something solid to glue the warped pieces onto.