FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

What sheet material do you recommend?
We like to use 3/8 or 1/2 in. thick Baltic Birch Plywood, but any grain-free, homogeneous material could be used; plastics, metals, even glass. We found solid wood was not the best choice due to grain structure. Very thin sections break rather easily along the wood grain, with hardwoods being somewhat less susceptible.

What type scroll saw blade should I use?
We like to drill very small starter holes … 1/16 in. diameter or smaller … so pin type blades do not work well. Our personal choice is a very narrow, very thin blade, but a spiral blade that can cut in any direction also works well. The easier it is to change blades in your scroll saw, the more satisfying the experience.

Are there any scroll saw features that are important?
Yes. You will want to be able to tilt the table. Also, the maximum size of the Claon project will be a function of the throat depth.

How do you sculpt the Claon project?
When we use Baltic Birch plywood, we typically stick to sanding cylinders, starting with coarse grain to quickly remove material and graduating to finer grains. A final hand sanding with 150 to 200 grit will normally result in a very attractive final project. Other materials will necessitate other means and we leave that to your ingenuity.

What about painting the project?
We use acrylic craft paints, but other paint types may be just as effective. We like to spray on a protective clear coat for a final finish.

If you need a color guide as you paint your project (bigger than our thumbnails), we offer CDs of jpeg images for various categories of our projects.

Could this technique be adapted to a band saw?
We believe that it could. The disadvantage is the inability to use starter holes. Continual transition from one contour to the next would be required. The transition cuts would need to filled in some manner to produce an attractive final project.

Use of the band saw would, however, permit use of thicker material.