Scrolled, woodburned dateless penny

9/12/2008

 

I just got done putting the last coat of clear spray on this. I made this for one and only one reason, and that was to see how well I was going to be able to get a scroll saw blade through this 1 inch lace wood. This pattern was perfect as I only really made one cut around the inside of the circle and I also was able to come out with a "something" made. And since the inside of the penny is one whole piece I can always come back to it and use it for something else.

  

One of the very first things I learned about intarsia especially, was the importance of having your blade squared and the table level. Just the slightest of either of these being off can have dire consequences, especially for me and also especially for an intarsia project. I started this penny and cut the circle the day I ended up leaving for so. Ca. for Christmas on the 16th. what happened in that one circular cut haunted me the whole time I was down there. When I hit what should have been the end of the circle, for all intents and purposes the innards were suppose to fall out. This did not happen. First let me explain I am well aware of how hard this wood is. Also I am aware that to pull a thing like this circle cut off I needed to what I call back it up a bit every so often as the hardness of this wood will just do what it pleases with your blade and your cut will never survive. This being said and this being done along with the time it took to just make the circle.( It's a (s--l---o---w ) process.) I was sure I had succeeded. Along with the fact I had gone from my whole arm aching holding on so tight and being so careful to that feeling when the saw stops and you look down to see if your arm and hand are still attached because you have lost all feeling and you get the visual and then those pins and needles start popping up as the numbness slowly goes away and yes both are intact, but so are the two pieces you just cut!

This is the point where I feel my head start throbbing and it hurts even worse when I am looking down and I am looking down for my heart that has sunk because I was not successful with one circle of a cut. Oooooooh that is so upsetting to me. especially since I actually bought and paid for this piece with the intention of using it to make another dragon for the hubby. So when I was in southern Ca. I called my hubby to see what he thought we could do because I really did not want to cut off too much of the wood as what I have pictured in my head is with a rather thick piece but he saved the day and took off about a 3/8 piece and that is all it took as when I came home I cut it and it was a whole different thing. So the moral to this story is no matter how hard you try or how careful you are you are never guaranteed a given,and since I did the wood burning first before the cut except for the date as I had planned on perhaps putting a "special" date on it but it will remain dateless and that is only because it is lace wood because if it were not I would be using it to teach my dogs to play Frisbee!
This was originally posted on January 3rd of this year