Alternatives for a Scroll Saw?

[ten99j4]

I would like to make some roughouts for a few projects that I have in mind, but don't want to go buy a new piece of equipment right now. I have looked at band saws and scroll saws, after seeing them mentioned in articles. Are there any other ways to make roughouts quickly and easily without going out and buying a new piece of equipment? I have a dremel and a jig saw that I am wondering about using. Not sure if the jig saw would be appropriate or have the ability to make good cuts.

Please let me know if you have any ideas.

Thanks,
Adam

[Donsexton]

I need to go take a picture of my old coping saw and bow saw. That is what I used back before I had all the power tools I have now.

[brent]

Originally Posted by Donsexton

I need to go take a picture of my old coping saw and bow saw. That is what I used back before I had all the power tools I have now.

Yep! this is what the "old" timers used when they sawed them out. One word of advice.....coping saw got its name honestly......after you use one some, you begin to wonder how one copes with it.....esprcially whenm you finally figure out that the blade you're using is a fine cut. ( I found this out the hard way.

[bigEd_H]

A jig saw will work. Make sure you use a wood cutting blade, though.

[gtech]

When I have to go minimalist I use straight cuts to take some wood around the piece, then I use a cope saw for some detailed sections if needed. I then use the gouges right away.

The first wood carving teacher I had (not very long ago...) showed me how to use gouges to take wood out fast without using a saw...

But a bow saw would be very useful. I ordered the parts to make one but never found the time to make it...





Btw, the best saws for this job are these: Gramercy Tools 12 Bow Saw Blades at Tools for Working Wood

Gilles

[Mitchell]

What size projects?

The coping saw would be the most obvious alternative....or just stick with the gouge and knife to work your way down.

[ten99j4]

I don't have any specific size that I plan on doing a large amount of, but do have some ideas that would start from a 3"X3"X6" piece or smaller. I'd like to try my hand at some caricatures and thought it would be nice to have some of the excess wood gone before I tried to put a knife on it.

I'm currently working on a small cross for my nephew for Christmas. I just found out that he was in Branson, MO and saw some things that he though I needed because I mess with wood. He is 7 years old and told his grandpa that he needs to make something with wood for me.

I didn't know that he had any interest or had even paid attention that I was beginning to carve. He wanted to buy a small wooden cross that had a leather piece for a necklace. I'm going to make him the cross.

It should be fairly easy, but I was looking to the future and wondering how to cheaply, yet effectively trim off excess waste prior to beginning to carve.

[jmischel]

Before I lucked into a good deal on a bandsaw last summer, I did all of my cutouts with a bow saw or carpenter's saw to make the piece about the size I wanted, and then a coping saw to get it to the rough shape.

If you're interested in smaller caricatures, youo can make them from 2" x 2" or even 1" x 1" blocks, which minimizes the amount of waste wood you have to take off. Look in the Tutorials section and you'll find links to YouTube videos that carve caricatures from a simple block of wood.

[bethc]

When I first started, I just used the sanding drum that came with my Dremel. Then I got a few Typhoon and Kutzall bits for the Dremel to rough out shapes a little more precisely. (Bits are much cheaper than band saws.)

I now have a benchtop bandsaw so that I can use the wastewood on other small projects instead of just turning it into sawdust, but the Dremel worked well to get me started.

Good luck with the carving

[hwallen48]

Originally Posted by ten99j4

I would like to make some roughouts for a few projects that I have in mind, but don't want to go buy a new piece of equipment right now. I have looked at band saws and scroll saws, after seeing them mentioned in articles. Are there any other ways to make roughouts quickly and easily without going out and buying a new piece of equipment? I have a dremel and a jig saw that I am wondering about using. Not sure if the jig saw would be appropriate or have the ability to make good cuts.

Please let me know if you have any ideas.

Thanks,
Adam

I have always used a Bandsaw, for bigger than 1" x 1"x 2 or 3 inch!