Judy Peterson - Scroll Saw Baby Animals: More Than 50 Adorable Puzzle Projects to Make in Wood

We dedicate this book to our grandchildren: Owen, Liam, and Aaron Peterson.

PHOTO CREDITS

All photos are by the authors except for the following:

David J. Fisk, front cover; Mike Mihalo, pages .

Additional photos from Shutterstock:

pinyo bonmark, .

2019 by Judy and Dave Peterson and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Scroll Saw Baby Animals is an original work, first published in 2019 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

Print ISBN 978-1-4971-0054-1
eISBN: 978-1-6076-5736-1

For a printable PDF of the patterns used in this book, please contact Fox Chapel Publishing at , stating the ISBN and title of the book in the subject line.

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I like puzzles. These days, when Im not making my own puzzles, Im likely to be making them for someone else. I didnt, however, plan to go into business designing and making jigsaw puzzles. I bought a scroll saw because I have always liked wood, and I was fascinated by the scroll saw work I saw at an art show once.

When I began designing my own puzzles in 1990, I decided all of them would be interlocking. The puzzles in this book reflect that decision, meaning that, once you have the puzzles in a standing position, you can pick them up by any piece and turn them completely around without having them fall apart. That doesnt mean that they cant be deconstructed. Make sure you keep your puzzles vertical and dont tip them!

The first thing I cut out when I brought home my first scroll saw was a three-piece rabbit. As a woodworker of long standing, I used the lumber I had in my workshop. It was an old piece of 1 x 4 (2.5 x 10cm) pine. One of the things I liked about the puzzle was that it was thick enough to stand. The concept of a freestanding puzzle stayed with me as I moved on to using hardwoods.

Like everyone else I know who bought a scroll saw, I started with patterns from books. The first few original designs I did were of dinosaurs, followed by a few dragons, then a few animals, and whatever struck my fancy. Deciding what to design next got easier once I started selling my puzzles; thats because customers told me what their interests were. (If youre going to design a new puzzle, you might as well design one that people will want to buy.) My customers ask for animal puzzles a lot, which reinforced my own interest in them. My own interests combined with my customers requests made a powerful reason for designing new animal puzzles.

Theyre naturally beautiful. As a lover of hardwoods, I have a natural aversion to painting them. Theyre beautiful in their own right. Besides that, hardwoods occur naturally in wide variety of colors. Why cut a jaguar out of piece of pine and then paint it, when you can cut it from wood that comes complete with spots (see )?

The harder the wood, the less chip-out you get. The structure of hardwoods is more uniform. Uniform density makes your cutting more consistent. Youll spend less time overall and end up with a more pleasing result.

The increased density also results in a surface that can be more easily sanded smooth. To repeat something we said in our previous books, silky means sales at an art show. This means that customers are more likely to purchase your pieces if the wood is as smooth as silk.