Reprinted with permission from Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts
888-840-8590 www.ScrollSawer.com
Making a Woodworking Giving Garden
Everyone wins when you cut and donate these simple flowers
By Tom Kantos
I started making cut-out projects for my children about thirty years ago when I saw how much they loved to play with and color the wooden shapes I made. I now make cut-outs of various projects for my grandchildren’s school classes. I’ve cut more than 800 wooden shapes and donated them to various schools and groups.
The impact of these small projects can be great. About ten years ago, our daughter Terri was teaching second grade at a small school in an isolated community. I cut out 6"-tall Christmas trees for her class to paint and decorate with beads, stickers, and glitter glue. When the project was completed, one of the little girls said to Terri, “Teacher, this is the only Christmas tree we will have at our house this year.” The piece of wood cost twenty cents and cutting it took two minutes of my time, but the tree made a big impression on that child. Teachers enjoy the project, too; one jokingly threatened to fail my grandson to ensure cut-outs for the following year’s class.
There is no limit to what you can make. My projects over the years have included hearts for Valentine’s Day; flowers and birdhouses for Mother’s Day; a maple leaf for fall; and snowmen, trees, and stars for Christmas. The projects are not limited to children—I have also cut flowers for seniors at a nursing home.
I like the flower project for several reasons. Number one is the ease of the project. There are no complicated cuts. It’s fun to make, and it looks great for the effort, time, and cost involved. Plus, this project will make the children in your life, regardless of their ages, very happy and very busy. It allows them to show their creativity and to make a gift for their mothers.
All for a very small investment—when I made the project for my grandson’s class last year, it cost about $8 to make twenty-two flowers and it took three hours to cut the pieces.
My reward for doing these projects is happy kids, thank-you notes from parents, and knowing I helped. I hope you enjoy these flower cut-outs as much as I do.
Making Mother’s Day Flowers
Delight children and adults alike with this simple, inexpensive, and fun project. You can also make flowers for other occasions, such as weddings (painted white), fiftieth birthdays (black), or breast cancer awareness (pink). Use your imagination and have fun.
Getting started
I always start a project by checking with the teacher. i send a note with a brief description of the project, the teacher’s responsibilities, and supplies the school should furnish. i also ask how many children are in the class and prepare several extra sets just in case.
I usually suggest that the teacher spray a coat of flat white paint on the cut-outs before the kids start painting. i suggest that each child sign and date the completed project to add to the memory in later years.
First, transfer the pattern to a piece of scrap plywood, cardboard, or stencil plastic and cut templates. Trace the templates onto the project blanks, avoiding any knots or blemishes that will restrict painting. Cut all of the pieces and lightly sand them.
Match sets of leaves together, ensuring that the assembled base sits flat without wobbling. Use a drill or drill press and a 1/4" (6mm) - diameter Forstner bit to drill through the center of the top piece in the assembled leaf base and 1/4" (6mm) into the bottom piece. Clean the sawdust from the drilled hole. separate the leaf pieces, place a couple drops of glue in the holes in both pieces, reassemble the base, and push a dowel through the top piece and into the bottom piece. if necessary, tap the dowel with a hammer to seat the two pieces and stem together.
Check the flower head for blemishes; if there are any, make that side the bottom of the flower. Use a 1/4" (6mm)-diameter Forstner bit to drill a 3/8" (10mm)- deep hole in the center of the flower bottom. Use a 3/8" (10mm)-diameter Forstner bit to drill a 1/4" (6mm)-deep hole in the center of the flower top. Do not attach the flower to the dowel stem—it is easier for children to paint the flower in pieces. When the kids paint the flowers, expect imagination, not perfection. You simply cannot believe what some of the children do with these projects.
Provide a bottle of wood glue so the teacher can assemble the projects after the children paint the flowers. show them that the button goes in the larger hole in the top of the flower and the stem goes in the smaller hole in the bottom of the flower. it may be helpful to mark the inside of the larger hole with an X so the children know which side will face up.
Materials & Tools
Materials - for one flower
• Pine or scrap wood, 3/4" (19mm)-thick: flower, 41/2" x 81/2" (114mm x 216mm)
• Scrap plywood, cardboard, or stencil plastic: template, 41/2" x 81/2" (114mm x 216mm)
• Dowel, 1/4" (6mm)- diameter: 8" (203mm)
• Wooden button: 3/8" (10mm)-diameter
Tools:
• Blades: #5 or #7 reverse-tooth
• Drill or drill press and Forstner bits:
1/4" (6mm)- and 3/8" (10mm)-diameters
• Hammer (optional)
• Pencil or pen
• Sandpaper
• Wood glue
Patterns for the Giving Garden Flower are in the pattern pullout section.
Tom Kantos was born and raised in Minnesota. He is retired from the U.S. Immigration Service and has been scroll sawing for thirty years. Tom and his wife, Rose, live in International Falls. They travel, fish, spend time at their cabin, and enjoy their kids and grandkids.
The author used these products for the project. Substitute your choice of brands, tools, and materials as desired.
www.scrollsawer.com January 2012
888-840-8590 www.ScrollSawer.com
Making a Woodworking Giving Garden
Everyone wins when you cut and donate these simple flowers
By Tom Kantos
I started making cut-out projects for my children about thirty years ago when I saw how much they loved to play with and color the wooden shapes I made. I now make cut-outs of various projects for my grandchildren’s school classes. I’ve cut more than 800 wooden shapes and donated them to various schools and groups.
The impact of these small projects can be great. About ten years ago, our daughter Terri was teaching second grade at a small school in an isolated community. I cut out 6"-tall Christmas trees for her class to paint and decorate with beads, stickers, and glitter glue. When the project was completed, one of the little girls said to Terri, “Teacher, this is the only Christmas tree we will have at our house this year.” The piece of wood cost twenty cents and cutting it took two minutes of my time, but the tree made a big impression on that child. Teachers enjoy the project, too; one jokingly threatened to fail my grandson to ensure cut-outs for the following year’s class.
There is no limit to what you can make. My projects over the years have included hearts for Valentine’s Day; flowers and birdhouses for Mother’s Day; a maple leaf for fall; and snowmen, trees, and stars for Christmas. The projects are not limited to children—I have also cut flowers for seniors at a nursing home.
I like the flower project for several reasons. Number one is the ease of the project. There are no complicated cuts. It’s fun to make, and it looks great for the effort, time, and cost involved. Plus, this project will make the children in your life, regardless of their ages, very happy and very busy. It allows them to show their creativity and to make a gift for their mothers.
All for a very small investment—when I made the project for my grandson’s class last year, it cost about $8 to make twenty-two flowers and it took three hours to cut the pieces.
My reward for doing these projects is happy kids, thank-you notes from parents, and knowing I helped. I hope you enjoy these flower cut-outs as much as I do.
Making Mother’s Day Flowers
Delight children and adults alike with this simple, inexpensive, and fun project. You can also make flowers for other occasions, such as weddings (painted white), fiftieth birthdays (black), or breast cancer awareness (pink). Use your imagination and have fun.
Getting started
I always start a project by checking with the teacher. i send a note with a brief description of the project, the teacher’s responsibilities, and supplies the school should furnish. i also ask how many children are in the class and prepare several extra sets just in case.
I usually suggest that the teacher spray a coat of flat white paint on the cut-outs before the kids start painting. i suggest that each child sign and date the completed project to add to the memory in later years.
First, transfer the pattern to a piece of scrap plywood, cardboard, or stencil plastic and cut templates. Trace the templates onto the project blanks, avoiding any knots or blemishes that will restrict painting. Cut all of the pieces and lightly sand them.
Match sets of leaves together, ensuring that the assembled base sits flat without wobbling. Use a drill or drill press and a 1/4" (6mm) - diameter Forstner bit to drill through the center of the top piece in the assembled leaf base and 1/4" (6mm) into the bottom piece. Clean the sawdust from the drilled hole. separate the leaf pieces, place a couple drops of glue in the holes in both pieces, reassemble the base, and push a dowel through the top piece and into the bottom piece. if necessary, tap the dowel with a hammer to seat the two pieces and stem together.
Check the flower head for blemishes; if there are any, make that side the bottom of the flower. Use a 1/4" (6mm)-diameter Forstner bit to drill a 3/8" (10mm)- deep hole in the center of the flower bottom. Use a 3/8" (10mm)-diameter Forstner bit to drill a 1/4" (6mm)-deep hole in the center of the flower top. Do not attach the flower to the dowel stem—it is easier for children to paint the flower in pieces. When the kids paint the flowers, expect imagination, not perfection. You simply cannot believe what some of the children do with these projects.
Provide a bottle of wood glue so the teacher can assemble the projects after the children paint the flowers. show them that the button goes in the larger hole in the top of the flower and the stem goes in the smaller hole in the bottom of the flower. it may be helpful to mark the inside of the larger hole with an X so the children know which side will face up.
Materials & Tools
Materials - for one flower
• Pine or scrap wood, 3/4" (19mm)-thick: flower, 41/2" x 81/2" (114mm x 216mm)
• Scrap plywood, cardboard, or stencil plastic: template, 41/2" x 81/2" (114mm x 216mm)
• Dowel, 1/4" (6mm)- diameter: 8" (203mm)
• Wooden button: 3/8" (10mm)-diameter
Tools:
• Blades: #5 or #7 reverse-tooth
• Drill or drill press and Forstner bits:
1/4" (6mm)- and 3/8" (10mm)-diameters
• Hammer (optional)
• Pencil or pen
• Sandpaper
• Wood glue
Patterns for the Giving Garden Flower are in the pattern pullout section.
Tom Kantos was born and raised in Minnesota. He is retired from the U.S. Immigration Service and has been scroll sawing for thirty years. Tom and his wife, Rose, live in International Falls. They travel, fish, spend time at their cabin, and enjoy their kids and grandkids.
The author used these products for the project. Substitute your choice of brands, tools, and materials as desired.
www.scrollsawer.com January 2012
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