His friend Andy Deane, a resident of Ontario, Canada, has a computer program that can transfer photographs to black-and-white Scroll Saw Patterns. But one of the nice aspects of scroll saw art that Freels has discovered is the community of artists willing to help one another. "Sometimes it takes longer to do the pattern than it takes to do the actual cutting," he said. Creating the pattern is an entirely different challenge, one Freels says he is still learning. "And if you start spending a couple of days on a major piece and then it falls out, that tends to increase doctor visits."Īfter he chooses the wood type, Freels cuts the wood to size and attaches a pattern to the wood. "If you just get wood from a Home Depot or Lowe's, you could run into problems when you have voids in the plywood," he said. Most of Freels' creations are cut from Baltic birch plywood, anywhere from 1/32 to 1/4 inch thick. The intricacies of the craft require special wood which is usually purchased from scroll saw specific providers. Freels subscribes to a number of scroll saw magazines, which include ideas and paper patterns that artists place on wood as a guide for their cutting. " Inspiration is the first step in a scroll saw art creation. "Then I found out that between the two of them, they had eight kids," Freels said. When Donoghue passed away recently, Freels produced a fitting tribute, creating a scroll saw portrait from a picture of Jack and his wife Ginny. "I have to do something to stay active, as long as I'm on the right side of the ground."įreels' interest in the craft was inspired by friend Jack Donoghue, a master scroller who lived in Hohokam Mobile Village in Coolidge. "Grandparents, spouses, pets - it runs the gamut," he said. Two years ago, Freels took up scroll saw art he spends 25 to 30 hours each week carving portraits, animals and scenic landscapes into wood. If this laundry list of involvement doesn't seem like much of a "retirement" for 71-year-old Freels, consider this: Those activities merely accompany his true passion and most time-consuming hobby. He's also a disc jockey, spinning self-proclaimed "old fart stuff" from an era "when people used to touch each other when they danced." For 22 years, Freels has published the RV and M/H Notebook every winter visitor season.
#SCROLL SAW PATTERNS HOW TO#
He spent years as the sole Arizona Game and Fish Department volunteer in Pinal County, teaching more than 5,000 area youngsters how to fish until a bad back knocked him out of commission.
Scroll Saw Patterns keep man active-help support charityĬOOLIDGE - John Freels is an active member of the Coolidge Lions Club, VFW and American Legion.