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If you plan on cutting plywood for a living, you might want to invest in a higher-end jigsaw which will probably last much longer. If you only plan
on doing a couple of projects per year, then you can probably buy a garage sale saw. I'm sure you can imagine all of the places you might fall in between these two points.Rotary saws (like the Rotozip -TM-) are good for
doing tight corners and curves, but I have had problems cutting a straight line with them without the use of a guide or "jig"; whereas traditional jig saws can cut a very straight line, it is harder to cut a tight corner with
them. I usually use both of these tools in tandem: the rotary saw for tight corners and the jig saw for long, straight cuts. If you can't have both, I recommend the jig saw -- but that's just me. . .
Select Your Woodstock
Plywood is the main choice for material. Why? It's cheap, easy to work with, and readily available. Can you use other materials? Of course. I have sold patterns to some
people who have cut them out of metal, plastic, and more. Let's stick with plywood. It comes in 4'x8' sheets, but you can generally buy smaller portions or have someone cut a full sheet for you at the store if you only need
a fraction of that area or can't transport a full sheet. Use an exterior grade plywood. The thickness should not be less than 3/8" and probably not more than 3/4". If it's too thin, it will warp -- and if it's too
thick, well, it just gets heavy and looks funny. If you really want your project to last and don't mind spending the money, you might consider a "marine plywood" or "synthetic/polymer plywood" -- these plywoods are specially
formulated to resist decomposition and degradation by the elements, but they'll also cost you quite a bit more. Pattern to Wood
Now that you have your tool(s) and material, you have to have a pattern (that's where we
come in). Let's say you have a pattern. Next, you have to get the pattern onto the wood. The recommended method is "transfer paper". Local art supply stores should sell this, but honestly they probably won't
have very large sheets. (Our sponsor company carries many varieties -- check it out
.) Transfer paper is basically a big sheet of carbon paper. You lay the transfer paper on the wood, lay your pattern on that, and then trace the pattern
with a dull pencil. This transfers (duh!) the lines of the pattern you trace onto the wood and saves your pattern.Other methods of pattern transfer included gluing it to the wood or cutting out the pattern and tracing
around it -- both of which destroy your pattern. Time to Cut
OK, so your pattern is now magically onto your material. Always wear safety goggles and make sure that your work area is clear. Take your time and
let the saw do its job. Don't "hog" the wood or force the saw. . .just let it cut and enjoy your hobby while it does -- there's no rush. If you come to a tight corner, remove the saw and cut in again from another angle to
meet the point at which you had to stop the saw. If you turn a jig saw too tightly, it will break the blade or bend the saw mechanism. Again, take your time. Also, make sure your saw has a wood cutting or
mutli-purpose blade installed. Preparation
There's a lot you can do to insure that your project lasts as long as it can. Plywood is an imperfect material. There WILL be knots and holes in your wood.
Buy a tube of wood putty and use it to fill in ANY and ALL holes, cracks, etc. that you see in the material -- look at the edges. Once the putty dries, sand it flush with the rest of the material using 100 grit
sandpaper. This prevents water from getting inside the plywood and destroying your project from the inside out. Now let's keep the water OFF the project. Use a latex-based exterior primer to coat the project with 2-3
coats. They make black primer, so you can not only seal your project, but paint it at the same time! Finally, use 2 coats of clear-coat polyeurethane to make a final seal of protection. Setup
There are soooo
many ways to do this, I'm not going to go into them all. Just take a trip to the local hardware store and use your noggin. There are a couple of general ideas that I'll pass along, though. . . If you're attaching to a
structure, use screws that are about 1/2" longer than the thickness of wood from which you made the YardShadow. Fences and barns make great (and easy) places to attach these projects. If you want the project to be in the
middle of the yard, a wooden stake is a good choice. The key to stakes (of any sort) is to NOT attach them to the project until AFTER you have pounded them into the ground -- this keeps you from beating the heck out of them
with a hammer. Attach the project to the stake AFTER you have driven it into the ground. Use brackets from the hardware store or just use wood screws if the stake is wood. Pre-drill, counter sink, then put a dab
of wood putty over the screw and touch up with paint and poly. Finished!
Well, you're done with your YardShadow. It's set up and looks great. Now you need to insure it's longevity by re-coating it with
polyeurethane and/or primer every other year or so. Thanks for making the neighborhood a cooler place! |
