Creative Woodworks & crafts 1997-12, страница 57

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of some absolutely gorgeous signs thai SEYCO has developed. Seeing these signs really inspires one to explore what they can do themselves. Ray and Tim team up to demonstrate a host of tips and techniques, each sharing their own insights into the sign making process.

This video is geared primarily toward making small signs, such as desk and name plaques, and covers a wealth of information including: methods for creating patterns for signs; various procedures for using lettering layout guides; how to use the EXPANDAGUIDE; other methods of stretching and shrinking letters; special effects produced by using multiple layers, bevel cuts, and relief cuts; examples of numerous projects; shop techniques for gluing, sanding, and finishing. Then they top it all off with some good, solid advice about selling and marketing completed projects! Incidently, the patterns for these signs are available in two books produced by SEYCO.

After viewing the video for the first lime, 1 sat down al my desk with paper, pencil, and lettering guides and

The expandaguide allows you to enlarge or reduce letters

proceeded to create a dozen or so patterns in no time at all! Tt was as easy as could be. All you do is draw a line on your paper to serve as a baseline for the letters, position the guide backside-down with the first letter resting on the baseline, trace around it, then repeat until your pattern is finished. Now that's quick and easy! Several examples of patterns 1 created arc shown here.

The EXPANDAGUIDE was also a breeze to use. It comes wilh easy to follow instructions that show you how to produce a layout board to mount the unit on and from there it's a real snap. Basically, a stylus is used to trace around a lettering guide, while a pencil placed in an appropriate hole elsewhere in the EXPANDAGUIDE is used to draw the newly proportioned letter onto the workpiece. The layout board holds everything in place (see the illustration).

Overall, 1 really enjoyed working with these products and 1 highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in scroll sawing small signs!

As a pattern artist, 1 know that there is a lot of personal satisfaction felt when you draw a pattern yourself, saw it out, and then see the finished result of all your effort! I think that this is a wonderful opportunity for scroll sawyers to develop some of their own patterns and to enjoy some of that extra-special satisfaction (and hopefully a few bucks profit, too!).

And finally, to those die-hard non-believers who don't think you can do it...I laid the lettering guides on a table in another room while 1 was working on this review, and my 9-year-old son, Jamie, sat down and drew up some terrific sign designs of his own. If he can do it, so can you!

For more information or to order the Small Sign Video, Lettering Guides, or EXPANDAGUIDE, contact SEYCO at (800) 462-3353, P.O. Box 1900, Rockwall TX 75087. ri

The Seyco expandaguide in use.

Jamie Boelman, hard at work designing a sign with one of the Sey co lettering guides.