Hello! My name is Tom Myers. I would like to show you some of my woodworking hobbies. That is making miniature wooden silhouettes that I cut out. First here's alittle bit of history about the silhouette!
The silhouette is a form of pictoral presentation that has been used by many cultures throughout history- from the caveman through the ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese. A French government official, Entienne de Silhouette, in 1759, kept himself amused during dull meetings by cutting profiles from paper. The idea caught on. Black paper portraits now called silhouettes were the rage in the United States between 1770 and 1860. The developement of photography lead to their decline.
At about this time wooden silhouettes, called fretwork, became a popular form of illustration and ornamentation. People of all ages cut ornate and decorative wood pictures first by hand and later with foot powered machines. As with many crafts, interest waned by the early 1900s. Now with the developement of the modern scroll saw, making precise and delicate cuts has become easier and fretwork is becoming increasing popular.
I have adopted the technique of fretwork & scherenschnitte by putting it onto wood and cutting them out. The wood I use is 1/8th inch Mahogany plywood. Each piece is cut on a Delta scroll saw, Model# 40-601. I have nothing but praise for this U.S.A. made machine! I have been doing this for over 9 years now and the only problem I had is that the bellows kept rupturing. [That problem was fixed when I bought a fish aquarium air pump and installed it!] Interior cuts involve threading the #2 saw blade, which is .010 of an inch thick, through holes that are drilled into the wood. All this takes time but adds to the delicate patterns that I make.
After each piece is cut out, I sand, vacuum , and paint it with a gloss black polyurethane paint. I put the silhouettes on a pine base which I slot out for the specified thickness of wood to fit into. I then stain these bases with a Burma Teakwood stain. To clean the silhouette I tell my customers to take the silhouette out of the base, lay it on a flat surface, and use their vacuum on it with their dusting brush attachment. This way there is no lint left on the wood! It also helps keep the customer from breaking off the highly detailed pieces. This is cut from a solid piece of wood! I do not glue any pieces onto my silhouettes.
Silhouettes have never lost there appeal. Some customers have special requests. This one lady is a bridal consultant. She showed me her business card, and asked me if I could make a silhouette off of it. I told her I would try to and here is the result. It also holds her business cards. She told me she loves it and has it sitting on her desk now! It's fun to have a challenge now and then. My silhouettes have gone to almost all the states in the United States, and to several foreign countries! I have been in several newspaper articles, editorials, and have won ribbons at county fairs. I hope you enjoy my craft!!

Here are some links below to click on to see some of my "Silhouettes" I have made! I will be adding more shortly!!

"Country" Silhouettes	"Special" Silhouettes	"Teacher" Silhouettes
"People & Kids"Silhouettes	"Animal" Silhouettes	"Deer" Silhouettes
"Down on the Farm" Silhouettes	"Firefighters" Silhouettes	"Ladies" Silhouettes

E-MAIL ME

Click On Flag To Go To My Home Page
On It You'll Find My "Firefighters" Page & "1966 Impala SS" Page
A Friends Page On The "Civil War" Which Is Very Interesting Is Also There!

This Woodworkers Webring site is owned by Tom Myers Tom Myers Want to join the Woodworkers Webring?
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This Scroll Saw and Fretwork Ring is owned by Tom Myers Scroll Saw Ring Master. Want to join the Scroll Saw and Fretwork Web Ring?
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