TJs Woodshop

Welcome to TJ's Woodshop, specializing in Scrollsaw Art and Intarsia, where every item is handcrafted by myself. I do not use plywood and I do not use any stains. Every single piece is made from beautiful and unique pieces of wood that I hand pick myself and they are finished to show the woods natural colors and beauty.

The colors are all natural, I do not use any kind of stains in my work. The wood is finished in five coats of a clear polyurethane gloss that gives it a glistening, "wet" look, but unfortunately, it also makes it impossible to photograph adequately.

My Intarsia is much the same.  I use no stains, so what you see is the woods natural colors.  Instead of using the polyurethane finish, I put three coats of hand rubbed varnish on it. This gives it a soft satin finish. 

My work is displayed in many homes and businesses across America, and I am very proud of the comments people have have emailed me after buying a piece of my work.

Here are a few...

Hi TJ, my daughter loves her cross. She likes hers better than mine. I like them both. You do beautiful work. Thank you so much for making it for her...

...The flag is magnificent! It's so detailed and intricate. The workmanship is truly  extraordinary. We framed it in a memory box with a black background so all the cuts are really visible...

...Thanks, we received it today. It looks better in person. Our compliments, a beautiful peice of work...

Got the Eagle Shield today...Great we love it...you did a super job on it.....keep up the great work...thanks...

...Beautiful cross, Excellent workmanship, Perfect...

...Received the 3-D eagle sculpture today, absolutely beautiful...                     

Dear TJ, I am so impressed! I am almost speechless. I received the Kokopelli today and when I saw it and touched it, I couldn't imagine the care that must have went into producing such a fine piece of art...

Heres how I make my scrollsaw art.

Almost all of the hardwood I cut, mill and dry myself. It is from trees that people need removed or have been knocked down in storms. I  powerwash the log to remove dirt and rocks, and then saw it into one inch boards. The boards are stacked and covered and left to dry for one year.

 When I get a idea of what I want to make, I start looking for just the right piece of wood to use for that design. I then plane it down to get the wood to the thickness that I want. I lay out the pattern and start drilling the holes for my blade. Every single hole you see in my work has been cut one at a time by hand using a scrollsaw. Nothing is cut by laser. I do this by disconnecting the blade, putting it though the wood, reconnecting it and making the cut, then repeating that over and over with each and every hole.  Some designs have hundreds of holes and this can take days to make all the cuts in just one piece. 

After I get all the cuts made I dip the piece in sealer and let it dry for a few days and then start sanding.  I start with 60 grit sandpaper then 100 then 150 and do the final sanding with 220.  This is where I have some pieces break and I have to throw it away and start over, its very nerve racking to spend a week or two cutting, sealing and waiting for something to dry and then break it during sanding and have to start over.

 When I am done sanding I use compressed air to blow the cuts out and get all the dust off the wood before I start putting the finish on the piece.  I then apply five coats of clear gloss finish to show the wood's natural beauty.

Heres how I do my Intarsia 

I use different species of wood to get the different  grains and colors used to make a 3-D picture. No stains or paints are used, this is the woods natural colors. Once I decide what I want to make I start digging though my wood piles to find the right colors and grain of wood to use. I carefully cut all the pieces I need to make a picture and then I start shaping each piece one at a time, checking them against the piece that I just shaped before it to get the right height and shape for what I want. I use 150 grit fine grain sandpaper to finish sand each piece. I then put three coats of varnish on over three days to each piece to protect and show the woods natural colors. Once I do that I put it all together and then I have what you see here.

   What I Do

    Scrollsaw Art

       Intarsia

Whats New? 

4-13-08

The Fort Smith Art Center was damaged in the recent storms and has closed down for a few weeks until repairs are finished.  I now have some of my work at Suzys Art and Framing. It is located downtown on Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith. As always, If you have something special in mind you can always contact me here by email. 

Thanks to everyone for the emails and all the nice comments on my work.  I hope you enjoy your visit here. TJ