What makes patterns advanced

[Trackman]

Looking at patterns from Berry Basket and they say that the projects are for the advanced scroller.

I am new to the hobbie but it seems like if you can cut 90's, V, straight, curves ect you should be able to cut any pattern. Am I just naive or am I missing something?

I do know that a person who has been doing this for 20 years can do much better work than someone with only 1 year into it.

I hope you all get what I am trying to say and not step on any toes.

[walnut]

Advance patterns are normally patterns that take more time than most. Large clocks, and such. Experienced scrollers just cut them faster... My second pattern I purchased was and Advance pattern clock 29 inches tall.... Took for ever for me to cut it. But I have sped up a lot now that I have a few years under my belt.

[wood-n-things]

If you are willing to take on a project just go for it. They are all one cut at a time. Whether it is really detailed fretwork or a simple silhouette, it is still one cut at a time. So go for it. Advanced does denote a certain level of experience and complexity to a project.

[dgman]

I agree with mike. If you think you can do it, then go for it. I don't judge a pattern by what it is rated, but rather if I want to take the time to do it.
Steve Good did a review of the Berry Basket advanced clocks. He rated them intermediate. Here is the link. Scroll down to "Daily posts starts here": www.scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com

[Mayo Farmer]

Trackman - I think its a good question and well worth an airing.

One person's advanced might be another's milk and honey. It depends if you like that type of work. For example a pattern with a lot of internal cuts, with a lot of drilling and blade insertions might be daunting to some but preferable to others over say inlay work where there is no waste wood.

Mike summed it up nicely they are all one cut at a time. If fancy the look of a pattern give it a go - the worse that can happen is some fancy firewood and winter is approaching

Good luck

[oily]

Just remember the wood doesn't get mad and go for it.

[JimSawyer]

Funny....I'm reminded of my very firsts cuts with my first scroll saw... I thought, "Ok, I'm going to destroy some wood", and guess what...I didn't...
....Just a cool memory this drove up...
Thanks....

[ubgoofy2003]

I think a few things come into being advanced. Yes, if you can do all the cuts, there is no reason why you couldn't tackle just about anything. But, it depends on your saw, blades, & if you want to spend the time to do a more difficult piece. It's your choice & advanced is a recomendation, in my oppinion. Go For it !

[Bill Wilson]

I think "advanced" can be something a little different, depending on what kind of scrolling one is doing. For example, if a clock pattern is regarded as advanced, I would expect it to have lots & lots of inside cuts, but there doesn't necessarily have to be anything especially difficult about the cutting. It becomes advanced when you add in the element of a fairly complex assembly, where you have multiple pieces that need to be cut precisely so that they all fit together as the clock is assembled.

Now in the case of a portrait, one that is advanced would require a great deal of skill and patience both in determining how the pattern should be cut as well as the cutting itself. The technical skill required to cut an advanced portrait may well be somewhat different (if not even greater) than that required for an advanced clock as the portrait pattern is generally much more delicate. Extreme care must be taken when cutting to preserve the most fragile areas of the pattern and thus the overall look of the portrait.

With intarsia, the skills necessary to successfully cut an advanced pattern may differ from those required for portrait work or clock building. Intarsia requires a keen eye to match grain patterns and colors, in order to make the piece visually appealing. It also requires a greater degree of sanding & shaping to fit the pieces accurately and give the piece a 3 dimensional look. Advanced intarsia patterns may require a bit more of an artists perspective than the other scrolling disciplines.

The comments above are simply my opinion on the question at hand. I don't think there are necessarily any comprehensive or authoritative requirements for a pattern to be called "advanced". It's all in the eye of the beholder. I certainly don't believe one should allow someone else's subjective criteria on what is an advanced pattern discourage them from cutting it, regardless of their experience level.

[north wood clocks]

Hello Trackman
There is no line in the sand, For more advanced patterns you might want a drill press so your blade entry holes are perpendicular and in the waste and not breaking out in your pattern pieces. Experience is good, but you get experience by trying.....A scroll saw that lets you change blades easily is convienient for internal cuts or fretwork.
'advanced' is a word to challange you. Frustration and incomplete projects are at one end, a project that you are very proud of is at the other end of the scale. You will not know unless you try.
Some very small projects can be very challanging to cut: some larger projects can be impressive because of the size of the finished project. For example the Victorian Queen 17 inches high has intricate cutting and not that many parts but all joints are in the open, on the other hand the Dome Clock has larger scrolling pieces, whereas the Amiens clock has 700 plus pieces and 3800 internal cuts and lots of alignment and fitting. You can be proud of any work you choose to do.
Go for it and have fun.
Norman

[Trackman]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question.

That is what makes this forum so great!

[sawdust11703]

One item that makes a pattern advanced is how close the different cuts are too each other. With a beginner pattern, if you went a little off the line, it might not matter much depending on what you were cutting. But with advanced patterns, going off the line even slightly can have serious consequences. I am currently cutting an advanced pattern and for a lot of areas, there is absolutely no room for any error or slight deviation from the lines.