A
dilemma that happens to all new gourd crafters and also some veteran
gourd crafters is finding the right tools for the job.
Let's face it. We can't just drive to our local tool center and
walk to the gourd crafting aisle. That would be nice but we may
as well wake up from that dream.
The tools I
am referring to here would be what you need if you want to cut
your gourd.
What works
best you ask?
My first cutting
tool was a hacksaw my husband got for me. It got the job done
but was hard to use and would frequently get stuck in the gourd.
Basically all you could do was cut the top off the gourd.
Next I used
a round hacksaw blade. It didn't have a handle and it was a little
hard on the hands. I could cut out shapes with this blade and
that was one thing I liked about it. If you fixed it up with a
handle to make it easier to use it would probably be a pretty
nice little cutting tool.
But what if
you wanted a bowl with a lid? You would need a very thin blade
for that job. So I turned to the Exacto saw blade. It worked well
but the blade is weak and I broke a few. It's also tiring on the
hand and I wouldn't want to cut very many that way.
The fastest
and easiest way though is with a mini jigsaw. I have the Microlux
made by MicroMark. It is a lifesaver for me. I just zip through
my gourd projects with it. You are talking a lot more money to
go this way and unless you are really cranking out gourd projects
you may feel it's not worth the cost.
There is also
the Proxxon brand jigsaws that can be used for more heavy duty
work like cutting through a really thick gourd.
|
at Amazon.
