How to Make a Jaunty St. Patrick's Day Gnome Using Proxxon Tools

 St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner. Time to make this jaunty St. Patrick's leprechaun gnome. 

Here are the supplies and equipment that you'll need:

• Scraps of ¼" thick wood or MDF
• Liquid adhesive
• Acrylic paints
• Gnome template—small or large
• Proxxon Bandsaw MBS/E
• Proxxon Scroll Saw DS 460
• Proxxon Delta Sander OZI/E
• Proxxon Flexishaft 110/P

Let's make the St. Patrick's Day Gnome:

1. Print the gnome template of your choice, and cut out the shapes.
2. Mount the shapes on your wood blank. Cover one side of the blank with painter's tape. Mist the back side of the pattern with spray adhesive, and mount on the taped blank. The painter's tape makes removal of the pattern easy without leaving any sticky residue.
3. Cut out the body, hat, hat band, beard, and nose shapes using the bandsaw or scroll saw. For the nose, you can substitute a ¼" length of dowel rod. I used a slice of 5/8" dowel rod for the small gnome.
   
   
   
4. If you're using the gnome as a wall hanging, you'll only need to cut one of the feet pieces. If you want him to stand, I recommend cutting two of the feet pieces. So the two feet are exactly the same, glue two blanks together. When the glue is dry, mount the pattern and cut out the feet.
   
   
   
5. Sand the edges of all pieces using the Delta sander. I use the Delta sander mounted in the Precision Vice FMZ so both hands are free to manipulate the piece I'm sanding.
   
   
   
6. Sand the inside curve of the hat using the flexishaft and a sanding drum.
   
   
   
7. Paint the pieces.
   
   
   
8. Glue the pieces together with liquid adhesive. First, glue the beard to the body, then the hat, next the hat band, and nose. Finally, glue the feet in position.
   
   
   
9. Add handing hardware if the gnome will be a wall hanging.
10. Hope this leprechaun gnome brings you luck and a pot of gold.
    

Carole