Cynthia Ham-Chi, a self-described “city girl learning how to use tools,” says there’s nothing to fear when it comes to using a scroll saw. “I’d recommend anybody try it. It’s not as scary as it seems,” she says. “Just make sure your hair is tied back.” She first used the tool to make an intricate bracket to support a hummingbird feeder at her inlaws’ cottage on Wahwashkesh Lake, Ont.
In 2022, Cynthia started woodworking by pitching-in with her husband and father-in-law on cottage projects. None of them knew how to use a scroll saw, but Cynthia decided she wanted to learn—without their help. “I’m going to figure this one out on my own,” she said at the time. She watched internet videos for guidance and designed a cutting pattern based on a stained-glass hummingbird. “I changed a few lines on the inside to make it a bit easier,” she says.
These carvings by a self-taught woodworker are astonishing
After a successful practice run, Cynthia quickly put together two more hummingbirds. Now, she can whip up a bird bracket in less than two hours, and her work hasn’t escaped notice. “Our neighbours three cottages down call their place ‘Hummingbird Palace,’ and they keep dropping hints: ‘Oh, these would look really nice in our cottage.’ ”
Feeding tips: Hummingbirds are migratory; place feeders in cool, wind-protected, and predator-free areas in spring, a week or two before hummingbirds arrive. Red feeders attract the birds, but red colouring in the liquid may harm them. In the fall, take down and clean feeders once you haven’t seen a hummingbird for about three weeks.
This article was originally published in the Sept/Oct 2024 issue of Cottage Life.
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