What blade do you use??

[skeeter]

I was in Branson Mo. last week and went to a theme park called "Silver Dollar City". It has lots of crafts and demonstrations of craftsmen working with rustic/antique tools, like foot powered lathes, belt driven saws, ect. One man was using an old lathe and cutting out name plates. He was really fast and cutting some fine lines in the wood (pine). I ask him if he was using a multi-directional type blade. He laughed and said "Never."

Now, I am about to make some Christmas ornaments and was thinking about what he said. Is there a reason not to use a multi-directional blade? What type do you recommend?

 

[sawduster]

OK, I'm confuzzled :-? ( normal for me actually ) blades for a lathe or for a scrollsaw ?

 

[DaveO]

I never heard of cutting out names on a lathe. :lol:

It works well, if you only have an O for a last name
DaveO

 

[nelsone]

Can't help with your question, but what did you think of the Ozarks? My dad lives about 30 min from Silver Dollar city! I don't know if you guys remember the old blacksmith that appeared on the Beverly Hillbillies, named Uncle Shad, but I sat in McDonalds in Branson West and talked with him for quite a while about, well, a long time ago! He used to be a fixture at SDC. Lived there back in '83~'84. Branson sure has grown since then! Did you go to any of the shows? I haven't been to SDC since I moved away, but I'd like to go again one of these days! Maybe next visit!

 

[ScottM]

Going on our assumption Skeeter was talking about a scroll saw, here is my answer. A multi direction blade cuts on the up and down stoke. They cut quickly but the end result is you will need to sand both sides of your work. They a good for cutting boxes and compound cutting (3-D). I make ornaments out of 1/8 plywood and hardwoods up to 1/4" thick. My personal choice is a reverse tooth blade. I use sizes #3, #5 or #7 depending on the material and the number I am cutting at one time. On these the bottom 5 or 6 teeth cut on the up stoke and the rest of the teeth cut on the down stroke which effectlievly reduces the need to sand.

I hope this helps.....

 

[childe]

I've been scrolliing on and off for about 12 years now, and have tried all kinds of blades, but just recently stumbled accross a blade that I am hooked on. There called Flying Dutchman Blades, and you can order them from www.mikesworkshop.com These are some tuff blades. As far as what kind of blade to use, I like the #7 or #9 reverse tooth for 1/2"-3/4" stock( the #7's are my favorite, because they're tuff enough to handle thick stock, but are also pretty decent in tight turns) and #3 or #5 for anything thinner. I tried some portrait scrolling on 1/4" oak with spiral blades, which cut in every direction. These blades take a little while to get used to but once you get the hang of them there very convenient. Would be good for ornaments. Most people just give up on them too early, because they're just too used to straight blades, and never learn to appreciate them. Another tip, just because your'e driving a piece of wood straight toward the throat of the saw, doesn't mean that your'e going to be cutting straight. You can be pushing a piece of wood at a pretty significant angle before you're obtainig a straight line. Just remember watch the blade and not the table.

Chris

 

[sawduster]

You've gotten excellent advice so far that I totally agree with . I also use Flying Dutchman blades and highly recommend them. mike has an excellent website and is a very helpful person when it comes to blades. Super nice guy to talk to :eusa_dancI do go as low as #1 and even #2/0 when doing delicate work but I'm primarily a #3 or #5 as well. I use reverse tooth blades as mentioned by Scott almost exclusively to minimize sanding. Spirals are a good tool to have in the old arsenal and a huge benefit when doing portrait style work . They take some getting used to , but once it " clicks " you'll wonder how you ever did without them. FD sells an " easy " spiral that is quite nice to work with. For practice, try cutting out the alphabet on some 1/4" scrap . With spirals you sacrifice some of the " crispness" of your cuts and your sharp corners, plus they create a lot of "fuzzies" on the backside. These can be removed with a propane torch ....carefully , before you apply any finish :BangHead: or almost completely eliminated by using a piece of cereal box or other thin cardboard glued to the back of your wood .
Almost all flat blades cut on a right-hand bias due to the fact that they have a slight burr on the right hand side from the manufacturing process. You can compensate for this by sitting slightly to the right when cutting . With a little practice you will find yourself following the straight lines more accurately, but straight lines are still a major pain on a scroll saw :-(.
I also use 1/8th for ornaments and stack cut 4 to 6 at a time. This also helps keep the blade under control. I personally do not use spirals for ornaments because of the problem with " fuzzies "

this was cut in 1/8 with a #3 blade in a stack of 6


This was my own design and cut in 1/8 with a #1 in a stack of 6


Feed rate and pressure are also important. It is very easy to use the " death grip " method when pushing the wood and this can actually flex the blade to the side causing a beveled cut and more difficulty controlling the blade
Sorry for the long post but you asked a question I actually know something about .....something that will rarely happen in other sections of this forum I am sure ! :-D

hope this helps , feel free to write me with any other questions. I'm not an expert scroller by a long shot but I have figured a couple of things out in the last 2 years :-D

 

[JimmyC]

Robert,

Don't sell yourself short. You may not be a master, but you are real darn good. Your work is beautiful.

Jimmy

 

[skeeter]

Robert, sorry for the brain lapse.

Ed, Branson was awesome. First time I had been. Had a great time. Only about 6,000 residents but around 3 million visitors each year. Glad we went during the off season. Caught 7 shows while we were there, all top notch. Silver Dollar City is probably my favorite theme park because of the old tool displays and demonstrations.

Thanks everyone for the tips and advise. I have ordered some Flying Dutchman blades in different sizes.

Robert, those are some awesome ornaments. Great job.

 

[cskipper]

I like #2 and #3's for ornaments, #5's for thicker stock or stacks. I think crown blades give the smoothest finish, although they cut VERY slowly. If straight really matters I like to use the precision ground Olsons. I have given up learning to use spiral blades on several occasions. I'll give them another try - and work longer with them. Do the newer version of FD's spirals have flat ends? can't seem to clamp ones that spiral clear to the end. What's the difference of their penguin blades?

.

 

[sawduster]

FD makes a spiral blade with a flat end. The " easy " spirals are twisted all the way and are often problematic in the clamps . Some take a hammer and flatten the ends but I think that stresses the blade and creates breakage . I just live with it as I like the blades so much. I have used the Penguin Silver Reverse and find them to be a very good driving blade that lasts a long time. It is easier to keep them true to the line in my opinion

 

[JackLeg]

Amen and Amen! These "scrollers" are some talented people!

 

[cskipper]

FD makes a spiral blade with a flat end. The " easy " spirals are twisted all the way and are often problematic in the clamps . Some take a hammer and flatten the ends but I think that stresses the blade and creates breakage . I just live with it as I like the blades so much. I have used the Penguin Silver Reverse and find them to be a very good driving blade that lasts a long time. It is easier to keep them true to the line in my opinion

So do you live with the twist, or the probable strain of hammering the ends?

 

[sawduster]

Cathy, I live with the twist . I have a Dewalt 788 and a Hawk 226vs
The Hawk is a much bigger pain in the tail with the spirals ....mostly the bottom clamp :-x Once I finally get the clamp to grab on the Hawk I am good for a long time of cutting, but I think I'm just gonna stick with the 788 for most of the spiral work . I have found that, while tightening the clamp, if it becomes " mushy ' before it tightens fully, I'm gonna have problems. I just loosen and start again after twisting the blade a little. I think that mushiness is the blade beginning to bend and it will inevitably break or slip if I don't correct it.

 

[Tarhead]

I think mine still has the original blade on it:lol:. Looks alot like Robert's ornament.

 

[sawduster]

Suuuuuuuuuuhweeeet ! :eusa_danc Man I would love to have one of those :icon_thum
That is very kewl ....where did you find it ?

 

[cskipper]

I've got a Hegner and am not sure how they will clamp. I guess I could drag out my Delta but really hate its vibration.

 

[Tarhead]

"That is very kewl ....where did you find it ?"
It belonged to an antique tool collector from Wilmington. I won it in an auction at Ed Hobbs' annual gathering in Raleigh. The photo is from our foyer. I'm a woodworker, wife's a quilter...errr..."Thread Artist".

 

[cskipper]

If you like FD blades, you might want to purchase them through this site (http://www.cart.advancedscrollsawpatterns.com/flying-dutchman-blades-c-29.html) before Monday.