Which scroll saw blade

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Woodcraft Magazine. Woodworking Adventures. Very briefly the major seven types of blades are: 1. Standard Tooth Blades The teeth are all the same size and distance apart on standard tooth blades. Skip-tooth Blades These blades are similar to the standard tooth blades, but every other tooth is missing. Double-tooth Blades This blade is a skip-tooth blade with a large space between sets of two teeth. Reverse Skip-tooth Blades This blade is exactly like the regular skip- tooth blade, except the last few bottom teeth point upward.

Precision-ground Blades These blades are actually a skip-tooth blade with small teeth that have been ground to shape rather than simply filed. Spiral Blades These blades are simply a group of blades twisted together so there are teeth all the way around. Crown-tooth Blades This is a totally new design in scroll saw blades.

When the blade dulls you can reverse ends and have a sharp blade again. Hence, they also require adequate lubrication periodically to function properly. With tape or beeswax, you can easily lubricate your blade to prevent it from burning your workpiece, especially wood.

Bear in mind that dense wood will quickly dull your scroll saw blades, although proper lubrication can reduce the rate. Before deciding on the type of scroll saw blade to opt for, you need to understand the two categories available.

The pin-end and pin-less blades have peculiar characteristics, which makes them different. The choice of which type of scroll saw blades to use among these two depends on your scroll saw.

Pin-end or pinned blades have what is known as a cross pin at both ends. They have a holding hook to install on the saw with a cross-piece for this type of blades. You can remove the blade by just unhooking, which releases the tension. Pin-less or plain-end blades do not have much difference from the pinned counterpart except the mode of installation.

Installing it involves connecting them into the slots located above and below the scroll saw table. This type of blade is fast becoming the most common in modern saws. Figure 3: Pinned scroll saw blade. Asides from the blades having different sizes, the teeth configuration plays a major role in its ability to perform a certain task.

Therefore, this section focuses on the different teeth configurations of the scroll blades, which divide into seven:. Certainly, this class of blades always remains the best seller and most used by all and sundry. Most scroll saws come with a standard-tooth blade from the manufacturer.

Their unique characteristics lie in the equally spaced distance between the tooth. Additionally, this class has two sub-categories; the ones used for wood and those for metals. You observe lesser but larger teeth and wider gullets for the wood option to allow for grip and dust evacuation. Generally, the standard-tooth blade is multi-purpose but cannot handle complex jobs such as fine detailing and special cuts. The skip-tooth scroll blades look similar to the standard-tooth blade but with one less tooth consecutively.

Hence, they have larger gullets or ridges, which makes them similar to the wood type standard-tooth scroll saw blades. Furthermore, the major merit of this teeth configuration is that there are better clearance and clearer visibility for the user. It is very suitable for beginners to use or practice. Also, heat dissipation occurs easily, and this prevents smokes or burns when cutting tough materials. Consequently, it would be best if you understood that the skip-tooth blades are for rough cuts with little or no precision in mind.

Thus, never attempt to use them for fine cuts; instead, use them to resize for another scroll blade to finish. It implies that it produces a similar cut to the skip-tooth blade but a bit smoother because of more teeth available. Although, it takes more time to complete a cut than a regular or standard-tooth blade. Endeavor to use this blade to cut only materials with thickness less than or equal to 2 inches. This blade aims to reduce and control chipping, splintering, and cracking of brittle materials.

Ordinarily, this type of scroll saw blades look identical to the normal skip-tooth blade. The only difference is the inversion of a few teeth at the bottom to point in the opposite direction. Again, it experiences faster wear and tear because of its orientation in two directions. Presently, modern technologies gave room to the development of an ultra-reverse skip-tooth blade. This ultra-version aims to address the issue of dust clearing with a slight altering of the tooth configuration.

Clearing sawdust will help to eliminate heat build-up when cutting. Often known as the PGT blade, they can cut tougher materials without getting blunt quickly. They have a similar configuration to a skip-tooth blade but have grounded teeth, not shaped teeth. For extreme durability, superior strength, and sharper edges, the PGT is the right choice. All you need to do is select the right size for the job you have at hand. They leave a good finish with minimal chips and cracks.

Because of the high level of technicality required, only professionals and experts should handle them. Finally, they cut faster and efficiently, which helps you increase your overall production. Of all the tooth configuration discussed earlier, the spiral scroll saw blades stand out. It can cut in all directions with its blade having various standard-teeth spun around its length.

For all irregular patterns and shapes, you can count on the spiral blade to do it right. On the contrary, they stretch and find it difficult to maneuver tight angles. This ability is useful for projects that are too long to spin on the saw table without hitting the back of the the saw arm. It is difficult to cut straight lines with these blades. I use them to cut fretwork portraits, which have few straight lines. Using a spiral blade takes practice; they can be difficult to control because they cut everything they touch.

The kerf saw cut of a spiral blade is wider than the kerf of the same size of flat blade. Spiral blades come in skip-tooth and reverse-tooth configurations.

Premium blades are sometimes made of different types of steel and have different tooth shapes to cut hard, dense wood quickly see Sidebar, page No matter what blade you are using, these simple tips will help you get the best performance from it.

Most scrollers cut wood, but you can cut a variety of materials on a scroll saw, including acrylic plastic, solid-surface material such as Corian, and even thin metal. For the most part, these materials can be cut with ordinary blades. Premium blades have different tooth shapes that give them a more aggressive cut and help them cut through dense woods quickly; they may also be made from special materials.

All of the premium blades cut quickly, so I would not use them for thin or soft wood, but they make cutting thick, dense wood much less of a chore. Note, however, that they are slightly more expensive than standard blades. Read more about tools for beginners! Simple guidelines for matching the blade to the pattern and wood by Bob Duncan Y ou can feel your blood pressure rising as the blades keep snapping while you cut.

Blade Size Some manufacturers list the width and thickness of the blade, but most use the semi-standard number system. Use larger blades higher numbers as the thickness or the density hardness of the wood increases. Many scrollers, including test cutter Rolf Beuttenmuller, use the smallest blade they can. With my cutting style, I usually use the largest blade possible, but seldom larger than a 9. Larger blades 9 and up are more durable. They are also less likely to break as you apply pressure, and they cut faster.

Large blades are mandatory for especially thick or hard wood. I still broke a lot of blades, but fewer than if I had used a smaller blade. When considering large blades, it can be difficult to choose between a 9 and a 12 blade.

Not every tooth configuration comes in a 12, so that may help you decide. Use smaller blades 3 and smaller for thin wood. These blades cut more slowly, which gives you additional control when cutting thin wood. That is the smallest size I use for wood. Choose the blade that will allow you to cut the smallest frets without breaking every few cuts. If you are stack cutting, choose a blade based on the thickness of the stack.

Consider the intricacy of the cuts. Larger blades will not cut tight corners or fit into small frets. When cutting intricate projects, choose the smallest blade that will cut the thickness of wood. They were more suited to the intricate cuts, but actually too small—I broke most of my blades before I finished cutting the project. A 1 or 3 blade would have been my top choice in this situation.

Tooth Configuration Not only do blades come in different sizes, but the cutting teeth come in different configurations. Using Blades No matter what blade you are using, these simple tips will help you get the best performance from it.