Scroll saw advice?

[Vitamin K]

Hey guys,

So I want to cut some thin bodies out of some basswood blanks that are 1/2" thick. The problem is, the only saw I own is a scroll saw, and I have a really hard time keeping the blank perpendicular to the cutting table, what with the vibration of the saw.

One thing I considered was affixing the block to another, larger block, to hold it steady during cutting. Anybody have any suggestions for how I might do this in a fashion that would allow me to remove the blank from the 'stabilizer' block afterwards?

[gpraceman]

Is your saw old and worn? My dad gave me the lightly used scroll saw from my Granddad's workshop and it ran so much smoother than my old scroll saw. Far less vibration. I ended up tossing out my old saw. Maybe the solution for you is a new scroll saw.

[Vitamin K]

Is your saw old and worn? My dad gave me the lightly used scroll saw from my Granddad's workshop and it ran so much smoother than my old scroll saw. Far less vibration. I ended up tossing out my old saw. Maybe the solution for you is a new scroll saw.

Hmm, i've had it a few years, but it doesn't get that much use. It's one of the Central Machinery ones from Harbor Freight.

Might try bolting it to the worktable and seeing it it helps, though I am going to need some kind of jig to do vertical cuts on thin pieces, I think. Considering something with a flat board, L-brackets and wood screws thin enough to pierce the piece I'm cutting without passing through the part where the saw blade goes through.

[whodathunkit]

I here what your saying VK,
The central machinery scroll saws are know for vibrations.
Bolting the saw down to a table top will help some.. it's somewhat better with some rubber pads under the saw as well.

You should try rip cutting thin cars out on this old sears roebuck plunge cut scroll/jig saw.


You were talking about a jig to hold the 1/2'' thick basswood up-right to 1 3/4 wide for a rip cut right?
Might try making a jig something like this to help you hold it.



The upside down L shape seen in up-er right is made to hold a handle or knob as well.
I have the handle off of this jig & on a different cutting jig right now.

Note:
The wing nuts seen on both sides of the clamping end in the first photo.
It so you angle the clamping end some what for a tighter grip on the work to be cut.

You can also make a longer jigs like these to help hold the work flat or up right as well.
But you will want to cut the work out in between the bolts.
http://www.woodworkersart.com/admin/[censored] ... guitar.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mmS1YgSbc_s/R ... 00/jig.jpg

[Vitamin K]

Nice jig there, Whoda! I knew you'd have some cool ideas. Thanks!

[whodathunkit]

Your Welcome Vitamin K,
And Happy Thanksgiving & Scroll sawing.

Say if your saw is the 16'' model with the verb-speed..
You might try adjusting it .. speed it up and slow it down some to help the blade cut.
Sometimes the blades can't clear out the wood cut in thicker woods.
It will also cause binding and lifting of work making it harder to hold the work down.

The feed rate of work to be cut.. (pushing of the work into the saw blade).. needs to be slower as well.
so don't try pushing on work so hard.. bass wood is soft.. so let the saw and blade do the cutting.
You'll soon find a good cutting speed and a feed rate for your saw that works best for you.

Hope this help you out with your scroll saw.

[LightninBoy]

VK, I had the same exact challenge. I did two things ...

1. I bought the coarsest cutting scroll blade I could find. Olsen has a 7 tpi that worked okay.
2. I built this really crude jig out of spare wood. The basic idea was to have something a little more substantial to press down against. Here I've shown it with a 1/2" block in the jig.



I haven't used the scroll saw for this lately because I bought a Bladerunner version 1 when Mennards was blowing them out for version 2. It does a slightly better job, but still isn't ideal (and again having the right jig blade is critical).

In either case I wouldn't be comfortable letting a scout make this cut. Nowadays, I buy all my wood the exact thickness I need. Without the right tool, this cut is just too much of a PITA.

[Vitamin K]

VK, I had the same exact challenge. I did two things ...

1. I bought the coarsest cutting scroll blade I could find. Olsen has a 7 tpi that worked okay.
2. I built this really crude jig out of spare wood. The basic idea was to have something a little more substantial to press down against. Here I've shown it with a 1/2" block in the jig.

Very nice. Is that a discarded car body on top of the jig?

[whodathunkit]

Very nice jig LightninBoy,
I like how it holds down the work and how the hang over on the jig can be used for a rip fence as well.

VK,
Does your central machinery scroll saw use the pinned blades or the unpinned blades ?
Your in luck if your saw has the add on clamps for the unpinned 5'' blades.
http://www.rockler.com/thick-scroll-blade

[whodathunkit]

Here are some general scrolling tips to try out.

Let the saw blade do the work.. don't force the blade to cut- it is harder to control..
& tends to bend the blade giving you beveled cuts.

Run the saw at a comfortable speed.
Slow down the saw in delicate areas, but increase the speed..
when cutting thick wood for long straight lines or long sweeping curves.

It's impossible to recommend a certain blade.

So I'm hoping this will help those looking to get familiar with the different types of scroll saw blades.
Try out several different brands types and sizes to get a feel for how each blade cuts.
Deciding on which blade to use on a particular project is a choice that depends on the type of project,
type of wood & your personal preferences.

Scroll saw blade sizes:

Scroll saw blades are commonly available in sizes that range from #3/0 to #12.
The smaller the number the smaller the blade.
A #3/0 (pronounced thee "ought") blade is considered a jewelers blade & is used for fine detail work.
Sizes progress to #1/0, #0 & continue through #12.
A#7 Blade is fairly large & usually used for less precise perimeter cuts.
Larger blades also produce larger kerfs.. a kerf is the channel made by the blade.
Most blades fall into one of the eight categories.

(1) Pin-end blades:
Are essentially a small version of the standard hand coping saw blades.
These blades are bigger and the pins in the end can't be used for delicate fretwork or veining.

(2) Standard tooth blades:
The teeth are all the same size and distance apart.
There are both metal cutting and wood cutting blades.

(3) Skip tooth blades:
These are similar to the standard tooth but every other tooth is missing.
The space between keeps the blade cooler & allows it to clear out more saw dust.
These blades are also good for beginners because they cut relatively smoothly and quickly.

(4) Double tooth blades:
Are similar to the skip tooth blades but have a larger space between the sets of two teeth.
They cut slightly slower but clear out saw dust better and leave a very smooth cut.

(5) The Reverse skip tooth blade:
Is exactly the same blade as the normal skip tooth except that the last few bottom teeth point upward.
This helps prevent splintering or tare out on the bottom of the cut.
With the scroll saw arm in it's highest position,
be sure the reverse teeth are slightly above the top of the table when installing this type of blade.

(6) Precision ground blades:
These are skip-tooth blades with smaller teeth..
that have been ground to shape as opposed to simply filed.
They are much sharper,cut a straight line, and leave a relatively smooth surface.
These blades tend to cut very aggressively, so beginners may have trouble using them.

(7) Spiral blades:
Have teeth all the way around, these blades allow you to cut in any direction with out rotating your work.
There more popular for portrait-style cutting or when the cutting projects are too large to be rotated.
The width of the cut is much grater & the cut is rougher.
They do not allow you to cut sharp tight corners.

(8) Crown tooth blades:
Have teeth shaped like a crown with space between each tooth.
They are reversible- there is no upside down.
These blades cut wood a little slower then other blades, but are good for cutting plastic or acrylic.

Images of the blade types
http://www.woodcraft.com/images/article ... lades2.jpg

Sorry for the long post about scroll saw blades and the different types.
But I do hope it helps you out with your scroll saw projects.

Good luck Vitamin K.

Whoda.

[LightninBoy]

VK, I had the same exact challenge. I did two things ...

1. I bought the coarsest cutting scroll blade I could find. Olsen has a 7 tpi that worked okay.
2. I built this really crude jig out of spare wood. The basic idea was to have something a little more substantial to press down against. Here I've shown it with a 1/2" block in the jig.

Very nice. Is that a discarded car body on top of the jig?

Yes it is. And a pinewood block from the kit.

[Vitamin K]

Had to go to my parents' place to chop some wood on my dad's miter saw, and decided to build a quickie scroll saw jig, ala Lightninboy's design, simply because it was easily doable with the scrap that I could get my hands on.

Here's the result, holding one of my 1/2" thick basswood blocks:


I went ahead and tried it out and cut out a thin body design i had made. It did work, and the overhanging lip did a good job keeping the piece from 'escaping' due to vertical bounce.

I do need to check out that blade that Whoda posted about. Right now, the only one I have to use is 15 TPI, and it works, but it is slow slow slow, and generates so much fine dust that I feel like I should be wearing a respirator for long cuts.

When/if I ever move to a place with more workshop space, a bandsaw is gonna be on my wishlist...

[race#67]

For blades I cannot recommend Flying Dutchman blades from Mike's Workshop enough. On pine they will result in a finish that looks sanded.
You can try any two samples of one blade for free, just send him an E-mail as instructed at the bottom of his page.
http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm
I can look in my drawer and see what I am typically using if you like...

[whodathunkit]

race#67.
I have used the Flying Dutchman blades from time to time on some hard wood scroll saw projects.
They are a very good brand of blade as well.


I almost forgot.. Vitamin K.
There are also some blades that will let you convert your scroll saw in to a power sander as well.
I've used these brands from time to time and found them to be very handy for a lot of projects also.
http://www.yorecraft.com/ Or the http://www.sloanswoodshop.com/images/Sc ... _Files.jpg

Some tips:
For cutting down on friction if your doing work with lots of tight inside cuts..
& having a hard time rotating the work on the table top.
Is to round over the back side of the blade with a file or hone for making tighter turns.

For the wood to rotate & turn easier on table top try using some paste wax on the table top.
Plus: the waxed table top will keep it from rusting away when not in use.

Over the years that I have been scrolling VK, I will tell you.
That for me a blade with more teeth per inch will cut slower then a blade with less.
And that some will say that they like using a #12 or a #10.. even a #9 or #8 blade for 2" thick woods.
I've tried them on thick pinewoods and found that blade with less teeth per inch worked best for me.
But that's not to say it may work best for you or your scroll saw.

To help you out with a cheep dust blower:
A fish tank pump can be used to make one for blowing the dust away from the blade.
Or you can make something to hold a shop vac hose close to the table top to help you out..
with your saw dust problem.

[Vitamin K]

Those mini sanding files look very cool.

Also, here's a "poor man's" DIY version that will work with a pinned saw:


https://youtu.be/OHU_KZH0bdo

I've actually got adapters for mine to use non-pinned blades, but I might try the above technique with an old pinned blade.