Blade choice

[stevebuk]

the cabin is almost fitted out now, so not long before i can begin working in there. The first tool i put in there was my Delta scrollsaw, but before i can begin, i will be working with Zebrano, Iroko, Oak, Ply and maybe MDF, is there a hard and fast rule about what blades to use for certain woods, and how do you pick them, skip tooth, reverse tooth, 20tpi,10tpi 30tpi and spiral doesn't really mean much to me as i have never used a scrollsaw before.
Any help appreciated..

 

[Gill]

Mike Moorlach has written a guide to blade selection on his website here. Although he sells FD blades and the guide is not surprisingly geared towards his own brand, it's still very informative.

As to what blade you choose for which project... a lot of it comes down to personal preference and experience. Much will depend on the type of project you're cutting For example, intarsians make more scrolled/outside cuts than other scrollers so they often choose larger, more aggressive blades. Portrait scrollers tend to make more piercing/inside cuts so they tend to opt for finer blades, often with reverse teeth so as to minimise tearout on the underside of the workpiece.

I suggest you buy a selection of different blades (possibly ask Mike Moorlach for a free sample pack) and see what your preferences are. If you have a specific type of woodwork in mind, feel free to ask other scrollers here what they would choose for that task. Eventually, you'll settle down with a favourite blade brand, type and size that will be your 'go to' blade. You'll learn its strengths and limitations quite intimately and when it fails you, you'll know why it's failing and what the best alternative blade is. My standard blade for MDF segmentation is a #3 FD-SR which seems to work well on all thicknesses of board up to 18mm. If I try to cut another project, I automatically start cutting with that blade unless there's an obvious reason why I shouldn't, such as cutting a fine jigsaw puzzle. I can usually tell by the blade's performance if it's the most suitable choice for the task and if it fails I usually understand which blade will overcome its shortcomings.

I bet you're champing at the bit now... your cabin's been a long term project .

Gill

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Steve,

I'm going with Gill in suggesting you buy a selection of blade types and sizes to find which ones work best for any given material or project.
One thing I've found over the years is that identical blades perform differently from saw to saw !
Many people have a preference for a particular brand of blade simply because it works best for what they are cutting and the saw they are using.
Many times in the past I've tried a recommended blade only to be disappointed and in the case of Pegas blades for example, I found them to be utter rubbish !
Some swear by Pegas blades so who am I to argue.

The bottom line is it's what works for you and you'll only find that out by experimenting.

 

[Mike M]

I emailed Steve and hope that I had the right email address.
Thanks Gill. I also told him to check the "Q & A" page, a lot of good tips for him.
Mike

 

[stevebuk]

I emailed Steve and hope that I had the right email address.
Thanks Gill. I also told him to check the "Q & A" page, a lot of good tips for him.
Mike

hi mike
i have pm'd you as i did not recieve the email.
thanks all regarding the blade choice, guess i will just have to try for myself.