Questions from a beginner

[JanetsBears]

Hi,

I'm new to this scroll saw stuff so would appreciate any hints and tips that anybody can throw my way, particularly in relation to a few specific questions I have...

1. Beginner's Drift

I've done quite a lot of these since getting my scroll saw as they seem to be pretty good practice and I've left the waste in the picture to make it easier to see the lines and cut. I am improving, but still not too brilliant when it comes to following lines. Most have been cut from a decent quality pine (if there is such a thing!) and it's clear that most of my problems are on the transition between cutting along the grain of the wood and cutting across the grain. I tend to find the project almost pushes itself past the blade as it starts cutting across the grain. I know the blade I was using (Pegas 5 skip/reverse in this case) cuts better across the grain so I try to make an effort to slow down a bit as I turn across the grain but are there any tips anybody can give on techniques to improve my line following? The next photo shows it popped out, tape removed and sat next to a bear made from some of our granddaughter's old baby clothes, all ready for my wife to decorate - she's got a big list of words she wants cutting, so I have plenty of practice ahead of me!

2. Blade Life
How long should a blade last? I realise it's a 'piece of string' type of question, but I was expecting to break more than I have. I broke 3 in the first week but none in the month following, but I do believe I've worn a couple out. I'm guessing that the lack of broken blades is a lot to do with the fact that I'm new to this and cutting at a slow speed while I learn the skills required. I've also been cutting mainly pine and plywood which aren't particularly hard on blades normally, but I've done a few bits with oak. I've found the oak takes a bit more 'pushing' but it doesn't seem to drift as much as softer pine, particularly when cutting along the grain. I put a new blade in when I started cutting the item in the next photo and by the time I'd finished, the blade did seem quite blunt. Blades aren't expensive so I think in future I may just swap the blade out every n minutes when I work out what 'n' should be for the type of wood I'm cutting.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give,

Chris

 

[linkshouse]

Chris,

I think you've done some excellent work there so don't knock yourself.

The problem with different cutting rate across versus with the grain is fairly common but is much much worse with soft wood. Pine in particular is a pain in the bum to cut - at least that has been my experience.

As per your experience with the Oak, hardwood is much easier to control and doesn't seem to show the same variation as softwoods do.

As for wear, hmm! I'm afraid you're right it is bit of a how long is a piece of string question. From my on experience if you look at say the Beagle Pup that I recently posted I used four No5 Pegas Modified Geometry blades making that if memory serves.

For your second oak example I would have expect to have had to change the blade at least once.

If you find yourself pushing the wood into the blade it is probably time to change it.

Regards

Phill

 

[Buffalo Chas]

Hi Chris. As Phill has said those really are very good. Like yourself I'm a relative novice and cut mainly plywood and pine. Personally I find that when I use a number 3 skip tooth (Pegas) I can greatly reduce the amount of drift when cutting pine.

Charley

 

[novocaine]

snapping blades in the first week is normal, you then learn how hard to push or not push and the blades last longer. how to tell when it's blunt, it stops cutting, it's about the only way, don't change a blade because you've cut for N minutes, it doesn't work quite like that as tight turns, awkward cuts and the like change the wear rate, so does the thickness of the wood obviously.

obviously your made of money, I had to make a blade sharpener I'm tight. (joking)

good work there, crack on and lets see some more complex cutting (have you tried cutting reliefs or inlays yet, that's always fun).

 

[AES]

FWIW, I agree, very good work there. If it were my work I'd be proud of that.

If you haven't already noticed, when you find that you're pushing harder (in the same work piece!) to complete a cut, then it's time to change the blade.

If you change the type of wood you're using frequently then sometimes it's a bit more difficult to tell straight away if the blade's getting blunt, but I found experience builds up quickly - to start off with you might like to look at a blade through a magnifying glass after you've removed it because you thought it was blunt. You'll soon get a feel for it.

AES

 

[JanetsBears]

Thanks for the comments, they're much appreciated.

I realise that I do tend to find fault with whatever I make, but I do so in the hope that I can analyse the problem and work out how not to make the same mistakes again. Sometimes it just needs somebody with experience to point out the obvious when it's not quite so obvious to me. I'm sure we've all thought "now why didn't I think of that?" at some point in our lives, so when somebody provides a little nugget that can make a big difference it can be like turning a nice bright light on, so for those nuggets I'm very grateful - the people here are wonderful and have helped me so much

I tried something a bit different last night. I've been tasked with creating a bedroom door sign for 2 little princesses (3 years old and 7 months old) so I had a go at cutting out "Ivy and Molly's Room" as individual letters in a Disney-like font, with a view to sticking them on a castle or similar. That provided a whole new experience, particularly the 's', as the handling of the small pieces isn't easy for somebody like me with 10 fat thumbs instead of fingers. I re-arranged the letters individually on my template to reduce the amount of wood needed I still have all my fingers but it has shown that I need to make myself a table cover with only a tiny hole for the blade. I started my experiment last night with what I thought was a very nearly expired blade, Pegas 1 from the free set that came with the saw, half expecting that I would be throwing it away after I'd cut my 6mm thick by 70mm wide pine into more manageable pieces. It certainly wasn't as straight as when new and the teeth looked a bit worn, but much to my surprise it cut extremely well and I used it for all the letters and it's still there for me to use again. I suspect it would be useless by now if I tried to cut oak with it, but it's fine for what I was cutting last night.

I will try some inlays at some point, but at the moment it's little steps and practice. I want to try intarsia at some point, but I'd prefer to do that when it's a little warmer outside - I don't fancy sanding in the house and it's freezing in my workshop at the moment.

Chris

 

[Aggrajag]

We all find fault in our own work because we know where we've drifted but I've learned that most of the time other people can't see what you're talking about - so don't talk about it

You've done good work there, be proud of it.

I've not broken a blade for months, it's down to your machine design and practice I think, but the main issue is sharpness; personally I prefer a blade that's lost a little of it's edge, it's not as aggressive and is easier to control at speed so I tend to make them last a little longer than perhaps I should.

 

[JanetsBears]

We all find fault in our own work because we know where we've drifted but I've learned that most of the time other people can't see what you're talking about - so don't talk about it

You've done good work there, be proud of it.

I've not broken a blade for months, it's down to your machine design and practice I think, but the main issue is sharpness; personally I prefer a blade that's lost a little of it's edge, it's not as aggressive and is easier to control at speed so I tend to make them last a little longer than perhaps I should.

The 'sisters' in the oak one above are my granddaughters and their mum didn't know I was doing it, but she seemed really impressed with it when I gave her it. I'm sure she doesn't see the same issues as me as she's more interested in the fact that her two little daughters are involved, but every time I go to her house and see it, I focus on the faults immediately - I can't help myself!

Chris

 

[martinka]

It's the little flaws that make a hand made item. If you want it to look like it was cut by laser, buy a laser cutter. :wink:

 

[JanetsBears]

Ah Martin, another Yorkshire scroller - there seems to be enough of us to start a club! Where is Wakefield(ish)?

Chris

 

[novocaine]

Wakefield(ish) is just outside Cardiff(ish)

 

[martinka]

Ah Martin, another Yorkshire scroller - there seems to be enough of us to start a club! Where is Wakefield(ish)?

Chris

Normanton, Chris. Not the one in northern Queensland, novocaine, though I suppose that's Wakefield(ish) too, if you squint at a map. :mrgreen:

 

[JanetsBears]

Ah Martin, another Yorkshire scroller - there seems to be enough of us to start a club! Where is Wakefield(ish)?

Chris

Normanton, Chris. Not the one in northern Queensland, novocaine, though I suppose that's Wakefield(ish) too, if you squint at a map. :mrgreen:

Ah, the side of Wakefield I know best. I used to live in Whitwood when I was a kid, in one of those white houses on the left as you drive in from Normanton. I'm much older now and live in Knottingley so we're quite close.

Chris

 

[martinka]

Ah Martin, another Yorkshire scroller - there seems to be enough of us to start a club! Where is Wakefield(ish)?

Chris

Normanton, Chris. Not the one in northern Queensland, novocaine, though I suppose that's Wakefield(ish) too, if you squint at a map. :mrgreen:

Ah, the side of Wakefield I know best. I used to live in Whitwood when I was a kid, in one of those white houses on the left as you drive in from Normanton. I'm much older now and live in Knottingley so we're quite close.

Chris

Whitwood Terrace? Remember the old railway lines that crossed the road diagonally at the Normanton end? I had an accident on a motorbike there one winter, about 1966, and someone from one of the houses brought me a cup of tea. Was it you?

 

[JanetsBears]

Whitwood Terrace? Remember the old railway lines that crossed the road diagonally at the Normanton end? I had an accident on a motorbike there one winter, about 1966, and someone from one of the houses brought me a cup of tea. Was it you?

Yes, it was Whitwood Terrace, but it was not me providing the cup of tea. I lived at 15, close to the Normanton end and would have lived there at the time of your accident although I was only 6 years old. Didn't the railway line lead down to Whitwwod Colliery? There used to be a regular 'mini lake' in the field at that end which often used to freeze over in winter providing a place of fun for us kids, particularly as it was only about a foot deep at the deepest part so no danger of drowning when the ice broke. I've just remembered that I had an 'incident' there on a bike (pedal variety) when I was about 17 years old, after they'd built the M62 and double roundabout. We lived in Ledston by then but I had a girlfriend in Normanton. I had a fixed gear on my bike at the time and it was icy as I pedalled down the hill from the town centre wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket, so, being frozen, I had my arms folded to keep my hands slightly warm. I because aware of a care just behind me as started round the first roundabout and it stayed just behind until I exited the second roundabout when the police car pulled alongside and told me to pull over. I came to a halt, fixed gear lets you slow down easily, with my arms still folded. Mr Plod 1 told me I'd been 'riding without proper control of my bicycle' because I wasn't holding onto the handlebars. I pointed out I had just negotiated two roundabouts and stopped when requested to do so by the police, so I was hardly out of control. Mr Plod 2 laughed and said I did have a good point and they went, Mr Plod 1 not being very happy, telling me not to do it again

 

[Claymore]

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[JanetsBears]

The original Harry Ramsden's chippy is now owned by the Wetherby Whaler, and I'll be going past the original Wetherby Whaler on my way home in about 20 minutes - might need to call in!

Chris

 

[martinka]

Harley which used to shake itself to bits (Pre EVO 1340cc engines were boneshakers).

I had a 1975 FXE 1200 with big cam, solid lifters, S&S carb, etc. Went like the proverbial stuff off a shovel, for a Harley, but when it hit about 90mph, the vibration was so bad that everything was blurred. The Bandit is much smoother, thankfully. I've had a few attempts at a pattern for the Harley but none of them ever worked out. Usually a dozen pieces drop out as I am cutting them.
Oh, and fish'n'chips are grand from the Wetherby, Wetherby Whaler. We get to Wetherby occasionally in the summer for a walk by the river and finish off with something to eat.

 

[Claymore]

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[martinka]

Just to show it does look like my bike. And a pattern done for me by Dave, which I prefer but which I found was beyond my cutting abilities.
I still only have a motorbike licence at 66, but with all the aches and pains that come with age, I now regret not getting a car licence.
And yeah, I can talk bikes all day as well, Brian.