My wifes cousin bought me a scrollsaw and I have several patterns that I want to make to add to the tops of my boxes I give away.

What blades should I have and how many of each.  It seems I would need quite afew of each since they are such thin blades.

Thank For the Help

Arlin

Arlin, I order all my blades now from Mike at http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm He's great to deal with and the Flying Dutchman blades are great quality. I primarily use the 2 way cut blades in sizes 3 and 5. A lot will depend on what types of wood, how thick it is and such. I do keep some flat end spiral blades on hand for cutting larger pieces that can't be turned completely on the saw table, but spirals can be very frustrating to use, since they cut in all directions you need to maintain good control and not be in a rush. They also have a wider kerf than flat blades. Since I know which blades I like to use I normally order them a gross at a time. My suggestion would be to call Mike and talk to him, he has a sample pack of his most popular blades that he can send you, and he is a wealth of knowledge about blades and will be more than happy to give you advice. What kind of saw did you get? Also there are some great scrollers here so don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have, we'll be glad to help you out .

 

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Greg
http://www.thesawdustfactory.net/

totally agree with Greg. Get the Flying Dutchman blades from mike. I personally prefer the Polar series.  Number 3 and 5 are all i use and I cut constantly and all types. the tighter the turns the lower the number. but I can do anything with a 5 with no issue.  hope this helps

I agree with everyone else, a range of sizes is ideal.  # 2 and # 3 for tight corners .and thin stock  # 5 is a good all purpose size.  # 9 and # 11 for very thick hard woods.   Tight turns require smaller blades. Buying them by the gross will save you tons of money.

 

SQ

 

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It it can't be fixed with glue and sawdust - it's not worth fixing.

I like the Flying Dutchman blades too, but prefer the Ultra Reverse Series of blades. I keep a supply of 5 reverse and 3 reverse on hand.

 

 

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Rick
www.thwscrollerandtoler.com
DeWalt 788

Arlin, basically a reverse tooth blade has the last few teeth on the bottom reversed, which helps prevent splintering. The most commonly used blades are a reverse skip tooth blade, the skip tooth meaning basically that every other tooth is missing which helps the blade clean out the sawdust in the cut. 

 

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Greg
http://www.thesawdustfactory.net/

Have fun practicing Arlin. And don't get frustrated !

 

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Greg
http://www.thesawdustfactory.net/

Arlin, great question. All of the portraits and other fretwork projects that I have posted are cut all the way through. I use several different materials for a backing. If it is going to go in a frame I will normally use felt, typically black, and I try to use just a single piece so no seams show. Another method for something that will be framed or hung on the wall is to use colored paper such as you would use for scrapbooking (there are some really neat paper available), if it will be framed you can just glue it in place, if it won't be framed I would suggest glueing a piece of 1/8" plywood to the back. As far as inlaying the pieces, that is something that I have not really mastered as of yet. I will try to find some links for you tomorrow an send them to you, that might help you better than I can, or maybe one of the other scrollers here will see this and offer some advice. As far as colored wood goes you can use a product called Samans it is a water based colored wood stain, some people use food coloring too, you may also be able to thin acrylic craft paints with water to acheive a colored stain look. Contact Sheila also, she is one of the best that I know of when it comes to painting projects, and i'm sure she would be more than happy to offer some advice,  http://www.thepatriotwoodworker.com/profile/SheilaLandry

 

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Greg
http://www.thesawdustfactory.net/

You're more than welcome

 

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Greg
http://www.thesawdustfactory.net/

I have nothing but the highest praise for Mike. I called him yesterday morning and ordered a dozen each #2, #5 & #9 FD-SR blades from him.   He tossed in some samples of blades he says others really love & some ultra thin puzzle blades as well.  When I got home from work today, the blades were in my mailbox.  That was 30 hours after the phone call...

(I also saw that he has a $15 sampe pack that you might want to try...)

This is my first experience with him and Flying Dutchman blades & I guarantee you I'm going back for more. He was great to talk to on the phone & helped me every step of the way.  The blades are a bit thinner than the Olsen blades, but I had absolutely no problems with them and once I got the tension figured out they cut like  a dream.

 

Greg Aksdal said:

Arlin, I order all my blades now from Mike at 

http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm

 He's great to deal with and the Flying Dutchman blades are great quality.

Arlin, here is a good video by one of our members here on blade tensioning

 

 

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Greg
http://www.thesawdustfactory.net/

Tom, you're right about Mike you can't beat his service, and the blades are far superior to others at comparable prices. 


Tom Clifton said:

I have nothing but the highest praise for Mike. I called him yesterday morning and ordered a dozen each #2, #5 & #9 FD-SR blades from him.   He tossed in some samples of blades he says others really love & some ultra thin puzzle blades as well.  When I got home from work today, the blades were in my mailbox.  That was 30 hours after the phone call...

(I also saw that he has a $15 sampe pack that you might want to try...)

This is my first experience with him and Flying Dutchman blades & I guarantee you I'm going back for more. He was great to talk to on the phone & helped me every step of the way.  The blades are a bit thinner than the Olsen blades, but I had absolutely no problems with them and once I got the tension figured out they cut like  a dream.

 

Greg Aksdal said:

Arlin, I order all my blades now from Mike at 

http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm

 He's great to deal with and the Flying Dutchman blades are great quality.

Arlin,

I made this by combining the "fret" method and the bevel cutting method. "Fret method" means that for every cutout area, I pre-drilled a tiny hole, as small as possible so the blade just barely fits thru it... the holes are drilled at an angle, which is found by testing for the bevel angle I wanted. In this case, I wanted to make sure the cutouts could be pressed in from the bottom so they protruded, yet didn't come all the way through... thus, the cutouts had to be wider at the bottom than the top... and when pressed in, there was no gap between the parts. Test cuts to find your bevel angle requires using a scrap of the stock you'll be using and the same blade you'll be using... and it has to be a flat, not a spiral blade... I suggest size #3 or smaller. This method uses solid wood, not plywood.  I use wood 1/2" to 3/4" thick.

 

I start my tests at a table angle of 2 degrees and I cut any small shape... I note where I begin and end (which is the same as noting whether I need to cut clockwise or counterclockwise... those terms confuse me because when you move the workpiece counterclockwise, the cutting is occuring clockwise.) I push the piece through to see if it is what I want... I adjust the angle until I have what I want. It is often somewhere between 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 degrees.  Now I know what angle to drill the holes at, but I do tests to get familiar with drilling in line with my intended cutting.

After cutting out all the pieces (which I number on the backside) I can sand and shape the protruding parts, then color them... and glue them back in when dry. (I don't actually glue them in the usual sense... I press them in dry, then add glue on the back side... I don't want to risk glue squeeze out.

  The simple solution is to do the other method you asked about... ie. just cut out the parts and add a black or colored background to show through the cutout areas... it isn't easy to create a multi-colored background to simulate what I did w/colored parts. This method is best with thinner wood that is either plywood or solid wood. (For this method, I use plywood 1/8" to 1/4" thick and the colored background can be stained wood or felt or foam or even paper glued onto the backside. )

Another method is simply cut out the parts and shape and color them and glue them (freehand) onto your solid boxtop. 

Spence

 Arlin Eastman said:

Thanks Greg

I have a question, how do scrollsawers make a cutout and then add some color to it?

Can I do a complete cut through and add a backer to it for a different background?

How can I put colored woods into it to fit really well.  I do not have a bunch of time to make the lids of the boxes, however, I want them to be the best they can be to the couples they go too.

Arlin

Spence, thanks for sharing this project with us. It is amazing what you did with it. Thanks also for the tutorial. We've been trying to build up the scroll saw forum here and have been needing members who will take a really active role, so I look forward to your participation.

Spence Bloom said:

Arlin,

I made this by combining the "fret" method and the bevel cutting method. "Fret method" means that for every cutout area, I pre-drilled a tiny hole, as small as possible so the blade just barely fits thru it... the holes are drilled at an angle, which is found by testing for the bevel angle I wanted. In this case, I wanted to make sure the cutouts could be pressed in from the bottom so they protruded, yet didn't come all the way through... thus, the cutouts had to be wider at the bottom than the top... and when pressed in, there was no gap between the parts. Test cuts to find your bevel angle requires using a scrap of the stock you'll be using and the same blade you'll be using... and it has to be a flat, not a spiral blade... I suggest size #3 or smaller. This method uses solid wood, not plywood.  I use wood 1/2" to 3/4" thick.

 

I start my tests at a table angle of 2 degrees and I cut any small shape... I note where I begin and end (which is the same as noting whether I need to cut clockwise or counterclockwise... those terms confuse me because when you move the workpiece counterclockwise, the cutting is occuring clockwise.) I push the piece through to see if it is what I want... I adjust the angle until I have what I want. It is often somewhere between 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 degrees.  Now I know what angle to drill the holes at, but I do tests to get familiar with drilling in line with my intended cutting.

After cutting out all the pieces (which I number on the backside) I can sand and shape the protruding parts, then color them... and glue them back in when dry. (I don't actually glue them in the usual sense... I press them in dry, then add glue on the back side... I don't want to risk glue squeeze out.

  The simple solution is to do the other method you asked about... ie. just cut out the parts and add a black or colored background to show through the cutout areas... it isn't easy to create a multi-colored background to simulate what I did w/colored parts. This method is best with thinner wood that is either plywood or solid wood. (For this method, I use plywood 1/8" to 1/4" thick and the colored background can be stained wood or felt or foam or even paper glued onto the backside. )

Another method is simply cut out the parts and shape and color them and glue them (freehand) onto your solid boxtop. 

Spence

 Arlin Eastman said: