Today I was cutting a bunch of the military stars and it occurred to me that we have never discussed how we try to cut straight lines on our scroll saws ! ! ! !  

 

I guess we just assume that: 

• Everyone knows how
• Can't be done on a scroll saw

 

After discovering that I usually don't pay much attention to it, I started figuring out how I managed to, basically, cut most of my lines fairly straight.  AND.......  I came to the following conclusions:

1. When cutting a bunch of straight line stuff, I generally change to a larger blade - gives a little more length to the blade and a little harder to make a sharp corner;
2. During the cut, I never seem to change the position of my hands (for kicks, I DID change positions and, behold, it went crooked);
3. I also sit directly in line with the cut - just about all blades will pull a little to either the left or right and I just move my position to line the cut up - the blade is lined up with the kerf (if you one-eye it).

 

What say you all - agree, disagree, more suggestions are always welcome.......

What do you do if and when your line DOES go crooked?????????????

Hmmmmmmm, must bv losing my touch - 35 views and no one has a comment  

Sorry about that Fred. I haven't been around too much lately.

I had to think about it a little to figure out what I do. I'm usually straight behind the blade to begin with, go slow and have the wood twisted a little for the drift.

The magnifier lamp sometimes (?) makes it look like I'm getting way off but it's just from one edge of the line to the other when I stop and look at it.

Hmmmmmmm, must bv losing my touch - 35 views and no one has a comment  

Sorry.  I have had nothing to contribute so I have been going on the adage that it is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.  Seriously I haven't used a scroll  saw for sixty years.  I was eleven and the wood shop at school had a delta belt driven "Jig Saw".   I've been lurking here trying to learn the current state of scroll sawing since I'm considering buying a scroll saw to cut pen blanks and also to start doing a little scroll sawing - whirley gigs and the like..

Sorry for being late to this party. What I normally do is make sure everything is squared and parallell. If the cut is on an inside area, I just adjust the cut according to the blade. I do watch my blades speed and feed speed. If it is an outside cut, say along the bottom of a stand up piece, I install a new blade, normally one size up. If I was working with a #3 I switch to a #5. I make a test cut then procede to the piece I am working on. Guess I developed this from working with the band saw and it jusr carried over for the most part. 

Another thing I ran into this afternoon, don't let your mind ( what there is of it, mine ) wonder and start thinking of other things!

I started thinking of the next cut and I started wondering off the line. Not bad, but still....

Harry it is a good thing to plan your next cut. What I do is look at the pattern overall. I look for the delicate areas and plan my cut path accordingly. Always cut out the little areas first while they are supported by the surrounding wood. If needed to help sort things out. A high lighter helps keep he delicate areas in mind when looking and planning or even cutting.

Thanks guys for your input.  Seems like we all have about the same ideas.  It's just something we do without thinking about it any more.  Muscle memory is a great thing (most of the time).

 

Any other tips and tricks you guys have, be sure to start a new thread and we'll see where it goes.

 

Fred

Fred,

Straight lines  , & mind?

 

     

Larry, if you have a stout fan blowing UP on your lap, you might not even SEE the object board, eh?  

Larry, if you have a stout fan blowing UP on your lap, you might not even SEE the object board, eh?  

Fred,

A stout fan blowing UP might actually HELP, our Norway Spruces are killing me with the rust clouds of pollen they are dumping!        (insert sneezing runny eyed smiley here)

I can identify with that - fortunately our pollen season is OVER for the year.  Now when I wash the blue truck it stays blue 

I cut a few patterns with stars. What I have found to work for me is to drill the starter hole as big as you can without getting into

the lines of the star. Instead of going in, trying to make the corner, go in, back out and cut the other side of the star. For me, trying to cut the star by going along the line does not leave sharp corners and inside corners. I feel that distracts from a good looking star. 

Good point, Glenn - thanks for the input

 

I never thought much about cutting straight lines. Most of the time I am using a FD new 3/0 spiral blade and don't like the larger blades. I will try to remember to pay attention next time.