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Tip
#51
Shopsmith
Scroll Saw (continued)
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Pg 1-3, Pg 4-6,
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Scroll
Saw Blades
The scroll
saw accepts virtually all standard 5" jigsaw or scroll saw
blades with plain, straight ends. Blade selection will be
based on the thickness and type of material being cut; the
amount of fine detail in the project; the cutting speed; and
the desired quality of the finished cut.
Scroll
saw blades are relatively inexpensive, so it's best to have
several types and sizes of blades available for different
jobs. Table 15-1
shows a number of common scroll saw blades and their intended
uses. The following guidelines will also be helpful in selecting
the best blade for your projects:
- For
best results, use the thickest blade available that will
make the necessary turns without binding or twisting.
- There
should be at least two and preferably three teeth across
the thickness of the workpiece. Cutting veneer or other
very thin material may require blades with 60 to 80 teeth
per inch.
- As
the thickness of the stock increases, use a heavier blade
with fewer teeth per inch. Only the coarsest blades have
"set" in the teeth. Thin blades tend to bow in thick stock
and fine-toothed blades may not be able to easily remove
sawdust from the cut.
- Use
a blade with hardened teeth for cutting aluminum, brass,
silver and other non-ferrous metals. Wood cutting blades
will dull very quickly in metal.
- Use
the blade backup only when sawing stock over 3/4" thick.
Otherwise adjust the backup away from the blade.
Two special
types of blades are also available. First is a reverse tooth
blade with the three lower teeth pointing up instead of down.
These reversed teeth help eliminate splintering along the
bottom side of the cut when working with thick stock. The
second type is a spiral blade which will cut in any direction
without turning the workpiece. Although spiral blades may
be useful in certain situations, there are tradeoffs. Spiral
blades tend to follow the grain of the wood instead of the
intended cutting line-making it difficult to cut smooth, graceful
curves-and the cut is much rougher, so more sanding is required.
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