FAQ blades

[CanadianScroller]

1. What is the difference between pinned and pinless blades?
Pinned blades have a short metal pin at each end of the blade. They allow the scroller to change blades very quickly. They are easy to use, rugged and well suited for simple scrolling projects like toys and tole painting shapes. They come in various sizes suited for different materials. They are not well suited for intricate inside cuts.

Pinless blades, or plain end blades are clamped into the saw with blade clamps or chucks. They come in a huge array of sizes and styles and are well suited to fine intricate internal cutting.
They can also be used for cutting simple scrolled shapes and toys.

Some saws that normally take only pinned blades can be retrofitted to allow the use of plain end blades.
One place to find the retrofit kits is Pozsgai's Designs

2. Who makes the best blades and where can I get them?
There are as many opinions on blades as there are manufacturers. Questions about blade choices often lead to heated debates like which came first the chicken or the egg. In order to avoid the heated debates we wont discuss which is best we will just list some of the manufacturers and distributors.
Olson available from Sloans and Hegner UK
Flying Dutchman available from Mikes Workshop
Pegas available from Ben Fink
Each manufacturer and distributor has their own strengths. Contact each one and find out for yourself. Try as many blades as you can and form your own decisions based on your own experiences.

3. There are so many blades out there, how will I ever know which one to use?
Since each blade manufacturer designs their blades for specific uses it is good to refer to the manufacturers blade selection chart.

Try these references for specific brands of blades.
Flying Dutchman
Olson
SawBird
Pegas


4. Why don't I just stay with Spiral Blades?
Spiral blades will allow you to cut in any direction, and some projects can only be done with spiral blades. They will allow you to cut inside long boards that could not normally be swung around in the throat of the saw. They do however leave a rougher cut than flat blades. This is due to the angle of the teeth intersecting the board.
Flat blades cut smoother and must be used for inlays and bevel cuts. With practice you can cut a piece of wood with a flat blade, pivot the wood on one spot and cut right back out of the slot you entered with. This is not possible with spiral blades.


5. Why do some blades look like they are missing teeth?
One of the problems with the blade of a scroll saw is that it constantly moves up and down. As the blade cuts the wood and sawdust fills the crack the blade can heat up. This heat can burn your wood and cause premature braking of the blade. The heat will also dull the blade prematurely.
Blade manufacturers have discovered that if there is a space between the teeth of a blade it will allow the sawdust to fall free of the blade.
This helps maintain a cooler cutting temperature for the blade.


6. Why do some blades have teeth on the bottom that face up and the rest face down?
These are called reverse tooth blades. The teeth on the bottom of the blade cut on the upstroke while the teeth on the top of the blade cut on the downstroke. These are used to avoid splintering or tearout on the bottom of your project. These blades are not effective when cutting thin wood. I have also heard reports that the teeth on the bottom can hold sawdust in the slot when cutting very thick wood.


7. My blade is dull, cant I just turn it over and use the top?
Blades normally cut on the downstroke. If you were to turn the blade over the cutting action would be on the upstroke. This can cause several problems.
The wood will splinter on the top.
The pattern will lift off the wood
The wood will be harder to control since it is being pulled off the table
There are blades which have teeth that will cut equally on the upstroke and downstroke, they are called crowntooth blades.
Another thing you can do to extend the life of your blade is to place a piece of 3/4 plywood on top of your saw table. This lifts the wood you are cutting by 3/4 of an inch allowing you to use a sharper portion of the blade.

The cost of blades is relatively low. It is much better to just place a new blade in the saw.