Going through blades like water

[minowevie]

Originally Posted by Big_red_S

I'm going through blades like water and wondered if anyone has any advice?

I got a lot of good info on this forum lurking around, but yesterday I made another hanger and must have went through 3 #5 Flying Dutchman reverse tooth blades and 3 #7 Flying Dutchmant blades.

I used oak I bought at Home Depot.

Seems like I keep bending the blade when cutting the wood.

Any advice?

Where can I buy scroll saw blades stocks?

Hi there Big Red. is it you. the same as the my space Big Red. any way. welcome .
I am not sure what you mean buy scrollsaw blades in stocks.
you can buy in bulk from anywhere. Mike will send you tons as many as you wont, and at a great price. so will olson. anyway.
I have to agree with all above, the tention. BUT some might think that is band tight. like no give at all. like Mike said. 1/8 give back and forth, and side to side is a good thing to keep in mind. you can tighted the blade so tight, that it kinks the top or bottom of the blade, and even twist it. it will break there in a hart beet. And if you try to go so fast, the blade will heat up. and snap also. so what I would say is. go slow enouph for the blade to cut. lube it eather with tape on the project, or with a lube stick or parafien, on the blade itself.. and don't push. of course puse enouph to get the wood into the blade. but becairfull not to push sidways. or to bend the blade back more than 1/8 inch . and believe it or not. going very fast doesn't get you there faster. it just heats up the blade, this takes pratice. to go very fast. and cut smoothly. with out breaking the blade. hope this helped. your freind Evie

[minowevie]

Originally Posted by Big_red_S

I have the Ryobi 16" Variable Speed Scroll Saw.

Hi again, I don't think it matters what saw you have, unless the arms are not inline. or your blade is not leavale to the table. the blade still goes up and down. at sertain speeds. and as long as the blade is squar with the table. and you have the tention right. you can cut anything , andy thickness,with most any blades, well depending on thidkness. and size of blades. but it should work. remmeber the blade goes up and down. and you move the wood. your freind Evie

[Fremmed]

My first thought was with pressure. I learned very quickly that pushing the wood too hard, especially on curves, caused blades to break. Side pressure is another great way to break blades. Easy way to tell if you have side pressure is to look at the wood you've just cut. If it has a curve, convex-- ) -- or concave-- ( you need to back off. Also, like Evie said, heat can be a culprit. Examine your blades and see if they are burning. (I had a blade that was the prettiest color of blue after cutting. No wonder it cut so bad). Also, make sure you have good control of the wood. I don't like using the foot, but if you find that the wood likes to jump around, it might be helpful.

I also agree with the tension...just figured it wasn't worth beating a dead horse.

[SNAPPER]

Are the blades just bending or are they breaking also. I agree with the tention issue. Do not feed to fast, feed only what the blade can handle without flexing, 1/8" max. Try not to twist the blade when cutting curves, feed into the teeth at all times. A blade that has overheated will not cut worth a darn, look for discoloration on the blade. Try running the saw with out cutting and see how every thing tracks. Oak is one of my main wood species, if my blade is sharp, proper tention and feed rate usually have no problems.
Good Luck.
Dean

[minowevie]

I thought I would add a old tip. to see if you are pushing, front to back, or side to side.
Just cut along like you always do. then stop moveing your wood. don't stope your saw, just the wood feed. and watch the blade. does it catch up. or , and from what deretion. if going straight. and stoping, the blade will keep moving forward.(then you are pushing) that is one reason I always over cut my corners. I stoped and the blade kept moving foward. ok.
now. to see if it is moving sidways. do the same thing. now stop. movement, and machine. remove the blade. turn your work around. inter the blade(becairful tight) now try to back out. if it binds you are pushing to the side. there is many ways of doing this, but this is just one. your friend Evie

[DWSudekum]

3 or 4 things come to mind about blades wearing out fast. 1) Your saw might be set too fast a blade speed for the thickness and type of wood you are cutting. 2) Your tension might be too loose. 3) You might be forcing the cut 4) the blades may be of a lesser quality. Heat above all will wear out yer blades quickly ... well will speed it up anyway. Try changing out the brand of blade you are using, slow the saw speed down a bit, cut slower and gentler. I have come across woods that have high silica content and they just wear out blades no matter what you do, however if you slow the saw speed down your blade should last longer.


DW

[Big_red_S]

Thanks for all the great info.

I made another hanger this weekend and made the tension tighter - that by itself made a huge difference.

I have been playing with speed and pressure and actually got to cut a straight line fairly accurate for a good 3" (a record for me ).

So after careful cutting and possibly making one of my best hangers (Superman emblem from the 40's) ... I broke the hanger while sanding - live & learn.

[Wood Dog]

Glad you are finding the solutions to cutting, and sorry to hear you broke the hanger.
I can relate to that situation. Keep up the scrolling......practice makes ALMOST perfect.

[minowevie]

Originally Posted by Wood Dog

Glad you are finding the solutions to cutting, and sorry to hear you broke the hanger.
I can relate to that situation. Keep up the scrolling......practice makes ALMOST perfect.

I almost agree, Practice doesn't make perfect,,,, perfect Practice makes perfect. your friend Evie

[lucky788scroller]

About breaking the hangers, I think you will keep having that problem unless you use plywood. The crossgrain on the thin hook end of the hanger has very little strength in it. Dale