Why no blade guides on scroll saws? - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Message Board

jm51 · 06-30-2012, 06:34 PM

I'm guessing there is a good reason as cheapo bandsaws have them and expensive scroll saws don't but I can't figure it out.

Seems to me that whatever carries the hold down could also carry the top guides.

wood-n-things · 06-30-2012, 07:52 PM

The blade needs to be free to flex and come round in tight corners. Nobody I know uses the hold down, it just gets in the way.

tagordy · 06-30-2012, 08:24 PM

i was told when i first started that the only thing the hold-down is good for, is a paperweight, mine’s been off and in the manual box ever since

jm51 · 06-30-2012, 08:35 PM

Blade needs to flex. Obvious now I know.

Gill · 07-01-2012, 02:06 AM

I'm not so sure about this idea that blades need to flex; it's a new one on me!

Scroll saw blades have a natural bias to the right when cutting which makes any sort of guide redundant. The whole point of using a scroll saw is that you cut free-hand through mastering hand-eye co-ordination.

ubgoofy2003 · 07-01-2012, 03:26 PM

All I can think of is the band saw blade is running on several wheels & needs the support of the guides. The Scrollsaw blade is short enough to support itself, besides the flexability of cutting some thicker wood without the obstructions of guides. My 2cents worth.

wood-n-things · 07-01-2012, 03:57 PM

Quote:

I'm not so sure about this idea that blades need to flex; it's a new one on me!

Next time you do a 90° turn tell me the blade does not flex and turn before you can proceed....LOL Lets see it do that with guides stopping it and keeping the blade rigid.

handibunny · 07-01-2012, 05:22 PM

I assume that you're talking about the bearings surrounding the band saw blade, and not the fence. Since the blade is so short for the scroll saw, and the tension is so easy to adjust, there's really no place for it to go if you let it do the cutting and don't force it.

Band saw blades can flex, too, even with the bearings, especially when you're resawing wide boards. So the same rules apply--you need to have adjustments properly made, but you also need the correct technique. Actually, that applies to a whole lot of stuff!

Gill · 07-01-2012, 05:28 PM

I really don't understand what you're talking about, wood-n-things. I can cut much wider angles than 90 degrees without flexing the blade - it's all about technique. I would be astonished if the vast majority of scrollers on this forum didn't have this ability.

wood-n-things · 07-01-2012, 05:39 PM

Gill I'm referring to looking at your blade when you make a 90° turn or a 180° turn and see how the blade is twisted and then it turns quickly to correct itself. I have the ability you are referring to as well but the blade still twists.

06-30-2012, 06:34 PM	#1
jm51 Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 44 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Why no blade guides on scroll saws? I'm guessing there is a good reason as cheapo bandsaws have them and expensive scroll saws don't but I can't figure it out. Seems to me that whatever carries the hold down could also carry the top guides.

06-30-2012, 07:52 PM	#2
wood-n-things Staying Positive Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Hamilton, Montana Posts: 18,771 Thanks: 58 Thanked 398 Times in 297 Posts	The blade needs to be free to flex and come round in tight corners. Nobody I know uses the hold down, it just gets in the way. __________________ "Montana MIKE" There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.” As You Slide Down the Banister of Life, Pray That All The Splinters Are Pointed The Other Way... "Don't worry about old age--it doesn't last that long." Mike's Wood-n-Things

06-30-2012, 08:24 PM	#3
tagordy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Barnesville, GA Buggytown Posts: 797 Thanks: 18 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	i was told when i first started that the only thing the hold-down is good for, is a paperweight, mine’s been off and in the manual box ever since __________________ Tim "If you never do, you’ll never know" --- Taco Bell hot sauce packet

06-30-2012, 08:35 PM	#4
jm51 Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 44 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Blade needs to flex. Obvious now I know. __________________ John

07-01-2012, 02:06 AM	#5
Gill Fallen Angel Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,558 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm not so sure about this idea that blades need to flex; it's a new one on me! Scroll saw blades have a natural bias to the right when cutting which makes any sort of guide redundant. The whole point of using a scroll saw is that you cut free-hand through mastering hand-eye co-ordination. __________________ There is no opinion, however absurd, which men will not readily embrace as soon as they can be brought to the conviction that it is readily adopted. (Schopenhauer, Die Kunst Recht zu Behalten)

07-01-2012, 03:26 PM	#6
ubgoofy2003 Just Goofy ! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 2,884 Thanks: 14 Thanked 23 Times in 23 Posts	All I can think of is the band saw blade is running on several wheels & needs the support of the guides. The Scrollsaw blade is short enough to support itself, besides the flexability of cutting some thicker wood without the obstructions of guides. My 2cents worth. __________________ PERK

07-01-2012, 05:22 PM	#8
handibunny cute and crafty Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,389 Thanks: 10 Thanked 23 Times in 19 Posts	I assume that you're talking about the bearings surrounding the band saw blade, and not the fence. Since the blade is so short for the scroll saw, and the tension is so easy to adjust, there's really no place for it to go if you let it do the cutting and don't force it. Band saw blades can flex, too, even with the bearings, especially when you're resawing wide boards. So the same rules apply--you need to have adjustments properly made, but you also need the correct technique. Actually, that applies to a whole lot of stuff! __________________ Carole Follow me on my blog: www.scrollsawbowls.blogspot.com

07-01-2012, 05:28 PM	#9
Gill Fallen Angel Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,558 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I really don't understand what you're talking about, wood-n-things. I can cut much wider angles than 90 degrees without flexing the blade - it's all about technique. I would be astonished if the vast majority of scrollers on this forum didn't have this ability. __________________ There is no opinion, however absurd, which men will not readily embrace as soon as they can be brought to the conviction that it is readily adopted. (Schopenhauer, Die Kunst Recht zu Behalten)

07-01-2012, 05:39 PM	#10
wood-n-things Staying Positive Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Hamilton, Montana Posts: 18,771 Thanks: 58 Thanked 398 Times in 297 Posts	Gill I'm referring to looking at your blade when you make a 90° turn or a 180° turn and see how the blade is twisted and then it turns quickly to correct itself. I have the ability you are referring to as well but the blade still twists. __________________ "Montana MIKE" There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.” As You Slide Down the Banister of Life, Pray That All The Splinters Are Pointed The Other Way... "Don't worry about old age--it doesn't last that long." Mike's Wood-n-Things

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