What size blade?

[Dragon]

What would you use to cut mahogany? I was able to get a piece of it for $2 and would like to cut a dragon out of it but I'm not sure which blade will do the trick.
Thanks
Diane

[Jediscroller]

Diane,
Mahogany is one of my favorite woods to work with. It cuts very easily and finishes beautifully. As far as what size blade, that would depend on the thickness of the wood. I've cut 2" thick mahogany with a #9 blade and 3/8 thick with a #1. On 1/2 - 3/4 I'll typically use a #3 or #5 blade depending on the intricasy of the pattern.

[Dragon]

Thanks for the reply. The piece I have is 1" thick. I have to sand it before using it so it will reduce a bit but not much. I thought it would be a very hard wood to cut. I also have a piece of cherry wood that I bought for $1 and that will be the next one that I will try. I don't think that will be hard to cut.
Thank you
Diane

[BobD]

Cherry is a bit more challenging than Mahogany. It is slightly harder and has a strong tendency to burn...even if you are using a sharp blade. Tape of some sort helps to alleviate the burning, but you can expect to do a little bit of sanding.

Bob

[Bill Wilson]

Diane, how thick is the cherry? If it's one inch, then you might try a skip tooth blade. This will help clear sawdust from the kerf better and maybe minimize the burning that is common with cherry. Burn marks are tough to sand out.

Whadaya gonna make from the cherry?

[Mick Walker]

I understand that it is the sugar in cherry that makes it burn. So when buying cherry make sure you get the sour stuff.

[Dragon]

the wood I bought has been kiln dried. It is one inch thick.
I want to cut out a dragon from the cherry. I have a pattern here which is a little advanced but I want to try my luck at it. The cherry will be used for something from the Judy Peterson book.
Not sure when I can start cutting because I am swamped with work that has to be in for Monday. Must pay for the new saw!!! By next week for sure I will be starting. Pattern is ready to be put on the wood. Will reduce the speed on the saw I guess to start with.
Diane

[dale]

Ive cut a piece of cherry and it is very hard. I very sharp wood carving tools and have a booger of a time trying to carve it.

I have cut a piece with my scroll saw and like said before it burns easy

but it a very pretty wood.

I have even used a draw knife to kind of shape the piece before carving it. Matter of fact I have not finished it because it was so agravating because of the hardness.
Now dont let that scare you a way just my observations

dale

[Neal Moore]

I have found the Olson Precision Ground reverse tooth blades do a pretty good job on woods that burn easily. The trick is to use the largest blade that will work for the job and slow the speed down. The PGT blades cut pretty aggressively and clear the kerf of sawdust. They are more expensive than some of the other good brands so I generally save them for really hard woods or wood that tends to burn.

[3_M]

Most would use tape over the pattern, like the 2" clear package tape. To help with eliminating burning. Some use to blue painters tape on the wood and glue the pattern on top of that. The tape has a chemical, like silicon, what helps to release friction. Just try it it on a piece of scrap wood with a dull blade, when it starts burning the wood, just put a piece of tape in front of the blade and start cutting again. You will see that the burning stopped.
When a blade gets dull it heats up and will start burning the wood, especially wood with a lot of oil, regardless what blade you use.
Mike