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Cutting Sharp Corners

03/25/2010 11:15:00 Dave Van Ess

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Cutting square corners is a fundamental skill.

Practice this basic technique to produce crisp sharp corners Step-by-step photos by Ben Fink and Scott Kriner

Cutting tight corners is an acquired skill and it intimidates many new scrollers.

Some scrollers turn in the waste area or approach the corner from multiple directions.

However, these techniques will not work with some designs.

With a little practice, you can master cutting sharp corners without cutting into the waste wood.

Warming Up Before Cutting Tip

When you first turn on your scroll saw, practice cutting stair steps or a city skyline in a piece of scrap wood. This gets you warmed up and ready to create crisp sharp corners.

Square your blade.

It’s impossible to cut sharp corners if your saw table and blade are not perfectly square. Make a shallow cut in the thickest wood block that fits on your saw. Back the blade out of the cut and spin the block so the cut you just made is aligned with the back of the blade. If the cut doesn’t line up with the blade, adjust the tilt of the table by half the difference of the angle between the blade and the cut. Continue testing the angle until the blade and cut line up perfectly.

Practice stopping your cuts.

You must come to a full stop before turning. Tension on the blade will make a sloppy corner. Draw a line parallel with the grain about 1" (25mm) from the edge of a pine blank. Make a series of hash marks perpendicular to the line. Cut in along the hash mark until you reach the line. Pull the blade back 1/8" (3mm). Then move the blade back to the corner and pause to let the blade catch up. This gets you in the habit of automatically pulling back the small amount needed to cut a tight corner.

Practice spinning the blank.

Cut in along a hash mark, pull back slightly, and move back to the corner. Apply light pressure on the blank near the blade with one finger to create a pivot point. Quickly spin the wood 180° with the opposite hand and cut back down the same hash mark. While the marks left by the spin look large, they will barely be noticeable when you cut a corner. Practice until you are comfortable with your ability to rotate the wood and cut the smallest diameter hole possible.

Practice cutting a corner.

Start cutting on a hash mark until you reach the line. Pull back and then return to the corner--this should be almost automatic by now. Using a finger to apply pressure and create a pivot point, rotate the wood 90° and cut along the line parallel to the edge of the blank. At the next hash mark, use the same technique to rotate the wood 90° and cut to the edge of the blank. Practice until you are comfortable cutting sharp corners.

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Comments (15 posted):

MikeyD on 04/06/2010 08:37:48

I just got the mag yesterday. I was skimming through and stop to read this article. So last night while I was cutting on a practice piece I tried the turning with my finger on the wood next to the blade. Wow, did that ever make cutting corners easier. I felt like the level of my cutting just went up a step or two. Now I guess the old pros think your waisting paper with an article of such basic subjects but us newby's sure appreciate it. Thanks Mike

wood-n-things on 04/06/2010 10:50:44

That is an excellent article and I'm going to give that a try. I already do the pivot thing, and I try to remember to back up a tad to let the blade catch up. I do not think of warming up though. That is a great Idea.

ChuckD on 04/06/2010 13:08:39

When I first started cutting I had some of the roundest sharp corners going. I could see them and everyone else was very polite and ignored them. I discovered the finger pivot by accident. There was a part of the pattern that was coming loose from the wood so I put my finger next to the blade to hold down the paper and "vola" DISCOVERY TIME. I had a sharp corner. I have found since then that if you also hold the Wood a little against the back of the blade you can turn as much as you like including this>>>>>>>>. Some people get excited over the smallest and simplest things, don't they?????

DeLabio on 04/14/2010 13:36:57

I will have to try it tonight, thank you. Any chance this is captured in a video anywhere? In here or Youtube? When you turn the wood 90 or 180, is the saw running? Or do you turn the wood and then turn it on, allowing the blade to catch up? Can it be done with a 5?

BobD on 04/14/2010 13:54:13

Unfortunately we don't have any video of it. You leave the saw running at all times. It can be done with any and all blades. Best Regards, Bob Duncan Technical Editor

taa800 on 10/28/2010 20:37:59

I read through this and looked at the pictures and am a bit confused. Thinking of how something pivots, if it uses your finger as the point, and the blade was an inch away, wouldn't it then create a sweeping arc where the blade is cutting out a 2 inch circle?

BobD on 10/29/2010 08:57:11

It depends on how fast you turn. Since you have a very small blade that only cuts a small amount at a time, there's no way to cut that much wood in the short amount of time you spend turning. If you turn slowly and let the blade cut, then yes, it would create that large a cut. But since the thickness of the saw kerf and the width of the blade are both very small, a quick pivot makes the blade turn abruptly to give you a sharp corner. Bob

wood-n-things on 10/29/2010 10:49:28

One other tip if I can explain it in words. When making my current dragon puzzle it had a lot of really tight corners with no waste area to go out side the project and come back to make tight "V's" or points. I noticed as I was cutting, when I came to one of these cuts, not only did I let the blade catch up by stopping my forward progress for a moment & backing up just a little, but when I began the cut I held the wood back with my pivot finger so it (the wood)was pressing against the back of the blade away from the teeth while I made the pivot. This helps dramatically.

Keith Fenton on 10/30/2010 00:57:45

I personally find some blades are much better at cutting sharp corners than others. I have tried several brands and keep going back to regular or reverse tooth Olson blades and I know I'm not with the majority of scrollers on this but I love Olsons. I find they are easier to pivot and they pivot in a tighter area than others I have tried. They initially aren't as sharp nor do they last as long as, say FD or Pegas blades but the control is what matters most to me and they excel in this department. BTW I have no affiliation with Olson ;)

GypsyWendy on 05/01/2013 10:55:49

In one of my Mags (I can't remember which one so I won't say till I find it) there was an article about rounding the back of the blade to produce better turns cleaner ones. The article talks about take a block, with a half round cut, gluing sandpaper to it, then taking the 'jig' to the back of a moving blade to round the back edges of it. I was wandering what anyone (or everyone) thinks about doing this? Do you think it compromises the strength of the blade?

wood-n-things on 05/01/2013 11:26:31

It does not seem to compromise the strength of the blades and I keep a small file next to my saw and try to remember to do it with every new blade. It does seem to help.

Arthodd on 05/01/2013 12:44:09

So lets say you're going to spin the wood clockwise. Would you put your pivot point on the right side and slightly behind the blade?

wood-n-things on 05/01/2013 12:53:50

Had to give it a try before I responded. I place my pivot finger for that move just to the right and slightly in front of the blade. But I think it is a matter of personal preference and what you feel comfortable doing. I also find I use my thumb on the opposite hand from my pivot finger as my lever or push stick so to speak. My thumb usually is placed so it overhangs the edge of my work piece and rides on the table top. Funny how we do things automatically and when we watch what we are doing the habits we have picked up.

Rolf on 05/01/2013 13:20:56