Info

[tjcebula]

Ok So Maybe I'm brain farting here but I need some guidance, so when I go to start to cut a straight line my cut is not straight but goes off to the side, now my table on my dewault is plumb but is it that my blade is off centered from top to bottom or either or, any guidance out there???

[MTCowpoke22]

I find when cutting a long straight line, I have to have my piece off plumb about 5 or so degrees. If it is running straight with the blade, it does curve one way or the other. But if I angle it just a little, it cuts straight, or at least much straighter. I usually have to point the blade towards the side of the line that I want to keep, which can be a little unnerving. If you slip, it can ruin that line if not the entire piece. I'd practice it a little bit to get the hang of it before trying on something nice.

[JustLarry]

Most scroll saw blades pull to your right as you are cutting.  As MT points out, you need to angle your line to the blade - angle bottom of pattern to the right.  I also find is I sit to the right of the blade so I am looking at an angle to the blade I can keep blade on the line much better.  Main thing is practice, practice and more practice and this will come natural to you.

 

Larry

[meflick]

Hello, I am a newbie to the saw recently.  As a result, I have spent a lot of time reviewing all the information that I can find on using the saw. Steve Good Has a great Beginner Scroll sawing videos on youtube.  In the second one, around the 4:35 timestamp area, he explains the issue with cutting "straight" with a scroll saw.  You can find that video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxx-JuQJsms.  Others have also explained it the same or similar to Steve's in the video.  I bought the scroll saw I have years ago when my kiddos were little, as a result, I didn't have a lot of time to work with it and gave it up.  However, I do know that part of my issue/frustration was that I couldn't get it to cut "straight"! 

[Scrolling Steve]

The video mentioned above by Melanie is a great teaching tool.......The way scroll saw blades are stamped out leaves them with a built in pull to one side...after cutting  for a while you don't even think about it , you automaticly make the corrections needed to cut in a straight line.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Scrolling Steve

[dgman]

As a scroll saw instructor, I teach my students to anticipate this. As was mentioned above, most blades have a bur on the right side of the blade. This bur causes the blade to cut to the right. You have to adjust the angle of the work piece to cut straight. Each blade will have a different degree of drift so you have to adjust for each blade.

Draw some straight lines on a scrap board and practice cutting straight.

A very wise man ( Mike The Flying Dutchman) once said: "Cutting a straight line on a scroll saw is like driving down a straight road. You have to move the wheel left and right to keep it straight".

Practice, practice, practice and it will come to you naturally.

[Scrappile]

You get the same only not as bad with a band saw.  It takes practice and the "drift"  will very depending on type of wood, grain direction and size/type of blade.  But you get the feel of it pretty quickly. 

[trackman]

What they said LOL.  I put in a blade one time an it didn't "pull" to the right and I found out I couldn't cut with it because I am so use to blades that do.  Took it out an replaced it with one that pulls "normal".  You do get use to it.

[kywoodmaster]

As everyone has already stated about the machining bur causing the problem. The newer style blades that actually have a set built in will have less pull. Olsen is called PGT series Pegasus is the advanced geometry series and I think that Flying Dutchman is the silver penguin series. Some of the Dutchman users can correct me if I am wrong, I have never used the Dutchman series yet. Only problem is they are not available in the small sizes that I use a lot of.

[bandaideman]

Nothing to add to the above. I will however add to slow down and enjoy the ride. I tell my self that all the while I cut. I will take a deep breath prepare to have blade in 90 to the table, my shoulders are relaxed and speed to point I can handle at a slow easy feed letting the blade doing the cutting. I am not new to scrolling but it has been in the last couple years that I think I have finally got it. or at least more often than I used to.

[Fab4]

Hi Thomas:

Agree with all that's been said

What I found when I first started was I had to adjust my position while I was cutting

Try changing your position a bit  -  little to one side or the other - it may just help

Keep at it, you'll get it

Fab4

[WayneMahler]

Sounds like this has been well covered. The only thing I can add is to take a very fine grit of sand paper, I use a diamond hone to clean up the edge of the blade, I have adapted to the angles so I don't really notice it anymoe. Almost second nature. In time I doubt you will notice it as much. Happy Scrolling

[Lucky2]

Thomas, once you successfully cut a few long straight lines, doing so will become second nature to you. What type of blades are you using to try to cut the straight lines with, spiral or flat type? If you trying to acomplish it by using spiral blades, then good luck to you, it's very hard to do with spiral blades. If you using flat type blades, then you just need to practice and you will catch on on how to do it. On my saw, an EX21, the drift (deflecion) of the blade to cut a straight line is about three degrees. All that means, is that to cut a straight line with a flat style blade, I have to feed the stock into the blade at an angle of about three degrees off of straight on to the blade. I have never tried to cut a stright line with a spiral blade, but, I've read many times of how difficult it was to do.

Len

[amazingkevin]

All great info,for backing out of a straight line file the back of your blade a little on both sides glides out like nobody's business

Ok So Maybe I'm brain farting here but I need some guidance, so when I go to start to cut a straight line my cut is not straight but goes off to the side, now my table on my dewault is plumb but is it that my blade is off centered from top to bottom or either or, any guidance out there???

[tjcebula]

To All thanks for the replies I will take note, Granted most of all my project in my gallery are not long straight lines, to which I try to avoid, but if it has to be done I try my best and with a little sanding out

But thanks for all the replies again,

Take care all

keep making sawdust

[tjcebula]

To All Thanks for the Replies: they are all great tips and tricks, I try to avoid long straight lines as much as possible but when cutting out frames I have no choice

But again my thanks to you all

Take care god bless

Keep making Sawdust

[Falcon]

When I first started I watched a video don't remember who did it. He said when cutting a straight line it is like driving a car. You are always correcting to stay going straight same with a scroll saw pushing the board through and moving it like you would a steering wheel to keep it going straight. Takes some getting used to but now I don't even think about it. Just my 2 cents.

[Bill WIlson]

Compensating for blade drift is necessary even if the lines aren't long and straight.  You don't notice it as much on curved lines, but it still needs done.  I sit off to one side of the saw, so that I appear to be pushing the wood straight into the blade, relative to my body.  The toughest thing is switching from blades that have a lot of drift to ones that don't on the same project.  That's why my scrolling chair is on wheels.