spiral blades?

[gonefishing]

I tried these spirals out real quick last night but noticed in tight places it spliterd the wood using one fourth in. birch wood am i going to fast? or is there a secret to using them lol aanyone whos used them I could use some tips. Do i use tape or something like that would sure like to be able to use them I only have a 16 in. saw would be able to make larger projects. Anyway any tips would be greatly welcomed by the way if you havnt noticed i sure cant spell lol

[cdharden]

Spiral bade can be very tricky to use ! If you are new to scrolling they can ruin your day in heart beat so my suggestiong is to not use them if you are just starting out, If you Sneeze it can go bad for you. The design of blade is like a round rasp that gouges wood when you use it.

 

I have made a couple of dulcimers were I used them for just the purpose you mentioned to overcome the 16" problem in cutting sound holes. I have found when it get a little hard to handle slow the saw way down you are not in race to finish it right. The Thickness of the wood can make a difference in how well any blade preforms . at 1/4 inch you may consider stack cutting and if you didnt want two or more give it Aunt whats her name she loves everything.

 

I found a trick over Christmas season. I was having a difficult time cutting Oak 1" thick. The blades I had Kept wowing becuase it need more pressure to cut. I could no get a 90 degree straight up and down cut it would be either way in at the bottom or way out of the bondreries( I cant spell either). Late at nite no way to get more blades I grabed a spiral blade and found that it was perfect for the task. It cut square and allowed me control to true up my mangled mess in the other cuts.

 

Don't know if this helps any but that is my tip for the day

 

Carl

[Gypsum]

I'm not sure where the splintering is occurring. If it is on top of the piece, the blade is in upside down. Run your finger nail up the blade, if it drags, that is the way it should go into the saw.

 

There will be some splintering on the bottom of the piece even if the spiral blade is installed correctly, i.e. fuzzies that the portrait cutters burn off. Since a properly installed blade cuts on the down stroke, fuzzies should be minimal. If the blade is upside down it will be very noticeable on the top of the piece. I use spirals almost exclusively and I have installed them backwards. It happens. Efforts to reduce the fuzzies consist of attaching card stock, waste wood, cardboard, or some other expendable material to the bottom of the piece. I usually use movers tape on the top of the piece for lubrication.

 

As far as speed of the blade, I usually run at 60-75%. What may be more important is the speed at which the piece is fed into the blade. Let the blade cut the wood. By that, I mean there should not be more than 1/8" deflection of the blade as it cuts. More than that usually indicates pushing the piece faster than the blade can cut. Hope that helps.

[medic_149]

Just a quick question on your wood. were you using birch hardwood or just birch plywood. I have tried birch plywood from lowes and found i get a lot of what i call chip outs. where sections on the bottom chip. I think this is caused from the way the grain runs. when cutting smal detailed things, theres not enough to keep he wood from breaking from the pressure of the blade on the cheaper type of plywood. That being said, I do use spirals exclusivly as i find them easier to use. A lot of people dont like them because they can wonder as the will cut in all directions. But if you go slow you can control that somwehat. It is very hard to get fine detailing with a spiral due to that fact that they cut all directions and will have a wider kerf than a standard straight blade. They are also harder to get 90 degree cuts with, but this can be accomplished with some practice. take a piece of test wood. cut a straight line with it. mark a stopping point on a line and stop when you get to it. you will find that the blade will cut a little farther than the stopping point due to the blade flexing from pressure as it cuts. with practice you can learn the blades stopping point, stop just shy of it and let the blade catch up, then turn the corner and you will have a good 90 degree cut. Spirals do have a learning curve, but with practice you can use them. I hope this helps you. Also note this is just my personal experience, as I have only been scrolling a little over a year. For me the spirals were a lot easier than standard blades, But again this is just my personal preference.. It really is up to each individual as what will work best for them and their machine. Just relax and have fun because thats what this hobby is all about.