I am having trouble. ""Big Time""

[hawkeye10]

I am having trouble making 90* turns and it seems I am not improving just getting worse. What I am working on now is 1/2" thick red oak and using FD UR #3 blades. I am running my saw at about 75% and have been slowing it down and speeding it up, but no luck. I also have checked the blade to make sure it's tight and sharp. I do know part of it is my vision and I am having cataract surgery next month. I will be so happy. I just don't think it's all my vision.

[Sam777]

Don,

I am by no means the expert but I am over this sharp turn hurdle. I will try to explain in my own words:

If the blade it not tight enough you will have that problem. Here we go:

As you approach the corner make sure you keep cutting until you get the corner, stop feeding the piece and let the bladed go up & down without cutting, pull on the piece gently toward you so now the back of the blade is trying to cut the wood with the back of the blade, now you need to start turning the wood and keep the little pressure on the back of the blade, you need to make that wood behave as if it is pivoting about the back of the blade. these blades actually will twist a little when you are turning the wood but once you stop turning and ready to start the next straight cut, the blade twists back to normal.

I hope I didn't confuse this.

Please experts, chime in and correct me.

Thank you

Sam

[Phantom Scroller]

Sam is correct and I use a 5 blade for oak depending on how small the detail work is and sometimes you can just turn the piece quickly and keep moving to do the 90 deg you'll just get the feel for the wood I think and how easy the blades cutting. Practice on scrap until you master it then do the real thing. Practice make perfect better  . lol .  Roly

[Scrolling Steve]

The last trivet i cut was in 3/4 red oak and i used a #5 FDUR ....Sam is right on with his advice, ....The back pressure does not have to be much, I have found that if i start the turn  a little before i get to the 90 it helps....Like Roly said we all get better with practice.

[hawkeye10]

Don,

I am by no means the expert but I am over this sharp turn hurdle. I will try to explain in my own words:

If the blade it not tight enough you will have that problem. Here we go:

As you approach the corner make sure you keep cutting until you get the corner, stop feeding the piece and let the bladed go up & down without cutting, pull on the piece gently toward you so now the back of the blade is trying to cut the wood with the back of the blade, now you need to start turning the wood and keep the little pressure on the back of the blade, you need to make that wood behave as if it is pivoting about the back of the blade. these blades actually will twist a little when you are turning the wood but once you stop turning and ready to start the next straight cut, the blade twists back to normal.

I hope I didn't confuse this.

Please experts, chime in and correct me.

Thank you

Sam

Sam I don't understand about back pressure. If scrolling on a straight line and you need to make a 90* turn to the right where do you apply slight back pressure?  

[Travis]

When you turn the corner, put pressure on the side of the blade at first.  As you turn, slowly transfer pressure from the side to the back of the blade.  You can go slowly, it doesn't have to be quick.  Once your blade is pointing the right direction, start cutting again, putting pressure on the front of the blade instead of the back.  But that should get you your square corners.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

I think this was in another thread but my response then is the same here. Just stop cutting before you make the turn and then spin the wood. What is happening is you are trying to cut while turning. Not going to happen when making sharp turns without burning. Stop cutting and put slight pressure on the back of the blade as if you are trying to cut with the back of the blade and spin the wood. You will be spinning with no problem.  

[Sam777]

Don,

Did this get clearer after Travis's explanation?

again, I'm not the expert. I will try to draw a step by step drawing with multiple diagrams and hope it will help all of us.

Thank you

sam

[hawkeye10]

I do understand a little better after reading Travis's post and I also watched a Steve Good video which helped. Steve made the comment that thinner wood was easier to learn how to turn. I used a 1/4" piece of pine and did better but I need to get more practice on turning. I hope to get better at doing this.

[WayneMahler]

I fully agree with what Sam had to say. Travis is trying to make it a little clearer about applying the pressure to the blade. I use a #5-UR for 1/2 Oak. Something I really enjoy about the village. Someone asks and other jump in to help. What A great place.

[danny]

EVERYTHING SAID ABOVE IS THE WAY I LEARNED AND I DO NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM AT PRESENT.  ONLY PRACTICE N MORE PRACTICE WILL GET YOU TO THAT POINT OF NEVER WORRYING ABOUT MAKING A 90° TURN AGAIN.    Good Luck Sam....................Danny  :+}

[Lucky2]

Don, what type of blade are you using, to try to cut the 90* corners with? Personally, I don't think you can cut a sharp corner with a spiral blade. If it's possible, I don't know how to do it. I use flat blades when trying to cut a sharp corner, I can use back pressure on the blade like Sam has mentioned.

Len

[MTCowpoke22]

Not arguing with anyone else's methods, but I do it a little differently. I cut into the corner as anyone else does, then I pull the blade back a little, 1/2 inch or so depending on the pattern, and put a little side pressure on the blade and cut back into the corner. I'm very careful about stopping on the line. This opens up a little wedge shaped cut and I can pivot the work and start my next line. Not saying its the correct way to do it, but works for me. 

[WayneMahler]

Not arguing with anyone else's methods, but I do it a little differently. I cut into the corner as anyone else does, then I pull the blade back a little, 1/2 inch or so depending on the pattern, and put a little side pressure on the blade and cut back into the corner. I'm very careful about stopping on the line. This opens up a little wedge shaped cut and I can pivot the work and start my next line. Not saying its the correct way to do it, but works for me. 

I have done this also. But you have to make sure you have waste area to accommodate the blade cutting. There are many ways to to accomplish this and all work depending on the cut / situation.

[ike]

  when you come to the point where you want to turn stop do not move the part into the bblade, now turn without any pressure added , now the blade is facing the direction you want to cut , start cutting..

IKE

[jerry1939]

A little different suggestion;

 

With FD UR blades (& maybe others, but that's mostly what I use), as you face the blade, the sharp side of the blade is on your right. Feed so that you use the sharp side to make your corner. You will notice a big difference if you try to get the "dull" side to chew it's way around the corner.

 

jerry

[Rockytime]

A little different suggestion;

 

With FD UR blades (& maybe others, but that's mostly what I use), as you face the blade, the sharp side of the blade is on your right. Feed so that you use the sharp side to make your corner. You will notice a big difference if you try to get the "dull" side to chew it's way around the corner.

 

jerry

I did not know one side is sharper than another. Your suggestion makes sense.

[dgman]

Aside from what has been discussed, here's how I teach my begginer students. I call the first one In & Out. Cut all the way to the corner, then back out the blade. Turn the work 180°, with the teeth cutting into the waste side. Now, back the blade back into the corner. From there you can easily line up the blade to the line, then off you go. This works for very sharp corners.

The second one I call a Parallel Park. This one was mentioned above. Cut to the corner. Back the blade out about 1/2" or so, then widen the kerf about the width of the blade. This gives you enough room to turn the blade into the the next line.

With these two techniques you should be able to cut perfectly sharp inside cuts.

For sharp outside cuts, I call it a U Turn. Very simply, cut past the corner into the waste. Turn the work making a u turn then line up the next line, and off you go again.

Edited October 18, 2016 by dgman

[hawkeye10]

Aside from what has been discussed, here's how I teach my begginer students. I call the first one In & Out. Cut all the way to the corner, then back out the blade. Turn the work 180°, with the teeth cutting into the waste side. Now, back the blade back into the corner. From there you can easily line up the blade to the line, then off you go. This works for very sharp corners.

The second one I call a Parallel Park. This one was mentioned above. Cut to the corner. Back the blade out about 1/2" or so, then widen the kerf about the width of the blade. This gives you enough room to turn the blade into the the next line.

With these two techniques you should be able to cut perfectly sharp inside cuts.

For sharp outside cuts, I call it a U Turn. Very simply, cut past the corner into the waste. Turn the work making a u turn then line up the next line, and off you go again.

Thanks Dan for sharing some of your trade secrets.  

[Phantom Scroller]

I forget sometimes what I now do automatically and don't even think about now. There's some get answers in this thread love it.  Roly

[amazingkevin]

When i cutting something fast i'll use a #12.When i get to the corners i have to chisel it out with the blade a couple of times before i can make the turn.Buy chisel it out i mean make a hole so i can so a u turn in and not over heat the blade to breaking temp.