pattyb Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 I am just getting into scroll sawing. I was playing around with a pattern & there was some veigning in it. When I drilled a hole for the blade to go through, the hole was always very obvious. Is there a way around this? pattyb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviegwood Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 hi patty, welcome to the forum and a new addiction. there are a couple of quick things that i can point out for your situation. first you use the very smallest drill bit that will allow you to feed your blade through, you can drill you entry hole in a place where you have enough wood stock on both sides of the vein and widen your cut just a little to sort of feather out the entry hole somewhat. if you have the mini drill bits and use spiral blades you should be able to cut the veining without any problems and your entry hole will not be obvious. i am not sure if we have a blade/ bit chart here but most blade manufacturers will have this chart on their site. mike at mike's workshop has a chart and sells flying dutchman blades. he is well versed in scrolling and a gem to talk to when you call. i hope that this is some help. steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayton717 Posted February 26, 2010 Report Share Posted February 26, 2010 Hi Patty and welcome to your new addiction. I agree with Steve, use the smallest bit possible. On areas where the hole is visible I just widen the cut to make the hole invisible, sometimes this is still not completey possible but do the best you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattyb Posted February 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2010 Thank you both for your suggestions. I think I will try the spiral blade. It seems like they would be easier to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviegwood Posted February 26, 2010 Report Share Posted February 26, 2010 Thank you both for your suggestions. I think I will try the spiral blade. It seems like they would be easier to work with. patty, do not bet that they are easier. i have tried them in the past and they have a mind of there own. i can not get used to them. steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Thank you both for your suggestions. I think I will try the spiral blade. It seems like they would be easier to work with. patty, do not bet that they are easier. i have tried them in the past and they have a mind of there own. i can not get used to them. steve I'm in agreement with Steve on these spirals , good luck for I have tryed them and never again for me ....... ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayton717 Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 I agree with Steve and Marshall about spirals. I used them a few times but just can't get the hang of them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messman Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Don't let Clayton, Marshall, and Steve scare you away from the spiral blades. Spiral blades are a breeze to use, they are just about the only blade I use for my work, they just require being steady with you hands. The thing you need to remember is that they cut in all directions. So if you apply a liitle pressure in a direction you do not want to go, well the blade is going to cut the direction you are pushing ( I guess that would actually be the oppisite direction your are pushing) If you need any help make sure you ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviegwood Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 let me clarify myself here as it was not my intention to scare you away from spiral blades nor to start a blade war. i am quite sure no one else intended this either. i have seen some beautiful cuttings done with nothing but spiral blades. ? for chris, what wood do you use for your cuttings for the most part? I use primarily solid red oak and when using spirals they tend to want to follow the softer grain of the wood instead of the line of the pattern. in a tighter grain wood or plywood i would think that they would be easier to control. i have seen chris's work and it is outstanding and i applaud him for doing it with spirals. now i like my flat blades just because i am used to them and i personally can control them better in the red oak that i use, generally i use 5/8" thick wood. i will admit that the only spirals that i have used have been olson blades and i found that they added more sanding time to my projects. i certainly would have been thrilled if i could have caught the hang of using spiral blades as i have several projects that are to big for my saw and i could accomplish getting them cut if i could get the spirals to work for me. enough jabbering. steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messman Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Sorry, wasn't trying to start a war on anything. I typically use baltic birch for my cuttings, and you are right, the blade can get away from you in the loose grained woods such as red oak, but this can be controlled by your feed rate. When I cut red oak I turn the saw speed all the way up and slow my feed rate way down (Not that, is the right technique, just the way I do it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 27, 2010 Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 2cents worth here on spirals I can't seem to get used too them, So to do a wide vein I first cut with the usual/normal blade then use a 2/0 spiral to open the cut. The spiral just seems to follow the first cut, but be mindful don't let the consertration wander the spiral will get away from you. Merlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 LOL always the controversy about using spiral blades. Welcome to scrolling and SSV Patti. You just have to try a little of everything and choose what suits you best. I personally love spirals and use them almost exclusively. And if you like Flying Dutchman blades (the best in my opinion) you can go to Mike's workshop and order your blades...........and he tells you which size drill bits are right for which blade............and he is the perfect one to order from, especially as a new scroller. If you order the wrong thing..........he will make sure you get what you really need. He's helped me soooo many times. And if you are unsure and would like to sample certain ones he'll do that for you too. It's a great way to learn! He's ships fast too. There is loads of information on his site too. So check it out.... http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm The most important thing about scrolling is to have a great time! Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntter2022 Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 Patti Blades are what ever you are comfortable using . For someone just starting out I would suggest trying different blades. I love The Flying Dutchman blades , I have spiral blades as well as flat blades (ultra-Reverse )in different sizes. Depending on what your cutting makes a different on the size and type blade you use . It is hard to explain you will know which blades work best for you and your saw. You have started a hobby that has will give you hours of relaxion and pleasure David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two saws Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Welcome to the world of scrolling !! I have been scrolling for 5 years and I use both spiral and regular blades from Flying Dutchman. Being in agreement with every one about using the smallest drill bit that you can get the blade through is the start. If you use the regular blades to cut the veining with, than go back with a # 2/0 spiral and it will open up the width and will hide the entrance hole. There is another way of doing veining that requires using 2 blades put together and clamp into the blade holders. This works fairly well once you get the hang of getting the blades exactly match up to each other. Hope this helps and good cutting!!! Ervin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson River Rick Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Hi Patty, Welcome to Scroll Saw Village. Before you realize it, you are going to be hooked so get ready to make a bunch of saw dust. To address your question, someone on one of the other sites suggested drilling a series of holes in line using the smallest drill bit you can and then insert the saw blade on it's thinnest axis which is the thickness of the blade. The distance from the teeth of the blade to the back spine of the blade is the widest axis. I hope this is clearer then it sounds, because I tried it and it works. Veining is no longer a painful chore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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