Blade Cheat Sheet

[Vector01]

Here's something that might help those just getting started in scrollen. Common questions are a) what blade to use on a particular piece/thickness of wood? and B) How long should the blades last?

When I first started scrollen again I spent a lot of money on blades that either I didn't really need or I didn't like. After about a month...I said to myself this is nuts! I needed a simple way to compare and keep a record of the blades as I used them. So I came up with this idea.

[attachment=0]cheat sheet1.jpg[/attachment]

I could never remember from one cut to another how well a particular blade performed, lasted, etc. This "cheat sheet" gave me a record of some basic info on the blades so that I could refer back when either cutting the same type of wood or when I needed to order new blades. The first box "Material" lets you note what type of wood you're cutting. The next "Thickness" lets you note the material thickness. "Blade-TPI" gives you a place to note the make,size and TPI of the blade. "Saw Speed" lets you indicate your saw speed (in percentage from 0-100%) settings. Note...My saw is rated at a top speed of 1600 spm. It's impossible to accurately determine the actual saw speed at any given setting. I just go by the speed knob 25-50-75-100 percent. The next box "Comments" allows you to make notes on how the blade cuts, how many blades used, is it burning the wood, etc. The last box "Perf" lets you rate the overall performance of that blade with all other factors considered. I normally rate the blade from "0" to "10". Ten being the best. Anything for me under a "5" I wont use again. It's important to remember that a particular blade will perform diffrently with various woods, speeds, etc. So I try the same blade on different woods just to get a fair comparison. I hope this helps.

[merlin]

That could be handy, providing I remember to write it down before I forget.LOL.

 

 

Merlin

[Huntter2022]

Great ideal , and could also save ya money

thanks for sharing it with us

[NiTay614]

I have made a notebook which contains pictures of the things I make. Behind each picture is a material listing sheet which contains an extensive listing of paints, brushes, technique etc. utilized in that project. If there are Things that are of a specific issue, these things are also noted. This enables me to reproduce the item without having to strain my brain to recall the what, when, how, and the why.

[Helenm2807]

Great ideas - both the cheat sheet and Nita's super-organised notebook. I keep telling myself I should be doing something like this but tend to get caught up in the enthusiasm of the moment and all the technical bits get forgotten. Perhaps I need to mention it to my other half (who is also my soulmate/accountant/adminstrator/salesman/organic filofax)