How Do You Feed Your Scroll Saw? - A Suggestion

[CharleyL]

I teach woodworking and sometimes demonstrate at fairs and trade shows. Somewhere, many (about 45) years ago I discovered that I could control my scroll saw cuts much better if I didn't use my elbows and arms to steer and feed  the wood into the blade, and just used my fingers to do this. There are times and occasions when you will do better not using just your finger muscles, but learning to do it with just your fingers for most of your cutting is really worthwhile. You advanced scrollers probably have already learned this, so this tip is mostly being directed at the newer scrollers and anyone who has not already learned this. 

I keep the heels of my hands (the palm pads just forward of my wrists) resting on the front edge of the saw table and I just use my fingers to steer the wood and feed it into the blade. Doing this gives me much better control of the cut, so I have been teaching this to my students and they all seem to grasp the ability of following the pattern lines in intricate and small work much quicker. With other wood cutting tools, it's very common to use your elbows, arm, and shoulder muscles to feed the wood into the blade or bit, so it's only natural to do this when first learning to use a scroll saw. It's a little hard to retrain yourself to not use your arm and elbow muscles, but the conversion is definitely worth doing when scrolling, as has been proven many times with my students.

All I'm suggesting is that you try this yourself to see the difference that it makes. You will catch yourself reverting back to the arm and elbow method many times, but keep telling yourself to use just your fingers, and very quickly you should see a significant improvement in your ability to follow the pattern lines in intricate work.. 

Charley

[Scrappile]

Charley I agree, very good advice.  When I first started scrolling, I struggled, a lot.  Someone, sorry forgot who, on here advised me to relax. Lower my shoulders and breath normal.  That little bit of wisdom changed the who picture for me.  I did not realize I was so tense that I had my shoulders hunched up around my ears and I would hold my breath.  When I followed that advice, I started doing as you recommend, using my fingers to control feeding the wood and steering it to cut.  It came natural.

Edited May 24, 2017 by Scrappile

[stoney]

That is very good advice Charley and will help many beginners.   I guess it is quite natural to use the arms and shoulders when first using a scroll saw.   I remember when I first started my neck and back would tighten up after just a short while.   Beginner scrollers have a tendency to over react when going off the pattern lines which also causes fatigue.     Thanks again Charley you provided a very worth while service today.    

[WayneMahler]

Sound advice Charley. When I first started scrolling I struggled with everything. Once I started getting a little more comfortable I relaxed and things started coming together. I had learned this the hard way. I wished when I was learning I knew this and about some of the forums. Would have been so much help.

[tuner]

I also agree with you Charley and years back i found that when starting with a square piece of wood  i cut each corner off, this gives me 8 edges for my fingers to use in turning the work, for me it seems to help the control work

Edited May 24, 2017 by tuner

[Scrolling Steve]

Thanks , Charley !.....I have only been scrolling about 3 years and have learned a lot from advice given on this forum !

[Grumpy Old Bear]

Charley, like I have said before, you have a lot of useful knowledge stuffed in your head. Me, being smart a** that I am I was going to reply and say my saw is old enough to feed itself, but after reading the information you offered, I didn't want to detract from its value.

Thanks again for the great information. 

[hotshot]

Like you, I also drive with the tips of my fingers.  When cutting small stuff, there really is no choice :-)  This is one of the reasons I'm so opposed to the big "Coin Jigs": they defeat the fingertip style of "driving." 

I think the most serious learning obstacle for the beginner is pushing the wood sideways to "get back to the line."  It is very very natural to exert sideways pressure, which is very bad if you are cutting puzzle boxes and 3d stuff.  

When working with new users (and when checking my own form), I periodically release all feed pressure, and if it jumps left or right, then that indicates I'm applying side pressure.  Of course "Jumping" wood is also a good indicator.

 

Edited May 25, 2017 by hotshot

[Tommy Johnson]

That is one of the first things that I learned from  the scrolling class that I took years ago. Your able to scroll longer without your shoulder, arms or elbows getting sore!

 

[Jim Finn]

I agree with this idea of using your fingers more  and not the arms as much.  My 74 year old right shoulder taught me to lower that elbow and rest the heel of my hands on the saw table.  I can saw for hours with no pain.  I saw while seated, and the saw table then at chest height.  I have told folks, that I am trying to teach how to best use a scroll saw, that when trying to follow a line, steer the wood like you do when driving  a car.  Little left little right to stay on the line.  This helps to avoid the temptation to push the blade sideways.

[Sycamore67]

I think finding a position that is comfortable is the key.  For me, having the heels of my hands on the table does not work.  Peru, I do not have any issue with sore shoulders or elbows.  It will make a big difference where the work is.  Is the work at chest level like mentioned or higher or lower.  I think one should try different positions and find one that works for you.  So many of us are older with a lifetime of wearing out different parts of their bodies and this will have an effect on what position works best.

When cutting thicker pieces, I routinely relax pressure to check if I am pushing right or left.

[CharleyL]

On 5/24/2017 at 3:17 PM, hotshot said:

Like you, I also drive with the tips of my fingers.  When cutting small stuff, there really is no choice :-)  This is one of the reasons I'm so opposed to the big "Coin Jigs": they defeat the fingertip style of "driving." 

I think the most serious learning obstacle for the beginner is pushing the wood sideways to "get back to the line."  It is very very natural to exert sideways pressure, which is very bad if you are cutting puzzle boxes and 3d stuff.  

When working with new users (and when checking my own form), I periodically release all feed pressure, and if it jumps left or right, then that indicates I'm applying side pressure.  Of course "Jumping" wood is also a good indicator.

 

I agree with you Hotshot,

 I tell my my students to spin the wood around the blade with just  their fingers and not their arms to follow the pattern lines, but only push the wood straight toward the blade and away from them when they want to cut it,  using only their fingers. I also show them that they can stop cutting anywhere, while still leaving the saw running as long as they hold the wood down, then continue cutting whenever they are ready without causing problems. Also, I have to stress that speed is not the goal in scroll sawing. Staying on or very close to the pattern line is the goal. The tiny teeth on the blade can remove only a tiny bit of wood with each stroke, so pushing the wood into the blade harder will only break the blade. It will not cut any faster. I also had one woman who kept starting and stopping the saw with the foot switch as she cut, like is done when sewing, which is where she must have learned to do this. I finally took the foot switch away from her and made her just stop feeding the wood into the blade when she wanted to stop cutting. It only took about 10 minutes for her to realize that she could stop cutting anytime without stopping the saw, and I was able to give her back the foot switch. When they feed the saw using just their fingers it has been very easy for me to get them out of the habit of trying to cut with the side of the blade. I can usually get them broke of all of these bad habits in the first 1-2 hours of cutting, and their ability to stay on the pattern lines improves rapidly after that. I've also had a few students that had great difficulty when trying to cut curves. They kept turning the work in the opposite direction, as if they were steering the blade instead of the wood. One of them never seemed to be able to figure this out, and after the first session, she never came back to try again. The rest solved their mental block problems and became very good at scrolling. It just took them about 1/2 hour more than the rest. 

Scroll sawing is very different from the rest of woodworking, sewing, and other hand/eye coordination tasks in life. Some grasp it quickly, while others take much longer to break themselves of their habits. It's great fun for me to see them suddenly " catch on" with how to do it right and the smile of satisfaction that suddenly shows on their faces. From there on they do very well and most "get hooked" on the scrolling hobby, becoming better and better as their skills improve. One student went out and bought himself an Excalibur saw after only two scrolling sessions. With his added practice time between sessions on his own saw he became very good very quickly. All that I had to do in his few remaining sessions was share a few additional  tips  with him. 

 

I'm not trying to get you to stop using your arms and shoulders to reduce neck, arm, and shoulder pain, although it may also do this. I'm recommending just using your fingers because I have found that resting the heels of my hands on the front edge of the table and just using my fingers to turn and feed the wood gives me much better control of where the blade cuts, and I think my students agree with me.. For the most part boards are much larger and are being fed to the tool in a straight line when using other woodworking power tools.. Precision movements aren't the real issue there, since both the wood and the tool are much larger.and you have to use your arm, elbow, and shoulder muscles when feed the larger pieces of wood into them. With scroll saws, the job is much too  small, delicate, and precise to feed the blade this way and still be able to steer the wood well at the same time,. Just try doing it my way for a while and see the accuracy improvement in your work for yourself.  Relax, take a deep breath and let it back out. Let your arm and shoulder muscles relax, rest the heels of your hands on the front edge of the saw table, and ,manipulate your work with just your fingers, pushing the wood gradually toward the front of the blade each time you get the pattern line lined up with the blade cutting direction. Use slow rotating motions to follow curves and even motions while applying enough pressure to feed the wood forward. Stay with this for a while and I think you will see a significant improvement, if you have been using your arm, elbow, and shoulder muscles before this. 

Charley

Edited May 25, 2017 by CharleyL
additional paragraph added

[Gonzo]

Hunched up shoulders, Guilty!  Not breathing, Guilty!  So many times I have found that I have to tell myself to breath and relax my shoulders. I honestly don't even know how I set my hands when I'm scrolling.

So, thank you Charley!  

[heppnerguy]

i guess relaxation comes with experience on doing about anything. Like learning to drive a car. I can remember how tired my hands would become in a short time, when I first started. Now I find driving and scroll sawing very relaxing. I guess I never even realized when i transitioned and was relaxed as I cut and as i drove. I have to say that I have never become as relaxed as Amazing Kevin, because i have never fallen asleep while cutting something on my scroll saw.

 

Dick

heppnerguy

[lawson56]

Now this is Awesome Advice.I to learned the hard way.No one to teach me when I first started.This is Awesome advice for the Beginner.

[cnkcustoms02]

At the risk of being a smart butt I'll go along with the title and say A FORK AND A KNIFE lol

[ike]

Try them all and see which one suites you best,

IKE

[CharleyL]

2 hours ago, cnkcustoms02 said:

At the risk of being a smart butt I'll go along with the title and say A FORK AND A KNIFE lol

I eat a lot of sawdust, but I don't need a fork or a knife. Now go try scroll sawing by steering the part with just your fingers and the heels of your hands resting on the front edge of your scroll saw's table. True, you can't always do this when cutting larger projects, but smaller and more precise work requires better control, and this is the best solution that I have come up with.It works very well for my students as well as me. I think you will like the result.

Charley

Edited May 26, 2017 by CharleyL

[cnkcustoms02]

That's very similar to the way I do it so it won't take much practice lol

[Chunkthekid]

Thank you for sharing. I am still very green to scrolling and I hadn't really paid attention to how I was feeding the saw. I thought I was doing good but once I read this I really started paying attention to using my fingers and WHOA! big improvement. So thanks again to you and all of the others that share these useful tips to us rookies!

[amazingkevin]

i'll never forget the saw with no blower .I'd huff and puff till i got a saw with a working one.It was hard not to remember not to huff and puff ,lol