what blades to stock

[malc]

Newbee question, waiting for my new scrollsaw to arrive, Scheppach DECO 402 400mm Scroll Saw , What grade blades should I get to give me a general supply to start with? I think I will be cutting plywood to start with until I get the hang of things.

Malc

[Clayton717]

Hi Malc, I myself keep several blades sizes on hand. The one I use the most is a #5r flying dutchman. I cut plywood to 3/4"+ hardwood with the 5r. I alos keep a few sizes of olsen blades in stock. But my opinion is the flying dutchmans cut better and stay sharper. Contact Mike at www.mikesworkshop.com. He can tell you what blade will work the best for what you are cutting. Great guy and great service. Hope this helps you a little.

[Marshall]

Hi Malc, I myself keep several blades sizes on hand. The one I use the most is a #5r flying dutchman. I cut plywood to 3/4"+ hardwood with the 5r. I alos keep a few sizes of olsen blades in stock. But my opinion is the flying dutchmans cut better and stay sharper. Contact Mike at http://www.mikesworkshop.com. He can tell you what blade will work the best for what you are cutting. Great guy and great service. Hope this helps you a little.

I'm with Clayton on this also Malc , I also think that the Flying Dutchman are the best > for I've tryed just ablout all the blades that are out their .........Marshall

[Travis]

It really depends on the thickness of the wood you're working with. If you're working between 1/8" to 1/2", my go-to blade is the #3 scroll reverse. Its a flat blade that has good control, but can get into tight details pretty easy. If you have large sweeping curves or straight lines, a larger blade (#5 scroll reverse) works better as id doesn't wander as much. But detail cutting is much more difficult. If you have very fine details, 2/0 scroll reverse is great. Since its such a small blade, it does get a bit squirrely to control. But the tight detail work, its amazing.

 

You can also consider a spiral blade. This allows you to cut in all directions. It can be difficult to control on straight lines. I typically use spiral blades on portrait style cutting with a lot of organic/wavy lines. The kerf is much larger on these blades. I typically use a #3 scroll reverse spiral and a #1 scroll reverse spiral. I use Flying Dutchman from Mike's Workshop. He has a sampler pack as well that might be worth looking into. I'd definitely mail-order your blades. The stuff they sell at the hardware store are overpriced and garbage. Stick to the name brands: Flying Dutchman, Pegas, and Olson and you'll do great.

[Vector01]

I cut 1/4" baltic birch ply using FD-PSR5 blades. For really close detail I'll use FD-SP(puzzle) blades. I found the PSR5 blades do great for not only on 1/4" ply but I've used them on 5/8" Madrone, 1/2" red oak and recently 1/2" purple heart (fairly hard woods).

 

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you are not living in the U.S.(name of the saw and referring to mm). I don't know what blades are available in your area. I would suggest that you go either to Olson or Mike's site (FD blades) and check their "blade charts." You will be able to cross reference the blades suggested against whats available in your area. You are looking to match teeth per inch, blade width and blade thickness. The blade charts will also suggest what type blades to use on different woods and thickness.

 

If you want an example of the types of cuts done with these blades, check out the galleries of the different scrollers. They usually indicate the type of wood and blade used. At the bottom of their posts there is normally a link to their galleries.

 

Have Fun!