Jskd82 Posted October 27, 2017 Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 Hi, I just received a cheap wen scroll saw... Just wanted to do some small work and don't really need something expensive right now. Anyways I tried it out last night and the piece if wood that I'm cutting seems to want to bounce a lot. It seems like the blade tries to pick up the workpiece with every stroke unless I hold it down really tight. I'm wondering if this is normal or if I am just doing something wrong? I've watched others using it and it doesn't seem like they are putting much downward pressure on the wood. Could it also be the blades that came with it are junk? I bought some Olson blades but it won't be here for a few more days. I also wasn't using the arm that holds the wood down but I have seen others not using it as well so figured that wouldn't be a problem. I am cutting 1/2" birch ply, thanks. lawson56 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted October 27, 2017 Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 turn the blade over and try it. We all put blades in upside down occasionally, okay at least I do, others will not admit it. WayneMahler, tomsteve and SCROLLSAW703 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrollerpete Posted October 27, 2017 Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 I think you might have the blade upside down make sure that the teeth of the blade face down not up. You have to hold your piece of wood with a slight pressure on the table, also maybe your piece of wood is warped. Hope this help SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted October 27, 2017 Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 If it is a reverse tooth blade, some teeth face up and will grab and pull the wood up. Don't push too hard, let the blade do the cutting. SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jskd82 Posted October 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 Thanks guys forgot to mention that I did check to make sure the blade wasn't upside down. I'm thinking/hoping it's just crappy blades... It doesn't seem to cut very well also... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredfret Posted October 27, 2017 Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 Tension?? to loose could cause that problem and break blades. Fredfret Wichita, ks SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 I don't use the guard/hold down so I hold the wood down with my fingers. If you get go even for a split second the wood will jump. I bet that 99& of the people here don't use the hold down. Just hold the wood down with your fingers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkey Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 11 minutes ago, hawkeye10 said: I don't use the guard/hold down so I hold the wood down with my fingers. If you get go even for a split second the wood will jump. I bet that 99& of the people here don't use the hold down. Just hold the wood down with your fingers. The first thing I did was take it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 9 hours ago, Jskd82 said: Hi, I just received a cheap wen scroll saw... Just wanted to do some small work and don't really need something expensive right now. Anyways I tried it out last night and the piece if wood that I'm cutting seems to want to bounce a lot. It seems like the blade tries to pick up the workpiece with every stroke unless I hold it down really tight. I'm wondering if this is normal or if I am just doing something wrong? I've watched others using it and it doesn't seem like they are putting much downward pressure on the wood. Could it also be the blades that came with it are junk? I bought some Olson blades but it won't be here for a few more days. I also wasn't using the arm that holds the wood down but I have seen others not using it as well so figured that wouldn't be a problem. I am cutting 1/2" birch ply, thanks. I didn't even read your post.the WEN part made me nauseous .get rid of it! Bottom of the barrel saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky2 Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 You are probably using a reverse tooth blade, they have a tendency of lifting the wood off of the cutting table. When using them, you will have to hold the piece your working on down with a bit more pressure. That is the characteristics of these types of blades, if you run your saw at a lower speed you should n't have as much of an issue. Try cutting with a different style of blade, just to se what happens. Len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crupiea Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 Hold it down, its a saw so it will pick up the wood and scare the heck out of you when it does. Just hold it down and practice. Also try picking the speed up just a bit to see if its more controllable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jskd82 Posted October 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 I tightened the tension a bit and it got a little better.... Not sure if it's reverse blade but it's the blade that came with it. Sorry I can't really afford an expensive saw right now but would love to get one in the future as I can see how fun this can be. I also played with speed and it seems very slow to cut so I just put it at a higher speed and seems like I really have to drive the wood into the blade and that when it gets some really bad vibration from both the wood and the machine itself. Thanks for the tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 9 hours ago, Jskd82 said: I tightened the tension a bit and it got a little better.... Not sure if it's reverse blade but it's the blade that came with it. Sorry I can't really afford an expensive saw right now but would love to get one in the future as I can see how fun this can be. I also played with speed and it seems very slow to cut so I just put it at a higher speed and seems like I really have to drive the wood into the blade and that when it gets some really bad vibration from both the wood and the machine itself. Thanks for the tips. Can you tell us what blade you are using and what you are trying to cut with it? If you are cutting something very thin with a very coarse blade that might cause it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crupiea Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 Nothing wrong with a cheaper saw, it will still work fine,. What you need is to invest in some blades. they come in a wide range of sizes depending on what you are cutting. Imagine using a hacksaw to cut down a tree or a chain saw to cut a sheet of plywood. obviously you need the right tool for the job. look into some blades and you will much more satisfied with your saw in general. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 31 minutes ago, crupiea said: Nothing wrong with a cheaper saw, it will still work fine,. What you need is to invest in some blades. they come in a wide range of sizes depending on what you are cutting. Imagine using a hacksaw to cut down a tree or a chain saw to cut a sheet of plywood. obviously you need the right tool for the job. look into some blades and you will much more satisfied with your saw in general. I see you and Runa and I are neighbors. Only a couple of hours apart. crupiea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockytime Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 You can buy an assortment from most vendors which will give you the opportunity to experiment. That's what did but still have not decided which I like best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crupiea Posted October 29, 2017 Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 On 10/28/2017 at 12:36 PM, octoolguy said: I see you and Runa and I are neighbors. Only a couple of hours apart. We are taking the joint over!! OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim McDonald Posted October 30, 2017 Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 On 10/28/2017 at 5:30 AM, Jskd82 said: I tightened the tension a bit and it got a little better.... Not sure if it's reverse blade but it's the blade that came with it. Sorry I can't really afford an expensive saw right now but would love to get one in the future as I can see how fun this can be. I also played with speed and it seems very slow to cut so I just put it at a higher speed and seems like I really have to drive the wood into the blade and that when it gets some really bad vibration from both the wood and the machine itself. Thanks for the tips. An expensive saw will not make the wood stay on the table any better than a freebie!. But, good blades will make an inexpensive saw cut much better. You can take the top of the line saw and put in a crappy blade and even the most experienced person here will have problems with the blade. Do yourself a big favor and get some Olson or Flying Dutchman blades (lots of online sources). IMHO, the Pegas blades are a bit too aggressive for a new cutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montserrat Posted October 30, 2017 Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 Ah, but the Pegas stay straight on the line - no angle of the piece necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted October 30, 2017 Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 LOts of good advice here. First let me say welcome to the scrolling world. You will have to be patient if you want to become an accomplished scroller. Scrolling is slow and is designed to do so because you are cutting intricate work. Yes the blade you are using is probably too course of a blade. The jumping up and down will disappear when you get the feel of how much to hold the wood down and still be able to spin it. Allowing the blade to do the cutting will also help the jumping because if you push too hard you do not allow the blade to clear the kerf of the cut from saw dust. Some woods are more prone to cut tougher and that goes for simple pine too. A good sharp blade will mean a world of difference. As far as the saw jumping you need to secure it to something solid. Some people add a layer of rubber between the saw and table to absorb vibrations. Maybe a photo of your setup would help us to add more comments. But for the most part do not be in a hurry because scrolling is not a fast way to cut wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jskd82 Posted October 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 Thanks guys so after tensioning the blade it cut thru the 1/2 birch ply pretty smoothly. But struggles with 3/4 walnut so I'm guessing I'm using the wrong blade for that hard wood. I'm not sure exactly what kind of blade the machine came with but I ordered some of these blades https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01NGTYV2Q00G33Q6Q , not sure if it's the correct ones needed for harder woods. I can't find any blades locally, only home depot carries blades but it's the ryobi ones and it doesn't seem like it has good reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Scroller Posted October 30, 2017 Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 Great comments also turn the speed down see if it makes a difference. Roly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blights69 Posted October 30, 2017 Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 The machine has a motor and an arm like all other machines irrelevant of price the motor will move the arm to work the machine the finer things come with a dearer one less vibration better reliability easier blade change etc etc etc your issue I am sure although it will never be a top line saw will be blade choice find a depot near you that supplies a multitude of blades and get a range you will find one that sits ok with the saw you have once you find it keep to that and once you get the hang of it and know its for you save for a better saw if you want one you may find you get on with that for a while I learnt on an old Axminster that was broken in half at the base I chemical metal and bolted it to a long board to learn on before I bought a new saw if you wanna see vibration that there is the meaning of vibration lol , good luck with the saw and blade and be sure to post your items on here for us all to see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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