keithv Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 I'm using a Ryobi SC-160 and Vermont American blades. I've broken several blades in short order which doesn't surprise me as a noob scroller. I'm looking at ordering some better blades online so I'm sure that will help, but I'm looking for more tips on preventing breakage. I presume there's a tension sweet spot, not too tight and not too loose? Slowing down on tight corners? Matching the correct blade(s) to the wood thickness? All of the above? Thanks in advance for your advice SCROLLSAW703, lawson56 and OCtoolguy 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 You covered the basics. Most blades won't break unless abused. I've broken my share. Another thing is that when blades get worn they build up heat which will make them weaker and more prone to breaking. There are lots of other things but I'll let others chip in. keithv, SCROLLSAW703 and OCtoolguy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Where are the blades breaking can be an indication of your problem. Are they breaking in the same place?? Is it different materials that they are breaking in?? I do not know who makes those blades for them but Flying Dutchman and Pegus blades are the best on the market for wood cutting. Prices are about the same wherever you buy. There are many specialty blades so matching the right blade to the work is important. You may want to get a starters package to try different blades and get the feel for them. You touched on a few things that cause blade breakage so you are on the right path. Good luck. SCROLLSAW703, Joe W., WayneMahler and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithv Posted February 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 They are snapping at the bottom about an inch above the pins. I forgot to make a mental note on what was being cut at the time. I don't think the material was particularly difficult stuff but I could be wrong. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 One of the biggest reasons blades break is not enough tension. If the blade flops around while it's cutting it will break. You want the blade to give a high "Ping" when you pluck it. Don't be afraid to get it that high, they are designed for it. OCtoolguy and keithv 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneMahler Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 There are a lot of things that cause blades to break. The bigger ones are speed and feed rate. If your speed is too high or your forcing the blade through the cut that is almost guaranteed breakage. Using inferior blades will cause this also. Choosing the right blade, the right speed and the right feed rate is critical in scroll sawing. Takes time to learn all of this. Olsen produced a chart for their blades. The blade chart can be found here. Great information for folks starting out. keithv, new2woodwrk and Lucky2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2woodwrk Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) Being new to this as well, I can offer some first hand experience as well... First, off these guys/gals really know their stuff - so if they say it's so, it's so. One thing that is difficult to get used to from the start is the tension of the blade. Since you're using pinned blades, make sure when you tighten the blade there is very little movement. You should be able to take your finger nail and "pluck" the blade and hear a high pitch tone - if you are musical in nature, it's around middle 'C' (closer to Bb though LOL) Next thing is your push - if you are pushing your piece too hard it will break the blade as well - I've broken 2 this way so far - there is a fine line between just right and too much. I also find myself still pushing too much. What I've found that helps me is to watch the blade - when I'm pushing my piece, I try to cast my eyes back and forth between ahead of my cut and the blade to see if I am pushing too hard. In addition, blades wear out very fast - and I mean VERY fast. As a new scroller, I'm lucky to get through 2 - 3 small works before I need to change the blade. Things that tell you it's time to change the blade include: Smell of burning wood - it is slight, but you may smell a slight burning, smoking - also comes with the burning, blade is not cutting as it did when you started the project. I notice that around the middle to end of two 3/4 x 6" Plywood piece projects, I need to change the blade - however I can get through 3 or 4 1/4" Plywood projects fairly easily. I've not started to use hard or softwoods yet, but hardwoods I am told are rough on blades as well While I know the blades that come with the saws are not that great, they are good for practice. I still use mine to practice. Hope that helps somewhat Edited February 11, 2018 by new2woodwrk keithv and SCROLLSAW703 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredfret Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 Wayne that is very good information for beginners . Only want to add that the information is good for all brands of blades. Pegas, flying Dutchman and others. Fredfret keithv and SCROLLSAW703 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawson56 Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 Welllooks like you have some Awesome Info.Everything that is mentioned up there I agree with 100%.You will get the hang of it.You will find that Sweetspot.The Village is always here to help. WayneMahler, new2woodwrk, SCROLLSAW703 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianr24 Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 I’m sure I’m in the minority hear but I like to cut with very slow saw speed. Since doing so I rarely ever break blades. I don’t cut slow for this reason I’m just more accurate at slow speed but I noticed I can cut forever and a day without changing or breaking a blade Flying Dutchman mostly #1 and #3 UR new2woodwrk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCROLLSAW703 Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 I'm not surprised to hear you're breaking blades using Vermont American. They are cheap blades, & stiff. Name brand scroll saw blades have some flex. the small blades, admittedly, do take experience because of the variables compared to larger blades. My preference is Olson or Flying Dutchman. As mentioned, were I you, I would order at least one of the sample packs from the name brands & make sawdust! Your next issue at hand is the pin type blade. Pin type blades are a different horse. When you adjust the tension on a pin type, it should be a little at a time. Adjust your tension, run your saw a seconds, adjust another turn or two, you'll be gettin close to your tension point. Run your saw a few seconds to stretch the blade, then finish adjusting your tension. The tension will be snug. Adjust to the point where you can pluck the blade, as mentioned, to a high tone. From there, once you start your project, learn to listen to the blade. Every blade has its own voice. If it starts to make a squeal type racket, it's done. Don't try to force more out of it. The next advice I would give ya is to avoid plywood at all cost, if possible. If not, use 1/4". Reason being is the glue between the layers will dull & burn blades, & cause breakage. The thicker the plywood, the worse the scenario. Remember, scrollin' is like drivin' a car. You're the driver. every move you make, sideways, whatever, shows up at the blade. As a newbie, I would spend less time right tryin' to follow a line as I would be learnin' your machine, & capabilities. Draw lines on scrap wood to try to learn to follow. Spend time with it just learnin' what it will & won't do. Blade changin' & adjustment. God Bless. new2woodwrk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 If you have the blade tension correctspeed will be the bigest reason for breakage. fery seldom will you have to use high speed if you do your blade will last less than 1/2 hour, some cases high spedd will work best but I run at about 1/2 speed and the blades last at least a hour some times more. as far as useing plywood I very seldom use any thing bigger than 1/4 in ply. I have used Vermont bladesin the past ( 20 years ago) they were good blades at that timeI haven't seen them in the past 15 years. I use olsons match blades and Pargis when I use a l#3 blade. IKE SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2woodwrk Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) 10 hours ago, SCROLLSAW703 said: I'm not surprised to hear you're breaking blades using Vermont American. They are cheap blades, & stiff. Name brand scroll saw blades have some flex. the small blades, admittedly, do take experience because of the variables compared to larger blades. My preference is Olson or Flying Dutchman. As mentioned, were I you, I would order at least one of the sample packs from the name brands & make sawdust! Your next issue at hand is the pin type blade. Pin type blades are a different horse. When you adjust the tension on a pin type, it should be a little at a time. Adjust your tension, run your saw a seconds, adjust another turn or two, you'll be gettin close to your tension point. Run your saw a few seconds to stretch the blade, then finish adjusting your tension. The tension will be snug. Adjust to the point where you can pluck the blade, as mentioned, to a high tone. From there, once you start your project, learn to listen to the blade. Every blade has its own voice. If it starts to make a squeal type racket, it's done. Don't try to force more out of it. The next advice I would give ya is to avoid plywood at all cost, if possible. If not, use 1/4". Reason being is the glue between the layers will dull & burn blades, & cause breakage. The thicker the plywood, the worse the scenario. Remember, scrollin' is like drivin' a car. You're the driver. every move you make, sideways, whatever, shows up at the blade. As a newbie, I would spend less time right tryin' to follow a line as I would be learnin' your machine, & capabilities. Draw lines on scrap wood to try to learn to follow. Spend time with it just learnin' what it will & won't do. Blade changin' & adjustment. God Bless. Good stuff this.... However, making just practice cuts, well sucks big time LOL It's really, really boring - I know for me, just making a few small cut outs were much more motivating and interesting then those boring practice cuts. At least for me anyway, I need to see a product to get motivated - it doesn't have to be a great finished product but something that resembles the pictures goes a long way to motivating which in turn goes a long way toward learning the saw. I like practicing with an actual piece - it may not be a sellable piece, but if it's good enough to hang in the shop or the rec room, I'm good to go and motivated to do more. Edited February 12, 2018 by new2woodwrk keithv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithv Posted February 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 Thank you all for the input and advice. You know it's a great community when, in a day, you get this many quality responses. I've ordered some Pegas blades to try out. I will be paying close attention to the tension and go from there. I don't think my machine is variable speed (if it is I havent figured it out LOL) and I don't think I'm pressing the feed rate. I've been working on simple cutouts and have noticed vast improvements already. I will keep practicing, and at worst, making toys that stay home for my kids to play with. They're loving the prototypes so far! new2woodwrk, WayneMahler, SCROLLSAW703 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCROLLSAW703 Posted February 12, 2018 Report Share Posted February 12, 2018 you can make projects that suit your ability. The more time you spend with your saw makin' different projects, the more you are learning about the saw & your abilities, too. Scrolling can be relaxing, therapeutic, self gratifying & learning all at the same time if you allow it to be. Sometimes runnin' practice cuts is boring, but that's how ya get to know your saw. As simple minded as this may sound, think of your saw as your new best friend. In order to get to know it, it came with an owners manual. Hopefully ya read it. the next way to get to know your saw is to cut those "boring" cuts. Like I said in my first post, draw yourself some lines on scrap wood. Even if they are straight, or kinda straight lines. Learn to follow those lines the best ya can. Then find yourself a pattern that interests ya, drill your entry holes & go at it. Boring.;\ keithv and new2woodwrk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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