Amount of pressure to apply on piece

[new2woodwrk]

I've been reading a lot of threads and articles and the one theme I continue to read is "let the piece move itself through the blade".

However, my wood does NOT move by itself, I have to apply pressure to move it through the blade and sometimes such as my current project, quite a bit of pressure.

I have to apply pressure both through the blade as well as down  or I get chatter from the piece.

I'm currently using FD #3 UR blades on a 1" think BB 1/4" stack - I've changed to #5  and #7 with no real difference - well #7 was terrible

Am I doing this wrong?

Thanks in advance

Edited February 23, 2018 by new2woodwrk

[NC Scroller]

No matter what you have read or heard it is impossible to cut in a scroll saw without applying pressure.  When I teach or demonstrate to adults I actually put my finger on a running #5 blade to show how safe scrolling is.  You have to develop a "feel" on how much downward and forward pressure to use.  Think of it in terms of feeding the wood into the blade. Enough to cut but not enough to bend the blade from 90 degrees.

[kmmcrafts]

1" thick stack is quite a few.. I do not "like" to cut more than 3/4" thick stacks.. and many times only stack 1/2 -5 /8 BB ply.. That BB ply is some tough stuff to cut through.. and the blades dull pretty fast comparing to cutting solid wood.. 

Really hard to describe how hard to feed the wood in words, LOL  My best advice is.. watch the blade.. you don't want to push so hard that you are flexing the blade back.. Maybe watch it and push until you see a slight flex? then back off just a tad? 

Maybe someone else will be able to describe it better than I can..

[WayneMahler]

Best to let the blade do the work. Apply enough pressure to let the blade cut at a steady pace while moving and guiding the piece along. Also use a #3 UR is not a very good idea. The blade has a reversed tooth every third tooth so it cut on the up stroke. This tooth keeps the saw dust from clearing properly in a deep cut slowing things down and helping to create more heat. This would actually apply to all the UR blades because of the geometry they are made by. A skip tooth blade will clear out the kerf and run cooler and longer but leave a rougher surface for clean up. 

[Paladin]

I too like to keep my stacks to around 3/4, and as Wayne said, the UR#3 might not be the best blade for a thicker stack like that.  It may cut a little less aggressively, but my favorite blade is still the FD Penguin Silver Reverse - and I use almost exclusively the #3 size.  It cuts really smooth, and the skip-tooth design keeps it cool.

[fredfret]

Any blade with reverse teeth will want to lift the project some the more reverse teeth in contact the more lift. As mentioned by others feed rate/pressure is just enough to allow the wood to move and the plade to keep up. Let the blade stay in contact with the wood but not bend enough that you can see it is bent while still cutting. It will take time to get the feel for feeding the wood into the blade. I might recomment that you use the hold down on the saw so you don't need to hold the wood down as muchas you indicate.

Fredfret

Wichita, Ks

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Scrolling is a hobby. The very first rule is to relax and let the saw do the cutting. It is not a fast hobby in that the projects you work on are not going to be spit out in record time. It is a hobby where hand eye coordination takes over. It is a hobby where touch and feel are important as well as listening to the saw. You feel with your hands and become aware of what needs to be done. You learn the pressure points, not only pushing but downward and also sideward. This is all learned over time and becomes muscle memory and once you acquire it and you will, it does not go away like riding a bike.

As mentioned you are challenging yourself a little too hard in that 1" of plywood is tough to scroll even for the best of scrollers. With plywood you have wood grain direction to contend with as well as the glue used to hold the plys together. This all wears out blades that much faster. The blade you chose is part of your problem in that it is too small for the project and the type makes it difficult to control because of the teeth direction. I too love FD penguin silver reverse #5 blades. These are my go to blades and have been for years. Not to big or too small and last a long time. yet the small amount of reverse teeth on the bottom of the blade does help with fussies.

Tough to explain the pressure thing for as I said it is a feel thing but if you know what to look for it helps to read what is happening. See when you are fighting your cuts you now are not relaxing and too many bad things will happen. I suggest the first thing is cut that stack in half and go from there. As you get better at it you can increase and push the limits. But you need basics first. Good luck.  

[Bill WIlson]

I generally like the FDUR blades, but for something that thick, they are likely part of the problem you are having with the stack lifting.  FDUR blades have more reverse teeth than a regular reverse tooth blade, so they will tend to be a little more "grabby" on the up stroke, especially in thick material like you are cutting.  You can probably get away with using them if you cut the stack thickness down, as has been suggested, or choose a different, larger blade with less reverse teeth, as has been suggested.

 

[Dan]

Blades will bow or deflect. You will probably have to break a few blades to figure out what is enough pressure versus what is too much. 1" of plywood is a lot but you have to figure it out. Don't fret (pun intended) we all had to figure it out. 

[SCROLLSAW703]

What Mr. Fred & JT said. first things first. As mentioned, you are attemptin' to cut a 1" stack of ply with wood in different directions all thru it. And with a #3 blade. After you break, bend, dull, & burn up your 25th blade, so to speak, you'll see what's bein' said. Cut it it half, & be done with it. 

You're askin' about down pressure, in front of & behind the blade. Unlike some, I NEVER touch a movin' blade for any reason to prove anything when I'm teachin' newbies. It can be proven that the scroll saw is a safe tool w/out gettin' your fingers on the blade. Like JT said, learn to relax at the saw before you even flip the power switch. This is a hobby. The next thing I tell people is it's like drivin' a car. Put your hands on your project with your thumbs about a 1/2" on each side of the blade. You've got the rest of both hands to guide your project, & down pressure. When you begin to cut, use your thumbs for slight down pressure at the blade to keep your project from jumpin'. Now that you've begin to move, pay attention to your blade & look AHEAD of ya. If your blade is startin to look like its bendin', back off your pressure, just a touch side to side, or slightly turn your project to straighten the blade or project. Remember, every ounce of down pressure with every move you make is goin' to show up at the blade. It's just part of the deal. So, remember, just enough down pressure to keep your project on the sawdeck, & movin', & of course, to keep the blade runnin' straight. Just like your car. A little bit of correction brings it back to a straight line, right? Same with your project. Just a little bit here, a little bit there, if your arms get tired, you're puttin' to much down pressure. Ease up til you feel comfortable. 

Your blade size & material will have alot of bearing on your rate of feed & speed. The thinner the material, the smaller the blade. The thicker the material, the bigger the blade. My advice to you would be to find a type of blade that works for you best, & stick with it. Whether it be skip tooth, penguin, polar blade, etc. Try the polar blades. They are a good newbie blade, & last longer than some. I use Olson as a personal preference. 

Hope some of my .02 pennies worth helps. God Bless.

Edited February 24, 2018 by SCROLLSAW703

[crupiea]

Let the piece move through instead of forcing it through I think would be a better way to put it.  It wont feed itself no matter what saw and blades and wood you are using. 

If it were me, I would start with just one piece of 1/4" bb. get a feel for what blade works best on it,  Then add a second piece and see which blade works best and so on.

Try the #5 on the 1/4: and it will cut through like butter, almost too much blade. 

I use a 3 for 1/4? and sometimes a 1 depending on how much patience I have.  For 3/4" pine i use a 5 or 7.  FD-sr

 

[stoney]

Cutting any material 1" thick is going to be a challenge for someone relatively new to this craft especially plywood.   Until you have racked up many more hours on a scroll saw I would recommend against it.   Take the time to learn what are the best blades to use in different situations.   I don't want to discourage you from asking questions so slow down and enjoy yourself because if you get in a hurry  you will become frustrated and we don't want to see that happen.   Good Luck.

[new2woodwrk]

Well, thanks to all the great advice I managed to finally complete the cut.

I switched to my new fav blade the Pegas 3R and split the stack in half and did the cut in 2 projects instead of one.

It took less than 15 minutes to finish each stack, which before took me 15 minutes to cut one flower pedal LOL

Here's the result of a Steve Good Easter pattern before filing, sanding and finishing:

Thanks all for great advice!  You all rock big time!

[NC Scroller]

You are getting there.  Over time you will get a feel for how many to stack.  It will vary based on the materials and pattern.

[Ron Johnson]

Thickness and hardness of wood will dictate what size of blade should be used for cutting. It's' important to hold your work down with a certain amount of pressure while guiding your work through (to reduce chatter). But at the same time let the blade do the cutting. If you push too hard you may acquire blade breakage, burn marks on your work and overall frustration. Speed of saw is also a variable that comes into play. Other places I would research for advice would be Google, uTube, scroll saw magazines and your local library, just to name a few. And of course practice and experiment. In a short time it will be automatic.