Favorite Blades

[Rockytime]

Usually scrollers have favorite blades. For newbies it can take time to settle on favorites. It has for me. I sort of jumped in with both feet and ended up buying a dozen of almost everything.  At gross pricing it was not that bad, but a waste of money. Should'a started with the FD sample pack. However, I have done more scrolling and am beginning to form opinions. I thought for awhile that I did not like reverse blades but after using them for some time I changed my opinion. JT, whom I have a lot of respect for, suggested some time ago FD Penguin Silver Reverse blades. I ordered them from Wooden Teddy Bear and received them yesterday. I cut Steve Good's Crescent wrench man cave the other day with a #5 FD Ultra Reverse blade and it cut quite well.  This morning I started cutting five more  from poplar with the FD Penguin Silver Reverse blades. What a great blade! It is like both a reverse and skip tooth blade. I think it will be a favorite.

[OCtoolguy]

Thanks Les. That's the sort of info that is gold for us newbies. Have you ever tried any of the FD XL blades? They don't have any reverse teeth so they won't be good for plywood but for solid wood, I'm finding that they do very well. I'm using a #5 XL in 1/4" poplar right now and I like it. I went back to the Pegas and FD reverse blades and was right back to having the kerf clearing problem again.

 

[Rockytime]

Ray, I have the FD XL blades, some of the many I have not yet tried. So far nearly everything I have cut is 1//2" and 3/4" material. The skip feature is very helpful. I've used Olsen skip blades on 3/4" pine and it worked well.

[WayneMahler]

Les

The more you cut and using different woods you will find that each blade will have a slightly different feel and purpose. After a while you will settle in on the blades that best work for you and your style of cutting. People can offer opinions about what they like, but I learned it's what is best for me. Granted I have been scrolling for a good while and went down the road the newer people are traveling. The best advise I ever got about blades was to find what worked for me. This was from a gentleman that had been scrolling for over 50 years. I will make   recommendations  on my experience and have. But they will be based on my experience. Happy to hear you learning and exploring.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Les, glad to hear you are liking those blades. As said by others trying different blades and finding your go to blade is always a good thing. I mentioned those blades because I found my go to blade and those are it. Yes they are both a skip tooth (in fact a double skip tooth) blade with a short reverse teeth on the bottom. Just enough to knock off the fuzzies on the bottom and not enough to cause wood jumping. I use specialty blades when needed but 85% of the time is those blades. Doing alot of cutting right now with those and having fun. 

[SCROLLSAW703]

good to hear you're tryin' new blades, Les, & spendin' time with your saw.:) Myself, like Wayne said, I have been scrollin' a day or two, & have tried & trued my blades of choice. IMO, every project will decide what blade serves the purpose the best. Sometimes, it may call for two or three different types of blades, dependin' on the circumstances. 

My preferences are the skip tooth & polar blades. Sometimes I will use an ultra reverse blade, or somethin', dependin' on the detail. I occasionally use spirals for various things in a project, too, but I'm not a fan of them. 

Also like Mr. Wayne said, you can ask advice about blades & you're goin' to get the scrollers opinion. Keep tryin' different blades on your projects until you find the ones that work for you. Every blade has it's own voice, & it's own cuttin' pattern. You'll know when you've found just the right blades. Your work will look like Wayne or JT cut it!;) keep makin' sawdust, brother!!:)

[Sycamore67]

It is very difficult to discuss favorite blades without saying what you are cutting.  If you are doing fret work you will need a different blade than for Intarsia.

[kmmcrafts]

26 minutes ago, Sycamore67 said:

It is very difficult to discuss favorite blades without saying what you are cutting.  If you are doing fret work you will need a different blade than for Intarsia.

This is what I always say at the beginning of these type topics.. So many people ask what blade without saying what they are cutting.. and it really drives me crazy when people jump right in head first saying what blades they need to use / try.. and they don't even know whether they are cutting 1/8 inch stock or 2 inch or what material ... since scroll saws can cut metal, plastic, and ? etc etc..  

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

3 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

This is what I always say at the beginning of these type topics.. So many people ask what blade without saying what they are cutting.. and it really drives me crazy when people jump right in head first saying what blades they need to use / try.. and they don't even know whether they are cutting 1/8 inch stock or 2 inch or what material ... since scroll saws can cut metal, plastic, and ? etc etc..  

Kevin this is true but to me those are specialty blades. I cut metals with jewelers blades and fine detail work in thin materials with a smaller blade as well I am sure others do. But we all and including you do a majority of your work in a certain medium weather it is 1/2" or 3/4" wood and weather it is cherry, oak, BB plywood or whatever we use a blade everyday of the week. I believe that is what is asked when it comes to favorite blade. Because it is used more than any other blade in your arsenal. And when asked most people reference to what they cut most when they answer about their favorite blade as I know I did. I have a drawer full of blade sizes and teeth configuation that I probably will never use but being I have been doing this for so long I have the knowledge what to look for when selecting a blade and enough experience to draw on to make an educated choice if I need to adjust my blade choice. I hope the people that ask these questions note what the OP is cutting when they ask and are answered. They then too can become educated as we all have over time. Trying different blades can get costly but also can be very helpful because we all cut differently and we all use different saws and techniques. But with the questions it is a starting point. Happy scrolling.

[Sycamore67]

I do not typically do fret work but do cut 1/8" BB for some projects and use a FD UR #3.

For Intarsia I use a FD Polar. Recently, I tried PS Super Sharps for compound cuts and liked them but expensive. I have tried just reverse type blades but find no advantage over the ultra reverse.

I also think that why you are cutting may make a difference in terms of how fast you want to cut and the costs. For instance, you need to cut 100 puzzles. Neither of these impact my blade choice.

[NC Scroller]

These threads are hard to reply to.  Yes I have my go to blades as most do. But I am not closed minded and continue to read, watch, listen and experiment.  My go to blades now are different then what I would have said 5 or 10 years ago.  I really let the pattern, thickness, and materials dictate my go to blade and many times I will change size or style blades on a single project. I have about 20 years and thousands of hours of experience.  I have taught scrolling classes and done demos at numerous wood working shows.  Whether a newbie or an oldbie it is best to try and see what works for you on a given project.

I will tell you I use mostly flat blades and today  I use mostly Flying Dutchman or Pegasus.

[SCROLLSAW703]

You're dead on, Mr. JT! I use 3/32" - 5/8" hardwoods in my projects. I have numerous blades in inventory of different sizes, number of teeth/inch, thickness, etc. I take all these dimensions into consideration when startin' a new project. The project itself decides the blades, & I may use more than one size or type of blade on a project, but I do have a couple different blades I use all the time. 

Like Kevin stated too, it's tough to answer the same question over & over again about blades when we're asked bcause 9 times out of ten, in the question, we're not told what's bein' cut, thickness, desired look, species of wood, etc. And as you well know, all these things together make a difference in blade choice & capability. Hopefully in our answers back & forth, like ya say, will help to educate the beginners for future blade selection. 

I use FD & Olson blades. Primarily flat blades. Anywhere from #0 up to a #5. I use skip tooth & polar blades for the most part. Spirals on occasion. They have their place. But havin' the number of years of experience I'm fortunate enough to have, I have learned a lot about the different blades since I started. By no means am I an expert, but blades have improved in quality & performance in the last 25 years, which also helps in blade selection. I read a lot, listen, look at the results from different saws. Everyone has their own style of cuttin', & needs to find the blades that best suit them. 

Edited May 20, 2018 by SCROLLSAW703

[Woodmaster1]

I tried pegas mg blades and they are excellent. 

[cmarsch]

When I started out my very first blades, like many I'm sure, we're the blades you buy at the big box stores. HORRIBLE! Then I found the village and after reading I decided to get some Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse blades. Awesome! Then I was introduced to the Pegas Modified Geometry blades, WOW! And as time went on I found out that each of the blades had their ups and downs for different aspects of scroll saw work. These are the only two blades I use and have no reason the switch. Oh and I use a FD New spiral from time to time for certain fretwork pieces if needed.

[OCtoolguy]

What somebody needs to do is take the time to put all this info together for those of us who are new to the hobby and have Travis make a "sticky" out of it so that the question isn't asked as often. Just a suggestion.

R

 

[SCROLLSAW703]

good idea, Mr. Ray!;) 

[Bill WIlson]

I don't envy new scrollers who are searching for "the" blade.  Some of us who have been scrolling for a while have the benefit of settling in and developing our favorites over time.  It seems easier to decide whether or not we want to try new brands or new types, based on our experience and satisfaction with the blades we currently use.  Not having that background means that beginners are kind of flying blind.  When they have problems, it isn't always easy to determine if it's caused by the blade or some other source.

I started out using Olson blades.  They were available locally at ACE Hardware.  They were expensive and the selection was limited, so I didn't try or keep a lot of different sizes & types.  When I joined my scrollsaw club, I got a lot of invaluable information, especially sources for a wider variety of blades, at a much more affordable price.  In many ways, forums like this provide the same service as the local club, when it comes to that kind of information. 

I guess my point is, that I suffered from a lack of information, when I was a beginning scroller.  Today, there is almost too much information available and it gets confusing.  What remains the same is that the only way to know what you like and what works best for you is your own experience.  The variables are too numerous for others to offer much more than their experiences with different blades.  It shows you what is available and gives you a place to start, but like I often say, you can give 10 veteran scrollers the same pattern and the same wood and they will likely use 10 different blades to cut that project.

 

[fredfret]

Bill is correct there are so many opinions expressed on forums that new people can become confused especially about blades. I recommend finding a blade chart and learning what the Mfr. recommends for different uses. The Olson one is one of the best as it gives most blade configurations and sizes with recommended uses. This provides a starting point. Determine what type projects interest you then what material check the chart for a recommended style and size then try a dozen maybe a different mfr ( a size 5 will be very close to a size 5 by a different mfr.) Getting into tooth count, blade thickness, tooth configuration can confuse me and I have 20 years experience. Thin wood use smaller blades thick wood use larger blades Metal use metal cutting blades. I have my favorite blades for cutting jigsaw puzzles ( FD Puzzle) Portraits ( FD new spiral and #1 Pegas mg) other than that wood, details and what I have determines.

 

Fredfret

[scrollingforsanity]

I have used the FD Penguin Silver Reverse for about four years. Specifically the # 1 for my fretwork. I also use the # 5. These are my favorite blades although I do use a few Pegas MG # 3 and # 5. I still always go back to the FD. Just my personal preference.

 

  Happy Scrolling grizz 

[Phantom Scroller]

My favourite is the Flying dutchman No5 Ultra Reverse and if it's fine work I'm doing go down to No2 or 3. Roly