1st attempt with spiral blades.

[Foxfold]

Well, my new spiral blades arrived yesterday !!  So off I went like a big kid this afternoon to try them.

Oh Boy !!  They are something else aren't they?   They chew up everything they touch,, and when you realise you are going the wrong way and try to move them out of harms way, they chew that up too !!!  Amazing...  A little difficult to put in the clamps,, the bottom end went in fine but then when I went to put them in the top clamp the 'flat end' was facing the wrong way, so got a pair of pliers and held it straight while I clamped it.

In the end I tried to cut part of my 'go to' simple pattern and although all the 'wobbly' don't have total control bits are pretty obvious, and I seem to have 'aquired' a nest for my birds  I really quite liked it.  I'll keep practising until I feel more 'in control' of this 'runaway blade' as I'd love to be able, one day to do a 'picture'. But till then I'll stick to my 'straight' blades.  Many things I am but Constable I'm not 

 

Edited November 18, 2018 by Foxfold

[Heli_av8tor]

That could be a hornets nest. Bird nests usually set on top of the branch. 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've yet to try spiral blades but plan to order some soon.

Looks like a completely different skill set required.

Tom 

[Rockytime]

I recently purchased Olson spiral #4 blades. They are still on my desk. Have not yet worked up the courage to use them.

[Foxfold]

45 minutes ago, Rockytime said:

I recently purchased Olson spiral #4 blades. They are still on my desk. Have not yet worked up the courage to use them.

I got Olson #2 as I thought at least if I could 'see' the blade I would be ok.  I can understand why people like them, in someways they open up a whole new world, especially for the wildlife scenes I'd love to be able to do. Jump in, have a go and let us know what you think. I'd be interested in a more experienced scrollers thought about using them for the first time. 

[fredfret]

May I recommend slowing the saw speed and your feed rate. Spirals take some time to get used to. They are a tool that scrollers can use for larger projects. 

[SCROLLSAW703]

Howdy, 

I agree with Fred. Spiral blades are not a blade for first timers, for sure. They are a blade of choice, and a blade to respect. As Mr. Fred mentioned, slow blade speeds to start out is a good suggestion. The faster a spiral blade cuts, the more wood it chews at a faster rate. Also, the bigger the spiral blade at a faster cut rate will open up places in your project that ain't supposed to be opened up. So keep a small blade at hand if at all possible.

Sawblade703(Brad)

[Hermit]

Im not an experienced scroller but I started with spiral blades thinking it would be easier to learn. I really enjoy neptun's patterns and in my opinion are perfect for spiral blades. Now I have to learn regular blades and I'm not sure if one is harder than the other. My observations on spiral blades are....and I use the Dewalt 788......

1. Hard to clamp up blades at times.

2. Doesn't cut well even with a new blade on the back side. Side to side is limited. Spinning the project and cutting from the front works best for me. Blade pops out occasionally when cutting to the side and frequently when cutting from the back. So i stick to the front as much as possible.

3. Corners are rounded and not as clean. Very hard for me to cut a straight line of any distance with a spiral. 

4. Most definitely chew up everything they touch. The on/off switch was my friend. 

[SCROLLSAW703]

1 hour ago, Hermit said:

Im not an experienced scroller but I started with spiral blades thinking it would be easier to learn. I really enjoy neptun's patterns and in my opinion are perfect for spiral blades. Now I have to learn regular blades and I'm not sure if one is harder than the other. My observations on spiral blades are....and I use the Dewalt 788......

1. Hard to clamp up blades at times.

2. Doesn't cut well even with a new blade on the back side. Side to side is limited. Spinning the project and cutting from the front works best for me. Blade pops out occasionally when cutting to the side and frequently when cutting from the back. So i stick to the front as much as possible.

3. Corners are rounded and not as clean. Very hard for me to cut a straight line of any distance with a spiral. 

4. Most definitely chew up everything they touch. The on/off switch was my friend. 

Howdy Mr. Hermit,

Welcome to the forum, and good to hear your thoughts and input. Whether or not you are a beginner or an experienced scroller, spiral blades have their place, in my opinion. Everyone has their own uses for spirals in numerous projects. 

Everything you brought to light in your post is all fact, my friend. That is why I mentioned in my post above that the spiral blade is a blade of choice, and a blade to be respected. The spiral blade can be learned to be used in more ways than one realizes, and the most prosperous ways, but it takes hours of practice, and several different species of wood to learn with. Every size of blade cuts different in every species of wood. 

And as Mr. Fred mentioned in his post, start with slow blade speeds and a slow rate of feed. My other suggestion is to use a smaller blade size, and make sure the tension against the blade is sufficient. You will find that the spiral blade will cut straighter, and last longer for you if it is kept tight. If you can put a little pressure against it & it bends in the least bit, in my experience, it is not tight enough. Yes, I agree, at times, the ends of the spiral blades are a might difficult to get set in the blade clamps, but, there are other options for that, too. Have you tried the flat end spirals? 

Keep makin' sawdust!

Sawdust703(Brad)

[amazingkevin]

I'm amazed at people learning to scroll starting out with spirals. That's probably the best way to get acclimated to them. Your work on the birds with these is the best!!!

[MrsN]

Great work with spirals! They take some time to get used to. Keep practicing and you will master them.

[Wilson142]

I started out scrolling with spiral blades more than 20 years ago. I cut free standing tree puzzles out of 1 1/2 red oak with spirals. Many fret work patterns, Christmas sleighs,  etc. I stopped scrolling for several years when I began doing stained glass projects. I was recently widowed and decided I needed to get back to scrolling. I bought a Dewalt and decided it was time to learn to use flat blades. I feel much like people who are learning to use spiral blades. I struggle to slow down with the flat blades and find I sometimes feel like a runaway car heading down hill at breakneck speed. The flats cut so much faster and require far less force to cut IMO. They do leave a much cleaner cut and sharper corners. 

They funny thing is, I watched a youtube video by Charles Dearing (sort of a hero of mine), and he also finds flat blades harder to control than spirals. I'm starting to enjoy the flat blades but, with the advent of new spirals and reverse spirals and flat end spirals, I can see the value of both styles.

I use a small needle nose pliers to slightly flatten the ends of my spiral blades. I simply put the first 3/8 to 1/2 inch of the l blade into the pliers and squeeze them closed to straighten them a bit. I also pay attention to the feel of the clamps when tightening them to avoid turning the ends into "hockey sticks" (the annoying bend in the blade end that will increase the possibility for breakage.) I've found that over tightening will often bend the blade end.

Edited November 19, 2018 by Wilson142
a thought

[Foxfold]

3 hours ago, Wilson142 said:

I started out scrolling with spiral blades more than 20 years ago. I cut free standing tree puzzles out of 1 1/2 red oak with spirals.

Wow, I started scrolling this summer and can't even cut 1½" wood with normal blades yet.    Hoping I'll master it with practice.

[Tomanydogs]

I’m with @Wilson142 I really struggle with flat blades. If I hadn’t found spiral blades I would never have continued scrolling. Now I’m practicing cutting with flat blades which I find challenging, but it gets better every cut. 

Irene

Edited November 20, 2018 by Tomanydogs

[SCROLLSAW703]

Howdy,

Mr. Kevin, I'm going to have to disagree with ya on this one, my friend. I think someone startin' out on the saw should get acclimated to the standard blades first, and once they have mastered a feel for what the saw is actually supposed to do, blade speed, and rate of feed, then move into more complicated blades and situations. 

It's like learning anything else, Mr. Kevin. Ya have start simple and work up to the more difficult things in that area of learning. And, the only real way to learn it is to do it.

Spiral blades can be very beneficial for some if their chosen projects are portraits, fine detailed fretwork, projects of that nature. Standard flat blades can do everything a spiral blade can, it's just a matter of learning to use the right size blade for the business at hand. Some will most likely disagree, no doubt, but personally, I didn't start using spiral blades until a few years ago, and still do not use them to often. I keep numerous sizes on inventory for various purposes, but seldom use them.

All of my projects are cut from hardwoods, no plywood or underlayment of any kind is involved. I plane the wood down to the thickness I need for the project, whether it be 5/8'' or 1/4'', it is still real wood. That way I know there are no voids in it, and when the project is finished, it has a more perfected look to it. I have used spiral blades on some 1/4'' material and had decent luck, and used them on 1/2'' or 5/8'' material to  clean up around eyes, feathers, ears, claws, leaves, river banks, tree trunks, etc. but I have never used spirals on a full project. I don't care for the look they leave behind, and they create more finish work to be done.

Sawdust703(Brad)

[Old Joe]

I have a selection of spiral blades. They remind me of a bunch of lures in my tackle box. I rarely use them, though I do occasionally. I have played around with them, but I really just prefer flat blades, primarily scroll reverse, mostly #3’s, and if truth be told, I like Flying Dutchman over Pegas, have little use for Olson, and I work with a wide variety of hardwoods and Baltic Birch. Just my preference. That said, work with what you feel comfortable with, which is my advice with lures, too. If you have a negative attitude about green plastic worms then you will get worse results than your results with your favorite black worm because you fish It differently and less patiently. Same with scrollsaw’s blades.