Blades

[SawMe]

I am new to Scroll Sawing and would like some info on types of blades.

My machine will take pin and/or pinless type . So which is best?

What about Spiral blades? I would think spiral blade would be the blade to use all the time since scroll sawing is mostly close turning of the cuts.

So what blades should I start out with? 

• Standard Tooth scroll saw blades.
• Skip tooth scroll saw blades.
• Double tooth scroll saw blades.
• Reverse skip tooth scroll saw blades.
• Precision ground scroll saw blades.
• Spiral scroll saw blades.
• Crown tooth scroll saw blades.

The more I read the more confused I get! I am mostly making wood toys for my grandkids.

Jim in South Carolina

[Roberta Moreton]

I do not recommend beginning with spirals. Start with flat blades. Since your saw does take pinned blades, they will be the easiest to install.  You WILL want to move to pinless for fine fretwork. 
I think reverse and skip tooth to start. Sizes 3. 

[Bill WIlson]

Well, I'll offer my 2 cents.  First, it really depends on what is is you want to cut.  Blades are fairly application specific.  Size and type depend on the pattern and the material being cut.  I would just forget about pin end blades as they are too large for most things, but I suppose they do have their place.  I haven't used a pin end blade in over 20 years.  My last 2 saws didn't even accept them.

For most general scrolling, some sort of reverse tooth blade is the most common choice.  Learning to spin the piece while cutting is all part of the learning curve that one goes through when starting out.  Spiral blades are fine.  I know one fellow in our scroll saw club who learned to scroll with spirals.  He never uses straight blades.  However, his projects are all ones where spirals are appropriate.   Personally I don't think spirals are the best choice for many projects, but they are ideal for some.  Like I said, blades are application specific.

I would suggest you determine the kind of projects that interest you and you want to start out trying to cut.  Get some reverse tooth blades of the appropriate size, for the material you will be cutting, then start practicing.  As you get better and want to try different things, you will end up with a variety of blades of different size, tooth configuration and even brand name. 

Good luck and have fun making sawdust!

 

[Denny Knappen]

I agree with Roberta, spirals are a little hard to control on straight and curved lines.  As a Pegas distributor, I recommend MGT blades #1, #3, #5, an d maybe #7.  This should get you through most projects.

[Frank Pellow]

13 minutes ago, Bill WIlson said:

Well, I'll offer my 2 cents.  First, it really depends on what is is you want to cut.  Blades are fairly application specific.  Size and type depend on the pattern and the material being cut.  I would just forget about pin end blades as they are too large for most things, but I suppose they do have their place.  I haven't used a pin end blade in over 20 years.  My last 2 saws didn't even accept them.

For most general scrolling, some sort of reverse tooth blade is the most common choice.  Learning to spin the piece while cutting is all part of the learning curve that one goes through when starting out.  Spiral blades are fine.  I know one fellow in our scroll saw club who learned to scroll with spirals.  He never uses straight blades.  However, his projects are all ones where spirals are appropriate.   Personally I don't think spirals are the best choice for many projects, but they are ideal for some.  Like I said, blades are application specific.

I would suggest you determine the kind of projects that interest you and you want to start out trying to cut.  Get some reverse tooth blades of the appropriate size, for the material you will be cutting, then start practicing.  As you get better and want to try different things, you will end up with a variety of blades of different size, tooth configuration and even brand name. 

Good luck and have fun making sawdust!

 

I was going to say pretty much what Bill said.  But, since he worded his response so welll, I will simply say:  "Do what Bill has said."

[don in brooklin on]

Blade recommendations are usually what the person is used to.

When I first started I bought the assortment pack from Mikes Workshop

https://mikesworkshop.com/collections/blades/products/assortment-pack

Since then I have been a die hard Ultra Reverse fan.  I have tried others like the Pegas MGT but always come back to the UR.

 

 

[fredfret]

A good source for info is Olson blades they have a chart that covers most blade types and recommended uses. All blades are similar skip tooth is a skip tooth,  spiral is spiral, size is relatively the same so if you want reverse blades in a size 3 All brands will be very close. All old scrollers have favorite blades and favorite brands. Thin wood needs smaller blades 1,3 thicker wood 5,7,9 very thick 9,12. Good luck. I hope this doesn't confuse you try different brands then pick the best for you.  Most blades are less than $4 a dozen. 

[new2woodwrk]

IMO it first depends on budget and whether you know from the start if scrolling for you.

Because I was unsure whether I would enjoy scrolling, I started with a Wen (very reasonably priced) which used Pinned blades.

Within a few weeks, I decided it was fun and purchased a Delta - pinless. One of the best decisions I've made so far in woodworking, next to my table saw.

I prefer the Pegas line of blades myself, specially the #1,3 and 5 Modified Geometry, also like the skip tooth for some cuts as well.

I have however also used the Olsons which are a good blade as well, it always seems to come down to personal preference.

The blades tend to be very inexpensive so what I did was bought a sampler which had about 6 of each blade and tried them all.

Best of luck on your decision

[SawMe]

Thanks all for the good advise.

Jim