Blade selection help

[Shadow Wizard]

So, now for some help on blade selection.

Those that has been following my posts know I kind of found this scroll saw in my shed when I bought the house, and so far I am loving it.  It came with quite the assortment of blades  Some with lots of teeth, and some with not as many.  Some seem to have not as much space between the teeth and the back of the blade..  I am getting ready to move to a nicer wood, and would really like some help.  Is there a general rule I can use?  Something I can read somewhere?  or a video someone can recommend?

Thanks.

 

[OCtoolguy]

Do a search for Olsen blade chart.

[Shadow Wizard]

14 minutes ago, OCtoolguy said:

Do a search for Olsen blade chart.

Awesome..  Now I just need to find out what kind of blades I have..  I looked and can't see any markings on them.  Any ideas, other then counting the number of teeth?

[Wichman]

2 minutes ago, Shadow Wizard said:

Awesome..  Now I just need to find out what kind of blades I have..  I looked and can't see any markings on them.  Any ideas, other then counting the number of teeth?

Rob,

   I can't see where you're from on your profile. Are you in the US? Anyway, your next purchase should be a fractional caliper (this style of caliper will allow you to accurately measure the thickness of the blade and the width of the blade) and, if you set the caliper to 1 inch, you can count the teeth per inch (TPI).  My caliper allows me to measure in fractions and in thousandths of an inch. This allows me to accurately measure blades, drill bits, dowels (toothpicks are 5/64s) wood blanks, plywood, etc.

The rule of thumb is, the thicker the wood the larger the blade and the tighter the turns the smaller the blade, so it's a balancing act. Additionally, it appears that your saw is a ridged arm saw with a spring tension device (as opposed to a constant tension saw). Your saws design limits somewhat what you can cut. If the kerf clogs with sawdust of if you turn too tight a radius or if the grains pulls your blade, it will have undesirable results (the blade can bind or catch and bend inside the cut). You will have to make test cuts and practice a bit with new material and or new patterns.

Here is a link to the Olson chart:

https://www.olsonsaw.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-scroll-chart-WEB.pdf

 

[Shadow Wizard]

11 minutes ago, Wichman said:

Rob,

   I can't see where you're from on your profile. Are you in the US? Anyway, your next purchase should be a fractional caliper (this style of caliper will allow you to accurately measure the thickness of the blade and the width of the blade) and, if you set the caliper to 1 inch, you can count the teeth per inch (TPI).  My caliper allows me to measure in fractions and in thousandths of an inch. This allows me to accurately measure blades, drill bits, dowels (toothpicks are 5/64s) wood blanks, plywood, etc.

The rule of thumb is, the thicker the wood the larger the blade and the tighter the turns the smaller the blade, so it's a balancing act. Additionally, it appears that your saw is a ridged arm saw with a spring tension device (as opposed to a constant tension saw). Your saws design limits somewhat what you can cut. If the kerf clogs with sawdust of if you turn too tight a radius or if the grains pulls your blade, it will have undesirable results (the blade can bind or catch and bend inside the cut). You will have to make test cuts and practice a bit with new material and or new patterns.

Here is a link to the Olson chart:

https://www.olsonsaw.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-scroll-chart-WEB.pdf

 

I am located in Canada.

It seems silly to spend money on a caliper to measure a dozen blades, when I likely will never use it again.  That being said, I do have one at work I can borrow to use to measure my blades.

I am planning on doing most of my work on 1/4 inch wood.  So I am guessing I should try and use some of the smallest blades I can get?  It looks like in my collection I have skip tooth and regular tooth blades.  From what I am gathering from the chart it looks like regular tooth blades with a high TPI and low width and thickness are what is ideal.  Would that be correct?

I have googled a fair bit, and cant seem to figure out what a kerf is.  Although nothing has gotten clogged with sawdust, it would ne nice to know what one is for future reference.

[Wichman]

1 hour ago, Shadow Wizard said:

 

I am planning on doing most of my work on 1/4 inch wood.  So I am guessing I should try and use some of the smallest blades I can get?  It looks like in my collection I have skip tooth and regular tooth blades.  From what I am gathering from the chart it looks like regular tooth blades with a high TPI and low width and thickness are what is ideal.  Would that be correct?

I have googled a fair bit, and cant seem to figure out what a kerf is.  Although nothing has gotten clogged with sawdust, it would ne nice to know what one is for future reference.

1st paragraph. In general, yes. Your mileage may vary.

2nd paragraph. Kerf, a slit made by the cutting of a saw.

[BadBob]

12 hours ago, Shadow Wizard said:

It seems silly to spend money on a caliper to measure a dozen blades, when I likely will never use it again. 

Calipers are one of the most useful tools in my shop. I have several different sizes and types. They are one of those tools that you don't realize how useful they are until you own one.

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by BadBob
correction

[Mark SW]

Shadow Wizard

Take a look at this web site. Sheila is also in Canada and has information about different types of woods and blades among other helpful topics. I believe she still uses Olson blades.

Free Pattern & Resources - Sheila Landry Designs 

Other blade manufacture to consider 

Flying Dutchman | Mike's Workshop – Mike's Workshop | Flying Dutchman Scroll Saw Blades (mikesworkshop.com) 

Pegas Scroll Saw (artcraftersonline.com) which is the website of a member here Denny Knappen .

Hope this helps.

Mark