Blades For Birdhouse Ornaments

[BadBob]

I read in a post somewhere (here, I think) where they recommended using a #7 or even a #9 skip tooth blade for cutting birdhouse ornaments so the sawdust would clear better.

I am in the process of making a large batch of birdhouse ornaments, so I decided to give it a try. I had some #7 Flying Dutchman blades, so I tried these first. No joy. It cut much slower, a tiny bit rougher, and the blades did not last long. I could cut one or two birdhouses depending on the size before needing a new blade.

I didn't have any #9 blades and ordered some  Pegas skip tooth blades from Denny. Same result. They cut slower, a bit rougher, and the blades would only cut one or two birdhouses before I needed to change the blade.

Last night I finished the birdhouses cutting them with #3 Pegas modified geometry blades that I was using before. The difference was dramatic. They cut at least five times faster than the skip tooth blades and lasted far longer. I cut ten ornaments with three blades, and this probably would have been two, but I had a catch that shortened the life of one blade.

The wood I'm cutting is all poplar S4S square stock I bought at Lowes except one that I cut from pine to see if the wood made a difference.

Am I missing or misunderstanding something?

Why would the coarser skip tooth blade cut slower and dull faster?

[dgman]

That’s the problem with recommending blade types and sizes. What works for me, might not work for you. I cut the miniature birdhouses out of many types of wood. I have used Mahogany, Cherry, Alder, Maple, walnut and even pine and cedar. . They all take a different blade size. For me, I prefer Flying Dutchman Polar blades in sizes 3, 5 and 7. For the hardest woods, I might even use. #9. But that might not work for everyone. You have found a blade that works for you, but for me, it doesn’t work. That’s why it’s up to you to figure what works for you!

I have made hundreds of the miniature birdhouses for craft shows. I don’t list them on my Etsy store because each one is different. I can’t imagine posting thirty or fourty different bird houses. The same thing with ornaments.

[kmmcrafts]

Your experience is the same for me.. I've never had good results from any of the skip tooth blades.. Someone years ago suggested I use skip tooth on a project I was working on.. back then I was normally using FD-UR.. and I found that they did cut better for me the the skip tooth.. Now days I use mostly Pegas.. and mostly the #3.. For me the kerf of a #5 is that much more material to remove for the blade and many times making the cut go slower than just going through with the #3 and taking it slow as to not bow the blade.. 

I agree with Dan.. on the blade selection.. everyone has to find that blade that works for them.. The way the saw is set up makes a huge difference too.. when I first started using Pegas MFG blades I couldn't use them on my DeWalt but loved them in my Hawk.. I eventually got used to using them with whatever saw but at first on the DW they was a bit aggressive..

For these reasons.. In those topics of what blades to use.. I always suggest sample packs of each style blade.. I will say what my blade of choice is.. but always suggest sample packs.. 

[NC Scroller]

The bigger the blade the bigger the teeth and thus the rougher the surface.  I have cut 250+ from poplar, cedar, pine, butternut and other woods.  My go to blade used to be a #5 polar blade by Flying Dutchman.  Now I use the Pegas #3 or #5 skip tooth.  They are basically like the Modified Geometry without the reverse teeth at the bottom.

[TAIrving]

The recommendations are what somebody else thinks might work best for you and it is a starting place if you don't already know.  But the bottom line is to use what works best for you.  Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to find out what that is.  

[BadBob]

Why would the coarser skip tooth blade cut slower and dull faster?

I get the whole idea of selecting the blade that works for you.

[don in brooklin on]

My go to bladed is #5 FD polar but it really depends on you and the wood.  Recently I had some cherry that was burning on the corners and I changed to #5 Pegas MGT and it worked great.

One thing I found is cutting real hardwood is to wrap the blank in packing tape.  It seem to lubricate the blade and stops burning.  

[kmmcrafts]

Good question and I don't know the answer but in theory the coarser blade has less teeth per inch.. while they are larger and take a bigger bite.. two times as many smaller teeth with smaller bite moves more material faster.. 

Dull faster maybe because the larger teeth are cutting slower than the several smaller teeth and makes user try to push through the material harder creating more heat.. Also consider that most of the larger / coarser blades also have a wider kerf.. thus the blade has to remove a larger amount of material.. even though its the same distance to cut though a project the larger blade is removing more material than the smaller blade..

Think of the energy used for blade life as in.. example..

Say you have 5 big burly guys to move a log across the field.. they can pick it up a take it for a ways but get tired out quick compared to 20 smaller guys, LOL 

[Davevand]

For thick stock I use the Pegas SuperSkip blades, they cut better than any skip blade I have tried

[BadBob]

On 10/25/2021 at 6:41 AM, don in brooklin on said:

One thing I found is cutting real hardwood is to wrap the blank in packing tape.  It seem to lubricate the blade and stops burning.

Yes, I use tape as well when I'm cutting something that burns easily. Right now, I'm cutting almost 100% poplar, and it does not bur unless I use the blade too long.

In one of his books, Patrick Speilman says that the lubrication comes from silicon that they put on top of the tape to prevent the tape from sticking to itself in the roll.