Tips on scrolling oak

[Eplfan2011]

A while ago I acquired a bunch of reclaimed oak bench seats from a  school gym, by the time they come out of the planer they are a shade under 3/4 thick. I can resaw them if needs be but there are a couple of projects I have in mind that call for 3/4.

 What's the best blade choice for cutting this as I've only cut softwood so far and I'm going to guess this stuff will be pretty hard, most of it has got some figure to the grain too. I'm thinking a skiptooth blade but what do I know

[OCtoolguy]

10 minutes ago, Eplfan2011 said:

A while ago I acquired a bunch of reclaimed oak bench seats from a  school gym, by the time they come out of the planer they are a shade under 3/4 thick. I can resaw them if needs be but there are a couple of projects I have in mind that call for 3/4.

 What's the best blade choice for cutting this as I've only cut softwood so far and I'm going to guess this stuff will be pretty hard, most of it has got some figure to the grain too. I'm thinking a skiptooth blade but what do I know

I made this for a friend out of 3/4" & 1/2" red oak. The "rings" were all cut from one board. Cut like butter using Pegas #5 mgt.

[Eplfan2011]

I thought I had ordered some MGT blades but I didn't so I better do so.

 The stuff I have is white oak, flat sawn, I've made a couple of furniture projects out of them as they are 8in wide.

 Thanks for the reply, looks great !

 

 

[kmmcrafts]

White oak is a bit tougher than red oak... most all the stuff I cut I use either a #3 or #5 Pegas MGT blade... That said, I don't do much real thin cutting unless I'm "stack cutting"  1/8" pieces that I tape 4-5 of them together so then it's actually cutting 1/2 - 5/8".. Not a big fan of cutting anything more than 3/4" myself.. the thicker wood you cut the slower the cutting goes.. I like to cut fast, pretty much run my saw full speed.. I probably learned to like cutting fast from the beginning as I started out doing portrait cuts from 1/8" material ( hardwood until I learned about Baltic Birch ) and I also started out not knowing about stack cutting.. Cutting 1 piece of 1/8" hardwood goes pretty fast, and that is how I learned to scroll saw, so cutting 3/4" etc. seems like watching paint dry for me.. LOL  Many folks took my liking of fast cutting was because I'm in a rush to "make money" and that's not it at all for me.. If I cut slow then the customer pays more, I'm still getting my money.. LOL.. I go fast because that's how I like to cut, not because I'm racing a clock. 

[Eplfan2011]

22 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

White oak is a bit tougher than red oak... most all the stuff I cut I use either a #3 or #5 Pegas MGT blade... That said, I don't do much real thin cutting unless I'm "stack cutting"  1/8" pieces that I tape 4-5 of them together so then it's actually cutting 1/2 - 5/8".. Not a big fan of cutting anything more than 3/4" myself.. the thicker wood you cut the slower the cutting goes.. I like to cut fast, pretty much run my saw full speed.. I probably learned to like cutting fast from the beginning as I started out doing portrait cuts from 1/8" material ( hardwood until I learned about Baltic Birch ) and I also started out not knowing about stack cutting.. Cutting 1 piece of 1/8" hardwood goes pretty fast, and that is how I learned to scroll saw, so cutting 3/4" etc. seems like watching paint dry for me.. LOL  Many folks took my liking of fast cutting was because I'm in a rush to "make money" and that's not it at all for me.. If I cut slow then the customer pays more, I'm still getting my money.. LOL.. I go fast because that's how I like to cut, not because I'm racing a clock. 

I'll have to confess I'm cutting thicker wood right now because I'm to lazy or busy to resaw and plane some stock down to size. I do have some cheap thin ply in the garage but cheap is the word it's full of voids.

 It's a busy time for me right now I I just don't have time and being as this is all new to me I just want to sit down and make some cuts in the few odd moments I have. I understand that we all work at our own speed and I thankfully I'm not going to have to make a living out of this as I'd starve. 

Come the weekend I'll order some thinner BB and some more blades and hopefully have some more time to cut..

Thanks for your input! 

[LarryEA]

Oak is an easy wood to cut (for me).

I have used many different blades depending on the size of the cut and complexity of the pattern.

To expand your experience, try a few different blades.

[Bill WIlson]

I don't often cut single layer material over 1/2" (with the exception of compound cutting).  Even when I'm stack cutting, I try to keep the stacks a little thinner than most, maybe 1/2" - 5/8".  I just find those thicknesses much more enjoyable to cut than thicker stock.

I routinely cut 1/2" hardwoods with a #1 FDUR (Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse) blade, with no problems.  If the pattern is relatively simple, I might step up to a #3 FDUR.  The going may be slower than some would prefer, but as a hobbyist, I usually don't have any need to cut fast.  If I were cutting 3/4" white oak, I would probably reach for a #5 FDUR, if the pattern has some detail and tight turns.  If the pattern is simple, maybe go up to a #7.

[Eplfan2011]

13 minutes ago, Bill WIlson said:

I don't often cut single layer material over 1/2" (with the exception of compound cutting).  Even when I'm stack cutting, I try to keep the stacks a little thinner than most, maybe 1/2" - 5/8".  I just find those thicknesses much more enjoyable to cut than thicker stock.

I routinely cut 1/2" hardwoods with a #1 FDUR (Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse) blade, with no problems.  If the pattern is relatively simple, I might step up to a #3 FDUR.  The going may be slower than some would prefer, but as a hobbyist, I usually don't have any need to cut fast.  If I were cutting 3/4" white oak, I would probably reach for a #5 FDUR, if the pattern has some detail and tight turns.  If the pattern is simple, maybe go up to a #7.

Good info, thanks 

I'm think I'm going to cut a scrap and try some different blades and see what works for me, seems like the logical thing to do

[Blaughn]

I have cut many hardwood projects in oak and even Jatoba wood (with a wood hardness/density rating roughly twice that of oak.)  I have settled on the Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse and use them for all woods and projects.  With the harder and more dense woods like Jatoba you work more slowly and change blades more frequently but other than that there is little difference.  The biggest challenge for me is to curb my impatience and let the blade dictate the pace.  Here's a project done in Jatoba:  The dime will give you a feel for the size of the letters.  This was cut with Flying Dutchman #1 Ultra Reverse blades and I went through 12 of them for this piece.  Good luck with the oak!!!

Bruce

Edited August 17, 2022 by Blaughn

[Bill WIlson]

2 hours ago, Eplfan2011 said:

Good info, thanks 

I'm think I'm going to cut a scrap and try some different blades and see what works for me, seems like the logical thing to do

Blade preferences are very much a matter of personal tastes.  There are several variables involved that make it tough to say that a specific blade is the best for a particular application.  Your plan to try different blades to see what works for you is the best approach.  Understanding general characteristics such as size, tooth configuration, etc will help you narrow the choices down.  I've said that you can give 10 scrollers the same pattern and the same type and thickness of wood and ask them which blade is best for the project and you will likely get 10 different answers.

[Eplfan2011]

3 hours ago, Blaughn said:

The biggest challenge for me is to curb my impatience and let the blade dictate the pace. 

 

Here's a project done in Jatoba:  The dime will give you a feel for the size of the letters. 

 

And there it is exactly my problem, something I have to do myself.

That is totally awesome!!, seeing something like that makes me realize how far behind the curve I am lol

I bought a good selection of blades to begin with and I'm also preferring the ultra reverse FD blades, so far I'm liking the smaller blade even on pretty straight cuts I like a #3 over a #5 but with only less than a week and not a lot of time on the saw that could change.

Thanks for the input !

[Eplfan2011]

1 hour ago, Bill WIlson said:

Blade preferences are very much a matter of personal tastes.  There are several variables involved that make it tough to say that a specific blade is the best for a particular application.  Your plan to try different blades to see what works for you is the best approach.  Understanding general characteristics such as size, tooth configuration, etc will help you narrow the choices down.  I've said that you can give 10 scrollers the same pattern and the same type and thickness of wood and ask them which blade is best for the project and you will likely get 10 different answers.

Thanks Bill, I think that's the way it goes in all types of woodwork, there's no right way to do certain tasks the best way is what works for you.

[OCtoolguy]

5 hours ago, Blaughn said:

I have cut many hardwood projects in oak and even Jatoba wood (with a wood hardness/density rating roughly twice that of oak.)  I have settled on the Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse and use them for all woods and projects.  With the harder and more dense woods like Jatoba you work more slowly and change blades more frequently but other than that there is little difference.  The biggest challenge for me is to curb my impatience and let the blade dictate the pace.  Here's a project done in Jatoba:  The dime will give you a feel for the size of the letters.  This was cut with Flying Dutchman #1 Ultra Reverse blades and I went through 12 of them for this piece.  Good luck with the oak!!!

Bruce

Wow! That's really beautiful!

 

[kmmcrafts]

Each saw has a different cutting style depending on saw type and brand and also how the saw is set-up.. For example the Excalibur type saws with the short arms at the front of the saw has a more "rocking" motion on the blade, where as a Hawk or Hegner type saw has a more straight up down motion.. I can move from my Hawk to my Excalibur cutting on the same piece using the same blade and the Excalibur is more aggressive and cuts through the wood faster.. even though I have the saw adjusted to get the least amount of blade movement at the table height.. So, that said.. I find that the FD-UR to be a less aggressive cutting blade and I don't care to use them at all on my Hawk.. Only use Pegas blades on the Hawk.. and use either one on the Excalibur depending on what I'm cutting..

Anyway, my point is.. this is another reason why it's important to try sample packs.. getting advice on what blade to use can vary widely just from saw set-up..