Blade recommendation

[rash_powder]

I purchased some filigree ornament patterns from Sheila Landry Designs and would like to stack cut them to try and get a better bang for my time.  
 

her instructions recommend a #2 blade, but I have to enlarge them slightly and am not sure that a 2 will cut 2 or 3 layers of 1/4” poplar.  My go to blade for ornaments last year was a 5, Pegas MG I believe.  I really need to keep notes.  Those ornaments were all single 1/4” poplar. 
 

These are going to be the most detailed projects I’ve ever done.  I’d like to hopefully start off without struggling for blade choice.  
 

thanks!!

[Wichman]

For what it's worth.

I just completed cutting two sets of the dragonfly ornaments; 1/8 inch hardwood, stack of four (total of 1/2"), FD Polar blade 2/0, pilot hole #71 drill bit (.025").  One layer took 40 minutes, 4 took 55 minutes. I've cut sliding dovetails in 1 1/2 purple heart ( lid for a box ) using FD Polar #1 blades ( pilot hole #65, .035" ) .   I routinely cut 3/4" poplar with a FD Polar #1 blade to make the name with a rose pieces.

The biggest problem I've had is finding a small drill bit with the length needed to go all the way through ( that 1/2" thick for the dragonflies is about the limit for the drill bit ). Your other concern will be for a drill bit that won't deflect when it hits a piece of dense wood ( knot, or pin knot ). My preference there is a cobalt alloy bit, available as a special order from the Home Depot. These bits have the least sideways deflection and you would have to heat them to 1000 degrees to lose the temper. I set my drill press to the highest speed ( 3500 ) when drilling the tiny holes, it helps keep a clean exit hole.

Here are some fairly detailed ornaments, stack cut, 3  1/4 inch poplar boards, FD Polar #!, #65 drill bit ( .035" ) 

 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Wichman
clairity

[OCtoolguy]

Following

[NC Scroller]

I do ornaments on thin stock (1/8"-1/4") all the time.  Personally, I would use the Pegas #1 MGT and they will cut three pieces of poplar or most other hardwood like butter.

[rash_powder]

I hadn’t considered drill bit length.  
 

I don’t trust the square of my drill press for anything this small so I use a dremel with a plunge base.  It spins those wee little bits plenty fast.  
 

It is sounding like a #1 is the winner.  I will find some and give them a go.  Thanks all!

Just for a size idea, the ornaments come 6 to a 8.5x11 paper.  I printed them on 11x17 paper with the ‘fit to paper’ option.  They are about the size of my hand - I wear an xl glove - 6’ and a 2x shirt.  If that helps.

Edited September 5, 2022 by rash_powder

[Denny Knappen]

I also stack cut 1/4” three high and use Pegas #1 MGT blades.  As a test I used #1 MGT on 3/4” Hard Maple.  Slow going, but cut without a problem.  If interested, click the link below my signature.

[kmmcrafts]

Guess I'm the oddball or I mis-read this.. If stack cutting I stack 4-6 pieces of 1/8".. I try to keep my stacks 1/2" thick total but there are times I'll do 5/8" or very rarely 3/4".. When cutting stacks this thick almost always use a #3 Pegas MGT blade.. sometimes a #5.. but the blade size is also determined by which saw I'm going to be using as saw set up is a big player in how aggressive it's going to cut. This is why I don't like offering blade sizes to others.. because no two saws are exactly the same.. on a aggressive cutting saw I might use a less aggressive blade.. on a saw that's not too aggressive I might go to a larger or more aggressive blade.. 

Also, blade size is going to be dependent on how I make my stack and how the cuts are laid out.. if most my cutting it going to be across the grain or with the grain..   

[Bill WIlson]

Blade selection usually ends up as a matter of personal preference.  If I have ever used the blade that the pattern maker recommends, it was totally by coincidence.  Not that I don't think they make a good recommendation, just that any recommendation is really just a suggestion.  Proper blade selection is a factor of wood thickness, hardness, pattern detail and even the saw itself.  You need to find the right combination of blade size and material to cut the desired pattern.  This will vary from one user to another and from one type of saw to another.  

Me personally, I cut most fretwork with either a #1 or #3 FDUR.  When cutting ornaments, I typically try to use stock that is thinner than 1/4" (either 1/8" BB ply or hardwood planed down to 3/16" or so).  I usually use the #1 and keep my overall stack thickness at around 1/2" max, give or take.  I use a #1 because most of the ornament patterns I cut have a good bit of fine detail in them and the #1 gives me the best results.  I could try to stack cut more, but then the #1 wears out faster and cutting slows.  I could move up to a #3 to speed things up, but then I lose some of the control and ability to cut fine detail that I get with the #1.  It becomes a compromise.  Your mileage may vary, which is why all blade recommendations are just suggestions.

[rash_powder]

So sometime in the last day I remembered that I cut 2 wall decorations from 1/2" poplar stacked last Christmas.  A #3 or #5 was used, I don't recall.  

Now I know I've done it, I just need to do it again.  But more.

Thanks again!