jimmyG Posted February 12 Report Share Posted February 12 I've had this tube of 12 Olson spiral 41TPI blades for months and decided to try them out on a 8x10 scrap of 1/4" BB A good thing I had a dozen because I bent and broke half of them since I didn't have a clue what I was up against guessing the tension, etc. I don't understand why the pattern side has more tear out than the back, which is now the show side?? barb.j.enders, Dan, JackJones and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted February 12 Report Share Posted February 12 If the tear out is on the top, could it be you have the blade installed down side up? barb.j.enders, FrankEV, Hawk and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted February 12 Author Report Share Posted February 12 1 hour ago, dgman said: If the tear out is on the top, could it be you have the blade installed down side up? I thought that but looking at the blade with a magnifier I couldn't see any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Moreton Posted February 12 Report Share Posted February 12 Run your finger down the blade. It should glide down. No teeth grabbing you. I don’t look at it, I feel it. Hawk, FrankEV, JessL and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted February 12 Report Share Posted February 12 1 minute ago, Roberta Moreton said: Run your finger down the blade. It should glide down. No teeth grabbing you. I don’t look at it, I feel it. +1 on this...I've been scrolling for decades and I still run my finger down the blade to determine which way it cuts. danny, Roberta Moreton, Fish and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted February 12 Author Report Share Posted February 12 6 minutes ago, Hawk said: +1 on this...I've been scrolling for decades and I still run my finger down the blade to determine which way it cuts. My bad... I told ya I didn't know what I was doing. Yup, I had the blade in upside down. I still use a magnifying glass when I get regular new blades since my finger has trouble with the reverse tooth blades. I'm not a fan of spirals yet! FrankEV 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preprius Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, jimmyG said: My bad... I told ya I didn't know what I was doing. Yup, I had the blade in upside down. I still use a magnifying glass when I get regular new blades since my finger has trouble with the reverse tooth blades. I'm not a fan of spirals yet! Thanks for the update. We are ready for your next questions. jimmyG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, jimmyG said: My bad... I told ya I didn't know what I was doing. Yup, I had the blade in upside down. I still use a magnifying glass when I get regular new blades since my finger has trouble with the reverse tooth blades. I'm not a fan of spirals yet! No worries, we're all here to learn from each other, as a side note, I'm not a spiral fan either but there are those here that love them. They're different for sure. I always tell folks there is no one right way to scrollsaw, find what works for you and run with it! that includes blade choice. Enjoy the journey! Chris Scrappile and jimmyG 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankEV Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 When using small spiral blades, here are two tips to avoid breakage you might find helpful: 1. If the drill holes are sized for the blade, you should grab the blade with your fingers or a pair of pliers and pull it tightly through the panel as the panel slides down onto the table, or the blade will get kinked and break when tension is applied. 2. When clamping into the top clamp, bend the blade slightly with your fingers to reduce the tension on the blade a little when the tensioning lever is set. My saw tension is set for stronger blades and I need to do this or the small blades will snap imediately. Even applying these tips, I still kink and break my small blades frequently. BTW, nice subject choice for the test cut. danny, jimmyG and Scrappile 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjweb Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 What blades are there that when you run your finger down them it catches either way you go, thx RJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thruster Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 I wonder why blade manufacturers don’t label the tops of blades? Flying Dutchman puts a little bump on the top making identification easy. jimmyG and danny 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Simmons Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 20 hours ago, rjweb said: What blades are there that when you run your finger down them it catches either way you go, thx RJ Ultra reverse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 Olson has a 2-way cut blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldfish Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 The tession thing is somethig you will get used to over time I broke a lot of blades early on. Also let the blade do the work or you will also break the blade if you try pushing through to fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldfish Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 Look forward to the front profile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted February 14 Author Report Share Posted February 14 17 minutes ago, Bill WIlson said: Olson has a 2-way cut blade. I tried the Olson #2 41TPI a little while ago and gave up trying to use them. I spent more time trying to get the blade in the holders than I did scrolling anything. The top was straight and flat the bottom of the blade is turned so it wouldn't fit into the holder unless I took a pair of needle nose pliers and turned it straight. I tried beating the ends on my vise top but I no longer care to use them any longer. I will stick to regular blades from now on. People that like them, more power to you but I'll never buy any more..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankEV Posted February 15 Report Share Posted February 15 14 hours ago, goldfish said: Look forward to the front profile Badddddddd! jimmyG and Hawk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted February 15 Report Share Posted February 15 Yea spirals are a challenge to get into the blade clamps. Flying Dutchman offers flat end spirals in some sizes, but unfortunately, I mostly use the smaller sizes, which aren't available in flat end. So, I use the 2 pair of pliers approach and straighten them myself. It's a little tedious, but you get better at it the more you do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted February 15 Author Report Share Posted February 15 34 minutes ago, Bill WIlson said: Yea spirals are a challenge to get into the blade clamps. Flying Dutchman offers flat end spirals in some sizes, but unfortunately, I mostly use the smaller sizes, which aren't available in flat end. So, I use the 2 pair of pliers approach and straighten them myself. It's a little tedious, but you get better at it the more you do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted February 15 Author Report Share Posted February 15 It's hard to believe these mfg can't come up with a way to make their spiral blades have flat end so the consumer doesn't have to go through a ritual getting them clamped... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankEV Posted February 15 Report Share Posted February 15 1 hour ago, jimmyG said: It's hard to believe these mfg can't come up with a way to make their spiral blades have flat end so the consumer doesn't have to go through a ritual getting them clamped... Your are correct. However, as I use spirals most of the time, I have developed a feel for when the clamp is grabing correctly. By twisting/rotating the blade between the fingers while applying the clamp, you can feel when it is on a high spot or a more flatter area. Find the flatter area and clamp tight enought to hold the blade but not too tight to deform the blade. You realy do not need to tighten the clamp very tight. I like to think 'snug' not tight. If the blade slips out of the clamp, it wasn't quite 'snug' enough. I find this more difficult to get it correct in the initial clamping in the bottom clamp. Getting it correct in the bottom clamp is for me a SPITA. danny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted February 15 Report Share Posted February 15 I have been using #1 Pegas spirals quite a bit lately and on my saw I open the bottom clamp a little more than I would for a flat blade, slip it in my clam and tighten. I can feel right away if the blade is in fact getting clamped or not. Once I feel the clamp on the bottom catching I tighten it and then I am ready to go. I do not ever worry about how flat the blade is in the bottom or the top clamp and I do not have breakage problem with my blades unless I am using them too long. That is how it is for me. Dick heppnerguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted February 15 Report Share Posted February 15 My first experience with spirals nearly scarred me for life. Years ago, I was cutting several Volker Arnold schwibboggen patterns for Christmas presents. I got some Olson spiral blades. I had so many break, some even before I turned the saw on. I couldn't keep them in the clamps to save my life. When I tried untwisting the ends, I had marginally better luck getting them to stay in the clamps, but then they would break as soon as I put tension on them or shortly thereafter. It was a monumentally frustrating experience and I nearly swore off spirals forever. Later I tried some FD spirals and had much better results. I'm convinced I got a flawed batch of Olson blades. They were soooo brittle it was practically impossible to use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Moreton Posted February 17 Report Share Posted February 17 Ultra reverse blades and others that are hard to tell which way is up have either a crimp or notch at the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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