Sticky dust

[Lester Willerton]

Hi to everyone in the village. I have picked up many good hints and help from other conversations since I joined the group but now I have an issue I need input from others on. 

I have mainly used modified geometry blades but I am now cutting Charles Hand Sliegh Ride and chose to use spirals. I think I may be a convert but I am having trouble with dust. Normally my scrollnado does a very good job controlling dust and keeping the lines clear but on this project the dust seems to stick to the pattern even though i have plenty of suction. I have had to resort to using the blower as well to see but this leaves dust sticking to everything. 

Is this typical for spiral blades or is it possible I used too much glue to attach the pattern? I did use a bit more glue than usual because I did not want any chance of the pattern lifting on this very detailed pattern. Sorry for the long post. Any help appreciated. I will post a picture of the finished project at a later date when it is completed. Thanks. Lester

[dgman]

More information is needed. What kind of wood are you using? Are you using blue painters tape or are you using clear packing tape. Do you not  usually use the blower?

[Lester Willerton]

I am sorry for lack of details. I have three layers of 1/8 Baltic birch stacked together covered with green painters tape. Then I attached pattern with 3m77 glue. This is how I do all my projects. Normally I do not need to use the blower as the scrollnado attached to my vacuum does a good job collecting the dust. But on this project the dust seems very sticky and the scrollnado cannot pick it all up. That is why I need the blower to keep my lines visible. Thanks

Lester

[kmmcrafts]

You know I had never thought about the glue sprayed on the pattern doing this but over the years I've also had times where the sawdust really doesn't want to blow off of my pattern very well with the dust blower.. Only been a issue once in a while. I'll have to try to be more conscious about how much glue I spray on and see if this is the reason. I don't use spray glue very much anymore since using full sheet shipping labels. There are times when I do a larger pattern where the full sheet label won't work and then I have to use the spray glue.  

[Wichman]

When I've had issues with this (basswood) it was static electricity. You can check by wiping the pattern with a damp, not wet cloth.

[barb.j.enders]

I have only used spiral blades a few times.  It seems to me that the dust didn't blow off as easily as it does with flat blades.  I wonder if it is because of the spiral on the blades.?

[FrankEV]

When Spiral blades produce a lot of dust on top of the work, it is usually and indication that the blade is installed upside down.   I use sopiral blade almost exclusively for fretwork type cutting and have experienced this.  Yes, spirals do generate a little bit more dust than straight blades, but not that much and the saw blower can keep the line clear if directed properly. 

The only other possibility I see is that you applied toooooo much adheasice to attaach the pattern and the glue bled through the paper and the dust is sticking to it.  IMHO, not a likely scenario

Hope this helps.

 

[Lester Willerton]

Thank you to all who replied. I had not thought of static electricity but will look into it. I know I put extra glue on this pattern to make sure it stayed stuck down. I wonder if heat generated by the blade could be making the glue and sawdust have a rubbery texture so it is sticking in place and not allowing the vacuum to suck it up. 

I think when I get time I may need to do some test pieces with light and heavy glue applications to see if there is a difference. Thanks.

Lester

[OCtoolguy]

It sounds like too much glue to me. I try to use a very light mist and let it get almost dry before applying the pattern to the wood. Almost like using contact cement.

 

[Lester Willerton]

Thanks FrankEV. I have checked and my blade is installed correctly and cuts well. 

[Lester Willerton]

Thanks OCToolguy. I am leaning towards too much glue aswell but will need to do some test pieces later. It I hard to get enough shop time right now. 

Also my can of glue is getting closet empty. Is there a possibility the consistency of the glue could be different near the end of the can. Maybe I have not been shaking it well enough in th past. I may buy a new can and experiment with that as well as time allows. Thanks

Lester

[Norm Fengstad]

sometimes sawdust doesn't clear like I right now I am cutting figurines in Tara wood using #5 ultra reverse Niqua blade my dust extraction could be better 

[Lester Willerton]

Hi Norm

It was good to meet you and your wife when my wife and I visited your shop during the Nipawin art tour. You do very nice work and variety of styles of scrollsaw work. Thanks for showing me around your shop and answering all my questions.

I have also noticed some different species produce different sawdust but none seemed as difficult to vacuum as this current project. That is why I am leaning towards too much glue. Tonight I put together four small separate workpieces of three layers of 1/8 Baltic birch covered in green painters tape just like the one I am cutting. Then I glued on patterns. On two I used my old can of 3M77. One with light coat of glue. The second with a heavy layer of glue. I bought a new can of 3M77 and used it on the other two. One light coat and one heavy coat of glue. In a few days I will cut on all four and see if there was a difference. I will report back with the results. 

Lester

[Norm Fengstad]

:Lester it was good meeting you again and talking about the area we both grew up in. I cut a figurine not sure of the wood but it might be tara wood the saw dust seemed heavy and the vac under scroll table was on however excessive amount of surface dust had to be vacumned of.  

[Lester Willerton]

Well I did some test cuts on 3 layers 1/8 Baltic birch covered with greenn painters tape and pattern glued to the tape with 3M77 just as I did in the project I was working on and started this conversation.

First I used my old can of glue. A light coat on first piece and heavy coat on second piece. Then I used a new can of glue. Light coat on first piece and heavy coat on second piece. 

In the first picture I cut with #2/0 spiral blade on all four pieces.             In second picture I cut with a #3 modified geometry blade on all.                 In third picture I cut with a #1 spiral blade on all pieces in-between the first two cuts. 

All test cuts were made with just my vacuum running and I did not use the blower. 

I will say that none of the tests created as much dust as on my original work piece but I think there were slight differences.There did not seem to be any difference between old and new cans of glue. But I did see increased sawdust on the pieces with heavy layer of glue. Harder to see in the pictures than while I was cutting. Unfortunately I had to clean dust off between each cut as my fingers messed it up as I cut each time. I was hoping for more definitive results but this is what I got. Sorry for the long post. I hope the pictures show what I was trying to do.

Thanks to all who previously replied and if there are questions please ask.  Sorry my writing does not show good in the pictures. The top two in each picture are old glue with light coat on left and heavy on right. The bottom two in each picture is new glue light on left and heavy on right.

[OCtoolguy]

I switched to Elmer's spray adhesive. I like it better than the 3M. And it seems that the tip stays cleaner. 

[Lester Willerton]

Thanks Octoolguy. I did use Elmer's a few years ago but had a few times the pattern lifted at times so I went to 3M77. If it continues to be problem I will try Elmer's again.