which blades to use

[tyke]

Hi. all, I have just ordered my first machine,a SIP01373 should arrive next Tuesday.This is going to sound really dumb but apart from finding out it takes both pinned and straight blades,Icannot find which size to buy.As I am totally new to this hobby any and all advice from other members would be really great.I am on a very limited budget hence the cheaper machine.Also being in England supplies are somewhat limited and quite pricey compared to US.Have already downloaded several simple patterns to get me started,can't wait to start scrolling.

[Travis]

Hi Tyke. Welcome to the hobby. I think you'll have a lot of fun with it. There are so many things you can do with such a simple tool, it really is amazing. Don't worry, there is no such thing as dumb questions. Everybody starts somewhere and many of us asked the same question as you. First of all, I would stay away from pinned blades all together. They really have very little use in the hobby. Pinnless is really the way to go, and probably the easiest to find. As far as size of blade, it really becomes personal preference. I would start out with a #3, #5, and maybe a #9 for thick wood. I use #3 on 90% of my stuff. There are spiral blades too. These blades cut whichever direction you want since the teeth goes completely around the blade. Some people love them, others hate them. I like to use them on portrait style cuttings. But for most everything else, I stick to the regular straight blade.

 

Scroll reverse style is where some of the teeth on the bottom and the top of the blade face backwards. These are nice because you get a nice clean cut (no fuzzies on the back of the cutting). If you're doing thick wood, maybe a skip tooth blade is what you want. This stlye of blade is missing every other tooth and is able to clear the sawdust away easier.

 

I'd go with a quality blade. I personally use Flying Dutcman. You can also choose Olson or Pegas are also good choices. I don't know of any suppliers in the UK. I buy mine from Mike's Workshop in the US. You can email him to see if he ships overseas. I can't imagine it would cost much more. Blades are tiny and he ships them in a basic padded envelope. Get plenty, because you go through them fairly fast.

 

Maybe others have suggestions too. But here's what I'd get if I was starting out:

 

Pinnless Scroll Reverse: 3 dozen #3 straight blade, 1 dozen #5 straight blade, 1 dozen #9 straight blade, 1 dozen #3 spiral blade (just to try out).

 

Let us know if you have any more questions. We're happy to help out. Have fun with your new saw!

[blame]

I would have to agree with Travis #3 and #5 are what I use most.

[amazingkevin]

welcome tyke