Installing pinless blades is a major PIA. Help

[zimmerstutzen]

I am mostly a turner, but I scroll small items, mostly Christmas ornaments and carving blanks a few times a year.   My used $10 yard sale pinned blade Craftsman until it gave up the ghost last year. but it gave great service for my use and I even cut out some large whales out of 2x8 lumber that are 30 inches long.  I have another yard sale scroll saw, a Skill that takes pinned or pinless.  Easy to put pinned blades on, .Incredibly ridiculous to get my fumble fingers in there to attach the bottom of the blade. And they break so easy.  I also have an old RBI that I finally tried using.  it only takes pinless and I can't get a blade to last longer then about 15 seconds.  I don't think it is from too much pressure of the stock against the blade, but so difficult to get the pinless blades into the holders straight, so they end up being installed with a slight curve before I am even turning the saw on.   I can use a pinned blade for hours with out breaking. What am I doing wrong?

[preprius]

My RBI hawk is very good at holding blades. So tension will be the problem your having. Back off on the tension a bit.

I break blades in 4 ways. 

1) Full speed breaks blades. 

2)To much feed pressure will push blade against table and break it. 

3)They get hot and break in the middle.

4) too much tension. 

Yea the blades can be tiny.  With tiny teeth /  blades feed rate is slow.  

[OCtoolguy]

Hawks take some learning on setting blade tension. One you have it set at the rear of the saw you shouldn't to touch it again. There is a video on bushton.com.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

What type holders do you have? Are they the barrel type or the square block type. Either one you install the blade into the holders with the holders out of the saw. Could not be any easier. The top blade holders you see very easily too. As far as setting tension there are instructions on the RBi site or at least there use to be. 

[Bill WIlson]

Pinned blades are typically much larger than pinless blades, so thus much more robust.  If you are used to heavy, aggressive cutting with pinned blades, pinless blades won't stand up to the same use.