Paduk - Newbie needs advice

[HoosierWood]

I'm very new to scroll sawing and need some advice on my first attempt using Padauk.   My plan is to make a welcome sign for my daughter who just recently got her own house.   I went out and purchased a 8" X 36"X1/2" piece of Padauk.  I love the color but I'm not sure how to handle this wood.   I wanted to see how it cut so I took a small chunk out using the scroll saw and I burnt the wood pretty badly.   I slowed the saw down and took my time with the second piece and it seemed to do better.  Now I'm concerned I may have gotten in over my head with this piece of wood.   I love the look of Padauk and I knew this was the wood I wanted to use for my first exotic wood project but I wasn't expecting it to burn so easily. 

 

Can anyone provide advice on best practice when cutting padauk?  Did I make a mistake using this wood without more experience?

Edited November 26, 2013 by HoosierWood

[amazingkevin]

Are the teeth of the blade facing down? Is there at least 4 teeth on the blade touching the wood at all times?What is the speed your cutting at?Is the blade guitar string tight?  

[HoosierWood]

Good evening,  blades are down and when I first started I had it 6 and turned it down to between 2-3 on Dewalt 788.    After turning it down it seemed to do better, atleast I didn't see any smoke like I did with the first cut.  I'll have to take a closer look at it tomorrow to see how many teeth are touching wood.

[heppnerguy]

I would say that a different blade would be your answer. Padauk wood cuts very well for me. What blade are you using and how long have you been using the one in your saw ? I say it is ALL blade that is the problem. I hope you are not using blades that come with the saw or ones you would buy at the big box store, If you are...then BINGO  I found your problem for you.

 

Dick

heppnerguy

[sullyscroller]

I'm with Dick on this, blade choice makes all the difference. If you are using the standard skip blades that came with the saw there's the problem.

 

sully

[HoosierWood]

I have a #3 Flying Dutchman blade but it may need to be changed.  I've been using the same blade on a few projects.  

 

I'll switch out the blade tonight when I have more time to work on it.   I believe now from what I've been reading on the web that it isn't the wood.  Everyone seems to have the same opinon  that Padauk is a good wood to work with.   It may have been a combination of speed, dull blade and my general rush on the cut.   

 

Thanks for the information everyone.

[jrpeteo]

I think you found the problem, you say you used the same blade for a few projects, I usually use a few blades on a single project. They're cheap, that's why you buy them by the dozens.

Pete

[heppnerguy]

they say an average life for a scroll saw blade is about 1/2 hour. think about how small the teeth are and how much they cutting they do. Take a hacksaw and make a cut on a piece of hardwood and see how much effort it takes you to cut something that way. That will help you understand what the way smaller scroll saw blade does. I know especially when you are starting out, that buying blades may not always be the easiest way to spend your money and justifying it can be a little diffficult, but put into it the value of the  pieces you are making and you will have a little better feeling when you buy them. Because of the added shipping costs of the blades it is cheaper to buy several dozen at a time or in the end they will cost you even more with multiple shipping costs. it is a little difficult to take those blades out of your saw and throw them away so often, when you can still make it cut something, but because dull blades can easily not track well and destroy your projest in a second, do yourself and favor and throw that dull blade away as soon as it starts to burn or you are       ' pushing' that blade through your project, instead of the blade eating that wood on it's own,.

 

Now I will share a little secret with you... Make most things for your wife and she will be happy to let you buy the blades and wood that you need for your projects.  It works for me.

 

 

 

Dick

heppnerguy

[HoosierWood]

yeah,  I think I just need to start changing out my blades more often and make sure everything is squared up.   I appreciate the advice.  

I feel a little better about using the Padauk for the project now.  

[rjR]

Our friend Dick, is right. I do want to add a couple of comments.

 

I am also guilty of trying to get more life out of blades!

 

I use 2 methods of lubricating the blades to help extned the actual usable cutting life!

 

I use clear packing tape over the pattern, with light colored wood; I sometimes use red  permanent marker and put my patterns on top of the tape!

 

I also use better quality candle stubs to lube the blade.  The soy ones do not seem to work as well.. The real wax ones feel different too.

 

http://www.pozsgaidesigns.com/index.htm

  

Above is a link to a blade supplier that treats people right and actually cuts things himself - He is a good scource of advice as well as good service , reasonable prices and all the rest!

[Clayton717]

I use padauk a lot in my intarsia and don't have any trouble with it burning. I use  flying Dutchman # 5 & 7 reverse tooth blades. I change blades fairly often,  it helps when cutting the harder woods

[HoosierWood]

I was kind of surprised at how bad it did burn so fast.  But,  I believe there were a combination of things going on that caused the issue.  Now, I believe the main reason is the blade was dull and I had the speed up way to fast.   The second cut I made with a slower speed went much better with the same blade,  so I believe,  once I switch the blade out,  slow down the speed things should be okay.  

 

I have a lot to learn about this craft.   I really didn't think about the blade being dull but after the reading the posts,  I need to start changing out blades more often.   It makes sense to me now.  

 

Unfortunately,  I didn't get to the saw last night (preparing for thanksgiving).   But,  my plan is to start the welcome sign project this weekend,  so I will keep everyone posted on the progress.

[heppnerguy]

here is a therory of mine and I could be wrong but, I think the faster the blade is traveling the easier it cuts.  have you ever taken a paper for plastic straw and tried to pushit through a raw potato ?  it is impossable. but if you hold the straw in the middle and slam it, as quickly as you can, into that same raw potato, you put completely throught it. My therory is, the same goes for the blade,  the faster it moves he easier it is for it to cut the wood and the speed lessens the resistance. Example; if you have ever cut a try with a chainsaw, you  need to run it pretty fast to get it to cut the wood really straight and fast. A slow running saw works way harder. that is my take on it . If I notice my blade is needing more of my pressure to get it to cut,  and i am too lazy to change it, I step up the speed of the saw and I find it cuts a little better for me.

 

Well scrollers, am I right on this or way off base ?

 

Dick

heppnerguy

[HoosierWood]

I have  a Dewalt 788.  Normally my speed is set around 3-4 on the dial.   This seems to be the speed were I feel I have the most control.  This may come with practice but I have a hard time staying on the lines and if I have it up to fast I feel like I have less control of the wood.   That may be a problem with the piece of Padauk I'm using.  It's a thicker piece of wood then I'm use to.  I'm not sure that will make a differerence, better or worse, with control.    Plus, to be honest and it may sound nuts... but I'm a little intimidated by it.   It's a nice piece of wood and I don't want to screw it up.   So I'm a lttle paranoid about just jumping in on it and not knowing what I'm getting into.  

 

I'm going to try the candle lubrication idea that was brought up and see if that helps with the blade action. But knowing how often the blades need to be changed out explains some of the issues I have had wiith some of my projects.   I guess I'm slow that way but I didn't connect some of my control issues with the blade being dull.   I guess I expected the blades to last until the teeth started falling off.

[MrsN]

If you have't tried the packing tape idea, you really should try it sometime. It really keeps the burning down.

[HoosierWood]

Yes,  I actually use the blue painters tape on the wood then use the adhesive spray to attach the pattern and then the packing tape. 

[WolfmoonCT]

I run my 788 at about a 5.5 on speed setting for all my woods.. (oak, maple, cherry, ash, sycamore, pine).   I only slow it down for like the 1/8" thick BB ply.  I use Olson blades and change them frequently due to the hard woods.  In the plaques I'm cutting out of 1/4" cherry right now, I think I went through about 8 blades in the 3.5 hrs it took to cut the one I posted the other day. But I also do 99% of my cutting using a #2/0 blade.

[heppnerguy]

Harold,

  you can run your saw as fast at it will go and it will not cut anything until YOU push the wood into it. I am pointing this out but I firmly believe you should run your saw at the speed you are most comfortable with.

HINT:  it you need more control on thinner pieces of wood, try taping another scrab board under your project piece and you will slow down the cutting speed of your saw and obtain a little more control when making sharp turns, at least this works for me.. this is called stack cutting and it also allows you to cut more than i item at a time. this is especially good if you are going to make the same thing for two or more people or are goign to enter your thing in a art show or craft show, to sell.

 

Dick

heppnerguy

 

don't feel intimidated   just take your time, scrolling is not about being fast, rather it is about being accurate