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My message for Those that struggle with and do not like spiral blades is forget about them. I get the feeling they are trying to justify to someone (?) why they do not like them and I do not understand why they feel the need to. Use what works best for you and do not worry what others like and use. It is like trying to explain why you like one tool over the other. What works you you is all that is important. I use and feel there are purposes for both. If you do not like what another scroller uses than to think it is different from what I use and it may be worth a try The end results is whats important, I, frankly use what ever blade is working for me, I never think about what someone else may think. Like I bottom feed, I do not care if you and others top feed and why should I? It is about what works for me and what works for you.

I had to have an Ablation on my heart, where they cauterize parts of it. I have only been in the shop a little because of some afterwards chest pain and groin discomfort. I decided on one harder project, the bowl (alder and oak) and 2 easy bird houses. They all turned out pretty well. If anyone wants a copy of my bowl pattern, let me know.

Not sure what wood this is as it was in a box of scrap pieces someone gave me a few weeks ago. Pattern courtesy of the Scroll saw Workshop. Pegas reverse skip tooth no3. Regards, Alan.

A couple girl name puzzles for Easter gifts ….these are the colors they wanted for each

I agree with Paul, That said, a lot of folks just have a curiosity of how others do something too because they're looking for tips, suggestions and a general consensus of what blade or size blade etc. one uses. There are so many blade options and for a beginner it's a lot of money to buy every blade out there when they likely will end up not using a good number of them when they find that one or two blade styles & sizes they will find that works for them. There are so many different materials and project styles, and even saw set-ups that create a different result in what a individual is trying to accomplish. For instance I have be working on a project and switch from my Hawk saw to my Excalibur or the other Hawk or Hegner and each saw has a different aggressiveness of cutting with the exact same blade cutting on the exact same board / project.. Now to answer the question at hand.. "I" use both spiral and straight blades depending on the projects at hand.. I "think" where a lot of folks go wrong with using them is they are used to "pushing too hard" or feeding to fast through the cut.. a spiral blade will follow the path of least resistance and solid wood has a wide variety of denseness throughout the same piece of wood.. you will find the hard and soft spots very quickly using spiral blades. When you push a blade too hard you can also create a bow in the blade and easily find those softer spots and send you off course.. The spiral does leave a rougher cut edge.. especially if you're pushing to hard and also especially if your saw is set up to cut more aggressively. I find using a smaller blade size than I would with a straight blade helps a lot with both smoothening the edges and also control of the blade or rather the piece since we don't control the blade ( other than speed ). I rarely use spirals on solid wood, usually use them on BBply.. but I do use them for veining fine details on thick solid wood. and the biggest spiral blade I use is a #1 and that is not often to use that large of one. Go to size is a 2/0..

Back on Feb 26 I posted a question asking for comments on the DW788 ("Any comments on the DeWalt DW788 scroll saw?") I want to thank everyone for the many positive responses on this saw. At first I thought it was out of my budget, but I came across a special sale from one of the big box stores that saved me almost $200 off the list price, including shipping and sales tax. it arrived in-store last Friday and I picked it up on Sunday morning. It came basically pre-assembled except for the table (it weighs a ton - seems like maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the total weight of the saw !!!) and a couple bolts and thumbscrews. It's a dream compared to my old 16" Craftsman. I haven't had time to do more than a few basic tests cuts, but I can't wait to start on projects. Again, many thanks to "The Village People." Without your overwhelmingly positive comments I would never have gone ahead and purchased the DW788. Now if only I can find an old posting here for an easy to use script font for scrolling. -aj43

Miniature Birdhouse Ornaments pattern by the late Diana Thompson. The wood for the birdhouses is Basswood and for the little birds, Purpleheart. Cut on the Pegas Scroll Saw using Pegas #6 Super Skip blade. After sanding with a Mac Mop, dipped in diluted Shellac, then sanded again. Comments welcome.

I have spent more money on blades than I paid for the three saws I have owned.

Yes, exactly! This is why I struggle to answer those common questions of "what blade to use" and also " what size blade do I need " ... Even with my Excalibur blade adjustment adjusted to the most straight up / down as possible it's still more aggressive than a Hawk.. I used to use the same blade size but switch to a FD-UR on one saw and a Pegas MGT on the other and the cutting speed / style was very close to the same, LOL. Pegas blade on the Hawk and a FD on the EX. Anyway, this is why I always answer those common questions with... "buy sample packs in various sizes, styles, and brands and find the blade that works for you.. I've seen people mention they use a number 1 blade on 3/4" stock.. for me and the saw set up I have that would be like watching paint dry..

I use both the spiral and the straight... depending on what I'm cutting. Some of my pieces won't turn within the throat of my saw however that is not an excuse to use spiral blades. I honestly enjoy using spirals, but then I also enjoy the straights. I use Pegas, usually #2/0 up to #1. The straights are either the MGT or skip tooth. I agree the spirals leave a more ragged cut but to help eliminate that I will switch to a new blade when I detect an excessive amount of ragged edges around my cuts. I have pretty good control with the spirals but that may be attributed to how much I use them. I've noticed you have to be careful not to push sideways when using them as well as letting the blade "catch up" when making turns.

I've seen videos of people using spiral blade that they've had amazing control of their cutting. I've tried them several times on stacked 1/8" baltic birch. Didn't take me long to scrap the idea and go back to a flat blade. I hate how ragged it leaves the cut. Maybe I used the wrong blade. My go to blades are the #3 & #5 MGT.

I see a lot of people using spiral blades on their projects. I have used them on 1 project in the shop because it was oversized and was not suited for a regular blade. I myself still do not like them. I don't have the control and like to get the sharp points and corners. I don't mind all of the turning on the wood as for me that is what scrolling is. My go to blades are Flying Dutchman 1's and 3's for scrolling and 5's for bowls. I am going to also be switching to the Pegas MGT blades as I have heard nothing but good about them. What do you use and why?

I saw these patterns in an issue of scroll saw crafts and knew right away that I wanted to cut it but I really had no one in mind to cut it for so I just sort of forgot about it. My wife mentioned that our oldest daughter was decorating her bathroom in an ocean theme and I immediately that remembers the set of ocean life patterns from the magazine that I wished to cut but hadn't yet. So I looked them up and choose a couple of them to cut for her. I choose a color for the backer boards and after spraying them, I liked the way they looked and so I was happy with them and I hope my daughter is also. Of course I would be happy to cut her some of the other sea life patterns also, should she happen to want them. I just did not want to give her more than she would want on the bathroom walls. As it is easy to see, I cut them from baltic birch play and I used my 'go to' blade, the Pegas #3rev. Dick heppnerguy

Just completed this beautiful Russ Beard pattern, it took me longer than it should have done the reason being the whole year so far we have had a maximum of four hours of power during the day so a lot has to be done when you do have power and scroll saw work has to put on the back bench. The power has improved slightly so I managed to finish it. We also had extensive flooding so the moisture content in the wood is high and played silly buggers with me in the finishing especially the Leopard. The tree I purposely textured it to give a bit of an aging effect. All in all I’m happy with the cut, I enjoy these complex cuts. Just as a matter of interest this was cut cut on the cheapest scroll saw like your Wen. I would have to think a bit about the frame thinking about a rustic frame to suit the picture as well as the back round behind the Leopard I think a nice blue representing a nice clear day under the African skies.

A few more ornaments in the first picture. Now Wilma and Betty are only Silhouette cut so far. I am stumped on how to cut the detail on them. I can wood burn if necessary however I would prefer to cut the detail. Now remember Wilma and Betty are copywrite so do NOT post any suggestions here. If you can help please send via my e-mail (chelcalfed@yahoo.com) or contact me thru messenger . Thanks.

Made this picture of my godson/nephew

I don't think spirals vs regular flat blades has to be an either/or proposition. Blades are designed for specific applications. Spiral blades work very well for certain types of projects, in certain materials, because that is what they are designed for. If one doesn't make those kinds of projects, then there probably is no good reason to use spirals. I use both, but only use spirals where they are the best option. They are not my go to blade for general scroll saw work. I don't think they are well suited for a lot of things, but are perfect for some. As for the learning curve, I've known several very skilled and experienced scrollers who never got the hang of spirals and didn't use them. It doesn't always come naturally to everyone, but there isn't anything wrong with that. I maintain that, with some practice, any scroller can learn to use them, maybe not love them, but be capable of using them. It's up to the individual as to whether or not it's worth the effort.

When I switch from my EX21 to my Hawk scroll saw, I need different blades to accomplish the same task. For the EX21, I use #3MGT for almost everything. For the same type of project on the Hawk, I need a #5MGT because the #3MGT cuts so slowly. Any blade smaller than a #3 on my Hawk is almost unusable.

Completely agree.

I made this clock for my son's Tiki Bar. It's backlit with color-changing LED light-strips.

I just finished cutting this wood-art piece. This one took about 18 hours to cut and another 2 hours to make the pattern. I made it from a painting by artist, Ted Blaylock.

Patterns from Uncle John animals patterns

Hey everyone! In this fun scroll saw project video I make a unique Business Card Holder for Scroll Saw Artists! This Steve Good design uses various materials I got from my scrap bin and is a redo of an older project before I started YouTube. Hope you all like the video! #ArtisanPirate

Cant stand the spirals. I keep telling myself its just a practice thing but every time I use them I regret it.

Bird of Paradise is a great script font. You can find it at dafont.com. BTW, you're going to love your new yeller saw.

Aside from the standing for hours, her saw setup gives her great ergonomics. She looks nearly straight down on the blade, its good hand height, and standing forces a proper back position. Just that standing thing. But I suppose proper shoes and a mat and you are money. The work is amazing so it must work; right?

Yes, what Ray said. I cut two of her patterns as a challenge to myself. They were really intricate cuts and I upped my fine cutting skills in so doing. But even then I understand that i am acting the role of a craftsman, cutting a pattern, while she is the artist, looking at the piece of wood and envisioning a pattern for that piece of wood.

Looks like a real fishbowl. Wonder if it will hold water. Jerry

I have a Pegas scroll saw and mostly use Pegas MGT blades but occasionally use spiral blades. For hardwood panels in 1/4" - 1.2" I prefer the MGT3 blade and will switch to the MGT1 for finer details. I will then use a spiral blade for veining as the flat blades make too narrow a cut. I will go to a MGT2/0 blade for really fine details. For compound cuts, typically a 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" hardwood block, I prefer the MGT5 blade.

I think you would need to use spiral blades a lot to get used to them.

For whatever reason the clamp always flew to one side so I didn’t need to block the other side. And it never came out the front so I could leave that open for my hand to get in. I like the magnet idea and may try that in place of the tape I’m using now.

IF you can get the DeWalt on sale I would buy it over the WEN for the simple fact of resale value if you decide to ever sell it. DeWalts seem to hold their value way better than most any other saw on the market.

Couple of clocks I've done. Love scrolling and creating saw dust!

I forgot about the one one hanging on my wall. I thoroughly enjoyed cutting and assembling it. However, it doesn’t work, but I’m 99.999 % sure it’s because of the knucklehead that made it.

These are door plaques for the grandkids Easter gifts. Their rooms are being redecorated this spring. 1/4" bb ply, cut with #3 mg blade. The crayons are Unicorn Spit. Soccer ball is acrylic paint. Top coated with shellac. Patterns from Suncatcher Studio.

Cute! I never thought of woodburning...great idea!

These are personal portraits cut from patterns I created. The "Furry's" was a Christmas gift for my son and his wife who have 4 pets. The 0ther two was a request from fiends.

I'm so happy for you. Like buying a new truck! Nothing like it. Just no "new" smell. Exciting!

Very nice, get well making more sawdust, RJ

Still working on this piece little by little in between orders etc. I need to get on the ball and finish it up. Not quite certain how I'm going to make the arms and I might redo the hair. I have some other trim type pieces to go on it too. My original plan was to use a swinging pendulum type clock.. however the size of this wouldn't allow me to fit a pendulum in it.. so I think I'm going to just saw one out of wood and maybe paint it gold and glue it in there.. Or possibly cut one from some thin brass sheet.. since I've never cut brass, LOL.. but we'll see. This is a shot of it just taped together and test fitting things before I start gluing.

I just found this Instructable and found it interesting for repairing an old Excalibur where parts are no longer available. I thought maybe somebody who is on the fence about buying an old one might find what they need here to form a decision. https://www.instructables.com/Scroll-Saw-Repair-Using-TinkerCad-Flatbed-Scanner-/#discuss

These com in handy from time to time in my shop. Craft Sanding Scraps, 5 Oz Bag, Mixed Grit, Various Shapes & Sizes They are a bit of a crapshoot as far grit size. These are scraps from maling fingernail files. I have seen the the finger nail files available in grits from 80-12,000. I cost a lot more but you can buy fingernail files in individual grits.

Beautiful craftsmanship, RJ

Our Walmarts here in the Houston area are also being overrun by an interesting assortment of people, not the same for any 2 stores. I think (not an original idea) that Walmart is missing a business opportunity. They could put in an observation balcony and sell wine. They could even put in some of the binoculars, those which require a coin to operate, for observing the shoppers on the main floor.

LOVE the bottom three! Gearworks always fascinated me, and I'd love to know where you found the plans for those three?

Since I am an avid golfer, I had to cut this one

I made 2 of the P51 airplane clocks, one for my WW2 veteran dad for Father's Day several years ago, and one for my son when he graduated for aviation mechanics school. The pig clock was given to a farmer friend.

Very cool Melanie.

Well here is my feeble effort ! The clocks shown so far are just outstanding, wonderful work everyone.

Haven't made too many clocks, but I did just finish one I found in the Pattern Library. One of these days I would love to make a grandfather clock, cutting the gears, escapement, etc. Plans for those, that I can find, are pricey.