Gill wrote:Crikey, 40mm is a thick chunk of wood for
any scroll saw!
Phil wrote:The blade gets itself in a corner, grips the timber, and then the Beech hammers my fingers.
Not fun at all.
Breaks the blade.
I'm concerned that you're breaking blades. A #12 is massive! It sounds as if the blade is binding, probably on sawdust trapped within the block of wood. Don't forget, if your saw has a cutting stroke shorter than the thickness of the wood then not all saw dust will be able to escape. Slowing down the saw will help to keep the blade cool and retain its cutting edge but if you are still having problems I suggest you keep backing off the blade to allow sawdust to escape. I'd definitely prefer to use as large a skip-tooth blade as possible, but that advice is useless if you don't have any to hand.
If you can lubricate the blade as you cut, that will help too - try smearing molten candle wax along the cutting line but not so much that you can't see the pattern. Alternatively, stop every now and then and cut into a candle.
I'm not sure what else to suggest
.
Gill
Hello Gill! (The Scrollsaw Queen)
Thanks for the reply.
I have only broken 2 blades so far
see other thread on what the last blade looked like.
I have done the backing off thing and tried to let the blade do its thing, but then we go nowhere, so its time to apply pressure.
Wax was a thought, but then I would need to keep the fire extinguisher close by
I will look for other blades next year.
Will finish off this Beech reindeer just to prove a point that I can do it. There are still 20 #12 blades left in the tube.
40mm Beech is thick, but then I have also run out of pine.
Phil