A Guide to Choosing the Right Scroll Saw Blade

 

It is important to choose the right kind of scroll saw blade because it will  affect the smoothness of the cut and even the safety of the person who will be operating the saw. Below is a discussion on some of the things that you need to check first before purchasing a scroll saw blade.

 

You need to determine first what material you will be cutting in order to find the right kind of woodworking scroll saw blade. Most woods can be cut with the regular blades but there are some materials that need special kinds of blades. Charts showing the right speeds and thickness of materials for each type of blade are found in most manufacturer sites. Consulting the charts before you go on with the job so that you can be sure that you are using the right speed, is the best way to begin.

 

Blade quality affects the cut.  Blades are made of steel. Hardening and tempering are done on most scroll blades. What affects the quality of the blade is the quality of the steel used and the tempering process. When a manufacturer makes a blade with higher quality this means that he must use a higher quality steel and the process of tempering is more refined.When cutting hardwood, the quality of the blade is very important.The blade number is higher when it comes to cutting hardwood. Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworking to learn facts about woodworking.

 

The type of blade that you will use is also affected by the thickness of the wood that you will cut. For thick wood it is best to use blades with lesser teeth. For thinner wood the opposite is true. As a rule you need to have at least 4 teeth in the wood at any given moment and 3 if the wood is thick. This is so because if there are too many teeth on the wood, the sawdust cannot escape and thus the blade heats up and the wood will start to burn.There is also the danger of the blade to go out of control when there are too many teeth because the teeth may catch onto the wood.

 

If you are cutting very intricate patterns then you will need a very fine blade. To have long curves on the outside of the wood you need increase the cutting speed.  For the long curves on the outside, the proper blade to use is the one with fewer teeth. The cut may be rough but it is quicker to cut.

 

If  you are just a beginner in using a scroll saw, you should get yourself scroll saw patterns blade with more teeth and a heavier gauge. Controlling the equipment is much easier with the blade with these features.