Scroll saw question

[Rmartin]

I bought a scroll saw last year for a specific job I had, but I haven't used it much since. I didn't have much problem with the piece I was working, it was quarter inch material and about 12" x 12". The hold down clamp worked OK, besides I was able to hold the piece by hand without backlash mainly because it was so thin. But I'm having trouble with a 3/4 or thicker pen blank. The hold down clamp isn't designed for such a small piece and I can't hold it firmly by hand. I'm having problems with it flopping around on me.

Is this a speed issue?
Should I use a custom hold down clamp like maybe a piece of plexi glass?

 

[Curly]

Maybe a dumb question but I will ask it anyway. Do the teeth of the blade as installed point down?

 

[Rmartin]

Maybe a dumb question but I will ask it anyway. Do the teeth of the blade as installed point down?

Yes. Are you saying you don't need a hold down? I must be doing something wrong.

 

[Hess]

some folks take the hold downs off as they can get in the way

But remember with that thick of stock you are cutting much more wood and the SS only cuts on the down stroke so you have to feed it very slow on thick stuff

 

[SCR0LL3R]

Cutting 3/4" material when you don't have a lot to hold onto can be tough. I tried doing a couple pen blanks and wasn't happy with my ability in such thick material. It is a relatively tough thing to do. BTW I work quite regularly with a scroll saw and never use a hold-down.

 

[Rmartin]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'm getting rid of the hold down. Which should be easier without it in the way. I think I've been trying to feed the wood too fast rather than letting the blade determine the rate of feed.

 

[chris63]

scroll saw

i find when scrolling my blade makes the world of difference you need at least a #2or three and fine blade say a supersharp from PSWOOD or some blades from flying Dutchman can find on web he is spect and knows his ****.. also cheaper than lowes.. the blade is problem not saw or wood go slow..

 

[Dan26]

I agree with Chris. Get some quality blades. Flying Dutchman or Olson are the ones I use. Check out Mike's Workshop for his blade guide and prices on blades. And yes, the holddown is useless, I've never used it.

 

[workinforwood]

I cut super tiny and don't use a hold down. Teeth point down. Lots of blade tension. Slow speed of saw and slow feed rate. I built a zero clearance table for my scroll saw which helps tremendously with small pieces so they have good bottom support up close to the blade hole. I might have the zero clearance article on my website, but I don't think I do, I should check and contact my publisher for a copy. Got busy and behind with that stuff.

 

[seamus7227]

I cut super tiny and don't use a hold down. Teeth point down. Lots of blade tension. Slow speed of saw and slow feed rate. I built a zero clearance table for my scroll saw which helps tremendously with small pieces so they have good bottom support up close to the blade hole. I might have the zero clearance article on my website, but I don't think I do, I should check and contact my publisher for a copy. Got busy and behind with that stuff.

I need to do that for my scroll saw! Course, I dont scroll like I used to, now its just quarters, But I love my Dremel!

This must have been a newer model, cuz mine actually has center piece around the blade on the table that comes out, makes blade changing a little easier!
It just turned 10 years old and still going without any major issues! I also took my guards off as soon as I pulled it out of the box, they just get in the way.:biggrin:

 

[dgelnett]

Hi Richard, I found the blade size and speed are important next would be blade adjustment being square front and sideways. But how you hold the wood and feed it into the blade makes a big difference. Don't push side way or you will not get a square cute and it will catch and the wood will try to jump up.
If you have ever tried to cut a three dimensional deer you will notice this right away. Start with pine 3/4 inch thick with a #5 blade and make a straight cut with a few curves. Check it for squareness and you will probable notice when you start the curve the squareness starts to slope. That means there is to much side pressure instead of turning the wood while feeding it through the saw.
I don't use the hold down.

 

[penhead]

Whoa...and I thought I was the only one who used a Dremel. Keep thinking I am gonna 'upgrade' some day, but the Dremel just keeps on running

I cut super tiny and don't use a hold down. Teeth point down. Lots of blade tension. Slow speed of saw and slow feed rate. I built a zero clearance table for my scroll saw which helps tremendously with small pieces so they have good bottom support up close to the blade hole. I might have the zero clearance article on my website, but I don't think I do, I should check and contact my publisher for a copy. Got busy and behind with that stuff.

I need to do that for my scroll saw! Course, I dont scroll like I used to, now its just quarters, But I love my Dremel!

This must have been a newer model, cuz mine actually has center piece around the blade on the table that comes out, makes blade changing a little easier!
It just turned 10 years old and still going without any major issues! I also took my guards off as soon as I pulled it out of the box, they just get in the way.:biggrin:

 

[seamus7227]

thats funny! I feel the same way about my dremel, looking at buying that big 20" dewalt, but as long as mine keeps running, I'm gonna keep giving it hell!

Sent from my Epic using Forum Runner

 

[Seer]

A simple zero clearance I made was using thin soda bottle plastic or lexan or something similar and using double sided tape to adhere it and it works fine for me.

 

[dgelnett]

My scroll saw is an Excalibur with a 30 inch throat. This is something I did a few years back. Below it is a door way to show the scale of it.
But I have made several of them at once by stacking them up to 3/4 inch thick. If not cut correctly the bottom cuts will be crocked and not look right.

 

[srf1114]

Perhaps, you can keep the Blank larger sized for the scrolling portion of your prep. For instance if your cutting you blanks from a large slab, leave it large until your scrolling is done. then cut the 3/4 in blank off the end. Having the larger slap to hold would be a lot easier then the 3/4" wide blank.

 

[KenV]

Hot melt glue is a great thing for extra holding of small pieces for lathe work or scroll saw work. Come off easily with a sharp craft knife and a bit of care. Low temperature versions seem to be easiest to clean up with small pieces.

Add a dab or two to put the small piece on some 1/4 inch plywood for cutting with a good grip possible -- carefully cut without trying to force the wood faster than the blade cuts (you get funny cuts with a bowed blade too.).

Have fun!!

 

[SCR0LL3R]

Here's a short article on how to make a real simple zero clearance piece out of a soda bottle:

http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/articles/scroll-saw-zero-clearance

I actually work with Sheila and have some scroll saw patterns as well as my pens on her site.


If your Dremel saw is working good, I wouldn't jump into a Dewalt as there have been some quality control issues over the last couple years. One major issue is that it seems these saws are coming out of the factory with an excessive amount of front-to-back blade movement throughout the stroke. The alloys are also getting cheaper and thinner as the whole saw weighs 13 lbs less than the older saws even though they still sell it under the same model number DW788.

 

[Fibonacci]

I have a dremel as well, but the arms are not in line, so it snaps blades like candy. I love the Pogzai blade holder in it, but I can't get the arms aligned.

I ended up getting an old Ryobi to use until I solve this problem.