Popular Post jimmyG Posted February 21 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 21 I did a little practice with spirals for the first time a few days ago and it wasn't much fun attaching the blades, finding the correct tension and trying to guide them where I was hoping they would travel. Today for my second attempt I tried out the Olson "flat end" #2 41TPI on a pattern of my action hero Clint. Getting the blades in the holders was a little better only to bend them trying to fit them through the drilled entry holes. Then it was still hit & miss getting the right tension and me trying to cut straight and curved lines and of course braking a few blades along the way. It was a little nerve racking cutting the close together curves holding down little sections wanting to bounce around. There was a ton of fuzzies to "carefully" remove and I'm glad it's done and I didn't destroy it. I decided to forget about using spirals and concentrate on practicing with regular blades so I can get better with them instead. MTCowpoke22, FrankEV, Scrolling Steve and 11 others 12 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankEV Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 Ther are die hard straight blade users and die-hard Spiral blade users. And some that use both. I am one that uses both but prefer, for most of my intricate patterns I like to do, to use spirals. They alow me to complete a pattern faster because I don't have to spin the work and stop at tight corners as much. Like everything, if you want to use spiral blades you have to learn how to use them. Part of that includes; clamping, knowing witch way to cut, what size drill holes to use, how to get nice straight or long smooth curved lines, and, yes, how to deal with the fuzzies. All of which I have been able to do fairly succesfully. That being said, I agree, spirals are not for everyone. Yes you should concentrate on perfecting your cutting skills using straight blades if that is how you are most comfortable. If in the future you decide to try spirals again, do so with an open mind and a willingness to learn how, and dedicate a fair amount of time to the learning curve. From the sound of your frustrations I'm guessing patience is not neccessarily your strong suit. Let me say that your cutting of Clint isn't bad, but could probably have been a little less ragged, but I'm not familiar with the pattern, so I don't know if some of that is the pattern itself. However, I would be interested if you cut the same image with straigth blades how much better or worse it would look. Hope you do not take offence to any of this. Just trying to be of some help. OCtoolguy, jimmyG and Wilson142 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted February 21 Author Report Share Posted February 21 53 minutes ago, FrankEV said: Ther are die hard straight blade users and die-hard Spiral blade users. And some that use both. I am one that uses both but prefer, for most of my intricate patterns I like to do, to use spirals. They alow me to complete a pattern faster because I don't have to spin the work and stop at tight corners as much. Like everything, if you want to use spiral blades you have to learn how to use them. Part of that includes; clamping, knowing witch way to cut, what size drill holes to use, how to get nice straight or long smooth curved lines, and, yes, how to deal with the fuzzies. All of which I have been able to do fairly succesfully. That being said, I agree, spirals are not for everyone. Yes you should concentrate on perfecting your cutting skills using straight blades if that is how you are most comfortable. If in the future you decide to try spirals again, do so with an open mind and a willingness to learn how, and dedicate a fair amount of time to the learning curve. From the sound of your frustrations I'm guessing patience is not neccessarily your strong suit. Let me say that your cutting of Clint isn't bad, but could probably have been a little less ragged, but I'm not familiar with the pattern, so I don't know if some of that is the pattern itself. However, I would be interested if you cut the same image with straigth blades how much better or worse it would look. Hope you do not take offence to any of this. Just trying to be of some help. You are correct Frank, patience is definitely not a strong point. maybe the blade is too large because there's no way to get a sharp corner, at least I can't. Pattern called for very small hole in some places and blade wouldn't cooperate getting through without bending. I'm still learning with flats so I'll stick to that for now. Enclosed is copy of pattern. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak0ta52 Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 I pretty much ditto what FrankEV said. I primarily use spirals because of the intricate patterns I chose to cut. However, I will use straight blades when needed. I feel it's a matter if experience. The more you use them, the less intimidating they become. They do create a lot of fuzzies, which again is part of the learning experience to remove them. Clint is also one of my favorite actors. My cousin actually roomed with him when he was in college. jimmyG and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 Nice work! jimmyG and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 I have been scrolling for over 20 years and yes I have tried spirals and I hate them, straight blade all the time for me. You did a terrific job on Clint, well done. Marg OCtoolguy, Dave Monk, barb.j.enders and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barb.j.enders Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 I am with Marg - except haven't scrolled for over 20 years. Over 10 for sure! OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 I also use both and it depends on the project. I am going to download an Elk from the Pattern Library which I will use Spirals. OCtoolguy and jimmyG 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie E Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 I think you did a great job with that pattern. My 2 cents is that I don't care for spirals at all for several reasons. I cut mostly hardwoods and I believe flat blades are better suited for that. As you mentioned spirals do leave more fuzzies and I don't like that. As you also mentioned, if you're using spirals you're not going to get a sharp inside corner. While I certainly don't cut perfectly, I am a perfectionist and I really like precision. Of course that's just my viewpoint and the best blade to use is the one you enjoy using. jimmyG, OCtoolguy and Dave Monk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankEV Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 On 2/21/2024 at 4:51 PM, jimmyG said: ...Enclosed is copy of pattern. Going to jump off the Blade topic and make a comment about this Pattern itself. It is a great pattern of Clint but I personally find it terribly difficult to cut any pattern that is just Black and white with no line work visible. I cannot see where the blade is while cutting and the thickness of the actual line work is very wide, so the cut out areas are not well defined, i.e.; the resulting cutouts may actually become somewhat larger than the pattern designers intented. The raggedness I saw in your cutting was definately part of the pattern itself. However, if the line work was thinner and more visible your cut path may have been slightly smoother. Here is the same pattern, converted to a thin red line with a grey fill. I think today, most pattern makers are adopting this way of offering a pattern as I've noted that a lot of the member herein have mentioned that they also prefer to cut patterns that are presented in Red lines with a Grey fill. Just something to think about. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me and my buddy Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 that looks awesome! jimmyG and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted February 23 Author Report Share Posted February 23 7 hours ago, FrankEV said: Going to jump off the Blade topic and make a comment about this Pattern itself. It is a great pattern of Clint but I personally find it terribly difficult to cut any pattern that is just Black and white with no line work visible. I cannot see where the blade is while cutting and the thickness of the actual line work is very wide, so the cut out areas are not well defined, i.e.; the resulting cutouts may actually become somewhat larger than the pattern designers intented. The raggedness I saw in your cutting was definately part of the pattern itself. However, if the line work was thinner and more visible your cut path may have been slightly smoother. Here is the same pattern, converted to a thin red line with a grey fill. I think today, most pattern makers are adopting this way of offering a pattern as I've noted that a lot of the member herein have mentioned that they also prefer to cut patterns that are presented in Red lines with a Grey fill. Just something to think about. You are right, it wasn't easy to see what I was cutting so I had to avoid moving into the white area. Now all I need to do is study ink scape and buy a color printer! OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankEV Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 24 minutes ago, jimmyG said: You are right, it wasn't easy to see what I was cutting so I had to avoid moving into the white area. Now all I need to do is study ink scape and buy a color printer! It does not HAVE to be in color. As long the cut line can bee seen. Shades of grey will work. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyG Posted February 23 Author Report Share Posted February 23 7 minutes ago, FrankEV said: It does not HAVE to be in color. As long the cut line can bee seen. Shades of grey will work. Just getting by cutting the patterns, now I need to learn how to modify them. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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