Cutting tiny letters

[Allen levine]

I'm cutting 1/8 inch sapele into small letters

im using a 20 tpi blade but when I have to make cuts and turns it's difficult to hold tiny letter down 

any hints?

i tried several blades this one seemed to work best for me but holding down piece is tuff

after I finish the grandkids names I will do all the inside cutouts not looking forward to it

[Allen levine]

I asked someone they told me to go to dollar tree and buy some wooden letters

he always has a solution he tells me

[Wichman]

Since you have cut the letters out already, I'll skip to the other techniques.

Before you start make a zero clearance insert for the saw

1. Use wooden pencils with erasers, held like chopsticks, erasers to the wood, to guide the small pieces.

2. Use fingertip moistener, from an office supply shop, and then just use your fingertips.

 

[Will M]

It is a lot easier if you do the interior cutting before you cut out the letters. I tried the fingertips mentioned with not much success. I use plastic gloves, works better for me.

[Allen levine]

5 minutes ago, Will M said:

It is a lot easier if you do the interior cutting before you cut out the letters. I tried the fingertips mentioned with not much success. I use plastic gloves, works better for me.

yeah I realized that after I cut them out....shoulda woulda coulda...but I didnt. I will for the names Im going to make.

[Allen levine]

1 hour ago, Wichman said:

Since you have cut the letters out already, I'll skip to the other techniques.

Before you start make a zero clearance insert for the saw

1. Use wooden pencils with erasers, held like chopsticks, erasers to the wood, to guide the small pieces.

2. Use fingertip moistener, from an office supply shop, and then just use your fingertips.

 

i dont have any thin sheet steel, but advanced machinery sells plastic inserts for four bucks, so I might go with that.

[jollyred]

When cutting small pieces like this, I put the pattern on a larger piece of wood that is easier to hold.  I put as many pieces on the wood as will fit.  I cut out the interior cuts before I cut the piece from the larger one.  This way you have wood to hold onto without having to hold down small pieces.  If for some reason I can't do this, I use a small piece holding jig to hold the piece, which helps a lot.  Steve Good shows one on his web site which he calls a compound cutting jig.  It is easy to make and works really good.

Tom

[Randyw81]

Just a thought that you could use clear tape and trying taping them on top of a thicker and larger scrap of wood before you make the inside cuts. Maybe 1/4 " thick and 2"x2". That would give a little more support and more area to hold on to.

[Allen levine]

54 minutes ago, Randyw81 said:

Just a thought that you could use clear tape and trying taping them on top of a thicker and larger scrap of wood before you make the inside cuts. Maybe 1/4 " thick and 2"x2". That would give a little more support and more area to hold on to.

i had already thought about using the two sided carpet tape I use for templates, and taping them all to a piece of baltic birch plywood, and then do all the inside cutting, because I already cut all the others and I needed something to hold them still , but clear packing tape will prolly do the trick and I have oodles of rolls of that. 

I dont have any free time to be out there in the shop until friday, and then its only a hour or so, then Im away for a week. so its all gonna just sit there till I get back.  its just a placque that will hang. once the letters are cut, glueing them to maple boards will be quick but I gotta get some small thin chain somewhere, I know its out there in the shop buried somewhere.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Double sided tape is your friend. I use alot of this stuff when doing all kinds of woodworking in the shop. If I have to cut very thin strips on tablesaw I am not getting my hands anywhere near blade so I attach pieces to sacrificial piece of plywood. Mostly BB. You can do the same with letters. When I was building this pool table pen display box years ago I had so many small thin cuts to make on a table saw as well as my router and all were done this way. Safe and alot easier. 

I get my double sided tape from here. I use alot on the lathe as well. 

https://www.ptreeusa.com/shop_tape.htm

 

 

[barb.j.enders]

As John T. said, double sided tape is you friend.  I have been using this tape with great success. It isn't quite as strong as carpet tape, which can destroy small pieces.  

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09D782N6X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

[Wichman]

You may want to try changing the saw to the short stroke.

I just changed mine (about 10 minutes) and the control is just "chef's kiss". A little slower cutting and the blower volume a touch less, but the control.....

FYI, I would not use a reverse blade for this, the reverse teeth will try to lift the piece.

[Allen levine]

3 hours ago, Wichman said:

You may want to try changing the saw to the short stroke.

I just changed mine (about 10 minutes) and the control is just "chef's kiss". A little slower cutting and the blower volume a touch less, but the control.....

FYI, I would not use a reverse blade for this, the reverse teeth will try to lift the piece.

Yeah I switched blades out after having the saw blade catch and lift the piece 

I appreciate all the advice 

no reason not to ask a question here with the 1000's of years of experience combined

[FrankEV]

You probably won't care for my suggestion, but I give it anyway. Use #2/0 or #0 spiral blades.  Then there is no more difficuty holding even small pieces while turning the coners.              

 

[Dak0ta52]

My suggestion if to follow Frank's advice. The smaller blades (2/0, 0/1) straight or spiral is large enough to cut the thickness you are cutting but small enough to lessen the "jumping" you might experience with larger blades.

[Hawk]

As some have suggested, Always do the interior cuts first! In the Owl project the letters are only 3/4" high. I used a Flying Dutchman 2/0 and slowed the saw down to give me better control. I cut all the inside cuts first then the perimeter .  I also put a scrap piece of 1/8" ply, taped to the top to serve as a zero clearance for the letters. And yes, there were times when my fingers were dang near touching the blade, sides and back, never the front !!!! I learned that one the hard way (lol)

Good Luck!

Edited November 27, 2024 by Hawk

[Allen levine]

6 hours ago, Dak0ta52 said:

My suggestion if to follow Frank's advice. The smaller blades (2/0, 0/1) straight or spiral is large enough to cut the thickness you are cutting but small enough to lessen the "jumping" you might experience with larger blades.

my second scroll saw, a dremel, I tried for 3 minutes and gave up, I paid 50 for it used and sold it for 60 3 years later.

with that saw the original owner gave me multiple packs of spiral blades and I remember looking at them not fully understanding what type of cutting a blade shaped like that is good for. I never took one out to try and then gave them all away with the machine. never dawned on me to hold onto a few of them.

[Jim McDonald]

Some people already mentioned a zero clearance around the blade. I just use a couple of strips of painter's tape right next to the blade to zero the hole. 

But, with this method, you must bottom feed.

[barb.j.enders]

One more tip - turn off the vacuum system!!! (speaking from experience)

[Wichman]

1 hour ago, barb.j.enders said:

One more tip - turn off the vacuum system!!! (speaking from experience)

Clean the area around the saw and put down drop clothes of a contrasting color.

[OCtoolguy]

On 11/26/2024 at 4:31 PM, Allen levine said:

i dont have any thin sheet steel, but advanced machinery sells plastic inserts for four bucks, so I might go with that.

I use a playing card taped to the table top. When the hole gets too big, replace the card.

[Fab4]

13 hours ago, barb.j.enders said:

One more tip - turn off the vacuum system!!! (speaking from experience)

Been there, done that, I was so mad I tore the shop vac bag open and sifted through the
sawdust.  Found the piece, replaced the bag and continued scrolling.  All I could think of 
after that was: "wow, that really sucked".

[Allen levine]

Need to sand center and glue letter on

then attach name plates to some chain and hang it from top plate

simple project once I got the letter cutting down to easy enough 

thanx for help 

sapele and maple and will be sprayed with a few coats of poly gloss

3 hour project probably better if using a cnc machine but scrolling is fun when it's not torture

 

[Allen levine]

Amateurish project but they all can't be home runs 

[rjweb]

Nice, RJ