Bent Scroll Saw Blades

[Aaron K5ATG]

Hey everyone, I have a question. 

After using a blade a few times they get a bend at the top, I'm guessing from the set screw that holds the blade. It typically isn't a problem until I use a small drill bit for ssmall/ tight cuts. I have a project coming up with about 90% of the cuts are exetremly tight. My saw is a 21 inch Bauer, I've had it for a month now and this is the only minor issue with it. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or if its just part of the game that I have to get used to. 

I would appreacheate any ideas or suggestions. 

Thank you

[kmmcrafts]

Not sure if this is the problem you are having here but when I had that famous hockey stick blade end like that it was because the set screw on the other side of the thumb screw had moved outward creating a slight hole so to speak so the blade is getting the opportunity to bend. 

The set screw should protrude through the hole slightly or at least be flush. Some say you should adjust the screw so it clamps the blade to where the blade side rest against the side of the slot in the blade chuck. I'm not sure that it really matters just so long as the top and bottom are positioned the same way.. as you don't want the top one to be pushed all the way to the right and the bottom one all the way to the left as then your blade would be on an angle. I'm not sure how accurate they need to be as I used to just eyeball it but the last few times I've made adjustments I used a real thin feeler gauge to be sure they both are exactly in the right spot. Just insert the feeler gauge in the slot and adjust the thumb screw until it somewhat clamps onto the feeler gauge and then remove the gauge and turn in the set screw until it is against the thumb screw. TIP: use a little blue colored thread locker (Loc-tite) so the set screw won't move easily. If you don't every time you clamp a blade that set screw will likely turn a little each time and before you know it you're bending blades again and have to readjust it yet again.  

[Aaron K5ATG]

Sounds like an easy fix, that my rookie brain never considered. I will try that tonight. 

[garryatpa]

I have a Dewalt 788 and at times the tip of the blade would bend like a hockey stick..  On some saws this is caused by the blade clamp not being able to pivot  or the blade not being centered in the blade clamp.  (I also have a Hegner  22 where this can happen if I don't get the blade centered in the clamp at the pivot point). 

In the case of the Dewalt 788 which has the same parallel link drive system as the Bauer I suspect the partial cause of the hockey stick is that the blade clamp does not pivot.   After experimenting a bit  I found that when I reduced the tension on the blade it helped prevent the blade bending.  I reduced the tension from about the "2" position on the 788 to a touch more than "1" and it seemed to help.   Try reducing the tension on your saw in small increments and see if it helps.  Like  you say when sawing out very small openings and your starting hole is small , especially on thicker wood, the bend prevents threading the blade through the hole and the only other solution is to try and straighten the blade with a pair of pliers..  

 

Garry 

[Aaron K5ATG]

Oh I don't have a feeler gauge but I got one on the way from Amazon in a couple of days (What happend to the next day delivery for being a Prime member??) Is there any paticular gauge thickness I should use? 

[Aaron K5ATG]

I remember being half assleep a few months ago and saw a YouTube video about it, but of course now I can't find it. 

[Roberta Moreton]

Just so the set screw and thumb screw meet in the center.  It’s not rocket science. 

[Denny Knappen]

Usually the "Hockey Stick: is caused by the thumb screw not swiveling.  A quick fix is replacing the swivel.  On Pegas type saws, I carry replacement parts.

[kmmcrafts]

50 minutes ago, Denny Knappen said:

Usually the "Hockey Stick: is caused by the thumb screw not swiveling.  A quick fix is replacing the swivel.  On Pegas type saws, I carry replacement parts.

I never could understand the theory of the swivel not spinning creating this hockey stick because many scroll saws use thumb screws that do not have the swivels.. Hawk is a great example of that.. never had swivels and never had this problem unless the set screw gets backed out enough to not clamp the blade properly.. I'm not saying this isn't the case but I am saying many saws don't have the swivel and do not have this problem.. so is it really the swivel or some other issue? I'm not sure if the Bauer has the little swivel tips or not.. My China made Excalibur came without the swivels.. when I finally had to change the screws I purchased ones with the swivels.. For what it's worth I never got the "hockey stick"  with the non- swivel screws on that saw either.. 

[Aaron K5ATG]

I'm not undersanding what you are talking about with the thumb screw swiveling. Could you please explain or show a piciture? 

[kmmcrafts]

23 minutes ago, Aaron K5ATG said:

I'm not undersanding what you are talking about with the thumb screw swiveling. Could you please explain or show a piciture? 

Some saws have a insert that goes into the end of the thumb screw and it has a O-ring on it to help hold it in place. The insert just friction fits inside a hole in the end of the thumb screw and when you end up with a worn screw or issues with it holding the blade you can just replace the tip / insert rather than replace the whole thumb screw. Over time they get a groove worn in them.. not so much with the ones that have the insert as the insert will spin and not clamp the blade in the exact same spot.. 

Here is a link to the parts I'm speaking of. You can see the end of the screws have the insert and then you can buy just those inserts and replace when needed. 

On my Hawk scroll saw I have to sand the ends of the thumb screw to flatten them as they get worn a lot faster than the ones that have the insert in my Excalibur.. You have to be careful trying to flatten the ends because if you sand them at any slight angle and get them uneven then they'll never clamp a blade good and tight again. I made a sanding jig from a piece of scrap wood and drilled a hole in the wood just tight enough to be able to screw the thumb screw in and screw it in just enough so the end of the screw just barely protrudes through the back and then flip it over and sand the tips with on my belt sander. You could just use a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface too which is probably the better way to do it as if you mess up holding it flat on the belt sander it'll ruin the flatness very quickly, LOL. 

https://seyco.com/product/qkm-06-set-of-2-round-knobs-metric/

https://seyco.com/product/quick-clamp-renewal-kit/

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

I did not read all the answers so somone may have mentioned this. But what I see is the blade is not against the back of the clamp . Also if the screw on oposite side of thumbscrew has protruded too much into the clamp then what you are counting on a small tiny section of the blade to hold in place. You want that screw even with the side of the clamps so when you screw thumbscrew into blade it pushes blade against a flat surface giving it more support.

[rjweb]

Kevin, looking at your links, I didn't know Seyco sold pegas saws, i thought artcrafters was the only dealer to supply pegas saws, RJ

[kmmcrafts]

3 hours ago, rjweb said:

Kevin, looking at your links, I didn't know Seyco sold pegas saws, i thought artcrafters was the only dealer to supply pegas saws, RJ

Yeah I'm not sure when they became a Pegas dealer but I learned of it not too long ago by looking up something on the site to answer another question..

[Wichman]

I think I see some confusion about the "hockey stick". In my limited experience there are two types of hockey stick and three causes.

Type 1; this is the blade bending sideways, typically caused by a set screw misalignment.

Type 2; front to back bending. first cause, swivel binding up and then two much pressure on the blade and it bends or the pinch point of the thumbscrew catching and bending the blade.

Type 3. front to back bending. Second cause, to much pressure on too small a blade; the blade is being held by a pinch point (any style clamp) and when cutting the blade bends at the pinch point. Either accept the limitations of the blades or use the next larger blade (continue to try larger blades until the bending stops).