Hi Cynthia, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought of my sewing machine when I first started! I had trouble cutting a straight line with the flat blades until Mike (Flying Dutchman Blades) told me about the burr on the backside of the blades that make them cut just slightly off. So now when I sit at my saw instead of looking at it straight on, like my sewing machine, I look at just the slightest angle. I hope that made some sense. Maybe Mike will pop back in and explain it better. Anyway, have fun with the spiral blades, too. I use both depending on what I'm trying to make. Have fun!