JTTHECLOCKMAN

That is a beautiful piece. That is a part of scrolling I never did master because i just do not have the eye for depth and color orientations. I marvel at people who can do this type work. Thanks for showing. Very talented.

First if you sand to at least 220 grit you will close the grain some. I used Bulls eye Zinsser dewaxed shellac sealer if I need to do what you are asking. It dries quickly and any type top coat be applied over it without contamination and adhesion problems.

There is alot of info on that one package for sure but it does spell out exactly what those blades are One other thing I did not mention is Olson's code # the third number in is the size of the blade. You will find the materials you cut many times will dictate what blade you use. Everyone falls in love with a particular blade. Mine is FD Silver reverse #5 I cut mostly oak and use that for all thicknesses. Just what you get use to. Good luck.

Kevin that is a natural occurrence I am guessing. I was an electrician in the trades for 43 years and over that time I have done just about every type of electrical work you can think of. I prided myself on being able to bend pipe with the best of the best. I loved it because it was something that you could look at when done and actually see. many times we pull wire in a pipe or hook up panels and control boards and when the cover is placed on you do not see the end results any more. Now the next electrician in there will get to see and I always did judge others work when I had to enter panels. I was meticulous about bending and shaping wires in panels and boxes. That is why today when I go into these stores such as Home Depot and others where there is no ceiling and all pipe work is exposed I am forever checking out bends and layouts of pipe runs. In my mind I work out things that I would have done differently. pretty much was able to get on a job and see ahead of time what needed to be done and how. Many times though I wound up being the foreman on the job and I did not get to do the fun stuff. Same is scrolling, I find myself looking for the details in a project and seeing how people handle them I know everyone is different and skill levels are different but it is inbred in me I guess. This is the reason for the challenge in that I would like to see the side by side cuttings of both blades. and see is it possible to use either or. If I put lots of effort in using spirals I probably could get the hang of it but they are a different breed for sure.

From the photo you see on the top of each package of blades there is alot of info, you see a universal number. That is the number size of the blade and being universal all companies use that to size their blades so that you talk apples to apples. No. 5RG means #5 reverse grind(ground) This means there are teeth facing both up and down. On these blades they are double reverse so that means there is 2 teeth close to each other (can be up or down) and then a space is skipped (this is done to help clear saw dust from the blade) The reverse teeth are to help with fuzzies on the bottom side of your project. Without them the saw teeth saw in one direction, down and not up too. You do not need many because all you are trying to do is cut away the fuzzies and not cut wood. The numbers you gave and are written on the side of the package are the number of teeth per inch. In your example 9 teeth per inch facing down and 6 teeth per inch facing up. They are also a precision grind blade which means they are sharpened differently than a stamped blade which most blades are. These blades should be sharper than standard blades because the way they are sharpened. They should also last longer than stamped blades. They usually cost more as well. You will also notice with these type blades if you look close the drift on the blade is very very slight if at all. When a blade is stamped from steel rolls it will have teeth that are facing a certain way (usually to the right when looking at the blade) This will cause drift and thus when you cut using those blade you are never able to cut with the piece of wood 90 degrees to the blade. It is always slanted away from the blade somewhat. This is why people use that edge to either cut to the right or to the left. They use the drift to their advantage. Many people may not realize that is what they are doing but it is true. Also people will use the sharp edges of the stamped blades as a plane if they need to knock off a sliver or so. Tough to do from both sides of the blade but one side is always better to use. With Precision ground blades it does not matter because there is no one side better than the other. Probably is somewhat confusing but the more you scroll the more tips you will pick up As Far as best blades. That is a subjective answer. I prefer Flying Dutchman. There there is all sorts of styles and sizes. And then someone threw a monkey wrench in things and made spiral blades and that is a story for another time. But again even with those there are styles and sizes to choose from. There are plenty of charts and videos on the net that can guide you some. But all they are is guides. You need to first hand do the cutting and the more you cut the more your eye and hands start working together and the mind is learning what works well for YOU. Welcome to the world of scrolling and ask all the questions you want. I hope in some small way I cleared up the blade thing but there is alot of info there so it may not sink in all at once. Good luck and look forward to seeing what you got.

Hey a newbie. Lets welcome him but I am not buying your first name is Just. We are friendly here so tell us your real name Anyway welcome to the site and as mentioned it is a good idea to use good quality plywood if you are going to use plywood at all. Many people use Baltic or Finnish Birch and this is because the layers are thinner and the core is not junk wood. You get very little if any blowout if using the proper blade. Also though when scrolling plywood you will go through more blades because they dull faster because of the glue used in plywoods. As far as bending a blade and using it again, depends how bad you bent it and where. if you bent in cutting area of the blade then I say just toss it and move on. No sense ruining a project for a few cent blade. Sanding strip is something I never used and do not believe in them. Practice your cuts and you will get smooth with the actions of cutting and that will eliminate the need for sanding strips. If I have to knock off a bit in a cut I just use the blade as a planer and if the blade is sharp it will plane it very easily. I do not know what a 9/6 blade is. Never heard it referred to as that. If it is a #9 reverse tooth blade that seems rather large. But doable with 3/4" stock depending on the fret work needed. little tougher turning that large a blade. Anyway love to see the project your working on and again welcome to the world of scrolling.

Very nice cutting on everything and you are talented and also very skilled with both blades. hard to see the cuts from the photos but I based my opinion on the fine detail on the white trim around the clock of the carriage. Seemed better cut on the top photo. Did you get this pattern from somewhere that it is available?? Looks familiar but can not place it. I would have guessed a John Nelson pattern. The horses were carved and painted???

Might want to read this about the King saw. http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums/topic/28586-excalibur-scroll-saw-what-happened/

Oh that would be perfect for side by side comparisons. If anyone want to use that pattern that would really set them up. perfect. Thanks a bunch I am with Kevin on the choice and will reserve the reason for after the thread dies down. Just was a curious thing over the years when ever I read someone uses straight blades and someone uses spirals. I grew into this hobby with pinned blades but quickly switched to straight blades. I tried a few times with spirals because I think I mentioned this before I use to test blades for Mike Moorloch of FD fame and he would send me those spirals and I basically used for veining when I needed a wider cut but accidentally bumping into a side of a small area being cut drove me nuts because those blades all around. I always told him I was not the person to test them.

If there is a person or persons that use both spiral and straight blades with about the same efficiency than this challenge is for you. I am not a spiral blade user and could never get the hang of them but I am a proficient straight blade user in that I can scroll straight lines and circles pretty well. My test or challenge for those people is to cut a circle and a straight line and a wavy line ( same size and length use pattern if you like which probably is better to make comparison. ) in the same wood material using both types blades. No doctoring with either cuts. Post a photo so that all can be compared side by side. If cutting a circle leave both pieces together so that they fit within each other and we see that they were cut from a larger board. I would like to see first hand what each cut looks like compared to each other. As I said I can not cut with spiral blades so I am not the candidate. But if someone uses both type blades this would be what I would like to see. Use whatever blade size you are comfortable with but mention size too. Has nothing to do with ease of cutting a pattern but just want to see side by side cut quality and if someone does this all the time they would be the perfect person to see their cuts. Also maybe give us a little insight to the nuances of using either, or ,blade. Thanks and this is just for fun so there is no grading or backlash from it.

I agree scrolling is subjective to what people find the eye likes. I make clocks mainly and they range in 1/2" to 5/8" in thickness but again it depends on the clock. Now if there are layers to it then that needs to be considered too. I do not make many portraits but have done in 1/4" material. I do not do scrolled ornaments any more. I turn ornaments now. I have done many clocks with 3/4" material also but again style is the key there. No hard fast rules.

You can do the same thing on a 20 inch as a 16" but you can not do the same thing on a 16" as a 20" if that makes sense. 30" is needed for those special projects but the same rule can be applied with them too. I would stay away from the 16 and at least buy a 20" I guess I need to edit this post of mine because many have brought up the use of spiral blades. But to me that is a whole other learning experience. So in a way you can do most patterns on a 16" saw but for my money good luck finding a quality 16" saw. I know of none.

Sometimes you just have to chalk things up to a learning experience. We all have been there and will again for sure.

13,400 posts, that can only mean one thing You have been here a long time. What did you think I was going to say

Now we need someone to make a pattern for each type of Trophy and then someone to scroll it. So when you get a trophy we can actually see one.

And the Oscar goes to--------------------------------------------------??

I am guessing you got good news all around today so that is great. Have no idea about the trophies. never seen that.

No that is the short answer. Now that is if it is a direct hit and then the only way to protect electronics is to have them unplugged. Surge protectors such as whole house protectors and those ones that you plug small appliances in are protection from within the house. Every motor in your house such as tools, refrigerator, air conditioners, dehumidifiers and such change the voltage on the wires within your house everytime they start. Without getting into the tech side of things power reduction and then power surge when up to speed increases amps and if a piece of electronic equipment is sensitive it can over time wear it out. Todays modern appliances take these things into consideration and are (hopefully) protected to a certain degree from their own start ups and shut downs but do not take in the whole house. You see this happen when something kicks on and the lights dim for a bit. Even if you have switches in off position or starters not energized, if you get a direct hit to your power system the amperage generated can jump an air gap very easily. If a transformer down the street gets hit, it will send that power through the lines and down stream. people put lightning arrestors on their houses and use a ground grid to help dissipate a strike but it is not 100% guaranteed to stop all damage. Are you better with surge protector than without, the answer is yes but I explained why. Now we are even more vulnerable in the summer months because power companies cut back on power delivery or else you get brownouts and could lead to blackouts because so many houses and businesses have air conditioners and so much electrical equipment today.

I put a piece of plexiglass on both my Hawks and a piece of BB on my Hegner to increase table size as well as make it slicker.

Now were the original Dewalt saws made in the same plant as the Excaliburs. I believe so. look what happened to Dewalt and all their problems.

I am me

You can make any tool with an induction motor have a mag starter. Not a good idea to have a foot switch on tools such as tablesaw, routers, lathes, jointers. Tools that you sit at not bad such as scrollsaw, dremel carver, and things of that nature.

My head hurts.

If your saw does not have a magnetic controller it is important to remember to shut the switch off or else when power comes back on there could be a problem. Always know where your hands are when working with power tools.

Never really gave it any thought. I am sure I have worked in the shop during storms. Never had power surges that caused damage. My computer and tv are both power protected and cable protected. At least that is what the protectors are suppose to do. I am sure there maybe a potential that is above normal that can take things out. If you are prone to power surges you should look into a whole house surge protector.