Sycamore67

I think for most of us speed is not important. The only reason I did a cutting test on thick wood is because I was doing compound cut ornaments and was looking for a better blade. Doing any proper test with meaningful results given all the variables would be way beyond my capability and desire to perform. My test was gave me the answers I needed. Would it be applicable on a different saw....who knows. I guess if someone is cutting 1600 similar type puzzles it might be important but also how well the blade allows turning, how long the blade lasts, the effect on my hands, etc, etc, etc....... This is why the debate on blades, saws, aggressiveness of the saws will be just that.

I did the test comparing the straight line cutting of various blades on my Hegner. I made a spring loaded device to keep the force on the board very similar. It was a simple device that worked well. I also did repeated tests and averaged the results. For the test I used 1.5" Red Oak. The PS Woods Super Sharps were way better than the other blades. While I would not use them for normal thickness work. The work very well on thick, hard woods for compound cuts. For me, I would spend the extra $$ for compound cuts.

I use the Mac mop and 6" mop on my variable speed drill press. Changing the speed changes how aggressive they sand.

I do not think that the use being discussed would qualify for warranty. The 3 year limited warranty covers faulty materials and workmanship and normal wear. The hard use being discussed would not be normal use but hard business use.

JT is very correct about muscle memory and being used to a saw. You have a long history of use on one saw versus the new one. While your test may be applicable to you, it is not generally applicable to everyone. So if the one saw is so much faster, are you going to sell the other one as it costs you 53 hours. There was no real need for this comment...yes I know you put a smiley after it but....

It looks good to me and if the price is good, I would buy it.

If anyone wants, I have attached the pattern for this puzzle. I cut the puzzle with a FD Polar #5. The seal coat was done with shellac and a small brush. The Shellac after the acrylic paint was a spray can and light coats. Batman Puzzle.pdf

My grandson is a big fan of Batman so I made a puzzle for him. He was very happy with the puzzle but took him a bit of time to put together. It was cut from 3/4" Poplar. It was sanded and then sealed with Shellac. The colors are acrylic paint and then top coated with Shellac. The tray is a back layer of 1/4" plywood and the top layer 1/2" plywood and finished with Shellac.

An excellent job

I find some green and purple poplar at Menards. I have also gotten some great blue pine. Every time I am there I check the poplar and pine.

It is good to hear of someone getting back to making sawdust. I went in my shop and thought it was cold but nothing like you guys. It was 62 to start and then warmed up. I feel fortunate.

This is what I do and connected to a Festool HEPA vacuum.

I would be really happy to know of a blade that does the same thing for such a low price. I am certain others would like to know. Hopefully, fredfret will let us know the name of the blade and the source for these blades.

I do not think that this says the FD XL blades,are bad. However, they just did not perform as well under these circumstances. I think cutting 1-1/2" thick red oak is a pretty difficult task. I think cutting other things and 3/4" thick wood will be just fine.

In general, there was no tear out or splinters on the underside. But when cutting with the grain, this is true with most blades. With compound cutting, I don't have any splinter type problems because the project is in the inside of the wood block.

Stoney recently posted a topic wondering if anyone had experience with the FD XL #7 blade. I had cut a number of compound cut Christmas Ornaments and had noticed differences in how they cut. I thought it might be useful to run a test comparing several blades. The list of blades that were tested are shown below along with a close up picture of the blades. I posted a similar comparison before and someone replied that cutting speed was not the most important criteria for a blade and that other characteristics such as how they turn and how long they last were much more important. While it might be nice to try to compare other characteristics of the blades, I found it would be difficult very time consuming to design and run a test for turning or wear. I hope that the person who suggested this in another post will do a test and post results. I am certain it would be very interesting and useful. For this comparison, it was a simple test of cutting straight along the grain. For the test---- 1. Quarter Sawn Red Oak 1-1/2” thick was used with the cutting direction along the grain. 2. A spring loaded device was made to be able to keep similar pressure on the piece during cutting. The spring provided a similar pressure as I typically use when cutting. 3. The tests were done on a Hegner Scroll Saw with the speed set at maximum 4. Each test consisted of seeing how far each blade could cut in 30 seconds. Multiple tests were done with each blade and the results averaged. The blades tested were as follows – And a picture shows the difference in the teeth. But, the proof is in the cutting…. The PS Woods Super Sharp was the fastest cutting blade of the four. The Pegas Modified Geometry and FD Polar were fairly close in how fast they cut and the FD XL was clearly the slowest. Of course this is not meant to say you should use one blade of another and these results may not be important to you. They are a simple measure of how well these blade cut in thick, tough wood. For me, based on this, I tried cutting compound ornaments with the PS Super Sharp and was very happy with the way it performed especially in oak or ash. In poplar or softer woods, the differences may be small.

I just finished doing a test with several different #7 blades. The FD-XL blade did not cut very well and the worst of the group I tested. When I get time, I will post information about the test I ran, the blades and the results.

I really like this one....fine job

This has been an interesting thread and responses. I thought it was courteous to the poster to "attempt" to stay on topic and answer questions. Based on the responses, I am wrong and little effort should be made to stay on topic and I think that I will join you in bringing up whatever random topic pops up. This could become entertaining....Thanks

Yea, in the old days I could work in the cold. But now, my arthritis does not get along well with the cold. I feel fortunate to have a heated in the winter and cooled in the summer workshop.

The life expectancy on a Hegner with maintenance is a really long time. The only thing on my 1996 is a couple of drops of oil every so often.

I think it is an excellent deal

I think as you said go to smaller blades. You can cut 3/4" thick wood with a#3 blade but just need to go slow.

I did not know where to post this but will put it here. For this coming new year, I am going to be very careful and not do something to HIJACK a thread and take it off where the original poster wanted to go. If I have something else to say, I will start a new thread. I have accidentally done this and feel bad about it. I think it is just the courteous way to do things. I also am going to try to be more positive and avoid anything that is a criticism or could be interpreted as one. Sometimes, it is not my intent but making a quick response it happens. There are a couple of recent thread where this type of response is very evident.

Took my dog out this morning and it was -4 F and she was quick. Clear skies and snow cover makes for cold. My shop was 60 F this morning and will warm it up a bit.