Sycamore67

Looks great

I make sanding sticks of assorted sizes depending on what I need. One that I make and use is with the popsicle type craft sticks. I set several down side by side and the spray the back of a piece of sandpaper and attach. I cut them part with a razor knife. They are cheap and disposable. You can make them with scrap Hollywood and various grit of sand paper. For small things I have a set of Harbor Freight needle files.

There have been some ornaments in the Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts magazine. I would pick something easy for your first try. Also a softer and cheaper wood would be best to start. I know I made quite a few going into the trash to start with. Just a lot of small skills to learn. Even getting the pattern on your block correctly takes a little practice. There is another thread with lots of good hints in it you should read. Good Luck with it.

The jig that I am using with the machine screws and springs will not bend the screws or deform them. The springs help keep the tension low enough that I am not even beginning to exceed the yield strengths of the material. As a metallurgical engineer who made steel for many years, I have a pretty good grasp on what is going on what will cause deformation. If you simple tighten the machine screws against the jig and blocks, it would be quite easy to damage the screws. I do not do it that way. As for using strips of abrasive, I am using a high quality abrasive that does not seem to shed any of the grit on my table. Maybe you are using the wrong abrasive. Yes, I have checked a number of times and am not scratching my table or found any grit on the table. I do not mean my comments to be a criticism of the way you are doing things or your analysis, but my way works just fine also. It just shows that there is no one exact way to do things and people will develop their own techniques. The important thing is that the block you are cutting is held securely.

Yes, the choice of a scroll saw blade is a personal one based on use, saw, material and a bunch of other things. What I use will probably not be what others would use. I have done compound cutting with blades from a #3 to a #9 and typically will use a #5 or perhaps #7. However, the purpose of this thread was to try to provide some information to the newer scrollers who are asking what blade should I use. I wanted to try to give a comparison of a couple of blades so the newer scrollers might find some information. I provided the name and the blade number so they could have some specific information on what works for one person and maybe it would help them find the best blade for them faster. The thread was never intended for the experienced scroller who understands blades and what works for them. The question of what blade to use shows up pretty often and I think that it is worthwhile to provide a blade brand name and number to help provide a starting point.

Kevin IMHO...The PS Woods Super Sharp blades are the fastest cutting blade for compound cutting. The Pegas Modified Geometry is OK and the FD Polar blade that I have been using is the worst of the three. For me, cutting hard thick wood...red oak, the differences were very noticeable. If price were not a concern, I would only use the Super Sharps for compound cutting but they are three times as expensive. For different woods, the difference may not be as noticeable.

With the 10-24 machine screws and springs, I am not even beginning to approach the point of them stretching. I also do not have students to worry about and have never caught a blade on the machine screws or springs. With sandpaper on the inside of the jig, the parts I am cutting do not come loose so they are plenty tight with the springs.

Here are a couple of ornaments that I cut from 1-1/4” blocks of Red Oak and Ash. They were cut using the PS Wood Super Sharp #7. After cutting they were hand sanded and also sanded using a Mac Mop. The finish is a dip in Natural Danish Oil. I glue the pattern on the block with 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. I sometimes use clear tape but have gotten away from using it. There are times when the tape lifts from the edge of a cut and makes it difficult to see the line. After I have cut on one side, I will use a couple of small drops of wood glue on the edges and clamp it back together. This provides a secure block for cutting the other side of the ornament. I know that some swear by the use of clear tape to help “lubricate” the blade but I have not found a clear advantage for it. This is another example of whatever works for you….keep doing it. This is the setup that I use for compound cutting. The jig is spring loaded and uses some long 10-24 machine screws. The spring loading helps keep the pressure on the wood block during the entire process. You can see in the picture the ¼”Loc-Line for blowing the dust off and the ¾” dust pickup on the opposite side. This really helps capture the dust at the source. The dust pickup is connected to a Festool Vacuum.

I recently posted a comparison of some scroll saw blades and got some good feedback. One notable thing was that several said that the Pegas Modified Geometry Blades were their favorites. I had not used them and ordered several different sizes. Once I got them, I wanted to compare them to my standard blade which is the Flying Dutchman #7 Polar and to the PS Woodshop #7 Super Sharp. Below is a picture showing a close up of the blades and also a table with the specifications and the cost per dozen. Interesting that the Pegas Modified Geometry has some reverse teeth on the lower part of the blade. I edited this topic and took out the references to the cutting comparison that was done.

Answered your question where you posted same question on another forum.

I would match the main line with the size of the vacuum. Otherwise, you start choking off the flow too early.

Using Loc Line is also very good a top vacuum line and is easy to reposition. The consideration is also how much vacuum you pull thru a small hose.

I use a Festool vac with pickups above and below the table. However, it is quite a bit more expensive but more versatile as I use it for other shop tools like sander and circular saw. This unit at Seyco is about $165 and supposed to be quiet. It looks pretty good but would be better if it also collected dust above the table.

I am glad that I do not sell items. I make a lot of things and give them away. There is a huge difference in speed cutting versus enjoying the hobby.

A couple of days ago, I posted a picture of a couple of mini Reindeer that were about 7/8" tall. I wondered if I could make some a bit smaller. This is the result with two smaller being 5/8" and the smallest at 7/16". This is the smallest that I can cut. The larger Reindeer were cut from Sycamore and the smaller from Maple. I found the Sycamore was not strong enough for making the small Reindeer. The small ones were cut using a FD #2/0 blade. The pictures below show the setup on my Hegner saw with the lighted magnifying glass. I built a spring jig to hold the small blank and it has sand paper on the inside of the saws to hold the blank tight. The springs allow a tight hold that does not change the pressure as you make the cuts.

The mini reindeer off cuts are so small and fragile that sanding them is not an option. Anyway the 3D ones look much better as earrings. Tomorrow, I will post the last of my mini reindeer. The ones here are 7/8" and I just finished cutting one that is half that size at 7/16".

This is great hearing what people are using. I am very interested to hear what woods, wood thickness and blade people are using. There is a big difference in cutting 1" versus 1-1/4" versus 1-1/2". I think Mahogany cut steadily compared to Oak, Ash and harder woods. I order some Pegasus Modified Geometry Blades this morning based on the comments.

I think I will clarify a bit. The PS Super Sharps and FD Polar are not meant to be cutting 1/8" Baltic Birch. I brought this subject up to discuss blades for cutting thick woods or compound cutting of wood 1-1/4" - 1-1/2". I would never think of using #1 or #3 type blades. What blades are others using to make compound cuts in thick wood ? Can one use the Pegasus Modified Geometry for thick compound cuts? My experience is that blades similar to the FD Ultra Reverse do poorly in thick wood as they do not clear the dust efficiently.

I recently posted about the PS Super Sharp Blades that I tried and how well they cut compared to the FD Polar ones that I normally used. I ended up buying some more to try and got the #5, #7, and #9 and will try them on compound cutting of some ornaments. Below is a picture comparison of the FD #7 (Top) and the PS Super Sharp #7 (Bottom). The FD blade has 14 teeth per inch while the Super Sharp has 11.5. The thickness and width of the blades is almost identical. So, why does the Super Sharp seem to cut faster and easier? Perhaps the fewer teeth and longer gullet between teeth help to carry away the sawdust better. Or as advertised the Super Sharps are just sharper. The Super Sharp blades also seem to last a bit longer before getting dull. The bottom line is also the price with the Super Sharps at $9.95 per dozen and the FD Polar at $3.20 per dozen. If I was making items to sell, I would better analyze the cost and advantages of the Super Sharps. For some being able to cut faster would be an overall economical advantage.

I normally make some of the compound cut Reindeer as ornaments and gifts for Christmas. They are typically about 2" tall. As I was doing this, I wondered if I could cut some smaller ones and this is what I ended up with. The Reindeer are about 3/4" Tall and cut from Sycamore using a FD #1 Polar blade. The plan is to turn them into earrings.

For something like this I would use Watco Natural Danish Oil. All of the small areas are difficult to get in. I sometimes put a piece in a Ziploc bag with the Danish oil and shake it a bit. You can the pour an remaining find ish back in the container. I also use Shellac or Poly. If you use light coats you can avoid the plastic look.

Some get frustrated with health care. Sometimes, it is frustrating but not seeing doctors and not talking with your insurance will have pitfalls. I need my doctors and have to see them to get prescriptions.

For Intarsia, Kathy Wise has an excellent beginners book. That is where I started.

This summer I was at the scroll saw gathering in Dubuque, IA. I went to the PS Woods booth and picked up some of their blades. Today I was cutting some 1-1/2" thick compound cut ornaments with a PS Woods Super Sharp #7. It cut really well and much better than my normal FD Polar #7. I was impressed. I went to the website to buy some more and found that they were $9.95 a dozen compared to the $3.20 a dozen for the FD blades. I just could not get myself to pay just under a buck a blade. Has anyone else tried these blades and how did they work for you?

I really like that one...well done. Where did you get the pattern? This is on my to do list.