# Saw Blade help...



## Individual (Nov 6, 2013)

Hey...

Could anyone give me a hand?
Now, as i'm across the pond, its confusing anyway as most folk here are american, and they have a different system over here.

My first question is: what TYPE of blade, theres loads: Reverse tooth, spiral etc etc
Anyway, these are the 2 i'm thinking would work.

It will primarily be for 18mm plywood..



















Here is the site i'm looking at:http://www.originalmarquetry.co.uk/category_Fret_Saw_Blades_1.htm


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## eggy22 (Feb 3, 2013)

Pm sent pal


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## Greavous (Sep 29, 2013)

Usually a saw blade is referred to based on teeth per inch and you decide which blade is appropriate based on the thickness of the material you are cutting. Scroll saws follow that as well. The spiral blades allow you to cut from any direction which comes in handy doing ultra fine detail stuff and I dont see them as handy for slingshot use. This chart might help some.


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## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

is that for a scroll saw if so i also use copeing saw blades that i cut down to fit my scroll saw they last longer.


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## Individual (Nov 6, 2013)

Greavous said:


> Usually a saw blade is referred to based on teeth per inch and you decide which blade is appropriate based on the thickness of the material you are cutting. Scroll saws follow that as well. The spiral blades allow you to cut from any direction which comes in handy doing ultra fine detail stuff and I dont see them as handy for slingshot use. This chart might help some.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## gbeauvin (Mar 7, 2014)

Of the blades on the link you had above, I would think the niqua is the most appropriate for cutting slingshots out of wood, and if 18mm ply is your medium of choice, Greavous' chart seems to indicate a #8 (and while the #8 blade on that site doesn't quite match the #8 blade on the chart, it's pretty close).

Grab a grain of salt though since I don't have a scroll saw (yet) .

-GB


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## Individual (Nov 6, 2013)

Thanks all,

I'l order a few blades and test em out.


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## kzoorichie (Aug 6, 2011)

"Tear out" is when splinters of wood are torn from the workpiece. It happens because wood fibers are unsupported and; well tear out. Reverse blades have teeth that point down for cutting the top of the work piece ie the fibers are supported by the wood below. They have teeth that point up for cutting the bottom of the workpiece. I don't scroll a lot, but reverse teeth are all I use for plywood. I use Flying Dutchman brand, and buy them here. https://www.mikesworkshop.com/index.htm I'm not affiliated. The site is also a great source of info.

I'll disagree about spiral blades being good for detail. They are far too prone to tear out, and have a wide kerf. They do let you to cut in any direction, but I've never had a need for that myself.


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## Greavous (Sep 29, 2013)

You agreed and disagreed with me all at the same time! I have no use for spiral blades either but when you are doing fret work having the ability to cut in any direction comes in handy. I just do so little with a scroll saw the fret stuff is a rarity. Tear-out occurs along the bottom of the piece and can be practically eliminated by making a custom blade insert which supports the work piece right up to the edge of the blade. I make "zero-clearance" inserts for my table saw, band saw as well as the ol compound miter to prevent having to even think about tear out. Also, slowing down your cut speed will reduce tear out. To add one more bit, not all woods tear, mesquite for example doesnt. Chip-out.... well...


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## kzoorichie (Aug 6, 2011)

"You agreed and disagreed with me all at the same time! " lol pretty much.

I don't scroll much either, but I'm blessed with a very nice Dewalt saw wich I was able to acquire at an embarrassingly low cost. The Flying Dutchman blades I use are quite nice, and I've never had a problem w/ tear out. If I did I'd go w/ a zero tolerance insert. I'll stand by my comment that spirals are not good for detail, too much tear out and too much clean up. A good saw and blade will allow for far, far more precision, and far, far less clean up. There must be a use for them, but I don't know what it is. I'm guessing not needing to change direction of the workpiece would come in handy. It's just never been an issue for the things I've done.

I almost mentioned this on my last post... For someone looking to make slingshots, just get a coping saw and make a "birds mouth". Google birds mouth if you don't know what one is. You can get a nice coping saw and a lifetime if blades for the cost of an entry level machine.


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## gbeauvin (Mar 7, 2014)

kzoorichie said:


> I almost mentioned this on my last post... For someone looking to make slingshots, just get a coping saw and make a "birds mouth". Google birds mouth if you don't know what one is. You can get a nice coping saw and a lifetime if blades for the cost of an entry level machine.


Ok -- coping saw I have (actually I have two, but one is a POS). You may have to enlighten me on this "birds mouth" though. I googled it and all I got were references to roofing beams and sailboat spars... Google thinks it refers to a joint where you cut out a triangle in one piece of wood that you fit another (square ended) piece of wood into.

-GB


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## kzoorichie (Aug 6, 2011)

I'm dead tired, but this link looks solid.

http://www.handtoolschool.net/learn-to-cut-curves/

Generally, birds mouths are used for fine detail, but they will work great for slings. IMO Olsen blades are the go to blades for coping saws. Most big box stores have them and they outperform anything I've used.


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## kzoorichie (Aug 6, 2011)

Ok, just checked the link... Not sure what happened. Lame, I told you tired.

Try this one. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1208263

See the pict of the coping saw? A turning saw would work even better, and saw fast enough to cut dozens per day, but will cost much much more, but still less than an entry level scroll saw.

If your fairly handy you can make a turning saw cheaply and arm it with a section of bandsaw blade.

I'll try to answer ?s if you have them. Zzzzzzz


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