|
| |
SCROLL SAW TIPS
So you're new to scrolling and want to jump right in and make some
projects. Lets start off with safety.
-
Safety: the scroll saw is a very safe woodworking tool. The
blades are very small but, they can cut you. Unlike most saws they won't
take off a finger or two. You can get very close to the blades and even
touch the back of one while it is cutting. The dangerous parts of scrolling
are when the blades break (one could fly up and damage your eye) and the
fine dust that it produces (very bad for your lungs). ALWAYS
WEAR SAFETY GLASSES AND A DUST MASK.
-
Start off by learning how your saw
works. Getting familiar with the controls. Most saws now have a variable
speed and a tilting table. Find out how to install blades on your unit in
the instruction manual. Now that you know how to install a blade lets learn
how to tension the blade. This is one of the most important parts of making
the saw work properly. When the blade is in the saw, ping it with your
finger, (saw not running) it should give a nice high pitch, like a high
"C". It is better to have too much tension than not enough. Blades
are very tough and are tempered. You will break more blades with not enough
tension than too much tension. With not enough tension, you will push too
hard into the blade. This will cause the blade to get hot and lose
it's "temper" it will dull or break faster. Smaller blades can't
take as much tension as larger blades. If you find that you are breaking a
lot of blades adjust your tension to help solve the problem.
-
Now line up the blade to make it
square to the table. There are different ways to do this. I use a 2" machinist
steel square, it is very accurate and leaves no doubt that the blade is
square. To achieve this, (with the blade installed) loosen the bolt that
allows the table to tilt. Line up the table and the blade with the square.
Tighten the bolt back up that allows the table to tilt. Most saws will now
allow you to set the zero degree mark on the saw now that it is set perfect.
Always check to make sure that the table is square every time you start
cutting. This is very important especially if you are stack cutting (will
cover stack cutting later).
-
Now lets get ready to make some cuts.
Take a piece of scrap wood and draw some lines on it. Make several curves,
corners, circles, ovals, and straight lines. Put the piece on the table and
adjust the hold down clamp (you may want to take it off, it is very easy to
hold the work down with your hands and the hold down clamp just gets in the
way). Put a blade in the saw. Use a smaller blade for thin work and a larger
blade for thick work. Refer to "what
blade should I use chart". Turn the saw on and adjust the speed.
Start off with a very slow speed. The more you cut the more speed you will
be able to use.
-
Start cutting on the line you have
drawn. The first thing you will notice is that the blade wants to cut to the
right. This is normal and nothing is wrong with the saw. You have to adjust
your cutting, so turn the work to the left to make the adjustments. Use a
slow feed rate. Let the saw do the work. Don't apply side pressure on the
blade when cutting. Always turn the work to make the cut in the direction
you want. If you apply side pressure it will cause the blade to break
prematurely and can also cause your cut to have a bevel in it.
-
When you get to a corner, stop the feed
rate, pull back slightly on your work, and spin the work around to the new
line. Your spin has to be very fast so that you don't burn the wood that you
are cutting. This takes a little practice but within a short time you will
be making perfect turns. Immediately start applying pressure so that you are
cutting on the new line again.
next page
|
