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SCROLL SAW TIPS
- What wood should I use? This question depends on what you are trying to
make. When first starting out practice on pine. It is easy to get and very
cheap. Most of your projects will require thin plywood. I use 1/8"
Baltic Birch plywood because there are no voids in the middle. Also there are not as many knots in the wood and it is a
very good looking wood. Many of your other projects will require exotic hard
woods which will make beautiful works of art.
- Sand all of your wood before you start. This saves a lot of sanding after
you finish your project.
- You can stack cut your projects to make more than one project at a time.
To do this start out with wood or plywood that has the same dimensions and
put them together. Stack up to 3/4" of pieces at a time. That means you
can stack up to 3, 1/4" pieces or 6, 1/8" pieces at a time. I've
even stacked 12 pieces of 1/16" bass wood and it turned out great.
After you stack them use masking tape and wrap it all away around the edges
twice.
- Now your ready to make your first project. Most scrollers use a pre-made
pattern. You can trace the pattern onto the wood or you can use a spray
adhesive like 3M Super 77 on the back of the pattern and apply it directly to the wood
itself. If using a spray adhesive spray a light coat on the back of the
pattern and wait until it is tacky (about the same as masking tape) before applying it to the wood. If you
apply it right away it will be very hard to get it back off.
- After applying the pattern drill holes out for all of the inside cuts you
will have to make. Try to drill the holes near a corner and make it close so
you don't have to cut a long way to get to the line. Use a drill press or
one of the drill guides like they make for the Dremel. This is important for
the real small inside cutouts because it is very hard to drill the holes
with a regular drill straight enough. If the hole is not straight when stack
cutting you might drill right through the line where you need to cut.
- If you are stack cutting, nail some brads In the waste spaces to make the
pieces stay tight together. If there are gaps in between the pieces the blade will
cause tear out and make a rough cut that needs a lot of sanding. Use a steel
plate on the bottom so that the brad will not go all the way through the
wood.
- Now you have to tread the blade through the hole on the project. Attach
the blade to the bottom blade holder and tread the blade up through the
hole. Then attach it to the top blade holder (unless you have a saw that can
feed down from the top to the bottom like the Dewalt Scroll Saw). Start
cutting out the middle holes first and work you way to the edges.
- When finished cutting out your work pull off the pattern and sand the
rough spots. Finish the project with a finish of your choice.
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