SCROLL SAW TIPS
WHAT BLADES SHOULD I USE?

No one ever likes to answer this question. There are so many different blades and everyone has there own preferences. The first thing you will notice when cutting is that the blade wants to cut to the right. This is do to the way scroll saw blades are made. Blades are milled and have a burr on the right side of the blade. This makes the right side sharper then the left. A blade will try to take the path of least resistance. This is easily corrected by just turning your work to the left about 5 to 20 degrees. With a little practice you will be able to adjust with no problem. Olson makes a precision ground tooth blade (PGT) that is formed in hardened steel with a stone wheel. Because there is little to no material flow in the processing there is no burr on the edge. These blades cut in a straight line. The only drawback is that the blades are wider and that makes cutting corners a little harder. Also these blades only come in sizes 5, 7 and 9 (I will get to sizes later). Here is a list of different types of blades and what they are good for:

• Skip tooth blades w/reverse teeth on the bottom: These are the most popular blades. They cut fast and leave a smooth surface on the top and bottom. They are good for soft and hard wood. 

• Skip tooth blades w/o reverse teeth on the bottom: These are the fastest cutting blades but, they also leave fuzz on the bottom of your work. Use these blades when you want to cut out your project really fast and don't need to have it very smooth.

• Double tooth blades w/reverse teeth on the bottom: These blades have two teeth then skip one tooth. They are less aggressive and offer a little more control of where you cut. They are very good for hardwoods. They give a smooth cut with very little sanding.

• Two way cut: These blades have two teeth pointing down and every third tooth points up. They give a very smooth cut and are not very aggressive. You get very good control over where you cut and don't have to do a lot of sanding. These blades are good for soft and hardwood and especially good for cutting plywood. 

• Crown tooth blades: These blades have one tooth up and one tooth down. They are not aggressive blades and provide smooth cuts with very little sanding. You can also turn these blades over when the bottom gets dull. The problem with this is that now it wants to cut to the left instead of the right (very hard to get used to). These blades are good for soft and hardwood.

• Spiral blades: There are 3 types of spiral blades regular, flat end and reverse. These blades cut in any direction. They leave a rough edge and require a lot of sanding. The reverse tooth spiral blades cut down on the amount of sanding. The flat end spiral blades are easier to put in the blade holders. These blades are used when cutting a project that is to large to turn on the scroll saw. They are also good for veining when the first cut has been made already with a regular blade.

• Pinned Blades: These blades are used for scroll saws that don't take plain end blades. They have a small pin in the top and bottom used for installing them in the saw. This pin makes it almost impossible to do small fret work (the making of inside cuts). If your saw takes regular 5" plain end blades you will not want to use these at all.

• Metal cutting blades: These blades have more teeth per inch required for cutting thin metal and other hard material. 

All blades come in different sizes ranging from a 3/0 to a 12. The smaller the number the smaller the blade. For best results use smaller sizes for thinner stock and larger sizes for thicker stock. Use smaller sizes for tighter radii and larger sizes for more general purpose cuts. Cut your project out with the largest blade you can get away with. Smaller blades make sharper turns but don't last as long or cut as fast. Here is a chart just to get an idea of what size to use for the thickness of wood you are using. This is by no means what you have to use. You will get your own preferences and there are also changes with how hard the wood is and how much detail there is to the work you are cutting out.

• #3/0  good for veneers and wood up to 1/16"

• #2/0  good for veneers and wood up to 1/8"

• #0     good for veneers and wood up to 1/8"

• #1     good for wood up to 1/4"

• #2     good for wood up to 1/3"

• #3     good for wood up to 1/2"

• #5     good for wood up to 3/4"

• #7     good for wood up to 1 1/4"

• #9     good for wood up to 1 3/4"

• #12   good for wood up to 2"

So in conclusion to "What blade should I use?", now you see why no one ever likes to answer this question. My best suggestion is what ever gets you to the final result that you are looking for is a good blade to use. Try to get a little of everything and try them out and see what you prefer. You will most likely want several sizes of the skip tooth blade w/reverse teeth on the bottom. And also some two way cut blades. Get a few of the spiral reverse or the flat end spiral blades. This should take care of almost any of the cutting needs that you have.

Flying Dutchman Scroll Saw Blades    Olson Scroll Saw Blades