New Scroller

[garyloos]

Hi All,

I just purchased a Delta P20 yesterday and cut out half of a Moose today which I got along fairly well with. I just used 1/8 th inch luan ply and only have straight blades.

My question is does a spiral saw blade permit me to cut in all directions?

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

[Minnesota scroller]

Hi Gary,

Welcome to the forum. Yes, a spiral blade cuts in all directions. However, it is much tougher to follow a line, especially a straight line, with a spiral blade. Actually, there are a few twisted scrollers out there who prefer spiral blades. Surprisingly, they turn out some awesome products. If you are already comfortable with straight blades, by all means give the spirals a shot. They do require a bit more practice. Just remember, whatever a spiral blade makes contact with, it will cut into.

Good luck and be sure to post your moose when competed.

[Rolf]

Just a note on spirals. They are not all created equal.
I am not a proponent of any paticular blade although I have my favorites, but when it comes to spirals the "New Spirals" from FD are much more controllable than others. The reason for this is that they have more twists / inch so that they are almost round. I use the 2/0 FD for almost all of my viening work and also for the Jeff Zuffino pictures.
The drawback is the fuzz out more and the cuts are not as smooth, which in some cases adds to the charater of the piece.

Warning Blade discussions can be hazardous to your health

[Sawduster]

Welcome Gary
yes, spirals cut in all directions ....all the time ! When you cough, sneeze, blink , lift your head to see what noise just happened in the yard
I'm still pretty new to this and have recently become one of the " twisted " who has just disovered spirals . I agree 100 % with Rolf on the FD "new spirals" . It is quite a different ballgame but a satisfying one once you get ahead of the learning curve. I still use flat blades a lot but have found myself much more flexible now that I can incorporate the spirals too ...they are a real booger-bear at first though !
Glad to have you with us

[pete00]

howdy and welcome

im a sort of new twisted spiral person. unfortunatly it will cut in all directions

many i time i yell at the blade to stop cutting... i didnt mean to touch the wood, i was just scratching............pete

[ozarkhillbilly]

Gary, congratulations on the purchase of your new toy! And welcome to the addicting world of scroll sawing.

I am very fond of spirals, some refer to them as the "dark-side" when I first started out with the blades that came with my scroll saw, I had a heck of a time with trying to cut out any project, I was frustrated..... then reading this forum I learned of spiral blades and bought some, it was like night and day for me, and I've never really used a flat blade since.
Like anything its all about practice, practice and some more practice. And having fun along the way.
If you have any questions you've come to the right place...........