Cutting Interior Relief Lines w/o the Rain Drop Appearence of the Drill Hole

[scroller_guy]

What is the best #2 blade and drill combination for cutting interior lines to avoid the "rain drop" appearence of the end where the starter hole was drilled? Everything I have tried ends up with the drill hole being larger than the thickness of the blade. Is it possible to avoid this?

Dick

[jttheclockman]

Dick

I do not know exactly what you are asking so I will take a shot here. If you are talking about veining lines where you drill a starter hole and then cut a line or curve without removing any wood then the secret is to get the smallest drill bit for the blade you are using. See Mike at www.mikeworkshop.com The home of the Flying Dutchman blades. He has the bits that go with the proper size blades. Not all 2/0 blades are the same so if you are using a different brand (and don't know why) then you may have to experiment.

Now the thing with veining we are our own worse critics. We see a hole and a straight line and want it to be the same. Well it is not going to happen you have a round object and a flat object. What people sometimes do if this bothers you too much is after they make the first original cut they may go back over it and try slicing it wider to match the diameter of the drill hole. To me it is a waste of time. It is the nature of the beast and is part of scrolling. I know this is not what you want to hear but it is true. I hope this is the question you were asking.

[BobD (Archive)]

Dick,

I've heard some people refer to it as the 6-inch test...look at something from 6 inches away...and a lot of the things you are worried about disappear!

Bob Duncan
Scroll Saw Workshop

[redballjets]

What about using a spiral blade that is the same diameter as the drill hole? The line will be wider than if you used a flat blade but you should not get the “rain drop” effect.

[Forester21]

Yup - what redballjets said. This is one instance where I will use a spiral blade.
Theresa

[scroller_guy]

Re:

Thanks for all the tips. Yes, I am trying to do veining. Last night I got out a #70 drill and "hand drilled" each "vein". By that I mean I rotated the pin vise with my hand. This I did to avoid possible run out problems if I used my bench top drill press. Then I inserted an Olsen #2/0 drill to do the vein lines. Will let you know how it all works out when I remove the pattern and packaging tape.

I have never been a fan of spiral blades for two reasons: 1) They seem to break more easily than other blades in my experience AND 2) They do create relatively wider lines which seems to defeat the purpose of veining to me.

Dick

[will8989]

Pesonally, I like the effect of the raindrop on the end for some things. When I did Merlin the Wizard for my daughter I drilled all starter holes at the bottom of the vein where possible and if you use your imagination it looks like a falling star! Where better than on Merlin's robes for a falling star! Yes I do have a good imagination!!!!

[PiALaModem]

Make a virtue of necessity

I take those holes and make the whole line wider tapering off as it moves away from the hole. It's not "natural" for a line to be a single width, so I put the hole in the thickest part of the line and smoothly taper from there. Often that's in the middle of the line and not at the end.

[Kevin]

spiral blades

Yup - what redballjets said. This is one instance where I will use a spiral blade.
Theresa

I am so hooked on spiral blades I can't work with a regular blade any more go figure? Kevin

[elwood]

dremel tool

I have had problems wih this and I use a dremel tool to drill the holes. They make some fine drill bits and the perfect size to make veins

[Rivari]

I finally tried out some spiral blades (Delta #4) and I have mixed reviews. Being fairly new at this I felt like I was blasting through the wood like I was setting a speed record. After slowing myself down I did find a great improvement in those little interior details I was working into a Moose's antlers. But as soon as I tried to do anything that had a straight line my work really got away from me. My lesson learned so far is to stick with a regular blade for those long straighter cuts while using the spial blade for getting in there for the more detailed. I will add that I did see a HUGE improvement overall. My next project I will try out JT's saw blade clock design but add my grazing moose into the middle instead of the clock. Crossed fingers with confidence building!

Suggestions welcomed for overcoming my spiral frenzy.

[jttheclockman]

There is a bit of a learning curve that goes with the use of spiral blades. As far as jumping back and forth from spiral blade to flat blades takes even more concentration and that I can't do. I always felt there is nothing I can't do with a spiral blade that can't be done with a flat blade. This is just my opinion. Good luck on the sawblade design clock. That would be different.

[scroller_guy]

Spiral Frenzy

I finally tried out some spiral blades (Delta #4) and I have mixed reviews. Being fairly new at this I felt like I was blasting through the wood like I was setting a speed record. After slowing myself down I did find a great improvement in those little interior details I was working into a Moose's antlers. But as soon as I tried to do anything that had a straight line my work really got away from me. My lesson learned so far is to stick with a regular blade for those long straighter cuts while using the spial blade for getting in there for the more detailed. I will add that I did see a HUGE improvement overall. My next project I will try out JT's saw blade clock design but add my grazing moose into the middle instead of the clock. Crossed fingers with confidence building!

Suggestions welcomed for overcoming my spiral frenzy.

I was trying to cut a circle a couple of days ago with a spiral blade and wound up with wavy lines in places. Uuugg. I think I will stick with the flat blades. BTW where can the "JT's saw blade clock design" be found?

Dick

[Rivari]

Dick,

I am currently making a project based on JT's saw blade design and it is actually the most fun I have had yet. I just used an old 10" table saw blade and traced it. I am adding my own Alaskan twist to it by adding a moose with a rising moon and clouds in the background. If anything it has served as a good training tool for me to learn control. My 90's and curved line abilities have jumped tenfold.

I do have to add that this is the first time I have actually made mistakes doing something and I have managed to shake my head, laugh and try it again.

Once completed I will post and get some feedback on ways to further improve.

As for the curvey lines a spiral blade mistakes I was having the same problem a few days ago and I have preety much fixed it. I use a nice moderate feedrate without pausing in any one place, and finally the biggest help...I quit standing at the saw and got myself a nice bar stool, it helped me relax and concentrate better. But all of that is advice from a rookie, I'm sure the Old Dogs will have more.

[jttheclockman]

The scrollsawn saw blade clock is a Berry Basket pattern and can be found here.http://www.berrybasket.com