New Spiral Blades

[rbiorde]

Hi everyone...I ordered some of the new improved spiral blades from Mike and was wondering if anybody has used them? They are supposed to be better than the older spiral blades so I thought I'd give them a try. Does anyone have any thoughts on them or things I need to watch out for when using them?
Thanks..Bob

[Danny]

I have used Mike's new spiral blades but I am very much a rookie with spiral blades. I used them cutting some portraits on 5/32" plywood. I found if I "stack" cut with these blades I had better results due to the nature of how fast they cut and the thinness of the stock.

[Mick Walker]

[GRAYBEARDSTL]

I use the FD New Spiral 2/0 blades for my portrait work and have had great success.
1. Make sure you have as much tension as you can
2. increase the saw speed to the point of being as fast as you can work with
3. SLOW feed! They are aggressive and they do WANDER if you do not control your workpiece
4. BE Patient...do not hurry

My .05 worth!

[Bill Wilson]

I haven't used them myself, but a fellow in my scrollsaw club uses them and likes them a lot. They are easier to control than the regular spiral blades and from what I've seen of his work, they leave a much cleaner cut. I don't use spirals all that much, but after talking to him, I'm tempted to give them a try, just for the heck of it.

[NC Scroller]

The FD New Spiral blades sold my Mike are a bit easier to control then other spirals. This is my personal opinion. Also, there is a time and place for spiral blades. They work best for pictures where sharp clean corners and 90 degree angles are needed.

[ubgoofy2003]

Bob, I use them a lot. Most of the time, in fact. I like the New 2/0 spiral for most intricate work.One thing I have a problem with is the twist on the ends. I tighten my thumb screw & it will break the end off if I'm not careful. I have tried twisting the ends straight, but, that is very hard to do. They are so tiny, it is hard not to break them. Other than that, I love them. I have learned to control them & that is the key. Good Luck.

[ChuckD]

Also, there is a time and place for spiral blades. They work best for pictures where sharp clean corners and 90 degree angles are needed.

I don't think I can agree with the above statement. I use a lot of Spirals and really like the new ones of Mike's. But they don't make sharp clean corners and 90 degree angles to awfully good. For that you do need a flat blade. Just my opinion..

[Rolf]

When I do use spirals, I only use the "new spirals" from Mike.
I only use them when I need big consistent veining.
I also feel that large front to back saw motion has a significant negative impact on how spirals cut, especially sideways.

[ubgoofy2003]

Chuck, I somewhat agree with you on the clean corner cuts, but, depending on the size of the blade(flat). Sometimes they will cut just as wide as the spiral in a corner cut. Some of the time I will cut into a corner & go around to the other side & come into it as square as possible. You can't use a large spiral though. It will make the corner round. Nuff said. I really like them though. Good Luck

[sawdust11703]

Personally, I can't stand spiral blades. I feel the rough cut it leaves behind makes a project look terrible. There has not been one time where I felt I really needed spirals to cut something and I've cut some real intricate stuff including portraits. If you can't get fairly sharp corners with a flat blade then you need more practice. The quicker you turn the wood, the sharper that corner will be. Or you can just come back into the corner from the other side. The same can be said for any areas where the pattern has lots of twists and turns. It all comes down to practice with a flat blade. You should see how fast I sometimes spin the wood back and forth to cut a certain shape. I have also found that you can chip away at an area with a flat blade, similiar to what a spiral would do. As long as you have good tension and you're careful, you can move the wood left and right and the flat blade will chip the area away. If you are new to scrolling, I feel its a bad thing to start off cutting with spirals. Learn to use the flat blades first. You will be happy you did.

[rbiorde]

Thanks for all the comments. I used them for the first time the other day and absolutely love them!! Seeing as how I'm a bit challenged when it comes to hand & eye coordination, I found it much easier to move the work along the lines instead of having to twist and turn the piece as you need to do with a flat blade. I must confess, I didn't make anything really complicated....just some small little cats with MDF I had laying around. I'll let you know when I tackle something more complicated if I feel the same way about them.
Bob

[oily]

After reading all the comments pro and con I'll stick with "I haven't met a spiral blade I don't hate" Why mess with something that can't compete.

[jreece]

spiral blades

pO

Hi everyone...I ordered some of the new improved spiral blades from Mike and was wondering if anybody has used them? They are supposed to be better than the older spiral blades so I thought I'd give them a try. Does anyone have any thoughts on them or things I need to watch out for when using them?
Thanks..Bob

I absolutely love them.....they cut perfectly smooth.....fd 2/0.....