Blade choice

[stevebuk]

The cabin is almost fitted out now, so not long before i can begin working in there.
The first tool i put in there was my Delta scrollsaw, but before i can begin, i will be working with Zebrano, Iroko, Oak, Ply and loads of other types too, is there a hard and fast rule about what blades to use for certain woods, and how do you pick them, skip tooth, reverse tooth, 20tpi,10tpi 30tpi and spiral doesn't really mean much to me as i have never used a scrollsaw before.
Any help appreciated..

[Steviegwood]

Hi Steve, I do not want to start another blade war. We all have our personal choice of blades. In my own opinion I would say that your three top choices would be from OLSON, FLYING DUTCHMAN, and PEGASUS. The TPI is the aggressiveness of the blade as the lesser amount of tpi the more aggrressive as in the lesser amount is a finer cut for thinner woods. I personally have not had good experience with spirals but there are people here who turn out beautiful works and my hats off to those folks. I personally use Olson PGT #5, #7 and #9 reverse tooth blades. The reverse tooth blade does not have all of the little fuzzies on the backs of projects. I hope this helps you some and these are just my choices as others have their own preferences. Steve

[Paul S WI]

Steve, the hard and fast rule for blade to use with what wood comes down to personal preference and experience, IMO anyway. Frankly, one day a #5 Skip Tooth works the best and the next, for a similiar project, thickness and type of wood, I find that a #3 is working better. Why, I don't know but I adjust accordingly. Stevieg is right about the aggressiveness aspect. Many times I will use several different types of blades - TPI, reverse,etc. - for the same project, veining vs tight corners vs straight line, etc. I don't commit myself to one blade and make it work just because it worked for someone else or is recommended. I like to experiment until I am comfortable with the cutting and it's going smoothly.

[stevebuk]

thanks guys, will buy several sorts and try them out for myself..

[unixpro]

Steve, Mike over at Mike's Workshop has a section on blade selection that you might read. Yes, he sells the Flying Dutchman blades (which I prefer and use), but that doesn't invalidate the information on blades he has. If you still have any questions, you can send Mike some e-mail and he'll get back pretty quickly. Or, you can just come here and ask.