Puzzled about blades

[MikeDingas]

I think I asked this in another thread but simply can't find it. Sorry for the duplicity...

What blade size is best for making puzzles?

[lucky788scroller]

That depends on the type of puzzle being created. If its a flat thin puzzle,I would suggest Flying D - Superior Puzzle Blades
Top Quality blade for
intricate puzzle cutting
FD-SP 5 0.015 0.008 31 No 71

They are designed for this type of cutting. If it is 3D type puzzles, then perhaps a regular skip tooth blade. dale

[Carter-Johnson]

Mike, you need to define what you mean by "puzzles", If you mean regular jigsaw puzzles made with 1/4" or thinner wood, then you should use narrow kerf 2/0 blades. Mike at Mikes Workshop can be of real help and his Superior Puzzle Blades, as has been mentioned, are great. That's what I use in turning out puzzles like those in the following album:

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=7323632&uid=3559642&members=1

Pegas Puzzle Blades are also great. It depends on your style and comfort.

If, however, you want to cut animal puzzles and others that come from wood that's 1/2" or more, then you're probably talking about #5 blades. Again, Mike can help.

Write back and let us know what you want to make.

Carter

[MikeDingas]

Carter,
Mostly, I'm thinking of regular jigsaw puzzles of thin wood probably 1/8" BB. However, I've seen some other 3D puzzles like snakes, turtles, lizards, etc that really facinate me. Don't know whether I'm ready to tackle those as I've only been scrolling for several months.

[William Young (SE BC)]

Hi Mike;
In your question you were asking about size and I don't know if you were referring to brand name or not but it seems to have to turned into that. Hope both are helpfull

What blade size is best for making puzzles?

Carter is right. It depends on your style and comfort.
I prefer the Pegas Ultra Thin blades because they are the thinnest of all puzzle blades on the market and one of the distributors of them , Ben Fink is also a very helpfull person for information about any blades or types of scrolling.
You can check the thickness of them here

http://bensscrollsaw.com/blade.html

against any other brand and you will find that they are one thou thinner than any of the rest and I have also found that they track straighter giving better contol.
One thou might not seem like much but it does make for a nicer slightly tighter fitting puzzle ( if of course you are asking about the thin 1/4" or less jigsaw puzzles) and is probably why some of the worlds top full time jigsaw puzzle makers use the Pegas Ultra Thin Puzzle Blades exclusively.
So now you have some ideas on size which you asked about originally as well as some brand names that you didn't ask for.
Olson is also another big name in blades and should not be overlooked either. Sloans is a good source for them at a great price.

http://www.sloanswoodshop.com/scroll_saw_blades.htm

They have Olson 3/0-D , .008 x .023 blades which are also preferred by some for puzzle cutting although they don't specifically call them puzzle blades .
It is best to try the various brands and you will soon find out which ones suit your particular needs.
W.Y.

[workin for wood]

Maybe I'm lazy, but how about the versalasor VL-200 30watt for cutting puzzles. I also suggest sattelite TV and a large beer fridge to keep you occupied while the laser does all the work. Buy a very large pile of plywood, because you'll need to cut a few thousand puzzles to pay for the $12000 machine.

[Gill]

Waaaahhhhh!!!!

Santa won't fit a Versa-Laser in his sleigh for me .

Gill

[chrispuzzle]

What's worse, with the laser you can't charge $$$ a piece for the unique hand cut heritage quality perfection of your puzzles...unless you buy our silence...

Chris

[Gill]

My partner's just told me that it's a pity the machine uses an American power supply, otherwise I could have one.

Swine!

Gill

[Carter-Johnson]

Mike.....

Suggestions:

Use thicker wood: 1/4" or even 3/16". You'll find you have better control while cutting and the end result will be more sturdy.

Try woods other than Baltic Birch. My tightest puzzles are made with 5-ply 1/4" poplar. I've also used 3-ply poplar, oak, cherry, walnut and aromatic cedar. A blade lasts me 150-200 pieces with these woods and only around 50 with BB.

Don't use a pattern. Use the images within the pictures as your bases for puzzle pieces. Each puzzle will then be truly unique!

Good luck...and have phun

Carter

[PuzzledMoose]

My partner's just told me that it's a pity the machine uses an American power supply, otherwise I could have one.

Swine!

Gill

Hasn't he heard of step-up transformers?

[Gill]

No, Ian, I don't believe he has. Neither have I. Care to enlighten me and stir the pot a little?



Gill

[PuzzledMoose]

LOL - well when Sue was living in England before we came over here we had a transformer that descreased the power from 240 to 110 which meant that some of her "essential items" like curling tongs - - would work in the UK. That's a step down transformer but using it here steps up the voltage so things like my UK stereo sytem work ..

I have a feeling that there can be problems with items that have motors though but I'm not electrically minded enough to explain why .... I'm sure some of the others on here might be able to explain ..

BTW plugging a Canadian hairdryer into the UK supply using only an adapter shortens the life of a hairdryer significantlty ... DAMHIKT

[PuzzledMoose]

Here you go, Gill ..

"North American 110-120 volt electricity is generated at 60 Hz. (Cycles) Alternating Current. Most foreign 220-240 volt electricity is generated at 50 Hz. (Cycles) Alternating Current. This difference in cycles may cause the motor in your 60 Hz. North American appliance to operate slightly slower when used on 50 Hz. foreign electricity. This cycle difference will also cause analog clocks and timing circuits that use Alternating Current as a timing base to keep incorrect time. Most modern electronic equipment including battery chargers, computers, printers, stereos, tape and CD players, VCR/DVD players, etc. will not be affected by the difference in cycles."

BTW Maplins sell transformers and inverters....

[Gill]

Oh, Ian - it would be worth pursuing if only Santa hadn't already loaded up his sleigh with an Aiptek hyperpen tablet for me already. Apparently, he thinks it'll help my aspirations as a pattern designer.

Next year perhaps.



Gill