blades breaking

[Guest]

???

Hi Gang !
I'm fairly new to this fantastic hobby and having a problem
with my blades breaking ( scares me to death ! )
Just wondering if someone could steer me in the right
direction. Am I twisting the blade on tight turns too much,
is it the tension, or just cheap blades.
Thanks for the help.

[Captain_Bandaid]

Re: blades breaking

: Hooch,
I am not an expert on blades but it could be that the tension is set too high or you are sliding the workpiece sideways when you make a turn. That might be applying a sideward force to the blade and bending it until it breaks. Or, you might be pushing the work into the blade too hard and bending it until it breaks. Feed the work it only as fast as the blade cuts it away.

[Guest]

Re: blades breaking

It's tough to get the tension right when you first start. After you have broken a pile of blades you learn the right tension and can tell by the sound of the blade when you pluck it.

Changes in the sound and how much the blade flexes as it goes through the wood will alert you to a dull blade that will break soon.

I've had much better success with Olson blades than others. Try a number 7 or if it's really thick > 1.5' use a number 9 or 5 if it's thin plywood. You can find them at woodcrafters: www.woodcraft.com

Round blades are very nice for hard to get spots but they will break much more often than a normal blade since the scroll saw does not have any 'give' for sideways stress like it does forward and back.

Go buy a pile of blades and as you get more experience they will last longer. I would recomed getting 20 - 30 they aren't very expensive and won't go bad sitting.

Good luck.

Little Hack

[Guest]

Re: blades breaking

Hey guys,got a tip for what's it's worth about buying blades.
Depot and woodcraft blades are about 4 or 5 bucks a dozen.
I get mine at Sloans Woodshop in Lebanon,Tn. $17 for a gross,
$1.70 a dozen and they're Olson blades. Call 1-888-615-9663
Their web site is http://www.sloanswoodshop.com Happy
Scrolling!!!!! Norm

[Win_Tatro]

Re: blades breaking

I am having the same problem breaking blades on my Hawk Schroll saw. I think it is the tension. The blade bends in the direction I am pushing the wood FAR to much. Is that normal? I have had NO help or ideas on this matter eather. Win Tatro

[FatEddy]

Re: blades breaking

Win_Tatro - It sounds like you are trying to saw faster than the blade is cutting. I have a Hawk also and it is almost impossible to get the tension setting wrong on it. I do a lot of fretwork and use 2/0 blades almost exclusivly and very seldom ever break one. Try slowing down. If that doesn't work try going over the blade tension adjustment directions again, but given that the blade is bending in the direction you are sawing it's almost assured that you are going too fast.

[naylak79]

I have had my blades breaking, but found out it was my saw . I have a dremel 1800, and had to change the bearings that attach the lower arm to the motor. So make sure what ever saw you have , is being well maintained. Look at everything not just what they tell you to oil.

[Mick Walker]

Not enough tension is usually the reason for breaking blades. Too much tension is better than not enough. With the saw OFF tension your blade then pluck the back side like a guitar string. You should get a nice "TING" sound and you shouldn't be able to move the blade in any direction more than 1/8". Push the wood directly into the teeth, pushing the wood to one side will cause the blade to break. Practice, practice, practice.

[B Smith]

So whats with the guests being able to post. I wasn`t aware you could do that on this board.

[minowevie]

I might just add just one more thing, when you feed a blade. just by chance do you bend it some . any crease in the blade will brake fast. you can bend alot. but don't kink. your friend Evie

[SNAPPER]

Practice, Practice, Practice.
Cheap blades, tention, feed rate, twisting the blade can all be factors. I found that the saw also makes a difference. I recently upgraded to a Dewalt and have not broken a blade yet. Just finished cutting a puzzle out of 1" Walnut using a #3 Olson Mach blade, with some pretty tight turns was waiting for blade to break but it did not.
Tention differs with blade size, a #2/0 requires less tention than a #5. When using a smaller blade I also slow the saw speed down. The thicker/harder the wood, larger more agressive blade. #5 is the biggest blade I ever use. Cheap blades can be an issue, I use Flying Dutchman and Olson. It is easy to twist the blade when cutting curves and such, this is where Practice comes into play. Keep the blade straight and on center. Feed only as much as the blade will cut do not force the blade to cut.
Good Luck.
Dean

[kingbrat]

it does take practice FD blades are what I use and also the speed of your cuting and good blade tention is important takes practice .

[GRAYBEARDSTL]

I have learned!

GO SLOOOOOOOOOW!

I am an impatient guy and trying to force the wood thru the blade 'ain't gonna work'!

Also the only time I turn my saw speed up high is when i am cutting rough cedar to make my bird feeders.

Otherwise SLOOOOOOW is the way to go!

I also use Mike's Flying Dutchman blades exclusively!

GraybeardStL

[tubman]

Win_Tatro - It sounds like you are trying to saw faster than the blade is cutting. I have a Hawk also and it is almost impossible to get the tension setting wrong on it. I do a lot of fretwork and use 2/0 blades almost exclusivly and very seldom ever break one. Try slowing down. If that doesn't work try going over the blade tension adjustment directions again, but given that the blade is bending in the direction you are sawing it's almost assured that you are going too fast.

I have the 226 ultra, and am having a lot of troble with proper tension on the unit. If I follow the instruction as the manuel states the blade will sometimes break but most often it will pull loose from the blade socket, I did find that if I sand the end of the blade slightly it will hold untill I go to the next hole then the problem starts again. Love the saw but am getting a little impatient! My blade pulls loose as soon as I flip the cam to the flat position,

[miniwoodworker]

Lesson that I learned early was don't keep cutting with a dull blade. Scared the heck out of me the first time I broke a blade on the DeWalt with the arm lifter. Being frugal by nature, I was trying to finish a practice cut in a 3/4" board. I knew the wood was burning, but since it was practice - what the heck. After the scare, I noticed the blade discoloured, which meant it had lost temper.

After practicing for a while, you'll notice the difference in cutting when it's time to put in a new blade. Oh, and save those dull blades, you'll find other uses for them.

Hope this helps.