3/4" Thick Jarrah

[nlthomson]

Help! How do I cut scroll jarrah without burning it? I am making a nativity scene with bevel cuts (some pieces push in, others push out) and I can't have burn marks. I have used a sharp blade, tried different blade speeds and feed speeds without any luck. Any advice would be appreciated.

Nancy

[Don in Brooklin On]

Have you tried putting packing tape on the sides as it lubricates the blade?

I had the same problem with cherry but the packing tape and running slowly fixed it in most cases.

Don

[nlthomson]

I didn't do it on the scrap piece I was practicing on, but I do it on all my projects. Thank you for responding. I will try that.

[JohnB]

G'day Nancy,
That's a thick piece of Jarrah to try and cut curves and such in,
I have had good luck wit Olson PGT #5 blades with Jarrah, but you have to be prepared to change them often, The Packaging tape works and allows you get a little more out of your blades. I normally use FDUR blades up to and including #5 and Olson PGT #5 and #7's.
I try and keep my Jarrah down to about 16mm and if possible 12mm.

[nlthomson]

Hello John,

Thank you for responding. I used the packing tape and painter's tape and burning was minimal, there were more spots that were burnished than burnt. I put the pattern on painter's tape because the pattern is easy to remove, no residue with the tape, and it is easy to see when all of it is peeled off. Packing tape helps to hold the pattern down plus I save the cut pattern in a binder so I can keep track of how long it takes me to cut it and how many were cut at the same time. Most of what I have done are Christmas ornaments.

I have tried the PGT blades a long time ago and found the kerf to be wider than I liked -- I mainly do fretwork with veining. For this project the PGT blades may have affected the fit of the pieces. I finished it and it looks ok but when I make it again I will do a few things differently.

Nancy