# Advice please



## Blister (14 Feb 2007)

Hi , I have a Brunel scroll saw and want to ask 2 questions 

1, are there any special blades that make cutting round corners easier ?

2, I need some advice on what type of wood to use for a key ring , what I am trying to do is cut out the profile of my boat , then cut the name inside that profile , It wont be getting wet and I will either paint it gold and black like the name plates I cut using a router or varnish it 

Hope you understand what I mean :? 

Thanks


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## Gill (14 Feb 2007)

A Brunel saw? That's a new one on me  . Care to tell us something about it, such as its age, throat size, variable speed etc?

All flat blades will cut round corners and the finer the blade, the tighter the corner it will cut. It's also easier to cut tight corners if you're using thin stock. Some people like to use spiral blades for sharp turns because spiral blades will cut in any direction quite happily. I'm told the downside is that you tend to get a rougher finish, they take a bit of getting used to, and they leave a wider kerf than flat blades. To be honest, I've never used spiral blades myself because they weren't around when I learned how to cut corners with flat ones.

If you'd like to see some short videos about cutting corners with flat blades, there are several on Rick Hutcheson's very informative website. In fact, there's lots of videos about various aspects of scrolling  .

Insofar as the material you can use as a keyfob, why not use an offcut of whatever wood you used to make the boat's nameplate? Or you could use marine grade ply, especially if it's going to be painted. I find that sort of plywood does tend to give a rough finish though, so you might need to apply several coats of paint.

If you know a sign-maker, you could always be adventurous and ask for an off-cut of coloured perspex, then cut that as a keyfob.

Gill


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## alanjm (14 Feb 2007)

A method I use for cutting awkward corners is to cut into the corner, move blade back into cut, turn work round so that back of blade faces into corner you cut, move blade back into corner and start cutting out of corner into new area. When you turn work round you need to be sure that the teeth of you blade is turning into a waste area. I tend use this method when using size 5 or 9 blades anything less should be able to turn quite sharply without trouble


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## Blister (14 Feb 2007)

Thanks for the reply 

Here is a photo of the saw , its marked 16" scroll saw , not variable speed 

also has a cast bed


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## Canadian Scroller (25 Feb 2007)

Pinned blades can make cutting tight corners a bit of a chore. 
Alan's suggestion is great, that is the same technique you use with a bandsaw.

There may be another option, you may be able to find aftermarket blade clamps that will allow you to use pinless blades that are thinner.
There is a supplier in the USA who makes some that I am sure would fit this saw. pozsgaidesigns.com _(I've edited out the link in light of the comments later in the thread! It looks as if the site's been hacked  . Gill. )_
I am not sure of shipping costs and the quality of the saw you have but it may be worth a try


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## Blister (27 Feb 2007)

My anti virus software went mad when clicking the link !!!


Detected a TROGEN VIRUS and recomended a full system scan :shock: :shock: :shock:


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## chrispuzzle (27 Feb 2007)

Yikes! There does indeed seem to be something nasty lurking on his site.


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## Canadian Scroller (1 Mar 2007)

That is very strange. I just went there and no problems here.
I have Avast anti virus and it has never failed me.

I jusy emailed the site and let them know.

His products are very ingenious and will work on most scrollsaws.
I will get back to you if and when I get a reply.


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## chrispuzzle (1 Mar 2007)

Looks clean now. At least, when I visited before my browser tried to download a file from it which looked very suspicious, not what you'd expect to be happening with a normal web site. It's not doing that now.

Chris


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## Brucio (6 May 2007)

Blister, your Brunel saw is exactly the same model as my Ferm.
I would post a photo of it, but I'm new here, and I can't post pictures yet.
I've made a modification that will hold pinless blades with the same tension as pin blades. I expect you've discovered how hard it is to get the extra clamps into place. My little gadget is simple to make, I took about two hours (including thinking about it!)
Again, I have a photo of it in place on the saw, but then again I can't post it because....blah, blah, blah.
I don't know if you can send me a private message on this forum, so that I could send you an e-mail with the photo attached, and maybe a little note on how to make it.
Bruce


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## Woodmagnet (7 May 2007)

Hope you don't mind Bruce but i've done it for you mate. :wink:


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## Brucio (8 May 2007)

Thanks, Kevin, that's really nice of you.
I don't know if reply posts count towards getting the right to post pics, or if it's only posts that start new threads.
Anyway, have you noticed the black circular plate on the saw table? That's home-made too! The slots in the supplied plate are too big, and little pieces fell through. You've got to take the side plate off to get these out.
But my plate is no good if the table is tilted!
Thanks again, 
Bruce


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