# blades



## Chippygeoff (11 Oct 2011)

Hi Everyone.

This is a follow on from my previous post. I have decided to go for the SIP scroll saw, I saw one in the flesh the other day, a couple of reservations, I did not like the look of the tensioner, looked a bit flimsy and awkward to get to, comments from other users would be welcome. The other small gripe is the blade holders and like most of the mid range saws now it is an allen key job and as I will be doing a fair bit of pierced work a bit of a pain but I will only have to undo the top one each time which I suppose is a blessing in some respects. Apart from that it looks okay. I don't know if anyone has come up with a butterfly nut or maybe a large knurled knob for fixing the blades, the guy in the shop said if i went for this option the blade would keep popping out and the allen key was the best way in the end.

Now here is the reason for submitting this. I have no idea at all about blades. I understand Olsen are among the best so I will go for those. I do not understand the terminology used. There are different skips and then there are reverse blades as well as different sizes of teeth etc. I will using plain end blades as well so no pins. Basically I will be cutting animal shapes out to begin with and maybe a few animal five or six piece jigsaws from half to 3/4 thick hardwoods like Ash, Elm, Lime and Sycamore. I would like to end up with a fine a finish as possible to minimise hand sanding and i don't mind buying a few different types of blades but I would greatly appreciate some guidance on this please and would greatly benefit from members experience. Many thanks.

Geoff.


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## Blister (11 Oct 2011)

Geoff

Am I missing something here 

The 2 important thing on any saw 

1 Blade holding 
2 tensioner

and you have purchased a saw knowing both are not to your liking ?

If its going to get the serious use you say you need quick and easy blade changes and tensioning 

will be a nightmare doing a intricate piece of work that needs say 100 holes drilled first for starting off cuts then the blade put into each hole blade clamped and tensioned for each cut


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## Blister (11 Oct 2011)

Missed the blades bit 

I get my blades from Mike

http://www.mikesworkshop.com/blades.htm

Huge selection good prices and only a couple of days to get to the UK


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## DaveyP (11 Oct 2011)

+1 on everything Blister just said. (both posts )



> the guy in the shop said if i went for this option the blade would keep popping out and the allen key was the best way in the end.



From that comment I suppose he used to sell second hand cars / double glazing / fitted kitchens & time share and knew sweet fa all about them either.


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## Gill (11 Oct 2011)

It strikes me the salesman knows as much about scrolling as I know about Egyptian hieroglyphs. If you're going to do a lot of scrolling, especially pierced work, you'll need a saw with a robust blade holder that has the facility to clamp/unclamp quickly. Any blade holder which relies on a bolt and allen key won't fulfil this need. I wouldn't be too worried about the tension arm on the SIP because I cannot recall many complaints about them failing, but if you don't have a saw that inspires confidence you won't get as much enjoyment out of it as you should. My advice is to watch online auctions for a saw which has a quick release clamp, such as a Delta or a Hegner, and buy second-hand if your budget cannot stretch to a new Hegner or Excalibur.

As has been mentioned, Mike Moorlach is probably the best source for decent scroll saw blades but his Flying Dutchman blades are more aggressive than some other brands. Most people see this as an advantage but others prefer less aggressive types such as Olsen. When cutting relatively thick pieces of wood, especially hard woods such as ash, you will need a blade that will not get clogged up with sawdust. For this reason I suggest a skip-tooth blade. If you also want to minimise the amount of sanding, go for a skip-tooth that has reverse teeth too, either along the whole length of the blade or just at the bottom. The only problem with reverse teeth is that they can lift the wood from the table if you're not experienced at using them. As for sizes, I think anything smaller than a #5 would struggle with wood as thick as 3/4" and you would be well advised to have a range of sizes up to #12. When you're a bit more experienced you will probably be able to make smaller blade sizes work for you with thick wood.


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## Mike M (11 Oct 2011)

Hi Geoff,
Go to my web site: www.mikesworkshop.com. 
Click on Selecting a Blade and Q & A. There are many good tips. Have good tension, good speed and do NOT push too hard into to the blade. Let the blade do the cutting they say.
A skip tooth blade has more room between the teeth as a double tooth blade. A skip toot cut a little faster.
FD Mike


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## stevebuk (11 Oct 2011)

i also buy my blades from mike, i have also cut 3/4 ash and oak using a #3 blade before now. Depending on what pattern you are cutting, the larger the number takes more effort to cut a tight turn.


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## TRUSTINGGIBBSIE (11 Oct 2011)

I get mine from the Wooden Teddy Bear. You can get both Olson and F.D. And the price is right, as is postage.

http://www.woodenteddybearonline.com/mm5/

Noel


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## Chippygeoff (11 Oct 2011)

Many thanks to everyone who replied. I shall be ordering some blades from Mike. If anyone has not seen Mikes web site I urge you to have a look, you will not be disappointed.

Geoff.


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## stevebuk (11 Oct 2011)

Chippygeoff":ctr3lxtr said:


> Many thanks to everyone who replied. I shall be ordering some blades from Mike. If anyone has not seen Mikes web site I urge you to have a look, you will not be disappointed.
> 
> Geoff.




we know, thats why we sent you there.. :lol:


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## TRUSTINGGIBBSIE (11 Oct 2011)

Yeah..........I used to buy off Mike years ago but as I use both F/D and Olson I decided on Wooden Teddy Bear. Plus they have most other things I need. Ben's Scroll Saw is another good place to shop. He sells Pegas blades. The are a little dearer, but a nice blade.
Noel


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## Mike M (11 Oct 2011)

Hi Noel,
Glad you buy from the Wooden Teddy Bear. They are a dealer of mine.
FD Mike


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## TRUSTINGGIBBSIE (11 Oct 2011)

Gday Mike!! Long time no hear. How's things?
Noel


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## Edwin (17 Oct 2011)

I'm on a steep learning curve. Some blades are described as "reverse cut" and I wonder if a down-cutting blade mounted the other way up would be just the same. If not, what's different about them?


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## Mouse (18 Oct 2011)

Hi Edwin,
Reverse blades have some teeth facing upwards, perhaps 1in4. Others have some of the bottom teeth facing upwards.
This gives a clean cut to the underside of the piece.
http://www.mikesworkshop.com/ Check out mikes website, it has everything you ever wanted to know about blades.


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