MickOB
New member
Help! I have just bought a relatively inexpensive scroll saw, the blade keeps trying to cut to the right, not in a straight line, and if using 6mm MDF how many TPI blades should I use?
New to scroll saw
- Thread starter MickOB
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Welcome to the forum Mick.
To cut a straight line with a scroll saw, you will need to compensate for the blade bias.
As most scroll saw blades are of a punched out manufacture, there is burr on one side of the blade, this causes the blade to try and drift off line, to compensate you need to feed your work piece onto the blade at an angle, with some blades this can be as much as 45 degrees to maintain a straight line. Wood grain will also be an added influence which needs to be compensated for, with practice you will find the feel for the necessary compensation.
Practice cutting straight lines and circles, when you can consistently cut these, you will be able to cut any shape you require.
Blade type/size will depend on how intricate a piece you want to cut, my main go to blades are size 3, 5, and 7, all reverse tooth Niqua, this means that the bottom six or eight teeth are reversed to the rest of the blades teeth, this goes a long way in preventing breakout on the underside of your work piece.
Hope this is of some help, warning, scroll sawing is addictive. :wink:
Take care.
Chris R.
To cut a straight line with a scroll saw, you will need to compensate for the blade bias.
As most scroll saw blades are of a punched out manufacture, there is burr on one side of the blade, this causes the blade to try and drift off line, to compensate you need to feed your work piece onto the blade at an angle, with some blades this can be as much as 45 degrees to maintain a straight line. Wood grain will also be an added influence which needs to be compensated for, with practice you will find the feel for the necessary compensation.
Practice cutting straight lines and circles, when you can consistently cut these, you will be able to cut any shape you require.
Blade type/size will depend on how intricate a piece you want to cut, my main go to blades are size 3, 5, and 7, all reverse tooth Niqua, this means that the bottom six or eight teeth are reversed to the rest of the blades teeth, this goes a long way in preventing breakout on the underside of your work piece.
Hope this is of some help, warning, scroll sawing is addictive. :wink:
Take care.
Chris R.
Bryan Bennett
Established Member
Hi MickOB A very warm welcome to the place you need to be,this will be the place that your questions will be answered.We all had to start somewhere,and I wish that there had been a forum like this when I started a long time ago.It will be a steady learning process,and you will enjoy every step of the way.Welcome aboard :roll:
Bryan
Bryan
martinka
Established Member
Hi Mick, now that you know you have to cut at an angle to cut straight, search Google images for "scroll saw practice template", print a couple out and make sawdust from some scrap pieces of ply. I found the practice templates helped for straight cuts even though there's no long straight lines on the template, or at least not on the one I used. When the blade wanders away from the line, don't try to bring it back sharply, bring it back gradually as it's not as noticeable that way. Not everyone can do perfect straight lines anyway, so keep your cut to the waste side of the line and then you can sand it down if need be. Above all, have fun.
Scottlefley
Established Member
Hi Mick,
I still think of myself as a newbie, only been scrolling for about 10 months. I found the fact that a straight line can't be cut easily as a very frustrating thing initially...but you will be surprised by what you can achieve with a little practice. I found. Making sure the blade was in the right way up helped me firstly, as I kept putting it in upside down! Next, once it's in the right way up its worth. Remembering (as others have said) that due to the way a blade is made the blade has a bias, which means you normally have to turn the work item about 5 - 10 degrees to the right to get a straight-towards-you-cut....but obviously this varies depending on blade and saw.
Persevere and it will make absolute sense, I liken it to driving a car, starts off tricky but over time becomes second nature.
Best of luck
I still think of myself as a newbie, only been scrolling for about 10 months. I found the fact that a straight line can't be cut easily as a very frustrating thing initially...but you will be surprised by what you can achieve with a little practice. I found. Making sure the blade was in the right way up helped me firstly, as I kept putting it in upside down! Next, once it's in the right way up its worth. Remembering (as others have said) that due to the way a blade is made the blade has a bias, which means you normally have to turn the work item about 5 - 10 degrees to the right to get a straight-towards-you-cut....but obviously this varies depending on blade and saw.
Persevere and it will make absolute sense, I liken it to driving a car, starts off tricky but over time becomes second nature.
Best of luck
