Scroll Saw blades keep losing their pins

sweetcheeks · 20 Jan 2011

Hi all,

I'm a total beginner at scroll sawing, I bought a Titan last week from Screwfix in order to make a few wooden toys. I've never used one before. So I tried it again today after a brief test on tuesday (thin bit of beechwood, worked OK), this time on a pine board just 15mm thick, the saw blades kept losing their pins from the end. So the shafts of the blades are intact, but the pins pop out of the holes for some reason. The 2 blades I tried are the ones that came with the scroll saw, just looked in the manual, they are 25Tpi.

Is it tension issue, rubbish blade, or too fine a blade for the thickness of the wood??

Any help would be fabulous! Thanks in advance!

Laura.

Gill · 20 Jan 2011

Hi Laura

I strongly suspect that the blades supplied with your saw will not be up to the job - they rarely are! It's difficult to find good quality pin-headed scroll saw blades but Hobbies of Dereham have a good reputation so it may be worth buying from them. I would shy away from the blades sold in DIY superstores because they are often of dubious quality and can be pricey.

My advice would be to get yourself a good stock of different types of blades so you can find out which blades work best for different types of wood and different styles of cutting. With scrolling, there's so much to learn and it can't always be learnt from books. Experience counts for a lot. Oh, and don't be surprised if you break a few blades as you go along - it's quite normal for beginners.

sweetcheeks · 20 Jan 2011

Oh great thanks Gill, I will give it a try.... hope I don't end up regretting getting the pinned blade scroll saw instead of spending a bit more and getting the other type...

Thanks again for the quick reply.

Cheers,

Laura.

Mike M · 20 Jan 2011

Could you return the saw and get one what takles pin-less blades. Most designers now are designing paterns for pin-less blades.
FD Mike

geoff3 · 21 Jan 2011

Yep I agree with Mike .
Pinned blades are really limited in what you can cut
the pins mean you have to drill very large holes for internal cuts.
and believe me you will want to make small holes before very long.
Geoff3

sweetcheeks · 21 Jan 2011

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice. I have taken it back for a refund, as the motor was also playing up. Luckly Screwfix were very obliging, so I shall heed the advice and get one that is pinless (as long as I can convince husband!) :lol:

Thanks,

Laura.