# TYES OF WOOD TO USE FOR SCROLL WORK?



## REDOAK075 (Jan 20, 2010)

I HAVE BEEN SCROLLING FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS NOW. I WOULS LIKE TO KNOW IF ANBODY HAS GOT AN OPINION OF WHAT KIND OF WOOD WORKS BEST FOR SCROLLING. I MOSTLY USE 3/8" TO 1/2" PINE. IT COMES OUT CLEAN MOST OF THE TIME. OAK TENDS TO SPLINTER AND CHIPS ALOT. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GOOD. THANKS!


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## MrsN (Sep 29, 2008)

Depends on what you are trying to make 
I use a lot of 1/4 hardwoods. Either bought at 1/4" or re-sawn to close to that dimention. It works great for jewelry and a lot of my smaller "pretty" things. 
I also make a lot out of 1/4 and 1/2 ply (baltic birch whenever I can get it). When I make something that looks interesting I often make a practice one out of plywood, it lets me figure out a good stragity for tackeling a project out of a nicer wood. 1/4" ply is also great for any portrate type pieces or signs you might do. 
The first time I tried cutting oak I had a dull blade and an overly hard piece of wood, it has left a bad taste in my mouth ever since, so I avoid it when I can. I have enough other stuff to keep me busy so it works.

As for the splintering a few ideas-
I don't know what you are using for blades, but a reverse toothed blade can help with some of the splintering. The last inch or so of the blade the teeth are in the up direction so they cut off the splinters. 
Having a waste piece of material on the bottom can reduce the tear-out on the good piece. The bottom piece holds the bottom of the good piece in place so you get splintering of the waste piece only. An 1/8 or 1/4 piece of plywood might help out.
I have used sanding belt blades or file blades to speed up the process of sanding a piece. They can work on the insides of pieces, and are almost as small as the scroll saw blade.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
-MrsN


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## JTTHECLOCKMAN (Oct 11, 2009)

I use nothing but hardwoods. I use alot of red oak. I love working with hard woods and exotics. You need better blades. Go to mikesworkshop.com and get some samples of the Flying Dutchman blades and you won't look back. Pine is too soft and won't finish nicely. If you do alot of portraits then use baltic birch or finnish birch. No voids in that multilayered plywood and will finish nicely.


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## TJ65 (Jan 19, 2010)

I agree, It really depends on what you are planning to cut. I just experiment a little, however I have found that the closer the grain the better the results and really it should be a medium density wood. The hard stuff chews through the blades if its thick and you want to cut tight corners. I cut a trivet that was probably 15mm or so thick and and went through probably a pkt of blades!!!!!!!!! (thats what it felt like anyway!)


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

There is no pat answer to your question. I use everything from 1/4" baltic birch to 3/4" Ipe. It all depends on the project. What kind of projects are you scrolling?


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## Pooky (Jun 6, 2009)

I use anything I have. From 1/8" to 2". For thicker woods I prefer basswood, it's user friendly. It really depends
on what you are trying to make. I use crown toothed blades, they work well for me. You just have to play around with different woods and blades thats the fun part of scrolling


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## REDOAK075 (Jan 20, 2010)

THANKS FOR ALL THE FEED BACK. I HAVE BEEN USING OLSON BLADES AND BLADES THAT CAME WITH MY SAW ( HEGNER MULTIMAX ). I HAVE HEARD OF FLYING DUTCHMAN BLADES BEFORE. THANKS EVERYBODY FOR THE GOOD INSIGHT.


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## Cozmo35 (Feb 1, 2010)

I know the question is about what type of wood to use, but I thought I'd put my two cents in on a tip someone taught me. Hardwood is surley the way to go! (My two cents) When I stack cut, I wrap the wood in a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil between the pieces and on the outside. I then use spray adhesive to attach my pattern. When you use hardwood that is thicker it tends to have burn marks from the blade. The foil pulls the heat away from the blade.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Ditto on the Flying Dutchman blades from Mikes Workshop.


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