# New with scroll saw questions about blade type



## EBatson (Jul 29, 2017)

Got an older 16" Craftsman scroll saw at a church yard sale, came with several blades. I've been playing around with it some and I Think I can translate bandsaw skills to it fairly easily. The old blades seem to have some tear-out, so I need new ones before I try with wood that actually matters. I'm wanting to do a project with 1/2 to 3/4 inch cherry. What type of blade(s) should I get to make smooth cuts? Smallest radius probably 1/2 inch. Thanks for any ideas.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

For straight line sawing, bigger is better, so your half inch bet is probably good. I do a lot with a 1/2" on my 14" PM.

I usually buy 3 or 4 TPI blades so I can do thicker stuff. For 3/4", you "might" get by with a 6 TPI, but I just plan on dealing with the tooth marks left using the 4 TPI.


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## wichman3 (Sep 12, 2016)

EBatson: pin end or plain?

Kelly, he's asking about a scrollsaw not a bandsaw.


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## EBatson (Jul 29, 2017)

Yep, scroll saw. And 5 inch pin end. Thanks


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Oops. I was blowing through posts a bit too fast, it seems.


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## wichman3 (Sep 12, 2016)

> Oops. I was blowing through posts a bit too fast, it seems.
> 
> - Kelly


no worries


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## wichman3 (Sep 12, 2016)

> Got an older 16" Craftsman scroll saw at a church yard sale, came with several blades. I ve been playing around with it some and I Think I can translate bandsaw skills to it fairly easily. The old blades seem to have some tear-out, so I need new ones before I try with wood that actually matters. I m wanting to do a project with 1/2 to 3/4 inch cherry. What type of blade(s) should I get to make smooth cuts? Smallest radius probably 1/2 inch. Thanks for any ideas.
> 
> - EBatson


1/2 radius should not be a problem with most common blades, as fro the tear-out try some scroll reverse blades; these blades have 5 or 6 teeth on the bottom of the blade reversed to reduce tear-out. Lowes or Home Depot should have multi packs (several sizes) so you can try different sizes and see what works best for you .


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Regular blades will produce tearout even when new, so those blades that came with the saw may be just fine. Wrapping in tape or sandwiching between two thin sheets of ply will reduce it significantly. Unfortunately, needing pin end blades will reduce your selection considerably. I believe they made kits to convert the machine to use plain end blades, which would give you a much wider choice of blades.

For what you are looking at cutting, I'd be looking at something like a #5 or #7 reverse tooth blade (Olson selection chart here) or similar. I find #5 to be a pretty good all purpose blade for a wide variety of applications… smaller ones are good for thin work with intricate detail, like on portraits - and wider ones are good for thick stock work, like desk name plates and stuff.

Cheers,
Brad


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

MrUnix gave good advice with the chart.

Scroll Saw Village forum is a very good source of information for you.


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## EBatson (Jul 29, 2017)

Thanks. MrUnix, you helped clear up all the vocabulary. Now I have a good idea of what to look for.


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## EBatson (Jul 29, 2017)

And Scroll Saw Village looks good if I get the scrollsaw bug, got it bookmarked.


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