# Which blade



## Mrkixx (Dec 24, 2012)

Hello my fellow LJ's, I just had A Craftsman 16" scroll saw given to me, And I'm just wondering what type of blades and how many teeth to use, I would also like to know which blades you would choose and which ones that I should keep on hand. I plan for and hope, that my first project made with this saw will be a nautilus shell. Any and all advice would greatly be welcomed. Thank you in advance.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

I doubt you will get a single answer as it depends a lot on the type of wood, thickness, how tight/small you will need to cut curves and other details, desired finish, etc… if you do a google search, you can find lots of general guidance such as this:










Also, I believe most of those C-man saws used 5" pin end blades, but some newer ones use pin-less ones. Check your manual for the correct type.

Cheers,
Brad


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## kiefer (Feb 5, 2011)

Sorry I can't help you here but I am sure there will be many LJ's with plenty of good advise .

Klaus


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## wood2woodknot (Dec 30, 2012)

As said above, blade choice depends on what you're cutting and what thicknesses. Sourcing blades, I use Flying Dutchman blades from Mike's Workshop.com. Excellent blades, reasonably priced, quick response on orders, and best of all they will answer any questions about which blades to use for specific projects. I have learned a lot from them. I believe all their blades are the pinless type.

PS…I have a Craftsman 16" and mine uses both pin end and pinless blades. The pinless work fine. I use pinless all the time.


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## RandyinFlorida (Sep 27, 2012)

my recommendation - Olson brand, and other brands for that matter, has several assortment packages. Buy a few and experiment. There's a lot to learn and experiment about blades. For such a small thing, they are complicated. YouTube has some videos on understanding blade configurations and why you should use one blade over another.

As for your first project. Good luck with that. I love the look of those nautilus shells. I'd like to hear from you as you work on that project.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Sourcing blades, I use Flying Dutchman blades from Mike s Workshop.com. Excellent blades, reasonably priced, quick response on orders, and best of all they will answer any questions about which blades to use for specific projects.
> - wood2woodknot


Is that still the place to buy them? I know that Mike recently passed away, so was wondering if the MikesWorkshop site would be maintained. I also remember reading something a while back about him selling the business to another company. I've been using Olsen blades, but my current supply is starting to run dry, and I've heard nothing but great things about the FD blades.

Cheers,
Brad


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

Wooden Teddy Bear bought out Mikes, but you can still order off both sites. And yes, the answers are correct. Your saw uses both pin end or plain end blades. On the older saw, my advice would be to pull the grey knobs off the Allen screws & get yourself a 1/4" Allen wrench to tighten the blade holders. You'll get a better bite, & your blade will stay in the blade holder longer on long cuts. As mentioned, you're going to be needing a variety of blade types & sizes for your project. Invest in the sample packs & try different blades. Depending on what material you choose to use for the project, you will find the blade(s) that work best for you. I keep about 30 different sizes & types of blades on hand. Every project requires more than one type & size of blade. Keep in mind a couple things. The smaller the blade, the more tension it needs. The bigger the blade, the less tension it needs. Also, if you feel yourself trying to push harder against the blade, change it. It's done! Scrolling is like driving a car. You steer the wood into the blade, & let the blade do the work. You push side to side to hard, you'll break blades. If your blade gets to lose, it'll want to stray, & pretty soon break. Keep your variable speed where you can keep up with the blade. You'll get the hang of it! Practice, practice, practice. God bless, & good luck! Don't be afraid to ask questions. The only stupid question is the one you didn't ask.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Wooden Teddy Bear bought out Mikes, but you can still order off both sites.
> - sawdust703


Well, the MikesWorkshop website has apparently gone missing - or at least for me, as I've been unable to get to it for the last few days (it was up a few weeks ago, but now all I get is a server not found error). Unfortunate, as I remember it had some assortment/intro packs and samples that you could get that are not available at the Wooden Teddy Bear site.

As a side question - is there a noticeable difference between the reverse tooth and the ultra reverse tooth blades? I guess the major benefit would be when cutting a rather thick stack to reduce the fuzz on any middle pieces. Is there any other real difference in how they cut?

Cheers,
Brad


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## wood2woodknot (Dec 30, 2012)

Unix,

I wasn't aware Mike passed away. I ordered blades just a couple months ago. I hope the new owners keep the business going at the level Mike did. I was always happy with the service and the prices, and especially with the advice I got when I had a question.

... and sorry to take so long to respond to your question.


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