# Scrollsaw questions...



## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

I assume when I start using reverse tooth blades the fuzzies on the back side of my board will go away. Also, I have searched Youtube and can't find any videos to do with sanding blades. What are they used for and how? When making curved lines on my bandsaw I use a spindle sander to smooth the curve. What do I use on the curved scrollsaw cut to smooth it out? I know, rookie questions…but then I am a rookie.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

Great question….no answer/advice from me though…. New 788 owner and rookie as well….Added to my watchlist hoping the experts will have an answer….


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

I thought there were tons of scrollers on this site. They even lobbied to get their own forum. Now, they're either very shy or I did something to upset them, which I can't figure out since I am doing my utmost to join their club. Maybe that's it. Membership is full up and we'll have wait for an opening. You know what I mean? We'll see. 

Hang in there kdc.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

Well…. I don't win many popularity contests either….but we have to start somewhere eh?....


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

BTW, nice box.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

Hey thanks !....I remember seeing and posting on your Simple Box project with the holly inlay….that turned out sweet….


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## LoriF (Apr 5, 2013)

*DKV *- Sanding techniques and accessories….

Sanding belts for scroll saws: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42500&p=65465

Sanding Stuff: http://www.sloanswoodshop.com/scroll_sanders.htm

Mustache Mike's Scroll Saw Basics #2- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Scroll Saw Blades. 




FYI. Mustache Mike is Stumby Nubs Dad. I haven't watched this video, but thought you might too.


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## kepy (Mar 5, 2012)

I can't speak to the sanding blades as I've never used them or found the need. I also don't use spiral blades except in a dire emergency. I have found that using flat reverse tooth blades works for me. I use only Flying Dutchman blades from Mike's Workshop. His service is great and he can answer any question you might have.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

Well you know I'm a newbie scroller myself so if you are willing to listen to another rookie ,I think you would be better off using Japanese finger files for your sanding needs:








http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=67195&cat=1,42524

*I have also had good luck with nail files,they are cheap and come in different sizes and grits.try them.*

Using reverse tooth blades will reduce the fuzzies on the back but you still need to sand the back .
I think your best bet is to order those blades I had suggested or just call mike (Flying Dutchman)and chat with him about your blade needs,he's a worm and receptive man and will recommend the right blades.Phone 1 605 582-6732 
The bottom line is ,it will take a while to try different blades to find what works best for you,I now buy size 2/0 blades for 90% of my use.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

!I have three scroll saws and use one or the other every day. The cut from a scroll saw needs no sanding at all. The bottom will splinter out a little but the major part of the cut is burnished smooth. Sanding it will not improve the finish. This is a very good reason to use a scroll saw over a band saw when making toys, for instance. I do not do fretwork. Mostly I do double bevel inlay and toy making. I also do some Intarsia and have made a few bowls. I have also done some compound cutting, making wooden flowers. (Image) I do not use spiral blades because they leave a very rough surface on the cut, and then must be sanded. The reason many use spiral blades is on larger fretwork projects the wood can be cut sideways to avoid a short throat problem with the saw. I have however, twisted a regular #5 blade 90 degrees so I can cut from the side of the saw instead of the front. This gives me an unlimited throat to work with. I recommend Flying Dutchman blades also. I use Polar #5 blades for cutting my inlays. My inlay is 3/4" thick cutting.







!


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

kdc, we hit the mother lode. Thanks to all of you for helping. I knew you guys would come through…


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

Just lurking in on this thread….
Trying to glean as much scrolling info as I can, prior to firing up my new-to-me DW788!!!

Thanks for posting the question DKV….
Thanks for responding everyone!!!


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

kdc, we hit the mother lode. Thanks to all of you for helping. I knew you guys would come through… 

DKV…yes we did…..

Thanks everyone….keep the tips coming


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

You're always going to get some fuzzies somewhere.
I have those finger files, and they help…but if you are a perfectionist, you'll need a lot of lot of little sanding tools. I have needle files with different profiles. I have an old broken tape measure…I cut the tape into 8" pieces, and glue sandpaper of different grits to both sides…concave and convex. I glue sandpaper to different size dowels too. You have to get creative. Those scrollsaw sanders work well for certain situations too.
Look around your shop, and make your own sanding tools…and let us know what works for you.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

Perhaps a bit too late… but does anyone find the mini chuck and mini drill bits handy ? UPS just dropped off the order I made at my doorstep


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

kdc68

If you're going to do any kind of fret work…they are a necessity


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

shopdog…thanks for the answer and tips…and thank you again for the forum topic you started….I purchased the 788 right after seeing it

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/56129


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Here's another question. When people say they are doing fret work I assume it refers to the very small, delicate work even though it can be accomplished on a scrollsaw. Am I right? Fret work equals small blades, scroll work equals bigger blades? At what point does scrolling cross over into fretting?


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

Fretwork is the inside cuts…like on a portrait…like this one of my lab










as opposed to cutting shapes or puzzles
it has nothing to do with the blade.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Thanks shopdog. So, when I cut this out I am doing fret work?


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

correct

I don't want to send you away from LJ…but there are a few forums dedicated to scrolling, and some great magazines and books.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

shopdog, I'm all over the forums and Youtube. Thanks for your time.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

DKV,

a couple of tips…

You're gonna be printing out patterns to glue to your pieces of wood.
Get yourself a can of 3M Super 77 spray glue…it's great, and lasts a long time.
But you don't want to spray the wood (too much work getting it off) 
You want to get a roll of 3" blue painters tape, and apply that to your wood, and then adhere the pattern to that. Both are available at the box stores. 
You're on a slippery slope down into scrollsaw land. I'm looking forward to seeing you work.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Thanks shopdog. A few of us brand new scrollers just love tips. Example, I do use spray but wouldn't have thought of the tape…until of course I wanted to apply some finish.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

the tape is pricey, but so is my time…and using tape saves me a lot of that

If you're gonna cut a complex fretwork pattern (I usually use 1/4" baltic birch), stack cut 3 of them at the same time. Tape or nail three pieces together, on top of one another…


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Here are some more good tips

Skip the spray adhesives. It's messy and now you have to get paper off your wood. Even if you tape first it's annoying. Print your patterns on a laser printer or photocopy them. Inkjet won't work.

Tape it to the wood and rub it with a pattern transfer tool. It's the little round thing that comes with a wood burning kit. In a pinch you can use an iron dry on low heat. BAM - transferred pattern. No glue, the excess sands off easily.

Now cover that with clear packing tape on both sides. It prevents the fuzzies a bit and keeps your blade cool


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Like I said yesterday this thread is the mother load. Thanks guys.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Is there such a thing as a calligraphy alphabet pattern for scrollers? I'm even willing to buy.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

If you have a PC, then you have many windows fonts. 
I use a program called Print Artist to design my word art. It also has fonts.
You can also download free fonts from some websites.

I like the hobby font
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/72654


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## holzkopf (Jan 10, 2014)

I have been scroll sawing for about 20 years now using a Hegner 18" variable speed scroll saw. I have found that it is impossible to completely eliminate the bottom fuzzes but the reverse tooth blades certainly do minimize it.
I agree that Mike's Flying Dutchman blades are excellent as well as his service. I do however prefer to use a brand that is sold by my Hegner distributer, Scroll America blades. I find them easier to control and they seem not quite as brittle and prone to breakage as the Flying Dutchman. I have tried dozens of different brand blades and I keep coming back to the Scroll America blades.

Mini chucks: Yes, they are indispensable for use in my Dremel for boring very small holes to thread the blade through.

Scroll sander: I have never used any because the quality of cut using the blades I do leaves a very smooth finish. What little fuzzes there are can be easily sanded off the back side of your work piece.

Spiral blades: I use them only when the job necessitates using them. Since they are much harder to control, I find I must slow the RPM down considerably.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

Great advice and tips from everyone…thank you


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

I have researched a few different ways to collect dust. How do you guys do it? Right now I am utilizing a mask. Thanks


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

This was posted a while ago.
Dust collection for a DW788:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/75183


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

I rigged up some dust collection and here are the results after 5 minutes of cutting. I am going to use it for the rest of the evening and then I will take more pix for you folks. I think it will work.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

After cutting mdf for 5 minutes.


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## vinnie (Feb 13, 2009)

Don, You might want to purchase a flap sanding wheel to put on the end of a hand drill or electric bench grinder to remove the fuzzies. I use 1/4 electric drill and have it strapped to my work bench. On the end of it I attached a Sand-0-Flex that I purchased a long time ago. Do a search and google it and you will see what I'm talking about.

Vinnie


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Forgot to add the picture with the shop vac hooked up.


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## lanwater (May 14, 2010)

great info on this thread.

Thanks!


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## sonnyr (Jul 28, 2012)

I'm getting in this a little late, but has anyone talked about Steve Good. Try his site, he's got a lot of projects, patterns and great tutorials.

http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Dust collection from scrollsaws is important especially for some of the woods which can be both obnoxious and a health concern. I started and tried a number of different configurations and came up with the following which works well for me.

I am using a Festool CT26 dust extractor. It is very quiet, is HEPA certified and has a long hose. I use it with the auto on feature which turns the unit on when the scroll saw is turned on. Also, some vacuums are not rated for long continuous. Most vacuums which are not HEPA rated do not collect the small particles which can be more dangerous and will hang in the air for a long time. (I know that there are many who feel like Festool is over rated but they are actually similar in cost to any HEPA vac with similar features.)
I decided to use PVC pipe as it is cheap, available in several sizes and there are a lot of different fittings. I picked the 1-1/2" to start with because the hose fits snugly. The Tee was held on to the stand with a U-Clamp. Then I used fittings to bring the size down to ¾" fittings coming off the large Tee.
One of the fittings goes toward the back and follows the arm around to the top front and the other to the bottom. None of the fittings are glues in place which allows me to swing them out of the way or bring them in closer. This system works well and captures almost all of the dust. 
As an improvement, I bought some ¾" Loc-Line and fittings. I attached this to the top to make it easy to position the nozzle. I bought a couple of different nozzles and used the one with a slot which collects the dust but does not let small parts be sucked up into the dust collection.
The Loc-Line parts came from modularhose.com. Their prices were very reasonable and the shipping was extremely quick.


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## kepy (Mar 5, 2012)

You will always get some fuzzies even with reverse blades. I have found the easiest way to remove them is with either my palm sander or random orbit. I lay the item on my 6" belt sander as the sanding belt tends to hold the items in place while sanding.
I have some Olsen, Pegasus and Flying Dutchman blades but find myself always going to the FD.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Very nice redoak. The scrollsaw puts out a lot of fine dust. I am surprised that we do not have a long list of photos showing how scrollers keep the dust out of their lungs. I hope they're not all breathing the stuff. Maybe they don't have a means to take pictures. I would really like to see a lot more dust collection solutions. Thanks again redoak for taking the time.

It kind of makes me wonder why scrollers lobbied for their own forum and now that they have it why they don't participate.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

My saw is on an old desk in the living room (where a lathe was before I moved it to the floor.) I've been letting the dust pile up underneath it. When it gets a big enough pile, if the dog hasn't dragged it somewhere else by then, I'll pull out the shop-vac. I've only been scrolling cherry, walnut, and maple so no exotic sawdust disease for me to worry about yet.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

JustJoe, do wear a mask?


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

No. I only wear a (sawdust-style) mask when I'm cutting exotics (I started that after padauk gave me a weeks worth of orange boogers.) or on the lathe since I have a habit of sticking my face right where the shavings fly.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Boogers or not…thanks for snot ignoring the thread.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Redoak, does the tandem of blower and sucker work well? I have the underside handled and need a good solution for the top.

What other top solutions are out there? Please do not be shy.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

My body requires it's daily dose of sawdust…so I just eat the dust.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

The small hose is from the bellows and works well at blowing the dust across to the dust pickup. I think that it works well as I do not seem to be getting any into my nose.

I think that the scroll saw is a little bit fooling on the dust. It puts out a lot of very small dust and people generally work close to the blade.

There are probably a lot of different solutions based upon your scroll saw. I decided I wanted to pick up the dust as close as possible to the source. Sometimes the pickup is in the way and I have to move it back a bit. However, the Festool vacuum produces good suction.

Another thought for those who use a dust mask. Most of the ones used only collect 95% of the dust and are rated N95. To get 100% you need a better mask and need to make certain that it fits very well. Some dust masks may make people thing they are protected when they are still inhaling a lot of dust. When I was younger, this did not worry me but as I get older I am more sensitive to the dust.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

If someone asks me what handed I am I normally respond "I am left handed, sir". Reality is that I am probably ambidextrous. My ambidexterity inclinations along with the discovery that I can scroll equally easily clockwise and counterclockwise have caused me to ask myself if I have the capability to use two scrollsaws simultaneously while scrolling clockwise with my right hand and counterclockwise with my left. Tomorrow I will find out.


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## triviasteve (Sep 29, 2013)

I am a huge fan of the spiral blades. I find that I have extremely good control when doing fretwork when I'm using the spirals. I've also found that even though they are reverse tooth, they still seem to be somewhat directional. If I get the fuzzies on the top as I'm cutting, I'll turn the blade upside down so that I can make sure that they're on the bottom/back side.

I agree with the blue painter's tape - works well. Surprisingly, cheap glue sticks seem to work fairly well for me also. I get the 4/$1.00 at the dollar store. If you're doing a small project, and you are able to get it done fairly quickly, the mess isn't that bad. I also take my projects to the belt sander when I'm done with the cutting (if they're not so delicate that the belt sander will harm them).

I also buy blades from mikes workshop. Buy them by the gross…

I try to wear a mask when using the 0/1 blades, as that dust is really fine. I've also had the problem of colored boogers… Dust is an issue, and I can't stand to have the noise of the shop vac running constantly, so I'll cut then clean… cut then clean… lather rinse repeat.

I haven't used the scroll sanders or files yet, but am thinking of purchasing some, just to try them ($7 bucks is worth the effort), although in most cases, you really don't need it. When I do need to sand, I've typically just been doing it all by hand with small pieces of sandpaper that I get on the sanding rolls. About a 2 inch piece is more than enough to remove what fuzzies you do get.

Have fun scrolling! I have done a lot, but I have a lot to learn… can't wait to tackle some intarsia projects… but I do enjoy fretwork.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

If I had two SS,I would leave one in my shop and one in the kitchen so when I get hungry I can take the piece I'm working on with me to the kitchen and continue working with it while making a sandwich.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

and you could cut your sandwich into a puzzle


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## Picklehead (Feb 12, 2013)

DKV: "If someone asks me what handed I am I normally respond "I am left handed, sir""

And exactly what percentage of the women smack you after you say that?


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

What is the function of the black angle arm on the bottom side of the dw788? Finger guard?


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

The blade guard?
never used it


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

I was looking at that this afternoon and wondering what it was for. Best I could figure was some sort of safety mechanism in case someone wanted to do some naked scrolling and stood up before turning off the saw.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

DKV, While using the two scroll saws simultaneously, did you lose any fingers?


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Triviasteve, I tried a spiral blade today and it seems to have an evil streak. A mind of it's own. It goes whichever direction it seems in the mood for. I can not seem to control it. You said "somewhat directional". I beg to differ. You may want to tell us rookies how you do it. The podium is yours…


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Pie, I know you've been scrollin' for a few years. Do you have any good info to pass on to us beginners? Do you use a spiral blade? How the heck do you control it?


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## vinnie (Feb 13, 2009)

Don, Does your scroll saw have front to back blade movement ,if so how much?


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Vinnie, this could be a subject all its own. Give me a day or two but I absolutely want to talk about this.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Vinnie, what are your thoughts on this video?


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

Well hung,As far as I know all DW788s do that when the tension is off,doesn't mean anything.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

DKV…my thoughts on the video is mine has that side to side movement with no tension which like distrbd states is probably normal. But, unlike the video, I have no vibration. Mine is extremely quiet, so much so that I can barely tell it's on. Great forum BTW, learning a lot here.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

kdc, my first one wasn't that loose. My second one is but it is more quite. Vinnie is asking about front to back movement that I will look at tomorrow.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

The best way to check front to back movement is to put a small/flat piece of wood behind the blade (as the machine is running )and lightly let it touch the back of the blade,if it the wood starts to move back and forth then you have front to back movement.
I must add ,a slight movement is probably unavoidable and you probably can live with it ,mine moves less than 1/32" if measured right at the back of the blade.
Any how it is an easy fix.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

Mine has zero front-back movement. A couple days after I got it I put a small machinist square on the table against the back of a tensioned blade and the top of the blade was sitting forward about 1/32". I read some of the "fixes" (I wasn't even sure it was a problem) and they were all talking about modifying the back of the table where it sits in that pin, or taking something off underneath and adjusting the bottom clamp.

I just took the table back off, and took some sandpaper to the two spots underneath where they clamped to the front tilting thing. I sanded a bit, put it on and measured and it was down to about 1/64th. I took it off and sanded just a bit more and put it back on and the table was now perfectly square to the blade.

I liked the way it worked before I squared the table that way, but I did notice a slight improvement with it afterwards - the turns seem a bit easier.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

Justjoe,

You got me thinking about my DW 788. I have no problem squaring the blade side to side, but I could never achieve that front to back. When the arm is all the way down, the blade is square to the table…but when it's up, it's 1/16" off. To square it when it's up, I would have to raise the back of the table, but then it wouldn't be square when the arm is down. I just thought that this was the way it was designed. My Bosch jigsaw, and PC sawzall have settings that make them cut more aggressively…or less. So I was thinking that the DW was made that way to make a more aggressive cut. I don't see any way to adjust it. It cuts well as it is, but it could be better. Any 788 owners out there with any thoughts on this issue?


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Vinnie, JustJoe, my side to side is 90. My front to back is off by 1/32. I will have to do something like JustJoe did.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

DKV Before you go doing any mutilation just because I did it - 
Remember that I got my saw about the same time you did. My world of experience is now approximately one month, three completed ornaments, and two incompleted ones, and a couple of failures. Like I said, I noticed some slight improvement when it came to turning corners, but at this stage of the game it could just be that I am just getting enough experience to actually do the corners the right way. I was happy enough with the saw before I did the adjustment. I only did the adjustment, to be honest, because I was reading every post on LJ about this saw and I saw more experienced people talking about it like it was a problem. I didn't know any better. If they'd said that painting the yellow over with pink had made it better, I'd probably have gone out and bought pink paint just to give it a try.

OTOH, Shopdog mentioned that to square his table he'd have to lift the back end up. My sanding underneath dropped the front end down - same thing, just going at it from the opposite end of the table.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

JJoe,
I just reread you message about adjusting the table. I understand now that you made an adjustment to the front. When I read it the first time, I thought that you lowered the back. I need to head back to the shop


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Justjoe, sanding or shims…can't go wrong.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

*DKV
shopdog
JustJoe

*FYI…. Maybe this is the fix for front to back out of square…open the link below and scroll down (no pun intended) until you see this










http://www.scrollsaws.com/SawReviews/DewltTuneUp.htm


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

JustJoe, I did the sanding you recommended and now my front to back alignment is really out of whack. It went from 1/16" to almost 1/8".


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

*Justjoe, sanding or shims…can't go wrong.*


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

^
^
Hey….look above at post #73….


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

Post 73 with the link to the Dewalt tuneup site (with a background of yellow - I just got that). is one of the things I was referring to when i said I'd read all the older posts on this scrollsaw and someone talked about removing things on the bottom. Someone here on LJ had linked to that page and I read it. I didn't want to start screwing with the moving parts because I knew if I screwed up I'd never get it back the right way. I also didn't have any of the knock they talked about, and it wasn't as out of square as theirs was. 
I sanded underneath the bottom, that squared it up for me. It was a safe enough decision for me because if I did go crazy with the sandpaper and went too far, all I had to do was take the table back off and put a piece of thin paper or something underneath it where those two screws go, and that would shim it back up. That's a lot less invasive that removing the lower assembly and trying to remount it 1/8" out like they had to.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

*JustJoe….*glad that the sanding worked for you. Thought that link was a good solution, but your method does sound easier to do


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

Guys I don't mean to be a pest here but the front/back movement of the blade (as far as I know) is about the position of the top blade holder in relation to the bottom blade holder,since we want the blade to go up and down in a straight line ,then the bottom holder must come forward or be moved back in order to align the blade .
I have done this fix twice and will be more than happy to help.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

distrbd, you've never been a pest. I do have a question. What does your saw blade look like? Mine sits to the right of center. Opinions? Adjustments?


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

Mine is almost exactly like the picture but the saw cuts very nicely so I have left it alone,I suggest you do the same.The table as you might have noticed does not have an adjustment for it.

I suppose we could enlarge the table mounting holes if the the blade was rubbing against the teardrop hole,I would not want to play with those mounting holes if they are not causing a problem.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

Today, I did that front to back blade movement fix as explained above in post #73. Instead of cutting the hole with a Dremel, I drilled out the hole with a 1/4" drill bit, with a front to back motion, and followed up with a round file. It worked, I think.
The blade is now square to the table when the arm is up…or down. The blade still travels forward and back, as it goes up and down, but stays square to the table.
Just for fun, I put one of those FD puzzle blades on the saw, and cut a jigsaw puzzle shape out of a piece of 3/4" thick poplar…and the piece passed through in both directions. I can't ask for more.
My 788 is tuned.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Shopdog, I haven't done any fine tuning since being misled by JustJoe. Good for you on your success.


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## vinnie (Feb 13, 2009)

Hello guys, My new DeWalt has front to back movement…maybe almost 1/16". The same as my older 788 did. I cut on it for about 3 years before I did the fix on it. I probably wouldn't have done anything, but when I stumbled apon Rick's scroll saw site…www.scrollsaw.com. it brought it to my attention. The fix was easy. You have to take off both side covers and slot out the four holes that hold the lower blade arm. This will allow you to move the lower arm forward and eliminate that front to back movement. I had moved mine out about 1/16" and it's almost perfect.

Let me remind you,that the front to back movement did not affect my cutting at all. The blade is more aggressive and you learn to work with it, to the point that you won't notice it. As for the new saw…I'm not touching it until the warrantee is up.


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## vinnie (Feb 13, 2009)

Correction….the front to back fix is at www.scrollsaws.com


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## Scroller (Jun 14, 2008)

First time post on this forum. I have been a scroller for the better part of 20 years. 95% of my scrolling is done using hardwood 1/4" or thinner. I stack cut and never saw a stack thicker than 3/4". The first 2 pcs in the stack will need almost no sanding. The finer the blade the easier it will be to clean up any fuzzes. I usually cut with a #5 double tooth for 3/4" and a #3 double tooth for 1/2" and thinner. If your project is not too detailed you can sand (with a delicate touch) on a stationary belt sander. I use a vibrating palm sander for most sanding. I will also hand sand on a full sheet of sand paper glued to plexi-glass.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Thanks for the comments. I am always looking for the thoughts of those long time scrollers. Buried treasure…


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## papaken115 (Apr 2, 2012)

I have never found a need for the scroll sanders so I can't say anything good or bad about them. There are a couple of proven ways to get rid of the fuzzies on the bottom of the cut. One is obviously sanding and the other is to take a propane torch and burn them off. You are not trying to catch the workpiece on fire just the fuzzies so don't linger on the piece. I do almost all fretwork and some very intricate pieces. I will always sand using my half sheet sander. I have a piece of upholstry material that has about a quarter inch nap on one side and is smooth on the other. It is a perfect size to stretch and clamp to my workbench and it keeps the piece from moving around reducing the amount of vibration. Place the piece on the fabric then the sander firmly on the work before turning it on. There is obviously a risk of damaging the work so only use this method if you are confident about it or try it on a scrap piece to see if it will work for you.

I use blades from Seyco called Tough Little Blades or TLB. Most are in the 1/0 or 2/0 range unless I am cutting thicker stuff. For the larger blades, I got one of the sample packs from Seyco several years ago and am still using them because they are larger and don't get used a lot.

Hope this helps.


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## treborwoods (Jan 4, 2012)

When my narrowest band saw blade gets too dull for good work I cut it into lengths that are about 1.5 inches longer than the distance between the upper and lower blade holders on my Dewalt 16" scrollsaw. These holders are the "tighten the screw against the blade" type.

When installing the blade I place the very end of it in the grip of the upper holder leaving over an inch below the lower holder. My experience is that when the blade finally breaks it does so at the upper holder. I take off the tension, loosen the upper holder, eject the broken 1/4" of blade, loosen the lower holder and slide the blade upwards enough to re-tighten in the upper holder, tighten the lower holder, re-tension and resume sawing.

Most of my scroll saw work is making toys with soft woods. This recycling of a band saw blade may not be good for your hard woods.

Keep, the faith. Do the job. Ask for help.


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## georgepseifert (Aug 16, 2017)

I tried moving the bottom blade holder out about 1/16" and it had no effect. I had to move just the bottom part of the lower blade holder out. The back and forth movement went from 1/16" to a little over 1/32". I wish I could get it lower, but I don't know what else to do.

Georeg



> Hello guys, My new DeWalt has front to back movement…maybe almost 1/16". The same as my older 788 did. I cut on it for about 3 years before I did the fix on it. I probably wouldn t have done anything, but when I stumbled apon Rick s scroll saw site…www.scrollsaw.com. it brought it to my attention. The fix was easy. You have to take off both side covers and slot out the four holes that hold the lower blade arm. This will allow you to move the lower arm forward and eliminate that front to back movement. I had moved mine out about 1/16" and it s almost perfect.
> 
> Let me remind you,that the front to back movement did not affect my cutting at all. The blade is more aggressive and you learn to work with it, to the point that you won t notice it. As for the new saw…I m not touching it until the warrantee is up.
> 
> - Vinnie


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## JADobson (Aug 14, 2012)

Oh man. At first I thought DkV was back and I got really excited.


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