# Blades for scroll saw?



## alittleoff (Nov 27, 2014)

Im sawing a few corbels on a hawk scroll saw I picked up a while back and the blades the fellow gave me is not doing very well. I'm getting a good finish when I'm done but it takes forever to cut about 12 inches. I would like to speed it up a bit if it's possible and still get a pretty good finish. I'm cutting 1-1/2"poplar. I'd like to know what blades to use for it and something like oak and pine. I'll probably have to order them so a supplier would come in handy also. I'm really not sure of the tooth count I'm using right now, I'll have to check when I go back to the shop. Thanks in advance for any help.
Gerald


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I can't help with exactly which blade you need, I'm not all that experienced (yet). But I did buy a Hawk last summer and when I asked about suppliers, Mike's Workshop came up more than any. I bought some and are really happy with them. He has a combo pack that might be a good place to start.


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## alittleoff (Nov 27, 2014)

I looked there and saw skip tooth, reverse tooth and a lot of other stuff. Really don't know nothing about any of those. To tell the truth this is the first time I've used a scroll saw to try and make something. I'm finishing a table and thought I'd make some for it and just jumped in. I guess I'll learn, or try. Thanks.
Gerald


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## alittleoff (Nov 27, 2014)

I looked there and saw skip tooth, reverse tooth and a lot of other stuff. Really don't know nothing about any of those. To tell the truth this is the first time I've used a scroll saw to try and make something. I'm finishing a table and thought I'd make some for it and just jumped in. I guess I'll learn, or try. Thanks.
Gerald


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## Dee1 (Mar 24, 2013)

I pretty much use a #5 for soft or hardwood up to about 3/4 then for over a inch a #7 works good 
for really thin stuff you can go much lower and I do like reverse tooth for most cutting 
YMMV
Dee


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## CharleyL (Mar 10, 2009)

Skip tooth blades will probably work best for you in poplar. Reverse tooth blades will reduce the chip-out on the bottom side. You are really pushing the limits of a scroll saw when trying to cut anything thicker than 1". You would be much better off to use a narrow blade on a band saw for any work like this. The more aggressive the blade cut, the more sanding you will need to do to the cut surfaces, but the more aggressive blades will cut faster. This is true whether you use a band saw or a scroll saw.

Mikes workshop sold the scroll saw blade business to http://www.woodenteddybearonline.com/x/ They now sell the Flying Dutchman Brand scroll saw blades as well as Olson blades. The Flying Dutchman blades are my preferred blade choice, because I've found that their cut quality is better and they last longer than the equivalent Olson blades.

Charley


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## WoodNSawdust (Mar 7, 2015)

I asked the same question a while back and was pointed towards the Olson MACH series of blades by a professional scroll sawyer and artist. She also said the she was disappointed by the Flying Dutchman blades.

So far the Olson MACH blades cut fast and smoothly for me in 1/4 to 3/4 material. I have not tried them in thicker wood or thicker stacks of wood.

We have an excellent resource on these forums for both patterns and scroll saw advice in the form of Sheila Landry (scrollgirl). You could try PMing her and asking.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I cut 1"-2" poplar and pine a lot on my scroll saw. I use Polar #5 blades from either Mikes (Now Wooden Teddy bear I guess) or #5 blades from Sloan's . Cutting thick wood like this is a rather slow process. It is the slowest cutting thing I do in my whole shop. Patience needs to be applied there. No matter the blade,(Except for spiral blades) a scroll saw cut should come out so smooth that ay sanding of it would diminish the finish. Warning: cutting a lot of wood this thick requires a saw with an induction motor. Like a Hegner or an older Jet. I have killed a DeWalt cutting thick wood, as has a friend of mine.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

You can try the #5 Polar or even a #7 Polar. It will be slow going in that thick wood. Another thing that I find is that it will cut easier across grain than along the grain.

I am cutting ornaments from 1-1/4" poplar and using the #7. Every saw and person cuts a little different and have slightly different blade preferences.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Try this. Use a coarse tooth blade and use a small fine sharpening stone to lightly hone both sides of the blade while it is held tightly in the saw. What causes the roughness is the "set" of the blade teeth (each tooth is bent to the side slightly in an alternating pattern). The slight variation in each tooth's "set" adds to the roughness. What you are trying to accomplish is to remove any excess side protrusions of the blades. The more you hone, the smoother the cut. The downside is you lose some of the ability to cut tight curves.

Planeman


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

with the material being 1 1/2" thick its going to be time consuming on a scrollsaw, which personally i use a #9 ultra reverse FD for 1+" thick material.


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