Whether you're a novice woodworker or a seasoned craftsman, understanding the tools at your disposal is crucial for producing quality work. There are two essential saws in any woodworking arsenal: band saws and scroll saws. Band saws can handle thicker materials and longer cuts, while scroll saws are better for fine detail work such as fretwork, intarsia, and marquetry.
What are the three main types of bandsaw blades?
The three main types of bandsaw blades are regular tooth, hook tooth, and skip tooth:
1) Regular Tooth: They use deep gullets that are spaced out evenly and have a 0-degree rake angle for cutting woods, metal, and more.
2) Hook Tooth: These blades have deeper gullets with the saw teeth cutting at a 10-degree rake angle.
3) Skip Tooth: These have shallower gullets with wider spaces between saw teeth. This makes for finer cuts at a 0-degree rake angle.
What are the different scroll saw blades?
The different types of scroll saw blades include:
1) Regular Tooth: These have deep, evenly spaced out saw teeth and are used for general purpose sawing of nonferrous metal and wood.
2) Skip Tooth: These blades have wider, evenly spaced gullets for finer, shallower cuts.
3) Double Tooth: These blades are like skip tooth blades with gaps between two teeth sets.
4) Reverse Skip Tooth: They have a section of skip tooth blades bridged to a section of reverse skip tooth blades with a gap in the middle.
5) Precision Ground Tooth: These function like smaller toothed reverse skip tooth blades for sharper cuts with a clean finish.
6) Spiral Tooth: Make rough cuts in a fast-twisting motion as they have saw teeth on all sides.
7) Crown Tooth: Have crown shaped teeth and can be used to effectively cut plastic.
How do I know what size bandsaw blade I need?
Choosing the right band saw blade depends on the project and the material used. When cutting curves at a radius under 5/8-in, use a regular blade with a width of 1/8-in and a tooth per inch between 10 to 14. For wider, finer curves, use a ¼-in regular blade with a 6-tpi. Crosscutting and resawing projects benefit from a regular blade ½-inch or greater in length with 3-tpi. When selecting a size, keep in mind that the narrower the blade, the tighter the cuts and the wider the blade, the straighter the cuts.
Why do I keep breaking scroll saw blades?
Scroll saw blades can break if they are misused or overused without proper care. Too much force when sliding materials through the blade can lead to a break as that increases tension for blades that may not cut as fast, such as skip tooth blades. Teeth can also become dull over time if not properly lubricated especially if the blades are used on incompatible materials. Overheating the blade by excessive use and increased tension can also snap the blades.
