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General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: marmoh on February 21, 2011, 02:33:02 pm
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Am needing to find a faster way to sand things ... spending more time sanding than it takes to cut..was thinking about trying the scroll sanders and was wondering if anyone else used them and your thoughts on them. I usually end up cutting up emery boards and using them to get into the small places ... any ideas of what type of sander to get to help ??? Thanks in advance....
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Marion, I have never used them. I have no need for them. If you use the right blade you shouldn't need to sand your cuts. If I have a miss-cut, I go back and clean it up with right side of the blade which has a burr on it from the manufacturing process.
After applying an oil and then a top coat of semi gloss spray lacquer, all my edges and inside cuts are smooth and shiny!
Now if your using a soft wood like pine, your edges and inside cuts will probably need to be sanded.
I do sand the back of the piece to remove the fuzzies, but never any inside cuts.
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Dan, if I were as good as you ;D ;D I wouldn't have a problem ?? I just did a portrait using 1/4 " BB with a #1 FD spiral ( it was not in upside down !! ) and I had a lot of fuzzies on the back....is that what the sand flee is for ???
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Marion, I used them when I first started because I bought cheap blades, thinking that would save me money. I learned the hard way to buy better blades and to stop before they got dull.
Bill
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I found a bunch of them on clearance at menards and bought lots of them. I find them really handy when I need to sand little spots. They are way easier then cutting up emmery boards, which I also have done.
there is some truth in the idea of better blades creating better cuts. Also the right speed can sometimes make a difference.
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Well I am only using FD blades.....saw not seeming right so am going to take it apart and oil/grease and ordered a new assembly for the bottom blade holder....would assume if not exactly correct it could cause some play in the blade ?? Have the right blades, have good wood..it's now down to me or the machine... :o :o :o
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Using a piece of 1/8" plywood as a backer helps a lot!
~~~GB~~~
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Okay GB I give up.....I will use a 1/8 backer on the next one and see what happens...I need to call you the Stacker !!!! Thanks for the advise, ( I hate to admit when you may be right ::)
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Better to call me a 'stacker' than a 'stalker'!
This is ESPECIALLY true if using SPIRAL blades!
~~~GB~~~
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I bow to your greatness and intelligence :o :o :o
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Marion
I've done well by using a backer board as well. As a matter of fact when cutting 1/4" BB try stacking two or three thicknesses as well as the 1/8" backer. (If a pattern is worth cutting once it may be valuable twice.)
Karl
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I always use a piece of 1/8 bb ply as a backer board when doing any type of stack cutting. I treat it as trash when finished the cutting, and there is no sanding to do....unless the outside edges of the plywood need to be sanded a bit.
I have done hundreds of Christmas ornaments this way.
Jim
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I guess I am going to have to learn to not be so cheap. I was doing a portrait of someone's dogs that I don't even know, so really didn't want more than one. Guess I will start using a 1/8" backer and keep me a memento of what I do from now on.
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Sometimes that bottom copy turns out OK and then other times it is just a 'throw away'.
I did a portrait of a cat for my sister's Christmas present and she found the bottom copy and sold it yesterday to a friend for $20...was not even sanded nor finished!
If mine come out OK I just slip them in a plastic sheet protector to show as a sample if nothing else!
~~~GB~~~
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The sanders are Ok but not cheap, Steve has a blog on how to make your own, look it up
Jimbo
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Read it somewhere on this forum, but haven't tried it yet, just passing it on.
...use grit that you want, cut into 5" X 1/2" strip, fold in half, put in as a blade, sand away...
Again, i haven't tried it, just passing it on. Might have to figure out what speed to use, etc., but if it breaks no biggy since it was cheap.
Good luck.
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Marion, I use a set of mini files. They seem to work just fine at getting the little fuzzies off. I don't always use a backer when cutting. I worry about the scroll sanders on delicate pieces so I don't use them.
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I use a timer like Steve has mentioned in one of his videos. I'll set it for 20-40 minutes, depending on what wood I'm cutting, and with what blade, so it will go off just before the blade becomes dull (takes some practice to time it). Whenever I change blades, I'll flip the piece I'm working on and sand with a sanding sponge, which gets rid of the fuzzies (not to be confused with the creatures from H. Beam Piper's books (pause for laughter)). Using this technique, I don't feel overwhelmed with the sanding process; it only takes a couple of minutes to sand the area cut.
Bill
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for the fuzzies on the back of portrait type patterns I place them face down on a scrap pice of wood and run a propane torch over them very lightly at a 90 degree angle then just brush off the remains have had real good luck with this.
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Thanks for all of the replies..
Bill, now I have to tear the house apart because it seems like I have a sanding sponge around here.
Jim, put a blow torch in my hand and I'd probably burn down the house....
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I want to try the propane torch method sometime, but am to scared I will ruin a nice piece.
MrsN
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My sanding mop takes care of all the fuzzies for me.
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Hey Judy, Have you tried the sanding mop on a 1/8" thick portrait?
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I would be petrified to use my mop on a piece of fine fretwork. I think it would catch in the cuts and that would be the end of it.
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I suppose it depends on the wood you use. I can attest to 1/8 inch baltic birch. I cut Sheila's ornaments and used the mop on them. I have only broken one piece. It was a small cross that I put against the mop the wrong way. OE :D
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I really like the scroll sanders. My hands and fingers do not work well due to muscular dystrophy, so I have an old dremel scrollsaw and I keep it set up with the sanders in it. I think its great for sanding blade makrs from the edges of your projects no matter how delicate they may be
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I have the sanders you have talked about but with fine patterns you have to be real careful about breaking something so I don't use them much. I always stack cut anything I do 1/8th, 1/4 etc. You will find someone who wants "just what she Has". What I have found is door skins. They are usually junky wood, cheap and available. I got six at Home depot once for $3 each. I have taken old hollow core doors and cut an inch to inch and a half off around the edge and you have two big piece of scrap that you can use for both top and bottom. That way you don't worry about the pattern getting off nor fuzzies on the bottom. I have even used poster board the same way. It works......
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I've used poster board but never thought of door skins. I refuse to use "good" wood for throw away pieces.
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I bought a sheet of laun and cut it into 12x12 pieces....cost about $ .65 per piece. Never thought of the poster board.