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General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: flagrl on January 10, 2012, 07:50:47 am

Title: blade tension?
Post by: flagrl on January 10, 2012, 07:50:47 am

how do you know when you have enough blade tension and how much is too much. is it when it gets hard to push the handle down on the saw? or what?

Title: Re: blade tension?
Post by: Russ C on January 10, 2012, 07:59:21 am

Set the tension so that the blade has no more than 1/8" flex side to side and front to back. If you pluck the blade like a guitar string it should make a high "C" sound. If you go to Steve's Blog (http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/), in the column on the left side of the page he has a program that might help. To much tension will result in braking blades. :)

Title: Re: blade tension?
Post by: flagrl on January 10, 2012, 08:07:14 am

thank you. i will go check that out

Title: Re: blade tension?
Post by: UHMNL on January 10, 2012, 08:57:27 pm

Russ is correct about the tension.
Make also sure that you have good speed and do not push too hard into the blade, or the blade will start cutting with a bevel. Let the blade do the cutting, they say.
FD Mike

Title: Re: blade tension?
Post by: tux_linux on January 13, 2012, 07:30:36 am

The tension that is needed also depends on what you do:

- A thin blade will take less tension.
- Some blades are following the directions better when they have more tension.
- A thin wood (under 1/2") does care less for tension. Also it might at some point get complicated to get a decent cut and exact curves.
- A thick wood needs much more tension, as the blade would bend while cutting and cut not straight but buckled.
- A hard wood will behave like a thicker & softer wood.

Tension is most important when you cut thick wood - which imho start at 1/2" (12mm). I usually make sure my saw is set to 0? and put some more tension on the blade. A test cut on a scrap wood makes sure everything is ok: Perfect when the cut slides out easily front- and backside.

Title: Re: blade tension?
Post by: math2010 on January 13, 2012, 09:01:13 am

So true FD Mike...

Every time I'm cutting, I always told to myself: " Let the blade do the cutting"
It helps because I always try to go faster. And there's nothing to worry about. Scoll saw is suppose to be relax!

Title: Re: blade tension?
Post by: flagrl on January 13, 2012, 11:02:48 am

thanks for all the replys. and the let the blade do the cutting i have thought about putting it on a sticky note by my saw cause i tend to forget that. but am doing better about it kinda.

Title: Re: blade tension?
Post by: spiderman on January 13, 2012, 06:21:45 pm

Just take your time cutting there is no race.....