How to tell if blade needs changing

[rrjwright]

Being new to this new addiction...  I  am still  puttzing around getting  a  feel for Scrolling.
Besides the obvious broken blade and "It just won't cut anymore"...   What  is a good  indicator  that your blade needs to  be  changed??

Thanks
Jim. . 

[dgman]

Hey Jim, As a scroll saw instructor at Woodcraft in Ventura, Ca, I tell my students when the blade no longer does what you want it to do, It's time to change it. It could last for an hour of cutting, or it might last one minute.  there have been times when I have put a new blade in and it wont cut like I want it to. It gets pulled out and chucked.
When you have to push the wood and the blade starts deflecting, it's time to change it.
Let the blade do the cutting. Make sure your blade tension is tight. You want to hear a high ping when you pluck it, and use either blue painters tape on top of the wood, or clear packing tape on top off the pattern to help cut the friction of the blade. The blade will cut easier and last longer.

[cherie]

I agree with Dan.  I usually push my blades to their limits and use them until they no longer cut the way i want.  Bad idea I know, it works for me   

[Graywolf]

Dan is right. I put in a blade the other day and in a couple of minuets it would not cut, then there are times it will last a long time.

[spiderman]

Hey Jim, As a scroll saw instructor at Woodcraft in Ventura, Ca, I tell my students when the blade no longer does what you want it to do, It's time to change it. It could last for an hour of cutting, or it might last one minute.  there have been times when I have put a new blade in and it wont cut like I want it to. It gets pulled out and chucked.
When you have to push the wood and the blade starts deflecting, it's time to change it.
Let the blade do the cutting. Make sure your blade tension is tight. You want to hear a high ping when you pluck it, and use either blue painters tape on top of the wood, or clear packing tape on top off the pattern to help cut the friction of the blade. The blade will cut easier and last longer.

When you start to push to hard or when the wood starts to burn.  There are times when you get a bad blade or two.  I go with the olson blades.   I didn't have much luck with the FD blades that mike sent me.   

[glenn wouters]

I agree with Dan.
The blade has to do the job.
I use a few brands of blades, Olson, P?gas, pebeco,...
And i can say that in every brand you'll find good and less good blades.
I also had it before that after a few minutes the blade didn't do what i wanted it to do.
I checked, tension etc. and i didn't found anything wrong.
Then after changing the blade everything was ok... so it was the "new" blade that was not o.k.

Glenn Belgium