Blade Question

[Toneman]

How long should a blade last? I am using Olson blades, and have been changing out after about 30 minutes. Just wandering if this is necessary. I am new at this, so you pros let me know what you do. Thanks for your input.

Tony, aka, Toneman

[newfie]

plywoods and hardwoods 1/2" or thicker would dull the blades. i normally use plywoods 1/8" thick and stack 4 or 5 together and get longer then 30 minutes out of a blade. i never used olson blades before just FD blades

[dgman]

Hey Tony, As a scrollsaw instructor at Woodcraft, I tell my students "When the blade no longer does what you want it to do then it's time to change it". That means if it last one or two inside cuts or 100 inside cuts, or five minutes or sixty minuets.
I use both Olsen and Flying Dutchman blades. The FD blades do last a lot longer, but both brands do wear out.
I buy blades by the gross, so they are relatively cheap. I can go through a dozen blades on a very complicated project!
So don't be afraid to change the blade when it stops cutting properly!

[GrayBeard]

Dan is right on!

Think of it this way...Artists use paint, sculptors use stone and potters use clay.
Those are 'expendable' supplies.
As Scrollers our 'expendable' supplies are wood and blades. The blades are least expensive part of our craft so why push the blade when you know you are 'using it up'?

When you feel yourself having to PUSH the wood into the blade to make a cut you have already passed the point where it should have been changed.

~~~GB~~~

p.s. to Dan.... feel free to use this analogy in your classes.  <bg>

[Mainewoods]

I agree with Dan and GB!!  I use a blade until it stops feeling right.  Just like you change out sandpaper on your sander when it stops working right, do the same with your blades.  Some blades, however, don't last as long as others from the same batch.   I've changed blades, and immediately wasn't comfortable with the way the new blade was cutting, so I changed it again.  I think that's part of where the "artistry" lies, being able to feel and sense what's working and what isn't.  You can't put numbers on the feeling part of cutting any more than you can put a time limit on how long it should take to complete a project.  You cut at a speed and in a way that feels good to you.  When it doesn't feel right, you need to make a change.  Hope this helps!

Glen

[UHMNL]

Hi Tony,
Send me your address and I will be glad to send you a sample of two blades.
FD Mike

[geneVG]

I just got done cutting a eagle in a piece of 7/8th Walnut.  It took me 4 1/2 hours and 10 blades to do it.  Once I get it done I will post it.  The Walnut is a wide slab, and hard as a rock.

gene

[MOONIE]

I use Olson  and FD blades.  I also have a tendency to push the piece into the left side of the blade.  The result:  the blade dulls quickly.  When I realize I'm pushing, however lightly, into the left, I find I cut more precisely and the blade last a little longer.