Newbie here My name is Laura(chanspirit)

[chanspirit]

I'm extremely new to the scroll saw, i just bought one last week.
I bought an inexpensive Ryobi to see if this is something i am capable of doing. I've been wanting to try and use wood with polymer clay, saw steves video where he did an inlay with clay into a name on a key chain so thought i would check this site out.
The unit i bought uses pinned and unpinned blades, is there a better one to use over the other?
Also has anyone used a Ryobi? is it ok for a beginner?

Sorry so many ?'s

[DWSudekum]

Laura,
Welcome to the Workshop.  We love questions and Pictures.  I also started out with a Ryobi and wore it out and went to the Dewalt 788.  The thing about scroll saws is you get what you pay for generally.  In general the pinless blades will be what you will be using most of the time with that saw.  In order to make those key chains you will have to drill an entry hole and there will be a lot of times where the largest hole you can place in a pattern a pinned blade will not fit through.  No worries though because the pinless blades fit in holes that are quite tiny.  We are looking forward to seeing your work as you progress.  Oh before I forget, , Scrolling is addictive like you would not believe.  Above all remember to have fun.


DW

[apopj]

Hi Laura and welcome to the group... I'm Jeff from Ohio, been scrolling about 40 years now. As was mentioned, it is addictive, I think my wife is setting me up for an intervention, LOL. Anyway, just to reiterate, imagine you want to cut the center out of a circle. Imagine this circle is 1/2 inch in diameter. Think about how wide the pin is on your pinned blades. Think about how wide the unpinned blades are. Which would require the smaller hole? As the diameter gets smaller, it eventually becomes to small for a hole to allow the pin to fit through, so you would have to go with the pinless blades. Besides, there are dozens of different blades that aren't pinned to choose from, but that will just get more confusing for you. For now, a few #2 and #5 blades would probably get you going until you feel confident enough to start a complex pattern, like next week...... Take care and have fun

[spirithorse]

Welcome to the forum, Laura,
You can find a wealth of information here and lots of patterns to practice with.
The members are really friendly (for the most part) and generously offer tips,
help, and good conversation.

You may want to consult a chart that recommends what blades to use for
different wood stock but, these are just recommendations. Everyone finds their
own comfort zone. I use the 5R almost exclusively and can cut as thin as 1/8" and as thick as
1 1/2" with that size blade.

Here are two links to the type of chart I am talking about.
http://www.sloanswoodshop.com/PDF/blade%20chart.pdf

http://www.scrollsaws.com/General/BladeChart.html

As a new scroller, you may want to try some spiral blades which cut from any direction on
the blade. In other words, you can cut forward, reverse, left and right with-out turning the
wood because every side of the blade has a cutting edge. If you experiment with them
early in your practice phase you may get better with them than someone like me that
got used to the flat, no-pin blades and struggle with the spirals.

Have fun and show us your projects, please.
God Bless! Spirithorse

[julief]

Hi Laura and welcome to the forum.  I'm Julie from Texas.  I used to work for the Home Depot and had to do demos on the Ryobi scrollsaw at Christmas time.  Let me start by saying that there are no good pinned blades out there and generally the pinless ones you can buy from hardware stores are sub standard.  Order some Flying Dutchman or Olson blades.  They will cost you half of what the hardware store blades cost even with shipping.  I have seen the most amazing projects come off of inexpensive saws.  It just takes practice.  I started on a Dremel myself.  I have had an EX21 for about 15 years.  The benefits of a good saw are ease of use, less vibration and many other little thing that will make your life easier but buying an inexpensive saw so you can see if you enjoy the hobby is a good idea.  We are all eager to help so ask away.  Glad you're here.

[Toneman]

Welcome Laura! Glad to have you aboard! I am Tony,aka,Toneman from Paris, Texas.