Help very much needed

[Shufflex]

Well what can I say,

I have just tried scroll sawing for the very first time in my life ................... Absolute nightmare.

Firstly my pinless blades kept popping out, On a positive note I am now a confident blade changer and have sort of found the right tension to be able to cut.

This is where I need help. I thought I would remove and round off the corners from some wood to make a small file holder, when trying to cut the wood, it is bouncing around like a kangaroo on steroids,  Is this normal or am I doing something wrong.

It is soft wood a little under 2 inches thick
I have no idea the type of blade as it is the one that came with the saw
The teeth of the saw have the flat bit at the bottom
The speed dial is about half way
I use a foot pedal, I think the speed remains stable so the pedal only switches it on and off I think.

I have not tried it on thinner wood yet as too frightened in case I damage the machine.

Thank you
Gary

[dirtrider73068]

If your wood is jumping up and down you may have the blade installed in upside down. If blades keep popping out you may not have the tension set, also blades come with a tad of oil on them when shipped to keep them from rusting, a dip in some rubbing alcohol will l remove the oils and help keep them from slipping out.

[DWSudekum]

Gary there are a couple of things that will cause your work to jump like that. 

The most common as mentioned in the post before mine is that the blade is installed upside down.  This is fairly common and everyone that has scrolled has done it a time or two. 

Since your wood is so thick and yes wood that is over 1 inch thick is getting very thick.  Most saws can only cut 2" or less.  Since your wood is very thick you will need to cut slower and not feed the wood into the blade as hard.  That could cause jumping of the work like you describe. 

Another cause could be that the wood has too much resin / sap in it and it is grabbing the blade.  This is not that common but it does happen.

Hope this helps you out.

DW

[Shufflex]

Many thanks for your help.
I can confirm the blade is in the right way.
I slowed the machine down and it was a little bit better but the wood was still trying to jump around. I have also tried it in thin plywood with the same results.
Something I have now noticed is that the blade, as well as going up and down, seems to be moving backwards and forwards, Could this be the reason? 

[Toneman]

Gary your blade should never move forward or backward. First of all, you need to make sure the blade is at 90 deg. perpendicular to the table. A simple way to check is cut a line in a piece of 2x4, then place the cut behind the blade; it should align with the blade. If not, then adjust your blade screws accordingly. Also, your tension should be so you can't bend the blade sideways more than 1/8". You may want to watch Steve's video in you tube on installing blades. Don't know much about your saw, but, the upper arm should be level. You may want to get a ruler and make sure the upper arm is the same distance at the front and rear of the table.

[3Dface]

hey gary,
i had the same problem. for me it turned out without thinking about it i was depending on the machine's foot to hold the wood to the table. i removed it so i could hold a cut in place to keep from breaking out a floating piece. i have not put it back on. although the safety specks say to leave it in place. so remove at your own risk.
chris

[Shufflex]

I have a confession to make,
The blade was actually upside down, I checked it a dozen times and it was still wrong, I think it was with the blades slipping out as much as they did I hurried it.

it is still jumping about a little but no where near as much,

[busco]

Another item to check is how many teeth your blade has to it.  Can't recall off the top of my head but I found a chart that gives you an approximate count of teeth your blade should have according to the thickness of the wood you are cutting.  Two inches is about the limits of most scroll saws and I would guess about a number 7 or 9 blade with soft wood.  Also I have had luck turning up the saw speed and slowing your feed rate with thicker woods.

Bill

[3Dface]

Another item to check is how many teeth your blade has to it.  Can't recall off the top of my head but I found a chart that gives you an approximate count of teeth your blade should have according to the thickness of the wood you are cutting.  Two inches is about the limits of most scroll saws and I would guess about a number 7 or 9 blade with soft wood.  Also I have had luck turning up the saw speed and slowing your feed rate with thicker woods.

Bill

here it is.....
http://www2.woodcraft.com/PDF/Olson-scrollblade-chart.pdf

[Shufflex]

3Dface you're an absolute hero 

Many many thanks

Gary