scroll sawing is tough!!

[etcher]

Hi, me again!!  I finally have my wood working shop put together in the basement!!  After much running around the house collecting everything I would need, I was finally ready to make the first cut.

I chose one of the simple Christmas ornament patters from this web site; it had a bit of filigree to it but way easier than anything I would carve on an egg.

Ummm...it was pretty tough to stay in a straight line and cut a corner.  I think that part of the problem is that the "air blower" is junk and I'm constantly blowing dust off the piece...but wow indeed, this is going to take some practice.

I already purchased some flat Flying Dutchman blades that haven't arrived yet (the Ryobi blades aren't as friendly as I hoped and the top pin made me mad when trying to get through a drilled hole for fret work; so I cut off the top...works okay now) so I'm making the best with what I have in order to get some practice in.  I am happy to say that the Ryobi is working pretty good for me; not very loud and zero vibration.  I'm also very glad that I bought a foot pedal but I'm going to have to get used to that one too...

Please tell me it's going to get better??  The possibilities for really cool projects are endless but mastering this is seeming fairly daunting. 

So, with that said, please give this newbie some tips to stay on track!!  Motivate me!!!

Thanks as always,

Dixie
 

[scrollgirl]

Hi, Dixie:
Welcome to Scroll Sawing!  You will find that it is like anything - with a little practice, things get a LOT easier.  You are in a good place here and there are lots and lots of wonderful people here who are willing to share their experience with everyone.  As with most things, there are several right ways to do things. You just need to try different things and figure out what is the most comfortable for you.

I don't know if you are aware, but I hosted a free online class at a site called Lumberjocks.com, which is a woodworking site.  If you want to visit it, the link is here:

http://lumberjocks.com/scrollgirl/blog/series/4134

It is geared for people just starting out and I offer some free practice pages and there are lots of videos and diagrams to help you on the way.  I hope you go check it out.

Otherwise, just ask away on this forum and I am sure you will get lots of good answers to any question you can come up with. 

I hope you have fun and enjoy your journey.  In answer to your question - YES! It does get easier!  It is a fun way to be creative and relax.

Sheila

[dgman]

Hi Dixie, First of all make sure you have high tension on the blade. You want to hear a high "plink" when you pluck the blade. If you hear a "clunk", there is not enough tension. On most blades there is a bur on the right side of the blade. Because of that, the blade will not track straight. Start with some straight lines. You will quickly learn to move the board to compensate for the drift of the blade. Next make some curved lines then combination lines. Instead of tackling projects straight off, practice with drawn lines as I explained to get used to the saw. Good luck!

[scotti158]

It will get better! Do a lot of "Googling" different issues you're having and ask a lot of questions here. Practice and getting experience is the main thing though.

[etcher]

Sheila, I actually stumbled across your web site a few days ago when I had a slow moment at work.  Your filigree work is amazing!!  I'm also going to look into your scroll saw class...I'm thinking I'm going to need it. 

I'm staying hopeful that I can pull this off, I just need to keep at it.

If you're bored, here's my blog that I've chronicled other projects on; I swear, I have talent...I'm just not seeing it on the scroll saw yet   

http://etchstitchandburn.com/

dgman:  you seem to be one of the wise one's here too (after reading most of the posts ever written in the forum), I appreciate your encouragement as well!  I did notice the pull to the right when I was cutting (I'd read about it happening due to how the blades are made) and corrected it fairly well...turning the blade quick enough to make a sharp corner is the challenge now.  I think I'm doing pretty well on setting the tension so far but I'll keep practicing!!

[dirtrider73068]

When I wanted to make a corner when I first started and still do this, I cut to the corner then back up and in the waste wood cut again beside the previous cut and keep doing this till I have room to make the turn then take off cutting again. It all takes practice, get some easy basic patterns and start with those or print off some lines curves, corners put on some scrap wood and practice you will get the hang of it before you know it.

[dgman]

Dixie, Here is what I do to make a sharp inside cut. First cut just to the corner. Back up just a little. Widen the cut the thickness of the blade. Now that the kerf is wider, you can easily turn the blade to the line. This is what I call a parallel park. Another way to do this is to cut just a hair past the line. Back up a little, then turn into the waste, then back up back to the corner, then turn out to the line. This is what I call an In & Out. I name these techniques to help my students remember them as they cut!

[dirtrider73068]

Dixie, Here is what I do to make a sharp inside cut. First cut just to the corner. Back up just a little. Widen the cut the thickness of the blade. Now that the kerf is wider, you can easily turn the blade to the line. This is what I call a parallel park. Another way to do this is to cut just a hair past the line. Back up a little, then turn into the waste, then back up back to the corner, then turn out to the line. This is what I call an In & Out. I name these techniques to help my students remember them as they cut!

Yea thats how I was trying to explain how I did mine, open the kerf just as wide as the blade make the turn on the corner then keep on cutting, but once I am done with that area I go back to the corners and square them up.

[UHMNL]

Hi Dixie,
Here are a few  sites what might be of some help:
http://www.mikesworkshop.com/whatblad.htm
http://www.mHikesworkshop.com/Q&A-FP.htm
Some have said this already but good tension, good speed and low feed rate.
Feel free to email me if you have questions about blades.
FD Mike

[jscott2]

When I got into scroll sawing, Gabby gave me some good advice on making sharp inside turns.   http://stevedgood.com/community/index.php?topic=6646.msg63296#msg63296

Jim

[geneVG]

Hi Dixie,
If you follow what they all have said to do, I start all the people I teach to copy the Aphabet train from Steve's sit.  By the time you get done with that you will be ready for other stuff.  The train has just about every kind of move you need.  And when you are finished, you can give it to so kid to play with.

gene

[Billy in Va]

Dixie All the advice given is great.  Probably the best advice is what the native New Yorker answered to the tourist who asked how to get to Carnegie Hall.  His answer  practice practice practice

[Becky]

Yes it will get easier with practice.  I am nowhere near where many of these folks are but their advice is golden.  One other tip is to wax your table.  Just whatever cheap floor wax as long as it doesn't contain silicon which would cause problems during finishing.  A wax-slick table will help with the twists and turns.  I learned that tip maybe 6-8 months into my scrolling career and I felt like my skills advanced dramatically after usuing the wax.  I didn't get any better that fast of course, but the process became so much easier that my results showed dramatic improvement.

I also found that slowing the saw speed slowed the whole process and helped me stay on the lines.  Thinner woods, too large a blade and high speed can make it hard to control, IMO.  While a fast saw speed doesn't mean you have to feed the wood fast, I still have trouble with controlling that so I just slow it down.  I cut at about 1/2 speed or less unless I am doing something delicate.  Then I go even slower.  A lot of the folks here go full speed all the time but I guess I am just not good enough yet.  And that's after 4 years of practice!   

[ShadowB6]

As everyone has agreed above, it does get easier. My best advice is to go back to past posts on this forum in all the different categories and read them. Lots to learn here. Good luck Dixie.

Mike

[Keefie]

Dixie, Yes it will get better, and you will be surprised how quickly your cutting will improve. The advice given already is excellent advice, the only thing I will add is that when your new Flying Dutchman blades arrive you will notice an immediate improvement in your cutting. I used cheap and nasty blades that came with my first saw (it came with a selection of 200various sized blades). At the time I wasn't in the forum and I was under the impression that all blades were the same whichever make you use. when I joined the forum and was given very similar advice as you have been given and was also recommended the FD blades. I ordered the blades from Mikesworkshop and the difference in my cutting was immediate, it improved by 100% instantly, I found FD blades allowed me to follow a line very easily and my cutting was so much smoother as I didnt need to go back and recut where I had drifted off the line. Apart from that as the others say, it is just a matter of practice practice and more practice. Hope this helps you.

Keith