Spiral Blades

[WoodChips]

Hello all,

My brother-in-law gave me some spiral blades to use, he says that they are the only blades he will use.
I have not tried them yet.

Does anyone else use spiral blades and is there any advantage to using them?

[trailfndr]

Lots of advantages, IF you can get used to them.   Using spirals you won't have to turn the wood to make a turn or corner.  you can hold the wood and never change your grip.  Personally,  I have tried them, and for what I do (Intarsia) they simply won't do.  I can definatly see them being used for normal scroll work.

[pddesertrat]

I have some and have only tried one once.  I can see they take some serious practice, but once learned, I think they will be great.  I plan on purchasing more in various sizes to learn the technique with. 

[pierre62]

For my part i use spiral when i have to do larger sawing, but before i use ordinaire blade, like #2

[julief]

There is a learning curve to spiral blades.  I use them mostly for portrait work but when I have a piece too big for my saw arm, I always go back to them.  Some artists use them exclusively, while others never get the hang of them.  They are another tool in the tool box.  It is worth your while to practice with them and get used to them.  You may need them on a special project.

[ajhouck]

Spirals are the only blade I use. When I first started scrolling I had an old saw that only took pin end blades. Once I got my Dewalt I've used spirals ever since. It takes practice, you might break a few, they may wear out a little quicker but for me they work just fine. As much tension as possible, run a pretty fast speed if you have variable adjustment. Don't get discouraged!

[PigsFly]

I almost exclusively use spirals.  Nearly all of my work is fret work with a lot of it being word art.  They take some getting used to but after my learning curve I love them.  My wood is almost exclusively 5/8 inch plus hardwood and for me non spirals are harder to make turns in the thicker wood.  If I were doing 1/4 inch wood I likely would have a different view on spirals.  I suggest your most used blade with be a No 1 spiral and a 2/0 spiral.  I would not use No 3 or No 5 for my initial cut but if I wanted a wider vein but I would probably start with a No 1 and then increase to a No 3 and then if necessary to a No 5.  I think the No 3 and No 5 are to aggressive for an original cut.  You will also find with spirals that since they really have no gullet they do not clean the sawdust out of the kerf as well as non spirals so you will have more sawdust left in the kerf and on the table than with non spirals.

Although you can do some limited cutting in all directions, I think you will find you prefer to spin the work so you are always going in the same direction into the blade.  Admittedly this may not get the best use of all of the burrs on a spiral blade but I think you will find you are breaking fewer blades - I rarely ever break a blade - and that it is a more natural way for you to follow the pattern.  This is probably less true if you are using 1/4 inch wood.

Some folks do not like spirals at all but practice with them and give them a fair chance before you give up.

[RangerJay]

Spiral blades are really the only practical choice for fretwork that has a lot of fine detail.  Once you get past the learning curve they become a real joy to use.  The only downside to spirals is that, in less detailed projects, they do not make a "clean" cut - exposed, visible edges will need sanding - they are not the smooth, clean surface you would expect of a good non-spiral blade.


Jay

 

[scotti158]

I only use them when the project is too big to turn without hitting the back of the saw. They cut too slow for me, but some really like them.

[Ray]

I'm not a big fan of spiral blades for most cutting. I do use them sometimes when I want the particular effect that spirals give. Usually for veining. In that case I look at it as a different kind of brush like with painting. They do give a certain kind of line.

Other than that, I don't like them. They cut incredibly slow compared to a good sharp standard blade, you cant get anywhere near sharp corners, and you can't get the small fine cuts like you can with a small blade like a #1 or the Superior puzzle blades that Mike sells.

Plus, I prefer to turn my work anyway. Fretwork with lots of small lines, it's tough to precisely follow a line behind the blade or to the side of the blade like you can do with spirals.

Did I mention how slow they cut? LOL

Ray

[GrayBeard]

IF you do portrait cutting...you really should give Spiral Blades a fair trial!

Maximum Tension
High Speed
SLOOOOOOOOOOOW Feed

And Keep a SHARP blade in the saw!

~~~GB~~~

[UHMNL]

WoodChip,
Please call or email me.
You find for information, go to: www.mikesworkshop.come

Mike

[Ray]

Oh, I've used them. I just used them on a couple of small areas of my last project. Only a couple spots though. I disagree that spirals are the only way to get fine detail on fretwork.

I've done mountains of fretwork and there is no way to get as fine and sharp of a cut as you can with the finer regular blades. Flying Dutchman from Mikes of course 
A round blade just isn't as thin as a fine regular blade.

Now that doesn't mean that some of the most beautiful work isn't done with spirals, but it can be a different look up close. Sort of like the difference between styles of artist brushes in a painting.

Actually, when I want really fine cuts, I like Mike's Superior Puzzle blades. Those are my go to for really fine cuts. I have a couple of Mikes spirals. The "New Spirals" and the spirals with flat ends. Nice blades.

Ray

[MickM]

Now I think I understand what I have. I bought a used Hawk 220 yesterday from the son of a gentleman that had passed. Looking thru what I got today along with a large pile of patterns is 300 plus new (still in packages) Eberle and Galaxy spiral blades. Being brand new to scrolling I guess I should order some more basic type of blades to try to learn how to set up and run the saw? Any advice would be appreciated.

[julief]

Order an assortment pack from Mikes Workshop.  The Flying Dutchman blades are the best on the market.  I've used several brands and always go back to the Flying Dutchman.