Hot Blade and Hot Wood

[Toneman]

I know it has been hot here in NE Texas, but, recently my scroll saw blade and the wood has been getting extremely hot! I mean, a piece flew out while cutting and landed on top of my hand and OUCH! I have never experienced this before. I run an EX21 at 95% speed, but have never experience this before. So, I was wandering if an adjustment of the saw, besides slower speed, could remedy this? Even the wood has burnt marks.

Tony,aka,Toneman

[scrollgirl]

I would say it is normal. I have had small pieces fall on my lap in the summer when I am cutting and wearing shorts and you can really FEEL the heat from them. (OUCH! As you said!)

It wouldn't hurt to give the blades a little 'rest' every once in a while, and of course, use the packaging tape trick, but other than that, I think you are good. Hot blades and hot drill bits are part of the deal - especially in hot weather.

Sheila

[Toneman]

Thanks Shelia, I was beginning to think there was a problem. Oh well, fall is almost here so the blades and wood will "cool off" along with this old man! . I will as you advised, stop every so often to let the blade cool down.

Tony,aka,Toneman

[Silver Sliver]

Dull blades will also heat up fast.  I am particularly guilty of letting my blades getting too dull before changing them.  Silver Sliver

[scrollgirl]

Do you use packaging tape over your pieces, Tony?  That helps a great deal.

Sheila

[Rapid Roger]

I have cut thick wood so long and hard that I've seen smoke coming from the cut! 
Have you ever literally burnt a blade until it turned black? 
It doesn't help the wood either. 
But, I've never seen sparks.....YET! 

Rog

[Dakota Saw Dust]

Rog - I've gotten black blades & have found it's operator error. I'm cutting something to hard, to sharp a turn, to long using the same blade [I'm cheap], or using the wrong size blade. I've done it all and still don't learn.  Brian

[sawdust703]

Roger & sawdust, ya don't mind me asking, what's your point in runnin' a blade so hard & so long, that it turns black & starts to smoke? I'm curious. And you've done it all? My apologies if I ruffle some feathers, but, just because you're to cheap to keep an inventory of blades, or trying to get all ya can for your dime, whatever the case may be, ask yourself this, ya got deep enough pockets to replace that saw because you're "cheap?" Ya like the looks of your project after you've cut to far with a dull, hot blade? Personally, I don't. I can feel it when the blade is shot. Myself, I'm a perfectionist. And I do enough custom work that my clients expect the same. I'm tighter'n dicks hatband myself, but I won't ruin high dollar wood, or a project with several hours invested on runnin' a blade to that point! I've been scrolling a day or two, & maybe it could be I don't run my saw as hard as it'll run, but several days I spend 8 - 10 hours a day sitting at the saw. But, my blades run til they throw in the towel, & they're done. I do quite a bit of stack cutting, fretwork, signs, & 100% of my work is done with hardwood of several types. As far as hot wood, I ain't able to comment on that one. All my lumber is kept in my shop, which I keep at or close to 72 - 74 degrees, summer & winter.

[EIEIO]

Tony - I recently was cutting some 10" red oak baskets (wobble bowls) from 3/4" lumber and thought I'd save some tape by just putting a square of 4 pieces of tape around the outer edges of the surface. It covered almost all of the cut lines except small parts of the inner rings. The wobble in the inner rings causes a lot of blade turning to stay on line. As I was cutting and got to the short parts that that were not covered by tape, I got some smoke. Then back into the tape and it stopped. When I was done I had burn marks where I had no tape, and none where the tape was. In my mind, this supports the lubrication idea with that packing tape.

Using a skip-tooth blade helps keep the dust out of the cut in thick wood. Moving the dust will help keep the cut cool, as does keeping your puffer pointed at the cut line so it blows over the blade while moving dust. And like all saws, the biggest bang probably comes from using a sharp blade. They only cost about 20 cents so changing blades does not hurt profitability much. It's easier if you buy blades by the 1/2 gross or gross so you don't run out for a while.

[Rapid Roger]

Well Sawdust 703, I'll tell you all about it and show a picture of why. 
I was making some boxes for my granddaughters (3 of them) and I used a full 2" thick piece of cherry wood for them.
When you are cutting the center out and separating the inner wall from the outer wall on something like this, you can't very well stop and change blades in mid cut.    Not to mention that cherry wood is very prone to burning.  So, I just had to slow down every so often (when it started smoking)  and let things cool down, back up and try to get rid of the sawdust and go back at it. It took a new blade (#10 7 TPI) for each cut but, I made it. 
It is NOT something that I would recommend nor would I do it again but, it is what it is (or was what it was).
There was a bunch of clean up on the wood from all the burning too. 




Yea, and I'm cheap too but, that wasn't the reason I ruined nine blades and did something that seems so foolish now.

Rog

[scrollgirl]

Did you use packaging tape over it (although I know that may not prevent burning completely on this thickness of cherry - it will help a great deal)?

Sheila

(Added in - I just read EIEIO's post and I am in complete agreement with him. The same thing happened to me long ago. Where there was tape - NO Burns, Where there was NOT tape - Burns. Even if small areas were missed, they immediately burned. I know it has some limitations, as does everything, but it helps a GREAT deal and is a very cheap fix. Think how much your TIME is worth and how much clean up you have to have when we burn wood. Just saying . . .    )

[Toneman]

Thank you all for the comments. I am going to give the clear pkg. tape a go and see what happens. I do use FD-UR blades which I do purchase a gross at a time and I do change very frequently, probably when it isn't necessary. But, will give the clear tape a chance to work and will let you guys know my results. Did I also mention, I like using small blades most of the time? I use FD-UR-1 and 3 probably 90% of the time cutting 1/8 to 1/2" BB with the 1/8" stacked 4 deep most of the time. So, maybe the blade selection could also have a part in the burning?

[Danny]

By George....This has been a Very Interesting and Entertaining subject.  My Thanks to ALL....  But my Seriousness bit.
     Like it was already posted I also use my Favorite blade on most any type of wood.  Have to be reasonable when
     using a Hard Wood.  Would change to another UR blade.  But I use the FDUR #1 on 90% or everything I cut. 
     This blade will Track that line like it had eyes.  Circle or Straight line.  Have used the others  #3 and #5 and my
     Sincere, experienced feelings is that they do not cut and follow that line better than the #1.  Will use this blade
     and have....up to 1.25 inches thick.  Lots of Compound Ornament cutting lately.  Great looking Lil Bird Houses.
                                              Any how this is my 13 cents worth.  Hope you all enjoyed it.            Danny  :+}