Wasted Blades?

[MikieD]

Hi,
     I don't think that I have any 'Scottish' blood but I find myself annoyed at wasting half the blade!  I am currently cutting out wooden gears to make an all wood clock.  The gears are cherry and I only get one or two cut out when I can 'feel' the blade going dull.  Since the gears are only 1/4" (8mm) thick, I know the top half of the blade is still sharp as new.  I know I can't turn the blade over but I hate using a new blade when half of the old one is still sharp.

     I've tried making a 'raised' table to try and use the upper portion of the blade but it was unsatisfactory.  Am I alone feeling this way?  Has anyone found a way to use the whole blade?

Just a thought for a rainy Sunday.  Mike

[dgman]

Hey Mike, Some folks will use a sheet of plywood to raise the table to use the rest of the blade. I have used the following method... Mount the blade high in the blade clamp, Then when that section is dull, mount the blade low in the blade clamp. This will give you a few more new teeth to use. But the bottom line is scroll saw blades are cheap! I buy them by the gross. When the blade stops cutting, I toss it and load a new blade!

[MikieD]

You're right!  The blades are cheap and I also buy them in large quantities.  That is why I was wondering about the "thrifty" feeling about them.  Something in my background tells me not to "waste" that half of the blade.  Oh well, back to cutting....

Mike

[dgman]

Hey Mike, at a woodworking meeting I asked a member how her scroll sawing was going. She said she was having a hard time controlling the blade. I asked her what size blade she was using. She answered.."I don't know, what ever blade is in it since the last time I changed it". And she couldn't tell me when she last chanced it!
That's when I started preaching that blades are cheap, change it when it no longer does what you want it to do!

[Russ C]

I agree. I hate throwing away half used blades to. That is just the nature of the hobby. Think about all the wood you waste when you cut out a project. 

[Intarsia92]

I made this 3/4" Aux top mainly for the zero clearance feature,  a replaceable 1"disk, but when I'm cutting Padauk or Canary woods that wear blades out fast I will slip it on to get additional use out of a blade.

[julief]

Your only other option is go to crown tooth blades.  The cut the same at both ends and when one side gets dull, flip it over.  I know Olson makes them - I don't know who else does.  I dont particularly care for them myself, but a lot of people do.  I understand your frustration, I've been cutting one inch red oak all day and it will dull a blade pretty fast.

[UHMNL]

I don't know if I should get in this discussion. However when I did a lot of scrolling. I tried to make my table higher, so I could get new teeth again. I did not get much out of the blade, it would break in a sort time. I found out that the blade looses it strenght because of getting too hot.  The blade with one tooth up and one down might work but you have to remember that one side has a burr like most blades and you never know when you start cutting if it cuts to the left or right. If it cuts to the right and you turn it over, it will start cutting to the left and you have to get used to that. However you have the same problem with the blade loosing it strenght and don't last long. Rick Hutcheson has an article about that on his website.
FD Mike

[jimbo]

Ive been using a skip tooth blade and it has been going on for ever, I have been cutting the profiles for jigsaws and there has been no burning as yet after 7 puzzles
Jimbo

[julief]

Don't ya just love it when you get one of those that goes on and on.  Every now and then there is one that works for an extended period.

[GrayBeard]

Yeah Julie, and then you put the replacement in and it breaks after about 7 strokes!

The "Blade Gods" always seem to get you sooner or later....

~~~GB~~~

[Dawie]

You're right there GB. I had it happen a while back I had 2 blades that ran like forever and then I needed to replace it and I had 3 blades snap in half an hour. I quit at that point and started back later.
David

[Russ C]

I agree David. Makes you feel like you are doing something wrong. Then when you come back it seems to work fine. 

[Rapid Roger]

I made the "turn the blade over" idea work for me yesterday! 
I was cutting fairly small areas in a pattern and only had four "Scroll America blades of the TW002 (two way tooth)" design.
I was cutting 1/4" oak plywood (both oak and plywood are hard on blades) and needed to make the blades last as long as possable. So when the first blade started getting so dull that I was having to push on the wood and having trouble following the line, I stopped, fliped the blade over and had a new set of teeth to cut with.
I still have one and a half blades left to do another pattern with.
Guess I had better re-order! 

Rog