Which side of blade???

[thumbs]

Just wondering which of the blade do you have the waste piece on? For years I have scrolled with the waste on the right, do to the fact that the blades pull to the right . But for some unknown reason, I started to cut the opposite direction and totally messed up a piece--I have no idea why I did this but am now back to cutting the way that is correct for me--how do you other scrollers cut??? Just wondering--Richard aka thumbs

[UHMNL]

Hi Richard,
Most of the teeth have to go down, when you have a blade with reverse teeth they go at the bottom. Most blades have a burr on the right side. To stay on the line you have to move the wood some degree to the right. There are a few blades which don't have much of a burr, one of them is the Ultra Reverse.  It cut more straight.
One more thing to think about. Have good tension, the blade should not move sideways more then 1/8", have good speed and don't push too hard into the blade, or the blade will start cutting with a bevel. Let the blade do the cutting.
FD Mike

[Becky]

I hadn't thought of it as which side is the waste on but more like clockwise or counterclockwise.  Because if you are cutting out a piece in the middle, wouldn't the waste be on the opposite side vs. when you are cutting the outside?  

Anyway, I go clockwise ususally.  I don't know why.  Certainly no thought-out reason like you have.  It just "feels" right.

**Off Topic**
Nice to know about that difference with the Ultra-reverse blades, FD Mike.  I got mine yesterday but have decided to use up the rest of my same-sized blades before I try them.  Won't take long.  I have been breaking No. 1 blades like crazy.  I *think* their small size has made me not tension them enough.  I remember Steve saying in a video or someplace that he broke more blades with not enough tension than with too much so I tried more tension last night and it seemed to help.  

[Barry]

Hey Thumbs -

I tend to cut counter clockwise, but I change up now and again.  It seems more comfortable to me.  I don't think it makes any difference, just a personal preference.

The ultra rev. FD are really good blades.  If I have a lot of straight cuts I will use them or the polar blades.  For most cuttings I use the FD-SR #3 or #5.
All the Flying Dutchman blades are good. ( Personal preference again

Barry

[dankc908]

I have the waste on the outside of the blade. 

[Russ C]

I cut mine different. I start off with the cuts in the middle (drilled holes). When I get to the outside of the pattern I cut the intricate areas first (even drilling holes if needed) so I have a larger area to hold on too. This also seems to give more support to the more fragile areas. Then I work my way around the rest of the pattern. So the waste can be on the right or left (inside or outside) of the blade. It really doesn't matter. That's just my way.  

[jim stiek]

I was taught to leave the waste to the right side of the blade as they tend to drift that way if you lose control but with the ultra reverse from Mike and the mach or pgt blades from olson that problem goes away for the most part, also using a dull blade causes more problems than the way someone cuts, blades get dull way before they break. learning the sound of a sharp blade versus a dull blade is on of the best lessons in scrolling in my opinion.

[ripchief]

I had to go out and cut something to see what I actually do...I think i put the waste on BOTH sides...It all depends...For the most part, I think I keep the waste to the left...In looking at the pattern lines, I think I have better luck letting the blade do its thing along the line, while I help "steer" it back out away from the area that's to be kept...If cutting with the waste to the right, I seem to have a tendency to leave a sliver of the waste attached to the "keep" area...I then need to go back and shave off a little...I can't always follow just one practice or the other...There are times that the configuration of the pattern dictates which one is best for the circumstances, such as cutting into a tight spot.

I also noticed that when cutting curves the direction of the cut affects the speed of the "spin" during the turn...Clockwise (actually pivoting the piece counterclockwise) = a faster required spin speed, while the opposite is true if cutting in the other direction.

[GrayBeard]

This reminds me of the poor ol' guy who had the long beard.
He was perfectly happy until someone asked, "Do yo sleep with your beard Under the covers or on Top of the covers?"
After that he never got a comfortable night's sleep for the rest of his life!!!!
He kept waking up to move his beard!

~~~GrayBEARD~~~

[dgman]

I teach my students to pick a side and learn to stay with that especially if they plan to do fret work. In cutting complex fret work patterns it can become confusing and you can lose your way. If you know that your waste is on this side of the blade you wont get lost.
I cut counter clockwise, that is the waste on the right of the blade.