Scroll saw blades are available in a variety of materials, sizes, and shapes. Knowing the What Scroll Saw Blade To Use? difference between the types of scroll saw blades allows you to choose which ones would be best suited to your particular project.
Scroll saw blades have three basic parts: the body, the toe, and the pin. The body is simply that – it’s long and thin. It can be either flat or round, depending on the type of blade you’re purchasing.
The toe has a hook-like appearance and is used for cutting curves into wood or metal. The toe must always point away from the material being cut so that it cuts outwards from where you want your pattern to go rather than inward towards where you don’t want it to go.
Lastly, there’s the pin. It runs through the body of the blade and attaches it to whatever type of saw you choose to use, be it a scroll saw or jigsaw.Read more here How a scroll saw work.
How to Use Scroll Saw Blade
- The type of scroll saw blade to use depends on the material you’re cutting.
- Bi-metal blades are harder than HSS blades and can cut through metal, but they need more frequent sharpening.
- HSS blades last longer but won’t cut as hard materials as well as bi-metal ones.
- High carbon steel is similar to high-speed steel in that it holds its edge for a long time but will be slightly more difficult to use when cutting because there is no chromium contained within it. This means it has to be sharpened frequently with normal sandpaper or any other kind of abrasive surface.
What’s The Best Scroll Saw Blade?
Scroll saw blades are available in two main varieties: bi-metal and high-speed steel (HSS). Bi-metal blades consist mainly of high carbon steel with some chromium added in order to make them hold their edges longer during cutting. Read more here How to change the blade on a craftsman scroll saw.
These types of blades can cut harder materials such as metals but will need replacing more often due to material wear from the harder cuts. They also require oiling before use, especially when used on metal because you don’t want any friction that might cause a spark that could set off a fire.
HSS blades are made from ordinary high-speed steel and can cut through a variety of softer metals, plastics, and wood. HSS blades last much longer than bi-metal ones because they’re designed to require less sharpening after use. Like bi-metal blades, they need oiling before and during operation in order to reduce friction and prevent sparks that could cause fires. They also need cleaning after using them in order to remove metal shavings so that there is nothing left on the blade when you reinsert it into your saw.
However, even with all these precautions taken, both types of scroll saw blades eventually become duller than they were new so here is what you should do if this happens:
Features
- Scroll saw blades are available in a variety of materials, sizes, and shapes.
- Knowing the difference between the types of scroll saw blades allows you to choose which ones would be best suited to your particular project.
- Scroll saw blades have three basic parts: the body, the toe, and the pin.
- The body is simply that – it’s long and thin. It can be either flat or round, depending on the type of blade you’re purchasing.
- The toe has a hook-like appearance and is used for cutting curves into wood or metal.
- Lastly, there’s the pin. It runs through the body of the blade and attaches it to whatever type of saw you choose to use, be it a scroll saw or jigsaw.
- Scroll saw blades are available in two main varieties: bi-metal and high-speed steel (HSS).
- Bi-metal blades consist mainly of high carbon steel with some chromium added in order to make them hold their edges longer during cutting.
- HSS blades are made from ordinary high-speed steel and can cut through a variety of softer metals, plastics, and wood.
How To Change Scroll Saw Blade
- How To Sharpen Scroll Saw Blade When changing your scroll saw blade, make sure your machine is turned off and unplugged.
- To remove an existing blade, look for the open hook on your saw’s upper arm. This is where you’ll insert the new blade pins before tightening them down with a screwdriver.
- If you’re using a pinless model, make sure your thumbsticks out and pushes against the blade release before inserting it into this hole and pushing the tool towards the front of your saw until it locks in place. If you’re using a pinned model, simply push down on an old-fashioned spring clamp to loosen up the tension on your blade enough to get it out of its holding slot. You can then follow these same instructions whichever way you prefer to get rid of that old blade and replace it with a new one.
- How To Clean Scroll Saw Blade When you’re finished using your scroll saw, remove the blade and wipe it clean with a soft rag dampened in mineral oil.
- If you’re using an HSS blade, apply some more oil to the surface of the steel while it is still warm from use. Use regular canola or olive oil rather than WD-40 which may cause problems when the blade gets hot during cutting. Read more here How to cut Scroll with Reciprocating saw.
Advantages
- Tension is easily adjustable on pinned blades, but weak tension may cause the blade to buckle and break.
- Fast cutting action for thin materials with minimal scoring of the material surface.
- High wear resistance makes this blade suitable for cutting metals up to 30 gauge or 1/32″ thick.
- Good resistance to rusting, bending, warping, and splintering.
Disadvantages
- Bi-metal blades are more expensive than HSS blades.
- Lower cutting speeds may be needed to prolong blade life and reduce overheating of material being cut.
Conclusion
High-speed steel blades are very thin and flexible with a variety of point angles. They tend to cut slower than bi-metal blades but provide good service in cutting nonferrous metals, wood, plastics, fiberglass, cork, rubber, gasket materials, etc.
Bi-metal blades are thicker than HSS blades and stiffer so they can be used on hardwood or plastic without breaking the blade. These blades have high wear resistance and outstanding impact resistance for increased tool life so they can be used extensively on metal up to 1/8″ thick.
