OPERATIONS
-17-
Important issues regarding blade perfor-
mance:
• Scroll saw blades wear out and must be
replaced frequently. Typically a blade will
stay sharp anywhere from
1
⁄2 to 2 hours
depending on how the blade is used and
what type of material is being cut.
• Best cutting results will be achieved when
cutting material less than 1" thick.
• When cutting material thicker than 1", use a
very slow feed rate.
• Blades will become dull quickly whenever
making cuts in plywood, hardwoods, and
laminates.
• Exerting excessive side pressure on the
blade greatly increases the chance of blade
breakage.
Teeth Per Inch Width Thickness Strokes-Per-Minute Material Being Cut
10 0.110" 0.020" 1200-1600 General purpose blade for cutting hard
and soft woods between
3
⁄16" and 2".
Also good for plastics, paper, felt, and
bone.
15 0.110" 0.020" 600-1200 Good for cutting very thin wood and
plastic between
3
⁄32" and
1
⁄2".
18 0.095" 0.010" 400-600 Good for tight radius cutting in thin
hard and soft woods between
3
⁄32" and
1
⁄8". Also good for veneer, bone, ivory,
and plastics
To change the blade speed:
The blade speed is variable between 400 and
1600 strokes-per-minute (SPM). Blade speed
adjustments are made using the variable speed
/power knob (Figure 11)on the front of the
scroll saw.
Figure 11. Variable speed/power knob.
Blade Selection Table
Blade SpeedBlade Information