Scroll saws - How to find the right saw blade
The range of saw blades for fretsaws and scroll saws is not infinite, but it is very confusing. It is almost impossible to find the best saw blade from this wide range. We will give you tips on how to choose the right saw blade for you and your projects.
Which is the best scroll saw blade?
The best saw blade is the one that you get on with best and with which you can saw the cleanest cuts. Some people like very fine saw blades so that they can saw tight radii with very clean cutting edges. Others, on the other hand, find such saw blades too sensitive and, as they tear quickly, prefer to use coarser scroll saw blades for faster cuts. If you compare the results, you can hardly see any difference in most cases.
How can you find the right scroll saw blade?
To find the right scroll saw blade for you and your projects, you should define the following four criteria:
- Which saw blades will fit your scroll saw?
- Which material in which material thickness will be processed?
- Which projects do you want to realise with the saw blade?
- Which saw blade do you feel comfortable with?
Which saw blades fit in your scroll saw?
There are two different ways in which saw blades are clamped in scroll saws. On simple machines, the saw blades are often held in place by two pins, which are attached transversely at their ends. This has the advantage that the saw blades can be changed quite easily when the arm of the scroll saw or the saw blade is unclamped. These retaining pins can also be found on thicker saw blades (e.g. for long, straight cuts or for metal) (example: Pégas wide-tooth fretsaw blades). On other saws, the saw blades are clamped between two jaws.
Saw blade with pins for clamping at the ends.
Although this is a little more complicated when changing the saw blade, the saw blades can be made very thin without pins. This is an advantage if you want to cut very tight radii and for internal cut-outs where the saw blade is threaded through a small hole in the workpiece. For saws with pin holders, there are usually suitable adapters for clamping saw blades without pins. In addition to the fastening method, the saw blade must also be the right length for the clamping width of your machine. Lengths between 130 and 165 mm are common.
Which material is processed in which material thickness?
Most manufacturers offer scroll saw blades for wood or metal (non-ferrous and ferrous metals, not steel). The range of saw blades for metal is usually well organised. The range of wood saw blades is much larger. The choice of tooth shape or toothing depends on the choice of material (hardwood or softwood) and the planned material thickness. Combinations of the tooth shapes listed below mean that there are suitable saw blades for a wide variety of applications. Here is an overview of the most important toothings:
Regular saw blades with universal toothing for a wide range of applications.
Skip The slightly larger tooth space ensures faster chip removal. This enables faster cuts and greater material thicknesses in medium to hard woods.
Super Skip and Super Hook have an even larger tooth spacing to increase the cutting speed. The "Super Hook" saw blades are intended in particular for thicker materials and are therefore only available from size no. 11 to 16.
Double skip The toothing with wide spacing (similar to "skip") is additionally interrupted after each pair of teeth. This ensures better removal of the often resinous shavings and reduces heat development, especially with soft woods.
Reverse literally means "upside down, backwards". This is exactly what the toothing in the lower part of these saw blades does - the saw teeth are reversed and cut during the upward movement. This significantly reduces tear-outs on the underside of the workpiece. An example of reverse toothing are the "MGT" saw blades.
MGT stands for Modified Geometry Tooth. It combines reverse toothing with a very wide tooth spacing and a modified tooth shape. The aim is to achieve a very smooth cutting surface with high cutting performance.
Spiral These saw blades are twisted in their longitudinal axis and have saw teeth all round, allowing them to cut in any direction. Advantage: they cut in all directions without having to turn the workpiece. This makes it possible to process large workpieces that would not fit through the longitudinal passage of the scroll saw in the normal cutting direction. Disadvantage: they saw in all directions without the workpiece having to be rotated. It is therefore difficult to achieve a straight or precise saw cut. In addition, the saw cut is always wider than with a standard saw blade of the same number (e.g. no. 1 corresponds to approx. 0.3 mm for "standard" and approx. 0.9 mm for "spiral").
Progressive stands for gradually increasing toothing (tooth size and tooth spacing). This makes it easier to position the saw when working with the fretsaw. You will find detailed information on the toothing and area of application for most manufacturers in the description on the packaging or in our DICTUM online shop. This information should be understood as a guideline and recommendation.
What projects do you want to realise with the saw blade?
Scroll saw blades with the same toothing are offered in different sizes from no. 2/0 to 16 for different tasks. This subdivision is not standardised, so that some manufacturers only subdivide into sizes 0 to 7. In general, the smaller the number, the thinner the saw blade.
The size of the scroll saw blade depends on how tight the radii are that you want to saw out. For long, straight saw cuts, choose the widest possible saw blade (no. 8 and larger). Blades in sizes 4 to 7 are suitable for tight radii and sizes 2/0 to 3 for detailed work with very tight radii.
Fine scroll saw blades are well suited for internal cut-outs with tight radii.
Which saw blade do you feel comfortable with?
To find out, there is no other way than to try it out! Based on the criteria mentioned above, select a saw blade type that could suit your project according to the description. First take a medium size saw blade (4 to 7) and try it out. If the saw cut is too rough, you can switch to a smaller saw blade of the same type. If the saw blade tears very often, you can switch to a stronger blade of the same type if necessary. In the beginning, you will have to "test" different saw blades to gain your own experience. Perhaps you will also start your own personal test series? Then you will know which saw blades you prefer for standard tasks and which you can use for special tasks.
