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Spiral scroll saw blades

I only recently started using spiral blades myself. A few things will determine a resulting opinion.

I have a +20 yr old Ryobi saw with the set screw to clamp the blade ends. So I don’t expect miracles from the saw as a tool is only as good as the person using it. First is blade quality.

I started out using the only available blades at the local store, Vermont brand. If that was the only brand I could get I would not use spiral blades. I was breaking blades every 5 minutes it seemed.

So I ordered online from two different companies, both Olson and Pegasus. The Pegasus blades came first so I tried them first. Huge difference in blade quality led to huge difference in experience in cutting. I cut out small maps from recycled pallet wood. So lots of twists and turns for the map coastlines, and the unknown wood types in the pallet wood makes it a guessing game with each piece.

The Olson brand blades eventually showed up and they are just as good if not a bit better than the Pegasus brand. Spiral cutting requires patience, and the knowledge that after 10-15 min of cutting that part of the blade will start to dull so its time to move up the blade. I just use a piece of 3/4″ plywood to do that.

And I discovered the saw has a sweet spot in that the closer to the top part of the blade I get, the better and long laster cutting I can do. So with some quality blades, patience and a little bit of experimenting, the spiral experience can be worthwhile. It will open up a whole new area of scroll saw cutting.

A Newfoundland born Canadian with a life long interest in woodworking, baking and anything else that peaks my curiosity.

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