Scroll Saw Blade Selection - Lesley's Patterns - Home of Flying Dutchman Reverse Tooth Scroll Saw Blades

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Scroll Saw Blade Selection
When you take up scroll sawing, it is not always easy to know which blade to use.

First - consider is what type of wood you are going to use, hard or soft wood?
Second - what thickness is the wood?
Third - what are you going to make? Just scroll sawing or more detail work with many inside cuts, which by the way is called "fretwork".

When doing just outside cutting, which no longer can be done by a band saw, it is called "scrolling".

Most companies use the following number system, from #3/0 (lowest) to #12 (highest). The lower the number -- the finer the blade.

For thin wood use the lower number blade and a slower feed rate. Remember, they break more often.
For thicker and harder wood, use the higher blade numbers.

The blades with less TPI (teeth per inch) will cut more aggressive. For example, a blade with 8 TPI cuts faster than a blade with 12 TPI, however there is more control with a blade that has 12 TPI.

Then there are the blades with reverse teeth. Some of the Flying Dutchman blades have reverse teeth. Blades with 12 reverse teeth will burn the wood more easily and do not clean the kerf as well as blades with fewer reverse teeth. They create friction and heat up the blade. Therefore you don't get the use out of the blades.

Some blades have double teeth, with and without reverse teeth. Some folks prefer them over the single teeth blades. You might have a little more control.

Next we have the straight teeth blades. Most of them are called skip-tooth blades. Here again it is up to your individual scrolling style and what you get used to. These blades will leave enough fuzz on the bottom so that you will have to sand it off. They might follow the line easier while sawing. They clean the kerf very good and therefore less chance of burning. The blades with two teeth down and one up are maybe the best for splinter free cutting and might be one of the best to use with plastic but you should use 2" clear packaging tape over the pattern for burn-free cutting and so that the plastic does not melt back together.

Everything depends on the level of experience and what project you are making. Also, it depends if you do any stack-cutting.

The best way is to experiment with some different blades. When working on a project you might start with a #3 FD-SR and find that a #5 or #7 might do a good job for you. The higher the number the less breakage you will have.

FLYING DUTCHMAN blades are made from very high quality steel. Some blades are even made of hardened steel. FD-SR is comparable to PGT blades but are finer and don't burn as fast and therefore will last longer.

We have used many blades from many sources and manufacturers over the years. Flying Dutchman blades are absolutely the finest blades available. They are purchased in bulk from the manufacturer in Germany and the savings are passed on to you, the customer. Choose from many popular sizes. All our blades are 5 inches long and Pinless.