For the less experienced, learning how to change a blade in a scroll saw is quite an important skill. This step by step guide should provide any scroll saw user with a general understanding of what steps are involved in either changing or installing a scroll saw blade. The process is typically quite straightforward and uncomplicated, but people who don’t have experience tend to make many mistakes that can be avoided. If you are contemplating purchasing a scroll saw, you should take some time to read this article and follow the basic steps outlined here. With these helpful tips, you will be on your way to more woodworking success.
When you start to assemble your scroll saw, you should always start with a good set of shop-grade blade suspension wires. Blade suspension wires allow the blade to be properly balanced while it remains attached to the work piece. Without good suspension wires, your saw will clunk and bump when it runs over a bump or corner, which can damage the work piece and the face of the blade. In addition, improper blade suspension can cause the teeth to jam against each other, causing a less than ideal cut.
If you have purchased new scroll saws recently, you may find that the previous owners used fiberglass or carbon steel instead of aluminum oxide. Although these materials are usually excellent at repelling moisture, they are too dense to support the weight of a heavy-duty scroll saw. Carbon steel, on the other hand, is readily saturated with moisture. If you don’t want to run the risk of damaging your scroll saw project, you should try switching to a different material. Aluminum oxide or magnesium oxide blades can also support a good amount of weight. Of course, there are other considerations for scroll saw projects; but for now, we’ll just stick with lightweight options.
You also need to think about the overall construction of your scroll saw pattern. The materials on the outer surface should all be coated with anti-rust paint. The more layers of paint you have, the better. But this step doesn’t apply to saw teeth, which should be completely covered with fiberglass or acrylics.
Another important consideration is how you’re going to fasten your toothpicks. Most strollers today come with built-in stainless steel pins or cable assemblies, which can be pushed through the teeth of the toothpick. If you have a cable assembly with fewer teeth, you can use Brad nails or stainless steel washers to secure them.
However, if you’re using standard blades, it’s pretty much impossible to fasten the toothpick to the teeth without some sort of fastening device, such as brass screws or wood shims. Some of the older standard blades had small “pegs” in their center. You could screw them in or use wood shims to slide them in. This method still works, but is far less secure.
If your patterns are printed on paper with lots of different types of ink, you might want to consider different types of paper for your supplier. Many manufacturers make paper specifically for scroll saw patterns. It might be more expensive than the regular paper you’ve used before, but it will protect your patterns from erasing due to direct light. Also, you might want to get a different type of paper for the supplier, so they have some kind of assurance that you will actually use their products. This would probably include having a different color (or shade) of ink on the patterns.
How to change a blade in a scroll saw can be done if the manufacturer has provided the proper fasteners, the right blade types, and a good lighting fixture. It just takes a little bit of time and a little bit of effort. But what you save will be more than made up for by the time and energy you save! In addition, you won’t have to be concerned with any blade types eroding over time due to direct sunlight.