My Personal Methods of Cutting Clean Turns on the Scroll Saw

In this video I try to demonstrate some of my methods to make clean sharp turns with the scroll saw. These are things that I do that I have developed from reading and watching videos and doing hundreds of projects over about ten years. I still make changes or add twists to what I do from time to time. These methods may not be the only way or even the best way but they are some of the way I do things right now. Each person should develop their own techniques over time with experience. I hope what I show in this video can help someone start their own path to their own methods.
Pattern Sources:
Steve Good (free)
scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/
www.stevedgood.com/catalog/in...
Sawshub (free)
sawshub.com/free-scroll-saw-p...
Northernester (free)
northernnester.com/free-scrol...
suncatcherstudio (free)
suncatcherstudio.com/patterns/
Winfieldcollection (paid)
www.thewinfieldcollection.com...
Bear woods (both)
www.bearwood.com/scroll-saw-p...
Sue Mey (both)
scrollsawartist.com/
Epic Saw Guy (free)
epicsawguy.com/free-scroll-sa...
Used Book Sites for scrollsaw pattern books (search for scroll saw books)
www.abebooks.com/
www.alibris.com/
Fox Chapel Publishing (books and magazines)
www.foxchapelpublishing.com/
Excellent thin hardwood vendor
ocoochhardwoods.com/
Also can buy thin hardwoods here
woodcraft.com/
Non affiliate links
Jeweler file set:
www.walmart.com/ip/Euro-Tool-...
mikesworkshop.com
www.seyco.com
Blades And Other Scroll Saw Items (non afilliate)
mikesworkshop.com/
www.seyco.com/

[@LizHoneysett]

I find your videos so easy to follow. Being a newbie to this hobby, I really appreciate your excellent and detailed teaching style. I find you inspiring.

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

Thank you very much. That is why I started this channel, hoping I could help at least one person. It is good to get positive feedback. Thanks again.

[@bernardmcmahon7434]

Thank you for the demonstration. I'm always looking for experience such as yourself to improve in this new hobby.

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sheilaegeland]

Thank you Sir: awesome tutorial video. Yes I'd like to see more tutorial Video's with a project possibly start to finish where I could follow along. I truly enjoy your scroll saw knowledge. Thanks again.

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

You are welcome, and thank you. I will approach the next projects with that in mind. I already have the next video ready but will take a more tutorial method in the next ones I film.

[@johnhassan2074]

Excellent You are the first to explain in a manner I understand how to make turns by ensuring the teeth face the waste material. If no waste then go slow!!

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

I am very pleased that my video helped you. Thanks for commenting

[@Jo-ix3qp]

Thank you I brand new at scroll sawing..so this is very helpful..

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

You are welcome. I am glad it helps and thanks for watching.

[@johnhassan2074]

Hello. I'm not sure what I can add to the positive feedback and comments. At 77 I've struggled at times with these turns ( eyesight not as sharp ) but you have provided excellent and easy to follow instructions. I'm going to watch a few more times, make some notes then PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!!!!

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

I am not real far behind you in age and I understand what you are saying about the eyes. Each year they seem to get a little weaker. I find myself using a magnifier headset more often. I am glad you find my instructions so helpful. I have had a couple of jobs that I had to train people and never felt like I did a good job. I have always had problems putting myself in a beginners level and assume that they know more than they do. My wife has called me out on that a few times so I have tried to relate information as if the viewer knows nothing. It feels good to think that I have done that and I hope it continues to help you. Thanks for watching and commenting, and always I am here to help if you have questions.

[@Blah-blah-sure]

Question: as a newbie. To do these cuts are pinless blades the obvious choice? As I tried recently to do some basics. And my saw. The Harbor Freight aka Central Machinery is setup for pinned blades. In which it seemed as if I was bending the blade, when cutting circles.

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

The cuts demonstrated in this video should apply to pinless and pinned blades. I use pinless blades almost always. Most of the projects I do require a small entry hole to cut the fretwork and a blade with pins will not fit through the hole. I am not sure how your blade seemed to be bending, I do have issues sometimes with the blade skewing out or not staying straight up and down when cutting very thick material and cutting a bowed out or in face on the finished cut surface, mostly on compound cuts, in other words not tracking top to bottom in the material. Blades with pins will limit you to internal cuts that are large enough to have a larger hole drilled in them. I mainly only use them on thick wood that I am breaking down into smaller pieces or cutting a very large project, and then I use a larger more aggressive blade, a number 9 or 12 .

[@Zayaara]

Amazing video, but I have a question. When I need to cut the 90 degree turn (waste inside) can I stop the machine while rotating fully, or will that break the blade?

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

I always have the machine going when rotating unless the blade is in a large hole. The blade can be caught in the cut and twisted or or broken.

[@Zayaara]

@@twinoakstreasures9032 Thank you so much

[@MsHeebiejeebies]

When going to do the circle at 10.47, how do stop the bottom blade from coming out. Thanks for a great video

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

Thank you for watching and asking. I am not sure what you are asking, at the 10:47 mark I am switching from a sharp point to demonstrate a circle and disconnecting the blade at the top arm to move to a new cutting spot. The blade stays connected to the bottom arm with another set screw like the one at the top and remains in place. I hope that answers the question for you if not respond and I will do my best to answer.

[@MsHeebiejeebies]

@@twinoakstreasures9032 thanks for your reply. I attend a women's woodworking as part of the mend shed. Just learnt the scroll saw and really like using it. To get the blade through the hole I have to loosen the tension on the blade, take the blade out and then put it through the hole. I then have to look down through the hole and try to get the bottom of the blade in place which is quite tricky. Then I snap the top blade in place. Tighten up blade. Seems a lot of fiddling around to get the blade in at the bottom and keep it in place

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

So what you are describing is known as top feeding. I am bottom feeding, meaning that I am feeding the blade through the bottom of the work and clamping off at the top arm. Scroll Saw Village has a You tube short that explains this kzbin.infowMo5o9CGVe4 It is a matter of personal preference and how each saw is set up. Mine is a very old saw and is difficult to work on the bottom connector so I have always been a bottom feeder. But one more part needing replacement and I will have to move up to a new saw. I may then prefer top feeding.

[@MsHeebiejeebies]

Thank you. Have watched the video

[@WbJones-ub4mx]

Can a extra light be attached to the saw

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

As many lights as you can find room for, I would recommend rear turn signals.

[@rogertyler3237]

I'm Trying To Cut A Heart Shaped Spoonrest Out Of Maple & It's Goes Kind've Slow. Should I Use Pine Or Birch Or Cherry?

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

Pine would be the easiest but soft and subject to dings and scratches. Given those choices of wood I would choose Cherry. It can have a nice look when finished. It is harder than Pine but softer than Birch.

[@wmarceloaraujo]

Qual a melhor velocidade? O que fazer para nao quebrar tanto as laminas? Obrigado!

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

I cut my projects with as high a speed that the circumstances allow. It is difficult, for me, to describe what speed is correct for any given cut. In thicker more dense woods I cut with the saw running slower so as not to heat up the blade and/or burn the wood. That differs between woods. I use speeds based on my experience and that is across a broad range of combinations and I still am learning. Experience is the only teacher I have found for this. I will start out slower and experiment with a little more speed as I move along. For me it is about the "feel". Having the blade tension too loose or too tight, and pushing the blade too hard, is the main cause of blade breaking, that and using blade for too long specially in a thick and/or dense wood. The blade should have a nice "musical note" sound when plucked at the correct tension. One book I read long ago said it should sound like the note C on the guitar. I have used my tuner to get the sound. Steve Good has a program that sounds that out: scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/, the download link in on the left side of the page a little ways down. That is a good place to start to get the tension correct. I did get a bad batch of blades once and some of them would break just trying to set the tension. I switched brands after that, but that is probably rare. I hope I have helped some. Comment back if you have any more questions.

[@wmarceloaraujo]

Essa dica do afinador é excelente também comprei laminas feitas na China que quebram muito fácil infelizmente no Brasil nao entramos essa variedade que vcs tem, agradeço a ajuda e as dicas valiosas, parabéns pelo canal.

[@therealsparkman]

Great video. I belong to a seniors wood shop in my community. We have two DeWalt DW788 scroll saws, and not being familiar with these tools, I am not sure what blades to use when using these machines. For example; I want to cut a zigzag pattern in a 3/4" walnut pen blank that I want to insert a strip to glue between the two sections cut, then repeat on all four sides. This will require me to cut into the piece on a 45 degree angle and not quite thru to the other side; then, turn 90 degrees and come back to the opposite side in a 1/2" distance and so on and so forth creating a zigzag cut and making two separate pieces. I want to make the cuts as acute and clean as possible without rounding each turn. Any information you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!!

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

I am sure everyone would have their own idea on how to do it and most of them would work. As I understand your description it appears that there will be no waste side on your cuts and no where to "turn" around or "spin around" with out cutting into the finished work. Walnut is a hard wood but not as hard to cut as some woods. I have had good success with walnut. The first thought for me is choice of blade. My go to blade is a number five. I used to use Flying Dutchman but have switched to Pegas. I use their modified geometry blades. I would shy away from a true reverse tooth in thicker and harder wood as the bottom teeth want to grab and lift up on the up stroke especially on the larger numbered blades with bigger teeth. But it could be cut with one. I would probably try to cut this with a number three Pegas blade very slowly and with careful turns running the machine as fast as I could and let it work slowly through the turns, but watching out for too much heat being generated. With a number three there is the chance of the blade not cutting straight up and down and leaving an uneven surface cut, flexing internally. With thicker woods I usually use a larger blade, 5 or 7 or even a 9 to keep the cut straight up and down. It will be a little harder to get a clean sharp cut with the larger blades but can be done. I would suggest practicing on some scrap wood to get the feel. When you get to a turn just pause and relax and let the blade eat at the material as you turn it slowly. I don't know if that helps but my advice is practice and try different blade sizes. A 5 is most likely to work but I believe a 3 would make a cleaner turn.

[@therealsparkman]

@@twinoakstreasures9032 Thanks for the feedback. I believe that I can at least give that a try and see how I fair out. I did try one scrap piece of wood, but I wasn't sure of the blade that I was using. Cheers!

[@dgperforms1]

Thanks man! You earned a new Sub!

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

Thank you

[@user-pn2wu9lh7u]

That bird why wouldn't it be better to cut the whole thing out before cutting the feathers out ?

[@twinoakstreasures9032]

That could be a matter of personal preference. I like to cut the veins as I go while the whole thing is still in the waste material. Mainly for two reasons. It gives you more material to hold and control the entire piece, better to manipulate, and easier to hold down if the blade grabs the material. I don't use the hold down that comes with the saw, for me it is in the way for me to see and to be able to film cuts. The second reason is that the feathers that the vein is outlining is less fragile with more material around it especially if the grain is going across the feather, the action of the blade can break it along the grain. In fact the whole project is more stable the more cuts you make with wood around it to support it, including the entire wing. You can cut the veins after the whole thing is cut and do ok, but I have broken a lot of small areas in projects by removing too much waste before I needed too. That is something that you have to see ahead of time so you can allow for it and I still sometimes put myself out on an "island" so to speak