Scroll Saw Blade Squaring
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- I've noticed a lot of new scrollers visiting the channels these days and I thought it would be a good opportunity to demonstrate how to square the blade on your scroll saw and test it for squareness. I hope you enjoy today's episodes.
If you haven't already, please consider liking and subscribing to the channel and while you are at it, why not click the bell so that you won't miss future notifications of the show. As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to tun in to the channel and check out today's show. I truly appreciate it.
Thank you for this. Beginning scroll sawer here and have really enjoyed your scroll saw videos. My father gave me the love of woodworking and my first lessons of scrolling but I appreciate your dedication to teaching the next generation of scrollers.
Glad that you liked the show and are enjoying the other videos Andy. Good luck with your woodworking and scrolling. If you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for tuning in.
Great job and thank you. I am always impressed about what I learn and take away from your videos. Unfortunately back in 1980 my school system cut the budget and eliminated wood shop, metal shop and home economics. Our newer generations have not had the introduction to the industrial arts. I am very happy that you are here and just like spackle, you are filling a needed void. Your a great teacher and although we have never met, I feel like I'm learning from a friend. Thanks again Kenny and if you ever have some extra energy to bottle and sell...I'll be first in line. lol
Thanks for the kind words Sam. I truly appreciate it. The industrial arts program (including home economics and wood shop) were all taken out of the school programs here as well. It's a shame really because it has produced a generation that has no idea how to cook, sew, use a hammer, fix something or create something. It's all about the electronics and everyone wants it made or finished yesterday. No one wants to invest time to make something or better themselves. It's a sad state of affairs. I'm glad that you are enjoying the show and that you are able to take something positive away from it. I try my best to provide an entertaining and educational experience in my show and it's comments like yours that tell me that on some levels, I am succeeding. Thanks for tuning in to the show and for the kind words. I don't think I've ever been referred to as sparkle before. I'll take it as a compliment. LOL.
First to comment, I remember many years ago when young I had a old delta or some sort of crude pin style scroll saw. It even had a sander on the side of it. I have a scroll saw now, and use in model building and cutting jig saw puzzles and other pictures and of the sort. Cheers
By far, the most relaxing form of woodworking there is. Glad to hear that you continued scrolling through the years. Thanks for tuning in this week.
Useful reminder Kenny !
Not checked mine for a while, thanks 🤦♂️
It's an easy thing to forget to do. It never hurts to place a square against the blade before each cutting session, just to be sure. Thanks for tuning in and for the kind words on the show.
Thanks for reminding me to do this again! You still dazzle me with your prowess on the scroll saw, and your ability to flawlessly follow tight radius reverse curves FAST!
Thanks for the kind words Tom. I truly appreciate it. Good luck with your scrolling and thanks for tuning in to the show.
Excellent video! Having accurately tuned equipment is one of the keys to a good outcome! Thanks!
Couldn't agree more Bill. Incorrectly tuned machinery does nothing other than pass those inaccuracies on to your work, creating frustration and aggravation. Thanks for tuning in and for chiming in with your views. It's appreciated.
You have presented the scroll saw in a new light to me. A buddy of mine’s dad gave me one and I figured ehhh I’ll pull it out every once and a while and putz around on it. Now I plan on making that scroll saw an important part of my shop
You would be amazed at how many uses you would have for the scroll saw if you just thought about it Randy. There are very few projects that I make where the scroll saw isn't used. It's a workshop work horse. Thanks for tuning in and good luck with your scroll saw use.
Some great points Kenny ….. Taking the time to properly set up any tool should always be the first step of any project. Fell behind on keeping up with your videos due to family issues, glad to be able to catch up again 🤠
I hope you were able to resolve those issues Randy. Glad to have you back in the viewing audience. Thanks for tuning in and for the kind words.
Great video very useful
Glad that you liked it Mark. Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks for sharing
You're very welcome Phillip. Thanks for tuning in.
Kenny, good information for anyone that uses a scroll saw. Hate to admit this but figuring the blade was square has bitten me more than once over the years….lol.
You and me both Paul which just illustrates that no matter how much experience we have, at some point we all become complacent. Thanks for tuning in and taking the time to leave your comment. It's appreciated.
Great Video Kenny. Firstly though before you do all that you have to make sure the square that you use is actually square, it's amazing how many not square squares there are out there, and if the square that you use isn't square, then your blade is off square. (that's alot of squares there ha ha ha)
Stay Safe,
Barry (ENG)
I agree with you Barry. With all the "knock off" tools and cheap replicas, the accuracy of some of these hand tools just isn't there. It never hurts to check you square for square. Thanks for tuning in to the show.
Very good video Kenny, I can not say if I have ever checked my scroll saw blade for square. Table saw yes every time it.😁🛫
For as many times as you check your table saw for squareness before making a cut, you should be also checking the scroll saw for the same reasons. It never hurts to verify your equipment's accuracy and it only takes a couple of seconds to check on a scroll saw. Thanks for tuning in.
Very good video Kenny! Very good points and a good reminder for all of us. I even make it a habit to give a quick check when I have to change a blade during a project.. I don't know if I really need to, but I do it anyway. I had the screw in the top jaw become a little out of alignment once, so I just do it. Oh! Your last show was great! The excavator was really something. I enjoyed the series! Take care!
Thanks for the kind words on the excavator series Michael. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. It never hurts to check the blade for square and having a habit of checking after a blade change is just fine. Better to have a habit of checking too much than not enough. Thanks for tuning in and for chiming in with your procedures and habits. It's appreciated.
Good point about tension. A square blade can still cause the "puzzle misfit" situation if the workpiece is forced against a poorly tensioned blade, causing the blade to bow. Another neat tool for squaring the blade is the acrylic alignment block sold by PS Woods. It is a thick transparent protractor held behind the blade. It is a great addition for 10 bucks.
That does sound like a great addition to the scroll saw Ronald. A great way to verify or set your table angles as well. Thanks for tuning in and for chiming in with your suggestion. It is very much appreciated.
Excellent thank you. May I add double check that your table is square as mine has an angular adjustment that I found was not on dead centre.
Never hurts to check that as well Peter. Thanks for tuning in and for taking the time to chime in with your suggestion.
Great video! How about one for someone who's just starting to use a router? 😬
Thanks for the kind words Johnnie. If you go to my channel's main page and search for "router" you will find 23 videos relating to the router. Some are beginner videos such as the router buyers guide and others are things like shop made circle cutting jig and that sort of thing. I hope this helps. If there is ever a specific video topic that you would like to see covered, I am always open to suggestions. Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks! How about the North/South squareness?
North / south squareness or the squareness front to back is normally not something that we worry about Steve. The scroll saw's arms move up and down from a pivot point at the opposite end to the blade. This causes the blade to essential move in a large arc and depending on what position the arms of the saw are in, the blade can be out of square by various degrees. This is why it is important to slow down when coming to an end of a cut to ensure the the furthest extension of the blade is doing the cutting and we are not cutting beyond our pattern lines. This front to back movement is adjustable, but it will never be illuminated due to the design of the machine. Adjusting and reducing this front to back movement involves taking the saw apart and adjusting the internal rods of the upper control arm. Cheaper saws will not have this adjustment. Most manufacturers don't even mention the adjustment because it is so finicky and time consuming. I have done it and I can tell you it took hours and hours to get a minute adjustment. In 99% of the cases, it isn't worth the effort as the result is rarely noticed. About the only thing you can do is make sure that your blade is fully seated at the rear of the blade retainers. I hope this helps. Thanks for tuning in to the show.
I've been looking for an affordable small square for some time to no avail. I think I will just use a pc of hardwood cut to the proper height.
As long as the block of wood is cut squarely, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Thanks for tuning in to the show.
I've had a problem recently with my blade not being square front to back.
Front to back is normally not something that we worry about Mark. The scroll saw's arms move up and down from a pivot point at the opposite end to the blade. This causes the blade to essential move in a large arc and depending on what position the arms of the saw are in, the blade can be out of square by various degrees. This is why it is important to slow down when coming to an end of a cut to ensure the the furthest extension of the blade is doing the cutting and we are not cutting beyond our pattern lines. This front to back movement is adjustable, but it will never be illuminated due to the design of the machine. Adjusting and reducing this front to back movement involves taking the saw apart and adjusting the internal rods of the upper control arm. Cheaper saws will not have this adjustment. Most manufacturers don't even mention the adjustment because it is so finicky and time consuming. I have done it and I can tell you it took hours and hours to get a minute adjustment. In 99% of the cases, it isn't worth the effort as the result is rarely noticed. About the only thing you can do is make sure that your blade is fully seated at the rear of the blade retainers. I hope this helps. Thanks for tuning in to the show.
Hi Kenny, thanks for this reminder video.
Could you show on your scrollsaw how to adjust the arm to lift it easily like yours?
For mine I have to use both hands and it's still very hard to lift. (Can't find my manual 🥴)
I can most definitely produce a show on this subject Gundi but I fear that by the time it airs, it won't be much use to you. Here's a link to the manual. You will find the arm raising adjustment procedure on page 18 of the manual. generaltoolsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/EX-16_21_30_ENG_R2.pdf
I have mine completely loosened off because I have no desire to have it stay raised on its own. I prefer to be able to lift it freely and lower it freely as I wish instead of relying on a tension mechanism to hold it in the air but that's just my preference. I hope this helps you. Thanks for tuning in to the show.
@@acutabove_woodworkings you are the best! Thank you so much 🤗
@@gundi8343 You're very welcome. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I can square the blade but the table level is not in the bubble level or at 90 on electronic level. My blade looked out of square just as yours look but cant get level table and squared blade?
The table does not need to be level Jerry. When you are squaring the blade, you are making the blades at 90 degrees to your table. As long as the relationship between the blade and the table is 90 degrees, then you will get square cuts. If you are using a bubble level and your table is not level, as long as your blade is 90 degrees to you out of level table, you will be fine. I hope this helps. Thanks for tuning in.
That is the objective a 90 degree blade and thanks i will just have a unleveled scroll table. I have a Ryobi 16" saw is probably why i cant have a level table and a 90 degree blade, I don't know if this is a option of adjustment on a 400$ scroll saw. The engineering of this could had designed a tweak of the blade that could get a table and blade in unison but as you say it doesn't matter but just bugs me. lol
@@jerryjohnson2270 Keep in mind, that if your saw's table is not level according to the bubble level, that means that the surface that the saw is sitting on is not level. If it is that important to you to have a level table, then make sure the surface you are mounting your saw to is perfectly level. metal shims between the gussets of the saw and the table can help make minor adjustments if there are any discrepancies but in general, there is no adjustment for table level, only blade squareness. The reason that they don't move in unison is that you are not always cutting at 90 degrees and sometimes a chamfered or angled cut is preferred for a certain project. I worked on a 16" Ryobi for many years and it was one of my first starter saws. While it isn't the smoothest running machine available, it will still serve you well. I hope this helps.
@@acutabove_woodworkings Yes thanks, the tables I'm using are lab tables- metal framed and adjustable to complete leveling. Im off 1/64th on bottom of blade squared to table if saw table is level. If i could adjust the bottom attachment of blade or top i could correct that then I would have a leveled table and a squared blade and a very accurate cut and adjust the table to match all angles or flat. I just have a table that will be 1/64th out and a 90 degree blade.