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THE SCROLL SAW
Bryn Lewin
EDCT 400
November 21st 2013
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
 Lesson Plan
Page 3
 Handouts
Page 4-5
 Safety Rules
Page 6
 Machine Diagram & History
Page 7
 Scroll Saw Facts
Page 8
 Project Examples
Page 9-11
 Safety Test
Page 12-14
 Answer Sheet
Page 15
 Reference Page
Page 16
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Sroll Saw Lesson Plan:
Prior to Lesson:
- Cut out and glue demo pattern onto a piece of wood. Also Drill hole for interior cut and
exterior cuts.
Introduction:
- Discuss Basic Safety of Scroll Saw
- Glasses, Hair, Jewellery, Loose Clothing , workspace clean ect…
- When deemed ready (Engage audience by asking questions), continue with
lesson
Machine operation:
- Discuss Basic parts of Scroll Saw
- Start by unplugging the machine (Important when ever doing scroll saw setups.)
- Show parts, Table, hold down foot, blade, Blade clamp, speed dial and blade
tensoner
- Show students how to take off blade (Release tension!)
- Discuss Different blade types: Pass out blade sheet and blade from machine.
- Ask a student what type of blade we are going to use today.
-Ask students what might be some factors that will help in blade selection. Discuss the
following factors:
-Material thickness—Thicker materials require bigger blades.
-Material hardness—Harder substances require larger teeth and/or a different blade
-Complexity—A very complex pattern will require a blade with small teeth.
- Always use the largest size blade you still get the desired results you want.
- Get blade back and install bottom blade clamp. (Snug) Talk about teeth direction
when installing blades
- Get demo wood and briefly discuss how to put the pattern on the wood.
Importance of drilling holes and sanding back of the drill holes.
- Insert wood and discuss top or bottom loading of blade.
- Properly tension up the blade by ‘Playing the guitar’ on the back of the blade.
Demo:
- Discuss how to cut inside cuts. Want a speed that cuts smoothly and that you can easily
manipulate. Don’t push the wood, let blade cut. Let the blade catch up to corners. Don’t turn too
sharp
- Do a final check on the machine, Blade teeth going right direction, tension is set right,
and speed is about where you want, wood is not touching blade, blower is in a good position
.
-Plug in and begin cutting
- Discuss the importance of hand position and downward pressure
- Also discuss not grabbing the cut pieces. Turn off machine first and pull out the pieces.
- After a short demo final questions will be asked and answered before the lesson
completion.
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Scroll Saw Blade Types:
1. Standard Tooth Blades
The teeth are all the same size and distance apart on standard tooth blades. There are two major
kinds: wood blades and metal blades. The wood blades have larger teeth and more space between
the teeth. They are designed to clear the sawdust as you cut. The metal blades have much smaller
teeth and less space between teeth. I find these a bit noisy.
2. Skip-tooth Blades
These blades are similar to the standard tooth blades, but every other tooth is missing. The space
(gullet) between teeth is much wider and keeps the blade cooler. Personally, I like these for most
work. They are especially good for beginning scrollers.
3. Double-tooth Blades
This blade is a skip-tooth blade with a large space between sets of two teeth. These blades cut
slightly slower but leave a very smooth cut.
4. Reverse Skip-tooth Blades
This blade is exactly like the regular skip- tooth blade, except the last few bottom teeth point
upward. This is great for preventing tear- out or splintering on the bottom of the cut and for use
with plywood.
When using a reverse skip-tooth blade you must set the blade in the clamps so that only two or
three teeth are pointing up above the table top when the saw arm is in its highest position. You
may have to trim a little from the bottom of the blade to accomplish this.
5. Precision-ground Blades
These blades are actually a skip-tooth blade with small teeth that have been ground to shape
rather than simply filed. These blades are much sharper, cut in a straight line and leave a very
smooth surface. Personally, I find they are great blades but very aggressive and unforgiving. I do
not recommend them for the beginner.
6. Spiral Blades
These blades are simply a group of blades twisted together so there are teeth all the way around.
You can cut in all directions without turning the wood. There are a few applications for this kind
of blade, but they leave a very rough, wide surface, cannot make a tight or sharp corner and have
a tendency to stretch as you use them. I do not recommend these blades except for special
applications.
7. Crown-tooth Blades
This is a totally new design in scroll saw blades. The teeth are shaped like a crown with a space
between each crown. The nice part is that the blade can be put in either way, so there is no upside
down with these blades. I find they cut a little slower than a regular blade, but they are good for
cutting plastic or Plexiglas®. When the blade dulls you can reverse ends and have a sharp blade
again.
For Beginning Scrollers
To eliminate all confusion about blades and for all projects in this book, only standard skip tooth
blades will be recommended. Purchase a few dozen each of #3 and #5 skip-tooth blades and a
dozen crown-tooth blades. (Adapted From Choosing scroll saw blades, 2013).
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Scroll Saw Safety Rules:
1. Wear eye protection at all times when using the scroll saw.
2. Keep your work area clean and uncluttered.
3. Select the correct speed and type of blade for the work you are doing.
4. Install the blade with the teeth pointing downward.
5. Make all adjustments only when the machine is turned off and unplugged from the power
source. Adjust the blade tension before starting the saw.
6. Never cut boards with nails, staples, or foreign materials.
7. Adjust the hold down foot so it presses lightly on the surface of the wood you are
cutting. This keeps your wood from vibrating.
8. Have the teacher check your setup before turning on the scroll saw.
9. Cut just slightly to the scrap side of your line of cut.
10. The wood must NOT be in contact with the blade when you turn the machine on.
11. Keep your hands, fingers, and body parts well out of the way of the blade. Never have
your hand or fingers in the line of cut.
12. Turn the machine off before attempting to remove cut pieces. Never attempt to remove
anything near the blade while it is moving.
13. Never cut round stock without the proper holding device (jig) to keep it from rolling
unintentionally.
14. If the blade breaks, turn off the machine and notify the instructor. The old blade will be
carefully removed and a new one will be properly installed.
15. Give the blade time to do its job. The teeth are small and you must feed your work
slowly so you don’t break the blade. Don’t force your wood into the blade. This is
especially true if you are cutting a radius or circle. Don’t turn too sharp.
16. To back out of a cut, turn off the saw. Slowly and gently move the board to get it off of
the blade.
17. Be cautious when gently blowing sawdust away so that you can see the line of cut.
(Adapted from :Swasey, n.d).
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Scroll Saw Diagram:
(Scroll Saw Diagram, n.d)
Scroll Saw History and Interesting Facts:
The first type of ‘scroll saw’ is believed to be developed in London in 1829 (Ryan, 2010).
Its inventor, Mr. M’Duff, could demonstrate how the thin blade could cut out intricate wooden
patterns that were previously completed with hand tools. Early designs of scroll saws involved a
reciprocating blade being held by string. Scroll saws were originally used during the Victorian
period to cut out decorative pieces for the house or inside the home. Various improvements were
made to the scroll saw during its development. Some of these include adding hand cranks, foot
pedals and eventually power driven motors. During the 1920’s the term scroll saw was widely
used by manufactures and the modern style of scroll saws began to emerge (Ryan, 2010).
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Modern Scroll Saws have devolved blowers, lights and even table adjustments to their
designs. This means that some scroll saws are able to cut at an angle by either adjusting their
table or blade to the desired angle. This type of cutting is rare, but can be used to produce
wooden bowls like the one below. This cool project can be completed with any scroll saw with a
tilting table/blade. (Rothman, 2013).
http://www.woodworking.com/ww/Article/How-to-Make-a-Scroll-Sawn-Flared-Bowl-8490.aspx
http://stusshed.com/tag/scrollsaw/
A major advantage to scroll saws is how easily they can make intricate cuts in their
projects. This is why it is used to cut out puzzles, patterns and ornaments. It is also a fairly
simple machine to operate. It does take a while to get fully competent when completing very
complex patterns. Turning corners and making smooth transitions will take some time to master
on the scroll saw. A disadvantage to using the scroll saw is the width of wood that this machine
can cut. Most scroll saws recommend that wood less than one inch (preferably under ¾”) will be
easily cut by the scroll saw. The small blade cannot accommodate wood bigger than this.
All these facts aside, a scroll saw is a great tool to have in your shop. Some interesting
projects that you can complete are simple pattern cut outs (Example 1).Patterns can easily be
found online and from scroll saw publications. Simply attach the pattern to the wood and cut out;
it’s as simple as that. Puzzles (Example 2) are another easy project that can be completed using a
scroll saw. Certain puzzle patterns can be made to be a 3D ‘Standing’ puzzle rather than a
traditional flat puzzle. More complicated designs are used when intarsia projects (Example 3) are
cut out by the scroll saw. Intarsia projects involve cutting out patterns using different wood to
produce a beautiful work of art. Many intarsia projects can be found online in publications, or
can be created by experienced wood workers.
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Example 1: Simple Pattern Cut out
http://lumberjocks.com/SCR0LL3R/blog/32157
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Example 2: Puzzle Pattern
http://sherwoodcreations.blogspot.ca/2010/04/animal-puzzles-for-scroll-saw.html
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Example 3: Intarsia Projects
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?104842-Baby-Crib
http://woodworkerszone.com/wiki/index.php?title=Creating_Intarsia
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NAME:____________
Scroll Saw Safety Test
Q.1) When operating a variable speed scroll saw, always start the machine at________________
speed setting?
A.
The slowest
B.
Any
C.
The fastest
D.
Medium
Q.2) Before you turn on the scroll saw, be sure that the__________________ is properly
adjusted to keep the blade from bending or breaking.
A.
Upper plunger
B.
Saw blade tension
C.
Pressure foot
D.
Hand wheel
Q.3) Install new blades with the teeth of the blade pointing_________________ .
A.
Down
B.
To the side
C.
Up
D.
In any direction
Q.4) You must never try to clean scraps of material near the_____________ with your fingers.
A.
On/off switch
B.
Outer edge
C.
Moving blade
D.
Pulley
Q.5) When cutting, do not have_____________ directly in line with the saw blade.
A.
The cutting line
B.
Your hands
C.
Your safety glasses
D.
The surplus stock
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Q.6) The ___________ should be set before turning the saw on.
A.
Tensoner
B.
Table tilt angle
C.
Pressure foot
D.
All the above
Q.7) If small pieces get caught against the saw blade, you should try to remove them with your
fingers if you think you are fast enough?
A.
True
B.
False
Q.8) You must wear _______________ to use this machine.
A.
An apron
B.
Hearing protection
C.
Safety glasses
D.
Baggy Clothes
Q.9) Always _____________ at the point where the blade is about to cut completely through the
wood. If you have too much pressure on the board your hand may slip and go into the
blade.
A.
Slow down and release pressure
B.
Back up
C.
Stay on the line
D.
Stop completely
Q.10) To keep the blade from breaking always _______ wood into the blade as you are turning.
A.
Keep
B.
Turn
C.
Feed
D.
Hold
Q.11) All adjustments to this machine should be made without unplugging the scroll saw?
A.
True
B.
False
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Q.12) If a blade breaks you should always
A.
Run away
B.
Move to a different machine
C.
Try an exacto knife to make the cut
D.
Stop the machine and then change the blade
Q.13) Little pieces that are cut off should always be
A.
Thrown into the trash can immediately
B.
Tossed to the floor and picked up later
C.
Ignored
D.
Left on the table
Q.14) T or F, The tension lever (or tension knob) should be set to highest tension before
changing blade.
A.
True
B.
False
Q.15) The scroll saw should be used to cut wood thicker than 1 Inch ?
A.
True
B.
False
(Scroll Saw Safety Quizzes, 2013).
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Safety Test Answer Sheet:
Question:
Answer:
1
A
2
B
3
A
4
C
5
B
6
D
7
B
8
C
9
A
10
C
11
B
12
D
13
A
14
B
15
B
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References:
Choosing scroll saw blades. (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.woodcraft.com/Articles/
Articles.asp x?ArticleId=411.
Rothman, C. (2013). How to make a scroll sawn, flared bowl. Retrieved from: http://www.
woodworking.com/ww/Article/How_to_Make_a_Scroll_Sawn_Flared_Bowl_8490.aspx
Ryan, K. (2010). The early history of the scroll saw. Retrieved from: http://www.scrollsawer .c
om/features/the-early-history-of-the-scroll-saw.html
Scroll Saw Diagram. (n.d). Retrieved from: https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&
source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEAQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.agedweb.org%2Fc
ourses%2Faget120%2Fsafety%2Fscroll%2520saw.doc&ei=KfaKUvOKKuL2igK0qYGg
Cw&usg=AFQjCNEU8v1C379YgxvlkdWgVef5DJw1LQ&bvm=bv.56753253,d.cGE
Scroll Saw Safety Quizzes. (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.proprofs.com/quizschool/topic/scroll-saw-safety.
Swasey. (n.d). Scroll Saw Safety Rules. Retrieved from: http://www.rocklin.k12.ca.us/
staff/bswase y/ManTec%20Web%20Page%20Links/Safety/Scroll%20Saw
%20Safety%20Rules.htm.