In my previous article, Types of Scroll Saws Blades Part 1, I discussed the two major types of scroll saw blades and I discussed the most commonly used types of plain-ends. In this article, I will continue to discuss the types of plain-end scroll saw blades that are available to you as a scroll sewer.
1. Precision-ground
Drill Bit Kit
These are in actual fact skip-tooth blades. However, this type has small teeth that have been ground instead of filed. Due to this, the blades are much sharper and produce a straight-line cut and have a very smooth surface finish. Most would not recommend this type to beginner scrollers. This is due to the fact that these types can be very unforgiving, that is to say that many mistakes can be made with these sort of blades due to their aggressiveness.
2. Spiral
Spiral blades have teeth that go all the way around the blade. These are made by twisting a group of blades together. With this, one is able to cut in all directions without the need to turn the wood. Most would not recommend these, unless for very specific applications, for several reasons. Although there are a few uses for them, the blade leaves a very rough and wide surface finish, one cannot make tight or sharp corners and they also tend to stretch with use.
3. Crown-tooth
Crown-tooth blades are a relatively new type of design in scroll saw blades. The teeth have a shape of a crown with a space between each crown. There is no wrong way to put these blades in. They can go in either way, they is no upside down. This makes them quite versatile. Some find that crown-tooth blades cut a bit slower than regular blades. However, this makes them great for cutting materials such as plastic or Plexiglass. Another thing one can do with crown-tooth blades is, when the blade loses its sharpness, to reverse insert the blade. This will produce a blade that is sharp again.
4. Other types
Although the blades listed in this article and in Part 1 will be more than enough to tackle the majority of projects that you come across, they are a few types of specialty blades available. There are blades to cut metal, plastic and some that even cut blades. Most companies provide special blades for these sort of applications. You must ensure that you check with the manufacturer of the blade that the blade is suited for the specialty application that you intend to use it for. There are special blades designed to cut metal, plastic and even glass. Check them out as you advance in your scrolling. You may want to use them for special applications. Almost all saw companies provide special blades.