Thread: Blade selection for beginner.

After some Google searching I turned up with the following chart: http://www2.woodcraft.com/PDF/Olson-scrollblade-chart.pdf

Just need to work out the difference between spiral and normal blades.

Peter

I would suggest you leave the spiral blades for later as they can require some experience to use.
As to what blades if pinless your selection is wide and varied, if pinned blades mmmmmmmmm restricted somewhat in variety and projects requiring small entry holes are a no go zone.
here is a site that not only has good blades but also info on the different types/uses I get mine from there when I need bulk as he is quick to respond also. There is a local (Oz) supplier but I lost the address but the prices are on a par with mikes to a fair degree
Pete

Best place to buy blades and get all the information you could ever want is still
Harris Traders
[email protected]
We buy all our blades there .... you can't possibly find better , friendlier or speedier service anywhere else. To top it off... they also have the best prices!

As for that blade chart... it's for Olson blades.... there are several other companies around and a #3 from one company isn't necessarly the same as a #3 from another.... most of it comes down to personal preferance once you have a little experience. So best thing I could recommend is to start out with 3-5 different sizes and go from there. I happen to like the modified geometry #5 from Pegasus a lot.... I can use it for most anything up to 15mm, their #7 gives the most amazing smooth edges... for fine work I prefer Flying Dutchman #1-3...... but there are so many varieties.... skip tooth, double skip tooth, revers, crown.... and yes the spirals... they come twisted all the way to the top or with straightened ends... and yes.. I find them harder to control then the others.

Your best bet really is to give Harris Traders a try.... just tell them what kind of wood and what thickness you plan on cutting and they'll tell you what your best choices are.

Juvy

Petere, check this: http://www.mikesworkshop.com/whatblad.htm. There is a lot of help. Also this would be of a lot of help. http://www.mikesworkshop.com/Q&A-FP.htm

The problem with Harris Traders is they only have an email contact....Mike has a web page so you can see the information while looking for a particular blade. Not demeaning the Harris 's for that I have bought blades from them and they take no longer than Mike for me to receive them.
I find that a lot of aussie sites to be hopeless as they use the internet in a basic way rather than as the speedy purchasing service it can be. As I live away from major cities the need for info is instant and well laid out web pages do this very well. Lets hope that Harris traders get thier web page up and then they may get more responses. A business needs a business outlook whether part time of main source of income. As someone that is a retired service business owner I know the value of good access to services rendered.
Cheers
Pete