Poplar breaking my blades!!

[saggioculo]

My brother gave me a bunch of planks of 3/4 in. poplar.  I never pass on free wood!  So, I decide I'm going to make that great fret table Steve uploaded. Seems like an easy enough project for me and my daughter loves it.  I started cutting the legs first.  I busted a blade...grrrrr.  New blade...finish the first leg and start the second....break another blade.  Plenty of spare blades so onto the next.  Break another one!!! These are just straight cuts I'm making and I keep breaking blades.  Pushing too fast, wood too hard, wrong blade for wood and/or wood thickness, cheap blades, tension wrong?  Dunno!!!  I tried slowing down my cutting, blade breaks. Fuss with the tension, blade breaks.  I've broke a total 5 blades as of today and only cut one and a half legs!  Whats the deal?
How do I know I'm using the right blade for the wood and/or wood thickness?  All my blades look the same...are there different blades for different wood and thickness? 
Poplar would not have been my first choice for this table, but I had it so I used it.

Thanks
Anne

[dgman]

Hey Anne, What kind and size blades are you using? For straight cuts in 3/4" hardwood I would use a #7 or #9. I use Olsen and Flying Dutchman blades. what are you using?
Poplar is a hardwood, but should be easy to cut with the right blade. Contact Mike a www.mikesworkshop.com. He will set you up with Flying Dutchman blades, The best around!

[julief]

Exactly what dgman said.  I cut a lot of poplar with no problem.  It sounds like you just have the wrong size blade.  Contact Mike or look at his website to learn the correct blade for the wood and thickness you are cutting.  I had an Olson chart when I first started and it helped me to learn which blades to use.

[tux_linux]

poplar is soft - really soft Dan.

I'd suggest some more tension and something like a #5. Where are the blades breaking? could the blade holder be a problem?

[saggioculo]

I actually have no idea what kind of blades I'm using or what number they are.  These are blades that came with the saw when I purchased it.  I wanted to get the Dutchman blades but my saw only excepts pin end type blades.  Steve told me about an adaptor kind of thing that will allow me to convert my saw so I can use the Dutchman blades.  I'm thinking on getting it, but I'm also considering getting a new scroll saw.  I will say my Ryobi has been pretty faithful and has tolerated my novice skills, but now that I use it more often and trying to do more intricate work, it's not working as smoothly as it use to.  I have had it for well over 10 years.
Perhaps my next post will ask suggestions on what new saw I should consider.

[dgman]

poplar is soft - really soft Dan.

Yes Torsten, It is soft, but it is considered a hardwood. And that is what I was trying to say.

[tux_linux]

ok, Anne, What kind of saw is it?
There are different blade clamps available, you can change them. Those blade clamps are kind of standardized, shouldn't be a big deal (around 20-30$).

@ Dan
OK, I was just like thinking of the softness.

[GrayBeard]

I used a lot of Poplar getting started and though it is a hardwood it tends to be on the soft side. Using #3 & #5 FD-UR's I had no problems at all.
I think I can count on one hand the number of blades that have 'broken' while I was actually cutting.

I am guessing that two things are happening simultaneously...Not enough tension on the blade and not enough speed to keep the cit going and the blade is heating up and snaps.

Contact Mike at Mikesworkshop.com and tell him your tale and let him help.

~~~GB~~~

[saggioculo]

ok, Anne, What kind of saw is it?
There are different blade clamps available, you can change them. Those blade clamps are kind of standardized, shouldn't be a big deal (around 20-30$).

@ Dan
OK, I was just like thinking of the softness.

I have a Ryobi.

[saggioculo]

I used a lot of Poplar getting started and though it is a hardwood it tends to be on the soft side. Using #3 & #5 FD-UR's I had no problems at all.
I think I can count on one hand the number of blades that have 'broken' while I was actually cutting.

I am guessing that two things are happening simultaneously...Not enough tension on the blade and not enough speed to keep the cit going and the blade is heating up and snaps.

Blade heating up?  If I'm going too slow while cutting would that cause too much heat and breaking the blade?  I didn't know the blade could break because of heat.  I know that blade gets hot but I thought I would just burn the wood. 
My attempt at a solution was to go slower, thinking I was cutting to fast and that was causing the blade to break.  My solution maybe the root of the problem.

[Gabby]

Just to confuse you further Anne, you may be putting side pressure against the blade this will cause your blade to flex to the side and the friction against the side of the blade will make it heat, once it gets hot enough the tempering which toughens steel is lost, it's just a matter of time till it breaks. You can take a paper clip and bend it back and forth at one place after a bit it will break at that point, this may be what is happening to your blades. I would suggest you try some simple practice cuts and pay attention to where and how you are pushing the wood into the blade, you may find this is what is happening, make sure the blade is TIGHT loose blades break quicker!
Save your money and get a better saw, Ryobi is about bottom on the chart. ten years old probably no replacement parts available.
Good luck, and don't get discouraged,
Gabby

[tux_linux]

Anne, do you lubricate the blade by adding tape to the wood? DO you use a dust blower? that little breeze also helps.

Again to ask: where does the blade break? is it somewhere in the middle? or is the end breaking off?

The Ryobi can easily be converted - I had a similar saw. That's just about changing the blade clamps.
Check this thread blade clamp conversion of a Hegner saw where I had to harm my saw a little more. But it was totally worth the effort.
You'll find addresses for suppliers of those clamps in there.

[saggioculo]

Anne, do you lubricate the blade by adding tape to the wood? DO you use a dust blower? that little breeze also helps.

Again to ask: where does the blade break? is it somewhere in the middle? or is the end breaking off?

The Ryobi can easily be converted - I had a similar saw. That's just about changing the blade clamps.
Check this thread blade clamp conversion of a Hegner saw where I had to harm my saw a little more. But it was totally worth the effort.
You'll find addresses for suppliers of those clamps in there.

The blade is usually breaking around the middle not at the ends.  I don't use any lubricate or tape.  I do not have a dust blower...other then my lungs and mouth  .
I did check out a site that Steve recommend that had adaptors but they looked alittle complicated for my small brain.  I'm nervous about taking something apart that I won't be able to put back together properly. 
I plan on tinkering today with tension and seeing exactly how I'm feeding the wood into the saw...making sure I'm not bending the blade to the sides.  I also have a nifty little fan that I can attach right next to my saw to act let a dust blower which I'll try today as well.  I'm very interested in using those adaptor things so I don't have to use pin end blades anymore. So, I'll have to put my fears aside and give it a shot.
Thanks to you and everyone else for their great advice.  You've all been incredibly helpful.
Thank You
Anne

[campasano]

Anne, could be you are pushing the wood into the blade thus causing the blade to snap. Just hold the wood down on the table and let the blade cut freely as you guide it into the blade. I cut a lot of poplar on my saw and have never broken a blade.

Mike

[tux_linux]

Changing the blade clamps is no big deal at all - you unscrew the old ones and fasten the new ones. Done in 2 minutes.
They fit nearly all machines as the blade clamps are standardized (yours is too).

Get those recommended in the other thread, they'll get you to use flat end blades and improve your scrolling so much due to the fact that you have more choice of blades and smaller holes to drill.

I use those blade clamps since quite some time and they are just about perfect. simple to operate, no maintenance at all.

Keep us updated on the breaking blades and if you're able to solve it.