Poplar breaking my blades!!

[saggioculo]

My blade is rubbing against the metal piece that holds the wood down while cutting.  Could this be what is causing blade breakage? 

[tux_linux]

YES

simple truth.

Dismount that part, you don't really need that one. I find it disturbing, I would never be able to cut with such a device on.

Oh, and you really need some more tension on the blade if that one bends to the cage of that device.

[GrayBeard]

The very first thing most of us do is remove that "Hold Down" and put it somewhere never to be found again!

~~~GB~~~

[Mainewoods]

That hold down is simply a "required" safety device put on by the manufacturers to keep the safety people happy.  Unless you REALLY need help holding your work on the table, get rid of it.  Don't worry about accidently bumping the blade while you're cutting.  Unless you literally hold your finger against the blade while it's running, you'll never get anything more than a minor scratch!  As far as blade tension goes, follow steve's example in his sound byte on the home page.  If yours sounds close to the same, you should be just about right.  Then check you blade clamps and make sure there's not too much side to side play in them. 

My 2 cents.  Good luck!

[TripleB]

Hi Anne,

It's really hard to break a pinned blade, they typically are a size 7 or larger when compared to a flat blade, it sounds to me like you are simply pushing too hard and too fast. If the blade is bending to the back when you are cutting, slow down. If your arms, get tired or sore, your'e pushing to hard.

Scroll saws are about precision, not speed. Since your blades are breaking in the middle, you are putting to much stress on it as you feed it through, slow down and let the blade do the work, don't try to force it. As long as the blade goes up and down, it's not a saw issue, it's a user issue. Yes flat blades will work better for you for intricate work, but for cutting straight lines on a poplar leg, the blades you are using should perform fine.

Remember even pinned blades are small, and cannot be treated like a band saw or a table saw, you will get the hang of it with practice and you will begin to feel the amount of force needed to make your cuts.

Oh....and loose that hold down bracket, they are useless.