tried spiral blades and really like them but....

[gramps]

Dan26 offered  us a red green pattern so i thought i'de give it a try. using 1/4" baltic birch ply i started with fd-ur#1 blades, they cut nice and crisp but i could not control them very well. i switched to olson univ. No 0, easier to control but by the time i'm done sanding all those fuzzies that 1/4" is going to be 3/16". besides stack cutting, any suggestions? different blades? do they make reverse spiral blades? also how do you make nice clean crisp  corners with spirals? i look at Charles dearings' work and am in awe, what a master.
        thanks in advance for any advice, merry christmas and happy new year,
                                               gramps

[EIEIO]

Mike has spiral reverse blades, but have you tried the Crown Tooth? To me, they are very easy to control, even making >90 deg turns or the 180 deg turn at the end of a stub line to come back on the other side of the same line. Every tooth has a forward and reverse edge so the cut is super clean on both sides. Only thing is they are slow cutting, so if time matters then they might not be for you. For me, I'd rather go slow.

I also have trouble with FDUR#1 on a single thickness of 1/4" BB Ply. Seems to bounce back on me and get off the line easily. Have you tried stacking 3 layers together? It seems to slow the #1 blade down and make it easier to control.

[jim stiek]

try the FD-PSR NO. 2/0 for single 1/4" ply they have 24 teeth per inch giving you 6 to 7 teeth in contact with the material all the time and they also have reverse teeth. the more teeth in contact with the cut the better control you have. pm me for more info

[GrayBeard]

1. You will never get a perfect 'square' corner with a spiral blade! By definition the 'spiral' will leave a slightly rounded corner. Using the newer FD New Spiral 3/0 will leave an acceptable 'square corner' but be prepared to use a lot of blades cause they are very delicate.

2. STRAIGHT lines are a 'b!?$h' to cut with spirals so avoid using them on long straight cuts...switch blades! I usually go to a #3 Polar.

3. I have tried every spiral blade made and the only way to avoid all those 'fuzzies' is to STACK CUT and assume the bottom piece is a 'trhow-away piece. I usually manage to salvage the bottom piece but it may take sanding, filing, and even burning those fuzzies off.

4. Spirals are great for 'portrait' type cuttings and I do most of my cutting with the FD New Spiral 2/0 and now have added the 3/0 as well.

Spiral Cutting Method (MINE!) 

FAST cutting speed....crank that machine up as high as you can handle!

FRESH, SHARP NEW blade...do not try to use the blade past the point where it is getting dull...it will bite you in the butt! face it...they are expendable but they are relatively cheap. This ain't a table saw blade for God's sake.

TENSION... as tight as you can get it without breaking the blade before you start to cut!!!!!

FEED RATE....Do not 'feed the piece'!!!  GUIDE IT....let the blade do its job and you will never be disappointed.

OK...so I am pontificating...but I do some passable work and those are the parameters that get me through.

~~~GB~~~

[Judy Hunter]

I will add my 2 cents worth since my son and I never use anything but spiral blades.
It is my hobby but I also like to "make a buck" with the 3 shows we do.
I usually stack 3 or 4 pieces of quarter inch Baltic birch. 
Yes there are fuzzies (and not the warm cuddly ones)
Here is how I deal with them.
I turn the fuzzy piece over flat on a rubber mat (the kind sold for routing I think) then I run the orbital sander over it with 220 grit. That gets rid of a lot of them.
Then I GENTLY use a 180 grit mop sander to finish it off. In fact I use that on all pieces I cut. If you support the piece well it is no problem.
I have my mop sander in a drill fastened upside down and plugged into a rheostat to slow it down a bit.

that's what this old woman does and if you have questions or want photos of my set up just ask

[mrsn]

GB gave excellent advise on using spiral blades. Lots of tension and slow your feed rate down.

As for getting rid of fuzzies, I burn them off with a torch or lighter. It takes a little bit of practice but works great!

[loophole]

Judy Hunter said "I turn the fuzzy piece over flat on a rubber mat (the kind sold for routing I think) then I run the orbital sander over it with 220 grit. That gets rid of a lot of them.
Then I GENTLY use a 180 grit mop sander to finish it off. In fact I use that on all pieces I cut. If you support the piece well it is no problem.
I have my mop sander in a drill fastened upside down and plugged into a rheostat to slow it down a bit."

What is a mop sander? 

Thanks