Changing Blades

A typical scroll saw blade will wear out in 1⁄2 to 2 hours, depending on the material cut. Blades become dull quicker when cutting thick material, plywood, laminates, hardwoods and metal.

To change the blade:

1.Disconnect the machine from the power source

2.Remove the throat plate and the lower arm guard shown in Figure 8.

Throat Plate

Lower Arm Guard

Figure 8. Arm guard screws and throat plate.

3.Loosen the blade tension adjustment knob.

4.Push down on the upper blade holder shown in Figure 9, pull the upper end of blade out of the holder, push down on the blade to free the lower end of the blade, and pull the blade up to remove.

5.Feed the blade through the table and hook it into the lower blade holder as shown in Figure 10. The teeth should face forward and down.

Figure 10. Blade attached to both holders.

(Guard removed for clarity)

6.Push down on the upper blade holder and slide the upper end of the blade into the hold- er. Make sure that the pins are seated into the grooves in both holders.

7.Increase the tension on the blade until the blade gives a musical sound when plucked.

Note—Determining correct blade tension is subjective and is learned through experi- ence. If the blade is not tensioned enough the blade will drift off the layout line when cutting. The scroll saw will also have exces- sive noise and vibration. If the blade is too tight the blade could break, causing serious injury. Blades that are tensioned correctly will last longer and be less likely to break.

8.Replace the lower arm guard and the throat plate, and lower the blade guard into posi- tion.

Note—The blades can also be installed with the teeth pointing sideways to accommodate long workpieces.

Figure 9. Upper blade holder.

G0536 Scroll Saw

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