Using a Scroll Saw

Safe Use of a Scroll Saw

The scroll saw is an important and useful tool in the maker space. It's ability to cut both straight lines and curved lines, as well as the multiple angle customizations available make it extremely versatile and helpful. Due to it's sharp blade, which is moving rather quickly when on, there are some necessary safety precautions to take before using this tool.

Attaching the Blade

The scroll saw features interchangeable blades. You wouldn't want to have to purchase a new one after a flimsy blade breaks, after all. The steps for this are quite simple.

1. Make sure there is no blade in the saw. The blade is in the middle of the plate attached to the saw, and goes through a hole, attaching at the bottom and top of the saw.
   
   If there is a blade, firstly turn the dial at the top of the machine to 0 so the blade has no tension, then loosen the black knobs on the top and the bottom of the saw, then remove the blade
2. After removing the blade, take the new blade and put it in the blade holder in such a way that the teeth of the saw are facing away from the machine itself. Tighten the black knobs and turn the dial to put tension in the blade.
3. If the blade is secure and tense, you should be ready to use the saw.

Preparing For Use

Once the blade is attached, there are some steps to be taken to prepare the saw to start cutting.

1. Move the guard to the desired height. This can be done by loosening the black knob attached to the guard. Set it to the height of your piece of wood and tighten the knob.
2. Set up the fan. There is a small black tube affixed to the saw.
   
   This is a fan meant to keep chips of wood away from the saw when cutting, which makes it easier to see and prevents chips from getting stuck in the cut. position this to be pointing at the area where the wood being cut will be.
3. Chose an angle. The base plate of the scroll saw is adjustable. It can be shifted to allow for different angled cuts.
   
   To do this, turn the handle under the saw to loosen it, then shift the base plate to the desired angle. Tighten the handle, and you can begin cutting.
4. Safety! Remove any loose clothing (i.e. sweatshirts, jackets, scarves...) and tie back long hair. Use safety goggles to prevent any flying wood chips from hitting your eye.

Operation

Once it has been set up and plugged in, operation of the saw is fairly simple.

1. Turn the machine on. There is a large red switch on the top of the saw that will activate it.
2. begin moving the wood being cut slowly towards the blade.
3. IMPORTANT : Make sure your fingers are away from the blade AT ALL TIMES when the machine is on. Try to avoid putting them any closer to the blade than the guard.
4. Once contact has been made, continue moving against the blade at a moderate pace. from this point you can also shift the wood to make differently shaped cuts.
5. After you finish cutting, switch the machine off and clean the dust from the wood into the trash can.

The scroll saw is an important tool in the maker space. Through it's many capabilities, It's possibly one of the most useful in making a creation come together.