Operation – Ryobi SC164VS User Manual
Page 18
18
OPERATION
Fig. 12
BLADE INFORMATION
Scroll saw blades wear out and must be replaced frequently
for best cutting results. Scroll saw blades generally stay
sharp for 1/2 hour to 2 hours of cutting, depending on
type of material and speed of operation.
In cutting wood, best results are achieved when cutting
wood less than one inch thick.
When cutting wood thicker than one inch, the user must
guide the workpiece very slowly into the blade and take
extra care not to bend or twist the blade while cutting.
When choosing a blade, carefully consider the follow-
ing:
• Very fine, narrow blades should be used to scroll cut in
thin material 1/4 in. thick or less.
• Most blade packages state the size or thickness and
type of material which that blade is intended to cut. The
package should also state the radius or size of curve
that can be cut with that blade size.
• Wider blades cannot cut curves as tight or as small as
thinner blades.
Blades wear faster when:
• Cutting plywood, hardwood, and other laminates.
• Cutting material thicker than 3/4 in.
• Side pressure is applied to the blade.
CHOICE OF BLADE AND SPEED
The scroll saw accepts a wide variety of blade widths and thicknesses for cutting wood and other fibrous materials. The
saw uses 5 in. long blades of either the pin end or the plain end style. The blade width and thickness and the number of
teeth per inch to use are determined by the type of material and the size of the radius being cut.
NOTE: As a general rule, always select narrow blades for intricate curve cutting and wide blades for straight and large
curve cutting.
Speed or
Teeth/Inch
Width
Thickness
Strokes Per
Material Cut
Minute
10
.110 in.
.020 in.
1,200-1,600
Popular size for cutting hard and soft
(2.8 mm)
(0.5 mm)
woods 3/16 in. up to 2 in.
Plastics, paper, felt, bone, etc.
15
.110 in.
.020 in.
600-1,200
Wood, plastics, extremely thin cuts on
(2.8 mm)
(0.5 mm)
materials 3/32 in.to 1/2 in.
thick.
18
.095 in.
.010 in.
400-600
For tight radius work in thin materials
(2.4 mm)
(0.3 mm)
3/32 in. to 1/8 in. Wood, veneer, bone,
fiber, ivory, plastic, etc.
45
30
15
0
ON
OF
F
TO
INCREASE
TO
DECREASE
USING VARIABLE SPEED
See Figure 12.
By turning the variable speed knob, the saw’s speed may
be adjusted from a high speed of approximately 1,600
SPM (Strokes Per Minute) to a low speed of approximately
400 SPM.
To increase the strokes per minute, turn the variable speed
knob clockwise or to the right.
To decrease the strokes per minute, turn the variable
speed knob counterclockwise or to the left.