Working With The Saw; Choice Of Saw Blade; Selecting The Speed; Possible Causes Of Broken Saw Blades - Proxxon DS 460 User Manual

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Working with the Saw:

For good results, please note the following points:
- Press the workpiece against the worktop when sawing; guide gen-
tly with little force; more pressure on the worktop, less pressure on
the saw blade.
- Make sure that the workpiece is lying firmly on the saw table (no
burr or chips).
- Adapt the movement to the requirements of the saw blade, speed
and material of the workpiece.
- Move the workpiece into the saw blade slowly especially if the
blade is very thin and the teeth very fine or the workpiece is very
thick. N.B.: The teeth only saw in the downward movement!
- Only use perfect saw blades!
- Do not leave the device unattended!
- Draw/mark the guide line carefully.
- Provide good lighting conditions!
- Always work with connected dust exhaust and align the air nozzle
carefully (see also "Assembling the Air Nozzle").
- The best results are achieved with a wood thickness of less than 25 mm.
- For wood thicknesses greater than 25 mm, you have to guide the
workpiece very carefully to avoid jamming, bending, twisting and
snapping of the saw blade.
- For exact cuts in wood please bear in mind that the saw blade
will always try to follow the grain (applies especially for thin saw
blades).
- When sawing round materials, please bear in mind that these could
turn with the movement of the saw band and therefore must be
held particularly tightly! Please use a suitable holding device for the
workpiece if necessary!

8.1.1 Choice of Saw Blade

As already mentioned, the right choice of blade for the material has a great
influence on the quality of the result. The table below serves for orienta-
tion. Of course, a wide experience with many different types of materials
and saw blades is always helpful, too. It is worth experimenting a little!
A tip: The saw blades are usually only heavily worn in the place where
the teeth are most stressed and therefore get blunt quickly. To "use up"
the teeth which are not worn and thus prolong the life of the saw blades,
the contact surface for the workpiece can be "raised" slightly artificially.
Simply fix a smooth underlay of the appropriate thickness and same
size of the table to the saw table with double-sided adhesive tape for
example. The parts of the saw blade which are not worn now saw into
the workpiece.
This is particularly useful when sawing very hard and therefore very
wearing materials frequently with fine blades.
The figures for characterising the "fineness" of the teeth refer to the
number of teeth per inch of the saw blade length:
Teeth/inch
approx. 10-14
approx. 17-18
approx. 25-28
approx. 41
Round saw blades (with flat ends) are ideal for use with plastic, hard and
soft wood. They cut on all sides so there is no need to turn the workpiece
when sawing.
Our full range of suitable saw blades for your DS 460 can be found in our
Micromot catalogue or on the Internet under www.proxxon.com.
Material
soft and hard wood (approx. 6- 50
mm), plastics, softer materials,
thicker workpieces
finer sawing work, wood (up to
approx. 6 mm), plastics, softer
materials, thinner workpieces
plastic, GRP, non-ferrous metal,
plexiglass, iron, FR-2 with restric-
tions
iron, FR-2

8.1.2 Selecting the Speed:

This description can of course only give a guideline for the option to be
taken. As in the previous section, you have to do a little "experimenting"
to find the optimum result. The right speed also depends on the blade
used, the workpiece material, feed etc. of course.
Speed
800 strokes/min
1,700 strokes/min

8.1.3 Possible Causes of Broken Saw Blades:

The saw blade can break for the following reasons:
- blade tension too high or too low
- mechanical overloading of the blade by moving too quickly
- bending or twisting of the blade when turning the workpiece too
quickly to cut curves
- when the wear limit of the saw blade is reached
- when the screws are tightened with saw blades with pin ends

8.2 Sawing

Please hold the workpiece on the saw table as shown in fig. 10. Adapt
the feeding to the material, the saw blade and the thickness of the work-
piece! Hard materials, fine saw blades and thicker workpieces do not
"stand" as must thrust as softer materials, coarser saw blades and thin
workpieces.
Try out results at different speeds.
N.B.:
Safe and accurate work is only possible with careful fastening!
The scroll saw is primarily a machine for sawing curves. For good re-
sults, please note the following points:
For your own safety please:
• The material hold-down 1(fig. 10) should contact the surface of the
workpiece. To adjust the material hold- down, loosen the knurled
screw 2 and move the rod up or down.
• Always make sure that the material hold down 1 is in the operating
position as shown in fig. 10!
• Only use perfect saw blades!
• Always pull out the mains plug for maintenance and cleaning.
• Do not leave the device unattended.
• Always make sure that the material hold down 1 is in the operating
position as shown in fig. 10!
1. Press the workpiece against the worktop when sawing; guide gen-
tly with little force; more pressure on the worktop, less pressure on
the saw blade. Caution: The saw does not cut the workpiece on its
own. You have to move the workpiece into the saw blade.
2. Move the workpiece into the saw blade slowly especially if the
blade is very thin and the teeth very fine or the workpiece is very
thick. The best results are achieved with a wood thickness of less
than 25 mm.

8.3 General Information for Working with the Scroll Saw (Fig. 10)

The scroll saw is primarily a machine for sawing curves and precise cut-
outs. A typical application is shown in fig. 10. The operator must move
the workpiece carefully for this. N.B.: Scroll saws are usually operated
without a longitudinal stop because the saw blade "wanders" when it is
guided "by force" against a stop, especially in the grain of wood.
Please note that the saw blade only saws in the downward movement in
the direction in which the teeth are facing.
Material
Steel, brass, non-ferrous metals,
GRP, plastics
aluminium, wood, polystyrene,
rubber, leather, cork
CAUTION
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