Choiceof Bladeand Speed - Craftsman 21609 - 18 in. Scroll Saw Operator's Manual

CHOICEOF BLADEAND SPEED
Thescrollsawacceptsa widevariety of bladewidthsand
thicknesses forcuttingwoodandotherfibrousmaterials.
Ht u ses5 in.longblades of either t he pinendor plainend
style.Thebladewidthandthickness a ndthenumber o f
teethperinchto usearedetermined b ythetypeofmate-
rialandthesizeof theradius beingcut.
NOTE: A sa general rule, a lways select n arrow blades for
intricate curvecuttingandwideblades forstraight a nd
large curvecutting.
INSTALLmNG B LADES
See Figure 11.
Scroll saw blades wear out quickly and must be replaced
frequently for best cutting results. Expect to break some
blades while you learn to use and adjust the saw. Blades
generally stay sharp for 1/2 hour to 2 hours of cutting,
depending on the type of material and speed of operation.
PIN BLADES
Removing the Saw BJade:
[] Turn off the saw and unplug from power source.
_WAF{NING: Failure to turn the saw off and unplug
the saw from the power source could result in ac-
cidental starting causing possible serious injury.
TENSION
RELEASE
V-NOTCN
BLADE
8AW
BLADE KNOB
Fig. 11
[] Pull up on the tension release.
[] Turn blade tension knob clockwise to decrease (or
loosen) blade tension.
[] Pushing up from under the saw table, remove the
throat plate.
[] Loosen both the upper and lower blade clamp screws.
[] Pull up on the blade and push down on the saw arm
to disengage the upper pin in the V-notch of the upper
blade holder. Push the blade downward to disengage
the lower pin in the lower blade holder.
[] Remove the blade.
Replacing the Saw Blade:
[] Turn off the saw and unplug from power source.
[] Place the new blade through the opening in the saw
table with the teeth to the front of the saw and pointing
down toward the saw table. The pins on the blade go
under the blade holder in the lower blade holder.
[] Pull up on the blade and press the upper arm down to
position the upper end of the blade in the Vmotch in
the upper blade holder.
[] Securely tighten the upper and lower blade clamp
screws.
[] Push the tension release back down.
[] Turn the blade tension knob counterclockwise unti! the
blade has the desired amount of tension.
[] Replace the throat plate.
NOTE: If the blade touches the drop foot on either side
then the drop foot must be adjusted. See Adjusting Drop
Foot in the Adjustments section of this manual.
PLAIN BLADES
Removing the Saw Bmade:
[] Turn off the saw and unplug from power source.
[] Pull up on the tension release.
[] Turn blade tension knob counterclockwise to decrease
(or loosen) blade tension.
[] Pushing up from under the saw table, remove the
throat plate.
[] Loosen both the upper and !ower blade clamp screws.
[] Remove the blade.
Replacing the Saw Blade:
[] Turn off the saw and unplug from power source.
[] Place the new blade through the opening in the saw
table with the teeth to the front of the saw and pointing
down toward the saw table.
[] Position blade and tighten the lower blade clamp
screw securely.
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