discussion BLADES.

[MADTONY]

Me again , I really need some advice on blades for wood, do I just buy the most expensive
In the hope that they will be the strongest, sharpest and long lasting ?
Or is that being naive ?

 

[pjgtech]

What type of wood? eg: balsa, etc.
And what do you need to cut, eg: large pieces, small pieces, thin strips, etc?
For general thin Balsa I just use a scalpel type blade and it works fine. But any half decent hobby type knife would also work fine.

 

[toto]

A Swan Morton scalpel. You can buy boxes of various types of blades reletively cheaply as well. They will keep you going for ages.

Toto

 

[MADTONY]

Found lots of holders and blade removers , where are the blades ?

 

[Tim Marlow]

Swann Morton are by far the best. The blades are listed in Toto’s link. Personally I use 15a and 11 type blades, but I do have quite a few others for different uses. Hard to make a shape recommendation for you without knowing the use you are putting them to though.

 

[MADTONY]

Swann Morton are by far the best. The blades are listed in Toto’s link. Personally I use 15a and 11 type blades, but I do have quite a few others for different uses. Hard to make a shape recommendation for you without knowing the use you are putting them to though.

How do I link to Toto ?

 

[John Race]

The thing here is it depends on the thickness and type of wood. I use scaple blades to cut 3/16 ply, ok they blunt quickly but what do you expect. Bass wood on the other hand with its grain cuts beautifly

 

[Andy T]

As others have said, it depends on what "wood" you are trying to cut. A scalpel won't get you very far on a 4x2

Thin balsa, basswood etc then they would be my choice.

This is the link Toto posted, in a different format:

Swann Morton Archives

Shop Swann Morton blades and handles at Scale Model Shop. Sheffield-made precision cutting tools trusted by modellers and hobbyists.

www.scalemodelshop.co.uk

My 3 favourites are 15, 15a, & 10a, but each person will have their own.

 

[MADTONY]

Thanks everyone, I only cut 1.5mms or 2 mms M D F and card.

 

[Miko]

Thanks everyone, I only cut 1.5mms or 2 mms M D F and card.

Sounds like a job for a Stanley knife!

I'd buy the most economical blades, even pricey blades blunt pretty quickly, the difference in performance it's difficult to justify the cost of more premium blades, regular replacement of blades is best and safest if my old teacher is to be believed, there are more accidents and incidents with blunt blades rather that super sharp ones which perform more predictably

 

[Tim Marlow]

Agree with Miko. For MDF use a Stanley knife with a decent quality sharp blade. Blunt blades mean more effort, and more effort means more chance of the blade slipping and cutting what you don’t want it to cut. Start with light cuts and add a little more pressure as the cut deepens. Scalpels are not strong enough for this application and can snap under heavy side loading.