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11
Glossary
Some terms relevant to the scroll saw:
Beam Strength:
A blade’s resistance to backward
deflection caused by pressure of the workpiece.
Bevel Edge Cut:
Tilt of blade between 0° and 45° to
perform angled cutting operation.
Blade Drift:
Deviation of blade from a straight line.
The smaller the blade, the more prone to drifting.
Blade Tracking:
How the blade moves through the
cutting path.
Contour Cut:
Cutting outside the workpiece line.
Crosscut:
A cut made across the grain of a workpiece.
Deflection:
Tendency of blade to be pushed
backward under pressure from the workpiece.
Feed Rate:
Linear travel of workpiece into blade.
Freehand:
Moving the workpiece into the blade using
only the hands, without a fixed positioning device.
Fret Work:
Cutting inside the workpiece; also called
open work, or pierce cutting.
Kerf:
The resulting cut or gap made by the blade.
Kickback, or Lift:
The tendency of workpiece to rise
off the table due to being caught by the blade.
Leading Edge:
Edge of workpiece that first gets
pushed into blade.
Parallel:
Position of saw arm equal in distance at
every point to the table surface.
Parallel Link:
style of scroll saw in which a motor
pushes rods in upper and lower arms that move
articulated arms holding the blade. (The Baileigh
Industrial scroll saw is this type.)
Perpendicular:
90° (right angle) intersection or
position of vertical and horizontal planes, such as saw
blade to table.
Pin-end Blade:
Blade that requires a pin to secure it
to the saw. (These are not suitable for intricate
fretwork.)
Plain-end Blade:
Blade that slides into a clamp
without need of a pin holder. These are preferred for
delicate fretwork. (The Baileigh Industrial scroll saw
uses this type.)
Rake Angle:
Angle of a blade tooth in respect to a line
perpendicular to the back edge of blade.
Relief Cut:
Extra cut to remove waste material and
prevent the blade from binding when cutting a curve.
Rip Cut:
A cut made along the grain of the workpiece.
Scroller:
User of a scroll saw. Sometimes called
“scroll-sawyer”.
Scroll Work:
General term for designs with spirals and
rolling curves.
Stack Cutting:
Placing multiple workpieces together
for simultaneous cutting. (CAUTION: Pieces must be
properly taped or glued together to prevent sliding.)
Throat Capacity:
Distance from blade to body
column; identifies maximum workpiece size.
Trailing Edge
: Edge of workpiece that last contacts
blade. (CAUTION: Pieces must be properly taped or
glued together to prevent sliding.)
Throat Capacity:
Distance from blade to body
column; identifies maximum workpiece size.
Trailing Edge:
Edge of workpiece that last contacts
blade.
