On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:56:44 -0800, Fritz wrote:

I have an SS350 Delta Scroll Saw. I find that the work tends to jump a
lot with this saw. (of course I am using a new blade properly mounted
and proper for the stock being cut). I assume that this is caused by the
springy nature of the hold down foot? I have bent it a bit to increase
the tension and adjusted the extension, close to the work but I still
find that thin pieces especially, are not held down properly and
frequently jump with the blade. The blade appears to be moving in a
straight line and I don't know of any adjustment required here.
I am just curious if anyone else is having this problem.

Thanks,
Fritz

The wood "Popping" is normally caused by one or more teeth of the blade
catching on the wall of the kerf on the up stroke. This is a very common
problem with scroll sawyers who are still on the learning curve of the
hobby.

Be aware, that few experienced scroll sawyers use the hold down and
remove the hold down from their saw. That hold down will actually get in
your way as you gain more and more experience. Just hang in there,
things will get better.

The hold down was added to scroll saws sold in North America by safety
regulations. The scroll is one of the safest woodworking power tools;
yes, a very minor cut is possible, but nothing on the scale of a router's
hunger for mangled flesh.

Many newbies (er, I mean, sawyers who haven't obtained expert skill)
apply, inadvertently, sideways pressure during turns and sharp corners.
It is important to develop eye-hand co-ordination which does not deflect
the blade left or right. Ideally, there should be almost no blade
deflection to the rear either, but that is another very long post.

This is my standard advise to newbies:
The cure is to just spend more time just cutting wood. Slow down your
feed rate of the wood on curves, and be aware that on sharp corners you
need to apply more finger pressure (down) to hold the wood tight to the
table. BTW: you are keeping your wrists off the table aren't you? Fore-
arm and back of hand are to be kept in-line, like bowling. No feeding of
the wood with fingers, they only hold the wood down. Swing the wood with
whole arms.

There are web based forums dedicated to scroll sawing where other more
expert opinions can be freely obtained. (just don't take just my word
for it! get a second opinion.)

Forum with large posting membership sponsored by a hobby magazine:
http://www.scrollsawer.com/forum/

There are other scroll sawing forum sites. Post back and I will give you
some more sites. All of them welcome people who join and post
questions. Even lurkers are allowed. Then you can find there are many
who have your same problems, and trust me, there will be more as your
skill level develops.

Good luck, Fritz

Phil