-- Last updated on December 5th, 2021 --

The following are definitions of common words and terms that are used in the scroll saw world.

Blade Clamp – The mechanism that holds the top and the bottom of the scroll saw blade to the saw. The blade is held in place by a set screw that pinches the blade in place.

Blade Drift – Due to manufacturing methods the blade is sharper on one side than the other due to a burr left on the blade. The blade will have a tenancy to drift to the right of the line as you cut. You will need to compensate for this by continuously adjusting the position of the project as cut. This is very common on stamped blades. Some blades have a drift that is much more noticeable than others. You will need to experiment with different blades to fine one that you are comfortable with. I have found Pegas MGT blades seem to have much less drift than others that I have tried.

Blade Guard – A safety feature that helps to guard against injury from the scroll saw blade.

Backer board – A board, usually thin between 1/8 and 1/2 inch thick used for a backing of a project to provide stability. The project is usually attached with glue to the backer board. Materials can be plywood, underlayment, or masonite.

Blade Release – On some scroll saws, there is a blade release lever at the front that will allow you to quickly release the blade from the clamp.

Blade Tension Knob – A knob usually on the back of the saw used to adjust the tension of the blade. On some scroll saws, there is a blade release lever at the front that will allow you to quickly release the blade from the clamp.

Bottom Feeder – A scroll sawer who prefers to feed the blade through the bottom of the project.

C-Arm – One of the three types of scroll saw available. The C arm type scroll saws resemble a C, thus the name. It is a more aggressive cut and is usually found on some older and low end, and inexpensive models.

Compound Cut – A method of cutting a two-sided project. For instance a 2×2 block of wood with a name on one side and a name on the other.

Crown Tooth Blade – Crown tooth blades have teeth pointing in both directions so it cuts on both the upward stroke and the downward stroke. This allows a smooth finish with less burning. When a Crown tooth blade become dull, it can be flipped over and used as a brand new blade.

Cut Out – An outline of a project cut out of one piece. Usually no internal cuts. Similar to a silhouette.

Double Parallel Link Arm – One of the three types of scroll saw available. These are usually found on higher-end Scroll saws.

Double Tooth Blade – Similar to a skip tooth blade except it will have two teeth and then a gap between the next two teeth. This allows even more sawdust to be extracted allowing the blade to run cooler and prevent burning. This added benefit of a smooth cut with less burning does come with the cost of a slower cut. These blades are usually easier to control because they are less aggressive.

Dust Blower – A feature available on most modern scroll saws that uses a flexible tube to blow the sawdust out of the way. Some scroll sawers augment this with an additional blower by using an aquarium air pump.

Dust Port – The port on the scrollsaw where the dust is extracted. On most saws, these are designed to fit a standard size vacuum hose.

External / Exterior Cut – A cut that is made outside of the project pattern. An entry hole is not necessarily needed however can still be used to preserve the stability of the project.

Floater – A term used to describe pieces of a pattern that will fall out if cut. Also called “islands”. If undesired, the pattern may need to be modified to “bridge” the floater to the main pattern so it will not fall out.

Fretwork – 1 : decoration consisting of work adorned with frets
2 : ornamental openwork or work in relief.
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Intarsia – : a mosaic usually of wood fitted into a support also : the art or process of making such a mosaic
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Intarsist – : a person who works in intarsia
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Internal / Interior Cuts – A cut that is inside the project that is inaccessible to the outside of the project that requires an entry hole to be drilled beforehand. The blade must be fed through the hole and then attached to the blade clamp. Also called Piercing Cuts.

Island – A term used to describe pieces of a pattern that will fall out if cut. Also called “floaters”. If undesired, the pattern may need to be modified to “bridge” the island to the main pattern so it will not fall out.

Kerf – The width of a cut or incision made by a saw or the like in a piece of wood.

Marquetarian – A person who is engaged in the art of marquetry.
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Marquetry – : decorative work in which elaborate patterns are formed by the insertion of pieces of material (such as wood, shell, or ivory) into a wood veneer that is then applied to a surface (as of a piece of furniture)
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Metal Blade – A scroll saw blade specifically designed to use for cutting metal.

Momentary Power Foot Switch – A foot pedal that you put on the floor and use like a gas pedal for hands-free operation of the scroll saw so you don’t have to use the switch.

Nought Blades – The smallest of scroll saw blades and are usually sizes such as 3/0, 2/0, and 1/0. These scroll saw blades are for very fine detail. The word “nought” means the number 0 or zero.
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Overlay – A piece that you glue on top of the project to give it a 3-D look.

Pad Sawing – Two or more pieces of stock attached so that you can cut two or more of the same project at one time. Also called Stack Cut.

Parallel Arm – One of the three types of scroll saw available.

Pattern – A pattern is a guide to cut. It is usually paper glued to the stock however it can be a stencil or even a drawing.

Piercing Cuts – A cut that is inside the project that is inaccessible to the outside of the project that requires an entry hole to be drilled beforehand. The blade must be fed through the hole and then attached to the blade clamp. Also called Internal / Interior Cuts.

Pin End Blade – A scroll saw blade that uses pins on the ends to hold it to the blade holder. Most newer or higher-end scroll saws do not support pin end blades.

Plain End Blade – Scroll saw blades that do not have pins. They are held in place by a blade clamp that squeezes the blade into place. These blades are used to make internal cuts.

Power Switch – The on/off button or switch for the scroll saw.

Precision Ground Blade – Scroll saw blades that the teeth are ground as opposed to stamped. These blades are much sharper and cut much straighter than stamped blades.

Puzzle Blade – Puzzle blades are very thin blades and specifically designed to make jigsaw puzzles. Puzzle blades can usually be found where regular blades are sold.

Reverse Skip Tooth Blade – Scroll saw blades that have the last few teeth on the bottom of the blade pointing up. This prevents splintering and therefore will require less sanding.

Riser – A spacer used in intarsia, segmentation, and marquetry to raise a particular piece above another to give it depth. Same as a shim.

Round Blade – Another name for a spiral blade. Spiral blades have teeth on all sides of the blade due to the blade actually being twisted. Because of this twist, they are sometimes difficult to attach to the blade holder. For this reason, some blade manufacturers design them with flat ends, making it easier to attach to the blade holder. Spiral blades are very useful for multi-directional scrolling since it allows you to cut in any direction without turning the piece of stock.

Sand Shading or Scorching – Used in marquetry, Sand Shading is the art of applying heat to veneer in order to achieve shadow and depth in circumstances where it would not be possible to attain the required effect by inserting a piece of darker veneer into the work.
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Segmentation – A method of using wood cut into various shapes to create a mosaic. Similar to intarsia except you can cut all of the pieces from one board and then paint or stain the pieces, shape, and sand, and then fit them together.

Skip Tooth Blade – Skip tooth blades will have a gap between each tooth. This allows the sawdust to be extracted which will keep the blade running cooler and will help prevent burning.

Scroll Saw – : a machine saw with a table for supporting the material and a narrow vertically reciprocating blade for cutting curved lines or ornamental openwork patterns
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Scroll Saw Blade – A thin piece of metal with sharp teeth used to cut wood or other materials.

Scroll Saw Pattern – A scroll saw pattern is a design that you can print out on regular paper and then attach to a piece of wood. Once attached by using adhesive of some type, it is used as a guide when cutting the project out. It is similar to a pattern used for sewing or a coloring page.

Scroll Saw Table – This is the surface of the scrollsaw where the work happens.

Scroll Saw Table Tilt Lock – Some scroll saws, the table will tilt. The tilt-lock is the mechanism that locks the table to the desired position.

Scrollwork – : ornamentation characterized by scrolls especially : fancy designs in wood often made with a scroll saw
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Shaving the Cut – Using the burr of the blade to shave or take off a little material.
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Shim – A spacer used in intarsia and segmentation to raise a particular piece above another to give it depth. Same as a riser.

Spiral Blade – Spiral blades have teeth on all sides of the blade due to the blade actually being twisted. Because of this twist, they are sometimes difficult to attach to the blade holder. For this reason, some blade manufacturers design them with flat ends, making it easier to attach to the blade holder. Spiral blades are very useful for multi-directional scrolling since it allows you to cut in any direction without turning the piece of stock.

SPM – Strokes per Minute. How many times the blade reciprocates or moves in one minute. Revolution.

Stack Cut – Two or more pieces of stock attached so that you can cut two or more of the same project at one time. Also called Pad Sawing.

Standard Tooth Blade – Scroll saw blades that the teeth are all uniformly pointing down. This is how scroll saw blades were originally configured going back to the 18th century.

Tension Adjustment Knob – A knob usually on the back of the saw used to adjust the tension of the blade.

Throat – Measurement of space between the back of the blade to the arm of the scroll saw.

Tooled Blade – Some older or lower end scroll saws use detachable clamps to hold the ends of the blade. One these clamps are attached to the blade on both ends, this becomes the “tooled blade”. You then mount the tooled blade assembly onto the upper and lower arm of the scroll saw.

Top Feeder – A scroll sawer who prefers to feed the blade through the top of the project.

TPI – Teeth Per Inch. Number of teeth on the blade per inch.

Variable Speed Control – Used to control the speed of the blade in SPR (strokes per minute)

Veining cut – Refers to a cut that is simply a line. The line resembles a vein such as in a leaf or a blood vessel. Used a lot in portrait scroll saw projects.

Wonder Wheel – A tool used for shaping intarsia or segmentation. Similar to a grinding wheel however more.
Judy Gale Roberts Video Demo

Zero Clearance Insert – An insert to cover the blade insert hole. This is used to keep very small pieces from falling through the blade insert hole while sawing.

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Conclusion

We hope the Scroll Saw Definitions have been helpful to you and you have enjoyed your visit. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

While you are here check out some of our other pages for information regarding:
Scroll Saw Patterns
Scroll Saw Blades
Tips and Tricks
Scroll Saw Websites

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Thank You and Keep on Scrolling