Today we have some interesting questions from readers about scroll saw issues and problems finding a good upsweep blade knife. Hopefully some of our other knowledgeable readers can provide some input.
1. Phyllis is having a problem with her scroll saw and comments:
“I’m having problems with my scroll blades coming off when I start carving the wood but I’m sure I have them in the slots where they belong and I’m pretty sure I have the tension correct because I listen for the ping after I tighten it.”—Phyllis
Can anyone out there offer Phyllis some advice?
We have another kind comment and question today from Andy who writes:
2. “Hey Bob, first off, I wanted to thank you for starting this blog. It’s a great way to exchange ideas and ask questions. My question is as follows, what is a good quality upsweep knife, that is attainable? I have been looking for one for a while , but so far I have been unsuccessful. Helvie wasn’t selling them this last go around, and I don’t see them made by OCCT or Drake. I know some other knifemakers do them, but I can’t seem to find one. Thanks!”
Thank you for the kind compliment, Andy! I’m glad you’re enjoying reading my blog and are getting something out of it.
Your question is a good one and one that many carvers are struggling with. To the best of my knowledge neither OCCT or Drake make an upsweep knife at this time. I did some research, and although they are rare I was able to locate a couple of upsweep knife makers. I will try to break them down as follows below
Helvie Sweep Knife – Sold in 3 blade sizes by Helvie Knives; Around $33.00. Excellent knife but extremely hard to get.
- Flexcut Pelican Knife #KN18 with a 1 5/8″ blade; Sold by Greg Dorrance Co. $23.76
2. Flexcut Mini Pelican Knife #KN19 with a 7/8″ blade; Sold by Greg Dorrance Co. $23.56
3. Beavercraft C1-Small Whittling Knife with a 2.36″ blade; Sold by Beavercraft…$16.95
4. Knives of the North – Mora knives; these knives have a long gradual upsweep with 3-4″ blades, very high quality, good reputation…around $33.00
5. Deepwoods Ventures – Slim Carver #205F upsweep with 1 1/4″ or 1 1/2″ blade…$37.98
6. Ramelson Sloyd knife Model #HM-3Y4W-ZWSS, Sold by Woodcraft – Item #166912; 2 7/8″ blade…26.99
So there you have a few, and as you can see there are only a few to choose from when it comes to upsweep knives. The Helvie by far would be my first choice. Then the other others I would consider to be upsweep knives that compare to the Helvie sweep knife are the two Flexcuts, the Beavercraft and the Deepwoods Ventures knives. Although I am aware of some excellent wood carvers who do their work with Mora and Sloyd knives. After all the Scandinavians have been carving with them for centuries!
I hope that helps with choosing the right upsweep knife for you.
If anyone has any other comments, ideas or sources for upsweep knives please send in a comment and let us know! We’ll be happy to hear from you!
Keep a sharp edge and keep on carvin’!
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how is an upsweep knife used, and its purpose ? am sorry but new to carving here.
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Phylis, is the blade breaking or just slipping out of the holder??? What brand and model number saw is it??? steve
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Hi Steve,
The blade is slipping out and bending. My scroll saw is a Dremel Model 1830.’ve had it for many years but recently it will just not hold the blade in. Very frustrating.
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Hi Phyllis, a couple of thoughts to track it down:
is the tension lever loose while installing the blade?
when is does let loose which lets go, top or bottom?
when you install the blade which one do you tighten first?
when the blade slips out, is the top and bottom wingnuts still tight?
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Hi Steve,
Yes I have the tension lever loose when I install the blade. The bottom is most often the one that lets loose and it’s usually the one I tighten first and as to the question about the wingnuts, sorry I can’t remember if they are loose or not.
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