By Bob Duncan
Flying Dutchman’s #3/0 spiral blades are the smallest spiral blades available. At 0.023″ diameter, these blades fit into the tightest frets. A common complaint about spiral blades is the inability to cut sharp corners. Due to the shape of the blades, the corners will always be a little rounded. These blades are so fine that they allow you to cut close to a square corner, one that you can hardly see is rounded.
The ability to cut fine details comes at a price. These blades break easily. I started with a 1″ (25mm)-thick stack of thin plywood. After breaking a few blades, I reduced the stack to 1/2″ (13mm) thick, which helped me avoid breaking any more blades. Be sure to mark the top of the blades after you determine which end is up; the fine teeth make it difficult to make sure the blade is installed correctly.
Flying Dutchman blades are available at www.mikesworkshop.com.
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