Pinless Blade Adapter/bladeclamp for Scrollsaws.

We do have some scrollsaws at school and children routinely manage to break the thicker, pinned blades. Those are rather expensive, the pupils bring their own pinless blades and using thinner blades also yields a nicer cut.
There are adapters available (see photo) but those are not easy to install especially in the lower part of the machine. You have to hang them with a loop.

Our adapter can be installed without removing the insert over the lower bladeholder.

You will need 4 M4 SetScrews with a flat end. Length does not matter. We take the cheapest for 0,04€ each if you buy them by the piece.
Then you will need 2 threaded tubes or one that you cut in half. Again it doesn't matter how long they are. Everything from 10-20mm will work. The shorter one on the cover photo is already a replacement...there was simply no longer part available. As long as the setscrews bite it doesn't matter.

Two allen keys are needed to install the blades.

A cheap alternative are Chicago screws which come with Ikea kitchen cabinets. Those are to join them by using the existing holes. Cut off the head and you got your threaded tube.
I have also used shorter Chicago screws in the past when nothing else was available. Even brass will work.

There is third option...drill and tap some rod you have lying around. I also designed a more sophisticated version of the adapter but those are a lot of work and I don't like to do them every other week when adapters get lost.
Let me know anyway if you attempt one. It's basically rectangular stock, drilled, tapped and filed down to allow for the adapter to settle in the existing recess for the bladepin. In theory this should prevent the adapter from moving around but in praxis the round adapter doesn't move or rotate either when you tighten the blade.

You just need to drill one hole on one side of each tube and you are done.
Put it in a vice (on in a block of wood if your vices are all damaged like ours) and drill it with any machine you like. I drill 1.5mm holes. Fits any plade I've encountered so far. If you don't got a small drillbit you can also saw a small slot.

I've drilled through on my first adapter but the length matches perfectly when you just drill on one side and put the blade in to hit the other side.

Screw in the setscrews and put in the blade.
You need two allen keys to thighten the screws.

The adapter does also work sideways though a shorter adapter (10mm) will work better here).
You could also modify the holder as you don't need the upper part for the old adapter any more.
That way the dampener on the top won't interfere with the adapter when installed at 90°.

A tool-less quick release version would be quite cool. If somebody comes up with such a thing let me know.
For now this does work and it is cheap and simple enough to replace it another one goes missing...