rdscroll

I'm using flat blades. I'll try more tension and going slower. It becomes even more difficult when bevel cutting. I think the wood may have a tendency to slide up the blade due to the wedging action of the angle. Thanks for the help

Sorry I forgot to answer Zen's question. I've been using 2/0 blades. 3/0 and higher seem to have too many teeth, cut to slowly and are harder for me to control.

Sorry for the unintended breach of etiquette. I'm a reticent woodworker in Texas relatively new to the scroll saw. I was hoping to have someone give me the magic speed that would compensate for my lack of skill. I'm trying to improve my marquetry. Double bevel in particular. It seems the steeper the angle the worse the outcome. Particularly detailed areas such as text. I sometimes have better results slowly hand sawing. I use the slowest speed on the Excalibur and sandwich the veneer tightly between cardboard. The cut quality is good with little tear out. Suggestions welcome. Thanks again for your time and patience.

I've got an Excalibur 21 and a large marquetry project. I'd like to reduce the saw's speed to something approaching hand sawing (<=100 strokes a minute) has anyone tried this or does it seem reasonable or feasible? Could I replace the current speed control or add another external to the saw? Thanks for your help