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How fast should you set the speed of your scroll saw?
There are a few factors that affect how fast you should set the variable speed on your scroll saw.
In this case, I am talking about the speed the saw is moving the blade. I am not talking about how fast you move the wood into the blade. (Feed Rate) They are somewhat related but right now we will just talk about the saws speed.
Most scroll saws have what I call a sweet spot. This is the highest speed the saw will run before the vibration starts to get higher than desired. For instance, my DeWalt runs best at about 90 percent of max speed. My Seyco shows little vibration even at 100 percent max speed. All my saws are a little different. When I want max speed I consider the sweet spot my max. I hate vibration.
As a general rule, you want to run your saw at the fastest speed that does not cause trouble. Trouble is defined as loss of control, vibration, scorching the edge of the wood, melting plastic, breaking blades when cutting metal. If slowing down the saw prevents a problem then slow it down.
Loss of control often happens when the material you are cutting is thin or soft. Thin or soft wood offers little resistance to the blade. The lack of resistance will make turning corners or even following the pattern line difficult. When I cut 1/8" wood I slow the saw down to about 60 or 70 percent max speed. Experiment with the speed until you feel confident you have good control.
If you start having scorching on the edge of the wood then it can sometimes help to slow the saw down a little. Most of the time you can eliminate the scorching by using blue painters tape under the pattern. If that does not work then slow it down. This is also slightly affected by feed rate. Melting plastics can sometimes be caused by running the saw too fast. Just remember that the type of blade you use can have a great effect