Variable Speed?

[Rolf]

OK how many of you change your speed all the time?
My saws have variable speed but I rarely change it.
I only slow it down when cutting plastic (corian) and certain gummy woods (bloodwood)
The rest of the time I don't change it.

[Jediscroller]

I'm like you Rolf. I rarely change the speed, it's usually just wide open unless I'm cutting very thick wood, then I slow it down a tad to prevent burning.

[Barefoot1]

I change the speed with the thickness. The thicker the wood the more aggressive I like the blade to be cutting. For really fine fretwork on thin wood I slow it way down. So it really depends on the project at hand and I would have to say that I do not change it frequently, but I do change it and I like the variable speed option very much.

[Wood Dog]

Depends on what I'm cutting. First time I cranked that puppy all the way up I wasn't holding the wood down enough, and the noise scared me half to death.
I'm half way there now, so it could have been very serious.

[Sparhawk]

I change the speed relative to the various materials I cut, or the thickness of those materials, or the delicacy of the cuts. I tend to think that the people who do mostly portraits could run at wide open speeds far more than people cutting fretwork. Don't know that for certain but I know when I cut portraits I run it faster than at any other time.

Matt

[Greenfield_Bob]

I don't change speed very often.

Bob

[thecopperfish]

I change speeds depending on what I'm cutting, how thick it is, and the difficulty of the pattern. Also different speeds for fret and intarsia. I wouldn't be without a variable speed saw.
Chris

[Mike Crosa]

Like Barefoot says. It all depends on what I am cutting. Have not reached full speed yet but at times have found myself at three fourths of the way there.

[Jediscroller]

Originally Posted by Sparhawk

I change the speed relative to the various materials I cut, or the thickness of those materials, or the delicacy of the cuts. I tend to think that the people who do mostly portraits could run at wide open speeds far more than people cutting fretwork. Don't know that for certain but I know when I cut portraits I run it faster than at any other time.

Matt

Can you explain the difference between fretwork and portraits? I cut both but they both take the same skill to do (IMHO) and I do both at full speed. In my mind, fretwork is anything with piercing cuts. Just curious as I see this comment quite a bit (not to mention I'm giving a talk on cutting fretwork in PA and I was basing the slides on portrait type work).

[Mick Walker]

The 4 years I have had my P-20 I have changed the speed maybe 4 or 5 times. My first saw was a VS and I very seldom changed the speed. I would also like to know the difference between fretwork and portrait cutting. Maybe fretwork is where both sides of the wood show as on a clock?