Morning, AES....
Yes, I've just been looking at the Dremel Moto-saw information : doesn't take up any room as such, has fairly reasonable reviews overall, and can be packed away when not in use. That said, I can't help but think "toy" whenever I see the grey plastic!
Now we come to the nitty-gritty! Watching (youtube) experts using scroll/fretsaws on marquetry pads (which, bear in mind, could have any number of veneer sheets/tape plus a waste "backing" veneer) it looks as though jewellery blades 2/0 are the norm....but they're experts, not some ageing juvenile who should be doing more useful things around the house! It happens that my range of blades - bought years ago, probably during the last time I tried to get the non-aeropiccola going! - are pinless, and about 5.5" long. I can't remember the number of teeth per inch/cm, but it's a fair bet that the finest Dremel blade available won't even come close...
Talking of the vibro saw, I've given up for the minute - no doubt it'll come around again at some juncture! I've two basics problems with it....I can't understand how they can possibly achieve a circa 5mm (according to some, anyway) up-and-down movement, and I equally don't get why mine doesn't! There's basically nothing to go wrong!
Now you'll see why using a scalpel was the chosen route all those years ago!
Cozzer, my first ever scroll saw was a Dremel Moto Saw - one of their VERY early models, it's about 40+ years ago now! It was "OK" for what I needed at the time (cutting out bits of ply and thick balsa for model aircraft), but it was never very good/accurate, and slowly but surely "I learnt better". It was also limited to Dremel's own very short blades.
I've seen the current model in our local DIY stores, and though I haven't looked closely I would strongly suggest "don't bother"! BUT that's only my own opinion, and I'm NO expert!
As far as I could see, with the current model Dremel, you're STILL limited to their short blades (not that 3 inches is a problem in itself, but being limited to one manufacturer, and what THEY think is OK for blades, particularly TPI, is not, IMO, a very "comfortable" situation. About the only plus I can see with the current model is that it takes up very little space.
Sorry I've no idea what TPI blades you'd use for a "pack" of veneers for Marquetry (never tried it) but whilst I do appreciate that budget is always more than "just a consideration", once you've got a machine why don't you look at the suppliers listed in that sticky and buy, say, a dozen each of, again say, Pegas (I like them!) in the TPIs that you think you'll need. Most suppliers will let you "mix and pick" so that you have say, a dozen of "X" TPI, a dozen "Y" TPI, and a dozen "Z" etc, etc, in one pack. IMO, nothing beats a bit of "suck it and see" to fund out what suits you, your work, and your machine (once you've got one).
For a machine I'd strongly suggest that you keep an eye on the S/H ads as you'll pretty soon find a small-ish mavhine that should do all you want. Names to look for include Hegner; Axminster's clones of Hegners; Excalibur; Delta (if you can find one) . There are many other "no name brands" which WILL do the job, and which also come with labels such as Record Power; Einhell; etc, etc, etc. The list is almost endless, and they're all much of a muchness so I hear.
HTH
