New Proxxon or old Hegner

[AES]

See the sticky at the top of this section. Many, myself included, vote (with their wallets) for Pegas

 

[scrimper]

@Foggy 58: Agree with scrimper, very good work Sir! Just as he says, lettering of any sort is the most demanding cutting - uneven spaces (even slight) and irregularities in letter shapes, especially letters with "circles (like O) all stand out like a bulldog's whatsits! Hardest is any words with two of the same letter adjacent - e.g. double e.

Other ways to reduce feathering:

1. Try a finer blade (more TPI). It will cut slower but depending on the wood, should reduce/eliminate feathering;

2. Self-adhesive parcel tape on both sides of the job before cutting;

3. Again depending on the wood, pre sanding both surfaces before cutting.

AND you can also make your own "sanding sticks" - cut thin strips of sandpaper and stick them onto a blade, preferably an old blunt blade.

HTH

Some good tips there. I put sellotape on top of the pattern but I never thought of putting it underneath too. I will have to try that.

 

[scrimper]

Thanks for the tips, I’m using Olson #9 skip tooth blades for now but am trying to find other retailers to buy from, any suggestions would be most welcome…

That is quite a course blade to be honest a number 5 would probably be better, See the post from AES.

FWIW I use Niqua blades from Hobbies Reverse Tooth Fretsaw Blades for Wood pack of 12

 

[Foggy58]

Thanks Scrimper I have some #5’s and #3’s but thought I’d better stick to the bigger blades until I’m more used to how much pressure to use while cutting. You were right about the plywood it’s just stuff I have laying around probably over 40 years old and fairly stained, still it’s sanded up ok now

 

[AES]

That is quite a course blade to be honest a number 5 would probably be better, See the post from AES.

FWIW I use Niqua blades from Hobbies Reverse Tooth Fretsaw Blades for Wood pack of 12

Yeah, agree with scrimper. I too thought immediately of perhaps a number 5 blade for the job you showed (the TPI probably matters more than the actual brand - unless you end up with some cheapo blades from the local DIY place)! No 3s would do it too, but would be slower cutting and MAY also clog the kerf - but the slower cut may an advantage when starting out? There's a lot to be discovered simply by trial and error.

Thanks Scrimper I have some #5’s and #3’s but thought I’d better stick to the bigger blades until I’m more used to how much pressure to use while cutting. You were right about the plywood it’s just stuff I have laying around probably over 40 years old and fairly stained, still it’s sanded up ok now

Yeah, I thought maybe the ply you used was maybe a bit carp. For when it matters, look for the MAX number of laminations you can get in the overall thickness you want, AND look for the laminations being all of equal thickness.