in compound sawing

[4whlstee-er]

am making scroll sawed chess pieces, (from Diana Thompsons book) what I'd like to know is whether or not there is such a thing as "Too tight" blade tension! I would have guessed that as long as the blade can take it, there would abe NO such thing as too much tension! AM at a loss as to why I am getting little troughs or the opposite when I make just some of the particular tight turns?

[CanadianScroller]

if a blade is too tight it will fail prematurely. As for the tight turns, you need to let the saw catch up. No pressure on the blade. Then make your turn. Cut slowly. Sharp blades are a must. A steady pressure while advancing the cut is also important.
If you don`t take the forward pressure off the cut just before you make the turn the center of the blade can lag or wow, causing that dished look.