I cut 3/4" thick wood. Both hard and soft woods. I have single speed saws and it works fine. If I were to ever try doing fretwork on thin stock I think I would like to slow the saw down for that. In my experience slower speeds are useful for better control. As I cut thicker wood (3/4") the feed rate is slow... so saw motor speed is not an issue for me. I mostly do double bevel inlay and making toys.