Saws..A Cutting Question.

[Richard. W.]

Hi, all....

I'm looking to improve things in the workshop and would like to introduce a power saw for cutting ply formers and similar.......The thickest I can imagine ever cutting would be 1/2" balsa.

I know that different saws are designed to do different jobs but I can't justify the cost or space for every tool, so is there one type you'd recommend as a good all rounder?...I was thinking of a scroll saw with a guide to handle straight and curved cuts but was hoping to get some advice first.

[Danny Fenton]

Well i will throw my hat in the ring, i find a bandsaw the most useful all rounder for 60" plus models. I gave my powered fretsaw away to a friend, just wasnt as useful.....
Just my thoughts. You will need a fine blade
Cheers
Danny

Edited By Danny Fenton on 31/01/2019 20:02:35

[Malcolm Fisher]

For me a bandsaw is a much better proposition than a scroll saw. The small amplitude of the stroke on a scroll saw makes it safer if fingers make contact with the blade, but if you try to cut plastic materials the generated heat can make the plastic stick to the blade and break the blade or workpiece - occasionally both as we found out years ago when trying to introduce one to a school workshop so the pupils could use it.

My bandsaw gets used for cutting many different materials and I have a number of blades of differing widths and sizes of teeth including a fine toothed blade capable of cutting thin sheet metal. Narrow blades are best to cope with curves.

Malcolm

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

I can never stop the cut wandering off line with a scroll saw and only 10mm of the blade ever gets used (and worn out).

I find a bandsaw far more useful, except you can never poke the blade through a hole in the workpiece like a scroll saw and the throat is unlikely to be as deep. So it's horses for courses - with the bandsaw winning by miles for most jobs.

[Peter Miller]

I prefer the hole saw.Mainly because A) you can't cut holes in the middle of things with a band saw. B) you can do tighter raidii witha scroll saw C) the blades are a lot cheaper D) it is safer and takes up less room.

I have used both.The band saw was great for 1" to 2" hardwoods. You don't need that sort of cutting power for 1/2" balsa or even 1/2" ply or hardwood.

[Rob Ashley]

100% a bandsaw. It will do most things: curves, cross cut, mitre cut and rip to name a few. As the other chaps have said use a narrowish blade for tight curves. It doesn't need to be a big saw either, but think about the throat depth as this will generally determine your max width of cut. For inside cuts a hand held fretsaw is hard to beat. Best of luck.

Edited By Rob Ashley on 31/01/2019 21:10:09

[Stuphedd]

I use a bandsaw for everything ! and for cutting the centres out of formers , I just cut one slot into the centre cut it out and then glue the slot back up ,and cover it up with a stringer !

Get a good selection of of bandsaw widths and teeth , biggest pain is changing the blade , and you can prolong their life by brazing them together when they break .

cheers

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Scott Edwards 2]

Another vote for a bandsaw ! I never use my fretsaw. Most bandsaws are huuuge but I've got the Proxxon one. It ain't cheap, but is small enough to lift easily onto the workbench when you need it. It cuts balsa beautifuly using the 176 blade, and up to 1/4 ply. Thicker stuff too if you're gentle. I build some big models, and couldn't live without it.

Edited By Scott Edwards 2 on 31/01/2019 21:32:03

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Richard. W.]

Thanks for the great input, folks.. I have to agree about Proxxon, having a few of their tools already and the cost is offset by knowing it works and will last.. I shall probably invest in their band saw first then see if I can justify the table saw later....Even if it's mainly used for stripping sheet wood as Percy mentioned, it will soon pay for itself.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

One of these will pay for itself several decades sooner though!

[PatMc]

I have an old Burgess BK3 bandsaw that's done sterling service for over 30 years now. It has a deaper throat than similar size 2 wheel models although I have considered a getting a 2 wheeler as a replacement if it has better blade guides & is 2 speed.

If there's an Axminster tool store near you it might be worth having a look at what they have to offer before parting with any cash, that's what I intend doing.

[Rob Ashley]

Agreed Pat. Axminster do great tools. My bandsaw is an Axminster - very sturdy and accurate and cuts everything but they do cost.

[Richard. W.]

Posted by Martin Harris on 31/01/2019 22:54:09:

One of these will pay for itself several decades sooner though!

Hehe......Very true! ..... I have a couple of those kicking around and they do work but I find I struggle with them stripping 1/8 sheet and wouldn't attempt thicker sizes.

Another consideration for me with power tools is size. My build area is an upstairs bedroom so any equipment has to be carried up there. I have sclerosis of the lower spine and pelvic joints so heavy lifting is out and I try to organise tools of this type so that they're kept together at one end of a work table and can be moved along into clear space when I need to use them. The small physical size of the Proxxon saw is another thing in it's favour besides it's quality.

[Rob Ashley]

Blimey, fair play to you mate with your condition. Sounds like proxxon is the right choice for you Richard.

[Tim Ballinger]

I too use an upstairs bedroom as my workshop and find that the Dremmel moto saw suits my needs well. It is basically a ‘craft’ scroll saw designed into a bespoke dremmel. It mounts on the edge of the bench by g clamps when needed and attaches to a standard vacuum hose to extract the dust. Cuts 6mm ply with ease. Had it for 2 years now and gets a fair amount of use. Has guides to keep you straight until you get to small/ complex shapes at which point you are on your own! Retailed for about £90 when I bought mine .

Tim

 

Edited By Tim Ballinger on 01/02/2019 10:09:59

[Nigel R]

Posted by Richard. W. on 01/02/2019 00:03:02:

Posted by Martin Harris on 31/01/2019 22:54:09:

One of these will pay for itself several decades sooner though!

Hehe......Very true! ..... I have a couple of those kicking around and they do work but I find I struggle with them stripping 1/8 sheet and wouldn't attempt thicker sizes.

On the balsa stripper front, make your own - it'll be much sturdier / accurate / useful - a few bits of MDF or 3/4" ply:

(not my one, but I don't have a good picture of mine)

This design is on the net, here

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1049687

With a fresh blade, the captive tip design is happy cutting rock hard 1/4". Because the tip is fixed, it doesn't wander.

The fence has a triangular wedge which allows a good accurate (enough for us, for sure) adjustment of the cut width.

It's solid enough to be clamped to a bench, so you can use blocks to push the sheet wood against the fence, and use a block to feed the sheet through the blade.

It's as best an answer as I've seen, anything more heavyweight would be a bit much. This thing only owes me a couple of hours cutting the parts from scrap constructional ply.

Edited By Nigel R on 01/02/2019 10:47:28

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

That looks a very competent design but to me, the great advantage of the stripper I pictured (can I say that Mods?) is its size - workshop and bench space is at a premium (especially as I'm not the tidiest of workers - to put it mildly!) and I've found it worked well with all the balsa I've tried it on. With care, multiple accurate cuts can be made on particularly hard wood.

[J V R]

Bandsaw for me, great for making your own trailing edge stock, stripping sheet for stringers ect ect

[Gordon Tarling]

Bandsaw, beyond any doubt. I have a scroll saw and its only real use is cutting out the centres of formers etc. The bandsaw can do so much more and I wouldn't want to be without one. Get the best one you can.  I should mention that I've tried strippers that use a knife type of blade and always found the blade has a tendency to follow the grain, giving a wavy cut.

Edited By Gordon Tarling on 01/02/2019 12:00:29

[Levanter]

I bought a second-hand scroll saw and never used it so cannibalized some parts and junked the rest. I had a Draper bandsaw (again second-hand) but it was the 3 wheel type, very bulky and also noisy so that went the same way. I now have the Proxxon bandsaw which is a peach and the Proxxon table saw and could not be without either. My favorite job for the bandsaw is tapering spruce wing spars which would be a real pain doing by hand. The combination of these two has increased the speed of my building no end as well as helping with precision.
For inside cut-outs I start by chain drilling and then smoothing out the profile with a small drum sander in a Dremel.

If I was to get another saw it would be the next size up Proxxon table saw that also has a tilt function for the blade. I would find that very useful and it is on my wish list. Are you listening Santa!

Levanter

[Nigel R]

Martin, the balsa stripper I made is 6" square, not that big. Horses for courses though.

[kc]

A scrollsaw is the thing for cutting formers and of course you can do internal cuts as well. My bandsaw never gets used but the scroll saw does. Look for quick release blade tension on a scrollsaw, more useful than variable speed etc.

For the straight cuts in thin ply use a japanese style pull saw which are thin and cut quickly and accurately.   Use with a traditional woodworkers bench hook.   Or the modified bench hook with a square block underneath to fit either way around in a vice or Workmate type bench.

Edited By kc on 01/02/2019 12:54:56