Jaager

I think:
This will cost more in time and tool wear than any perceived savings from DIY.
The Byrnes is on balance economical.
You can also use two tools that you will otherwise need to have anyway:

 
General Tool #15 1-60 drill gauge.
 

 
General Tool #13  61-80 drill gauge.
Both are SS and can be rubbed on a stone to renew the edge. 
Drill bits go astray and the gauge is needed to identify the size. 
 
If the alternative ready made option is an actual jewelers draw plate - a bad choice - expensive and made for actually drawing wire.  The sizes do not match wire gauge sizes.  They must be used from the wrong side, the taper does not help in grasping the bamboo and using a stone on the small size will enlarge the holes because of the taper (although that would take several lifetimes of rubbing). 
 
In my experience:
There are a blue million species of bamboo - which one is used in any particular bag of bamboo skewers no way to know.
Some are soft and draw easily, but are fragile.  Some are hard and fight being pealed into ever smaller diameters.
The interval between each drill number is often too wide.  Going back thru the same hole more than once but at an ever increasing angle might keep a stick from freezing up in the hole and being the devil to push out.  The harder species are worse at this.
It is not easy to get a grip on the stick.  It is difficult not to crush the tip too much to even get back thru a second pass without shaving a new point.  It is about an every pass step - long skewers help make it provide enough final length - after a tedious, frustrating, and time consuming process.
I have yet to find an ideal gripper.  I have the gripper used to pull wire - scissor action - coarse teeth - wants to crush - even with a piece of sandpaper between the surface and the stick.
I bought parallel grip pliers to try and something else featured here that is waiting for testing.  Something with a groove for the stick may reduce crushing.
 
A bag of plastic test tubes and a test tube stand is a way to store the variety of finished trunnels sorted per diameter.  Some sticks are not going to let you draw them down as small as you want.  They are still useful.
 
 

Roger,
There is probably a bit more control, but a hand crank feed or direct push of the work into the rotating drum - still involves a human factor into the constancy of the rate of feed.
A motor driving the feed table would solve that.  I have never used one, or even seen one in operation, But does not a full size planer that uses cutting blades also have a motor driven feed?  I sure would not care to get my fingers near those rotating blades.  With a sanding planer, all I get is interesting fingernail tips.

I have no insight into what jobs a drum sander would be help for with POB scratch.   My guess is that most of it involves a square angle.  It would probably do way more harm than good if used to bevel standard moulds.  For POF frames, the bevel is never a constant angle, it must be done by eye, so a tilt serves no purpose.
 
The dust generated by a sanding drum is a really significant volume of fine air borne particles.  Dust extraction is necessary.  It has a horizontal angular momentum of some velocity so if a shop vac nozzle is close the dust goes there rather than falling into the box with the motor.
 
 
My guess is that the motor is an induction motor.  The cooling of the windings is by convection and there is a grill of sorts at either end of the housing.   Saw dust will tend to pack around the windings and the motor will overheat.  I have never seen a brush motor that is as large as 1/3 HP.  The presence of sparking: only if there is a short in the windings?   The motor will get hot, but paper ~= wood  - it ignites at 415 F ?  I would think that the motor would fry and freeze up well before that temp was reached.
 
My prediction about your construct:  a closed back will make the box into an oven after a relatively short working time.  With just the back open, the working time will be a bit longer, but it will get hot -not enough free air exchange. 
The solution is to remove the front panel.  I used 1.5 inch angle steel (with holes) to do what the front and back panels on your box do - hold the sides at a fixed width.  Cut a big hole in the bottom panel where the motor bracing attachment ain't.  Put 1.5 or larger rubber corks at each bottom corner. It reduces vibration noise and allows for air flow from below. 

Now that I think on it, 4 pieces of angle steel could replace the bottom panel.  Two outer ones to fix the sides in position and two in the middle to hold the motor.  With the corks holding it up, there would be optimal air flow from below.
 
Buy a piece of the 1/4" thick stuff that peg board is made of, just get the version with no holes.  Make its dimensions a push fit inside your box.  Drill a 1/2" hole where the motor shaft hits it.  File the hole a tad bit larger.  With a TEFC  motor, it can be sitting on the motor housing, with an open motor, some gap is necessary. This shield will keep saw dust from getting to the motor.
 
Free hand bevel sanding - remove the table.  You are going to wish that the sides were not so high above the motor.   They should be about level with the top of the motor.
The table need not be a flat plane board.  It can have "feet" to position it up/down that sit on the side boards.  
 
For dust collection -  first I reverted to my previous life and bought a lab ring stand  and finger clamps to hold a crevice tool at the dust generation site.  The stand does not weigh enough, the finger clamps are too weak.   I replaced it with something sturdy that works.

 
It needed a lino washer on the positioning bolt to hold it at the required angle.
 
About the sleeveless drums,  the backing pad is beveled at the slot - no bump.   They have a 1/2" socket with a set screw.  They come with a 1/2" post so that they can fit in a chuck.  The rod can be removed and the drum can fix directly on the 1/2" motor shaft.

Roger,
There is probably a bit more control, but a hand crank feed or direct push of the work into the rotating drum - still involves a human factor into the constancy of the rate of feed.
A motor driving the feed table would solve that.  I have never used one, or even seen one in operation, But does not a full size planer that uses cutting blades also have a motor driven feed?  I sure would not care to get my fingers near those rotating blades.  With a sanding planer, all I get is interesting fingernail tips.

Roger,
There is probably a bit more control, but a hand crank feed or direct push of the work into the rotating drum - still involves a human factor into the constancy of the rate of feed.
A motor driving the feed table would solve that.  I have never used one, or even seen one in operation, But does not a full size planer that uses cutting blades also have a motor driven feed?  I sure would not care to get my fingers near those rotating blades.  With a sanding planer, all I get is interesting fingernail tips.

I have no insight into what jobs a drum sander would be help for with POB scratch.   My guess is that most of it involves a square angle.  It would probably do way more harm than good if used to bevel standard moulds.  For POF frames, the bevel is never a constant angle, it must be done by eye, so a tilt serves no purpose.
 
The dust generated by a sanding drum is a really significant volume of fine air borne particles.  Dust extraction is necessary.  It has a horizontal angular momentum of some velocity so if a shop vac nozzle is close the dust goes there rather than falling into the box with the motor.
 
 
My guess is that the motor is an induction motor.  The cooling of the windings is by convection and there is a grill of sorts at either end of the housing.   Saw dust will tend to pack around the windings and the motor will overheat.  I have never seen a brush motor that is as large as 1/3 HP.  The presence of sparking: only if there is a short in the windings?   The motor will get hot, but paper ~= wood  - it ignites at 415 F ?  I would think that the motor would fry and freeze up well before that temp was reached.
 
My prediction about your construct:  a closed back will make the box into an oven after a relatively short working time.  With just the back open, the working time will be a bit longer, but it will get hot -not enough free air exchange. 
The solution is to remove the front panel.  I used 1.5 inch angle steel (with holes) to do what the front and back panels on your box do - hold the sides at a fixed width.  Cut a big hole in the bottom panel where the motor bracing attachment ain't.  Put 1.5 or larger rubber corks at each bottom corner. It reduces vibration noise and allows for air flow from below. 

Now that I think on it, 4 pieces of angle steel could replace the bottom panel.  Two outer ones to fix the sides in position and two in the middle to hold the motor.  With the corks holding it up, there would be optimal air flow from below.
 
Buy a piece of the 1/4" thick stuff that peg board is made of, just get the version with no holes.  Make its dimensions a push fit inside your box.  Drill a 1/2" hole where the motor shaft hits it.  File the hole a tad bit larger.  With a TEFC  motor, it can be sitting on the motor housing, with an open motor, some gap is necessary. This shield will keep saw dust from getting to the motor.
 
Free hand bevel sanding - remove the table.  You are going to wish that the sides were not so high above the motor.   They should be about level with the top of the motor.
The table need not be a flat plane board.  It can have "feet" to position it up/down that sit on the side boards.  
 
For dust collection -  first I reverted to my previous life and bought a lab ring stand  and finger clamps to hold a crevice tool at the dust generation site.  The stand does not weigh enough, the finger clamps are too weak.   I replaced it with something sturdy that works.

 
It needed a lino washer on the positioning bolt to hold it at the required angle.
 
About the sleeveless drums,  the backing pad is beveled at the slot - no bump.   They have a 1/2" socket with a set screw.  They come with a 1/2" post so that they can fit in a chuck.  The rod can be removed and the drum can fix directly on the 1/2" motor shaft.

My old thickness sander was two pieces of Hard Maple with a 1/2" shaft bonded in the middle and the wood turned using the shaft as the chuck attachment.
 
For a drum sander table,  the actual drums?   It may be worth your time to visit the Peachtree Woodworking site and think about their sleeveless drums
I suggest the minimum  if you work at a larger scale  3 x 6"  3 x 2"  3 x 1"  3 x 3/4"    The core of the  3 x 3/4" is steel, so if the rubber pad is removed an even smaller drum is possible.
 
The Norton 10X sandpaper holds up, and unlike your thickness sander drum, the medium is held by a mechanical attachment.  The 10X has a non skid backing that rejects rubber cement and probably contact cement.  The thickness sander wants Klingspor cloth backed media anyway.

My old thickness sander was two pieces of Hard Maple with a 1/2" shaft bonded in the middle and the wood turned using the shaft as the chuck attachment.
 
For a drum sander table,  the actual drums?   It may be worth your time to visit the Peachtree Woodworking site and think about their sleeveless drums
I suggest the minimum  if you work at a larger scale  3 x 6"  3 x 2"  3 x 1"  3 x 3/4"    The core of the  3 x 3/4" is steel, so if the rubber pad is removed an even smaller drum is possible.
 
The Norton 10X sandpaper holds up, and unlike your thickness sander drum, the medium is held by a mechanical attachment.  The 10X has a non skid backing that rejects rubber cement and probably contact cement.  The thickness sander wants Klingspor cloth backed media anyway.

1700 rpm  - no RPM adjustment - faster than this burns the wood.
If this is for an occasional use, you may get by with an economy quality motor, but for serious work, going cheap may prove to be more expensive.
 
Big box home improvement stores have large size Erector Set type steel and bolts. 
These can hold the motor vertical and along with and "T" nuts, attach 3/4" plywood sides to the base.  Easier to undo, or adjust - glue is not a friend for this.
They also have free samples for Armstrong lino that can be cut and used as sound dampening "washers"  and large rubber bottle stoppers for feet to block vibrations and elevate to allow for air flow from below.

Don,
I did "bodge one together"  but it cost a lot more than "just a few bucks". 
The oscillation action was one that I could see no advantage in having and it provided the potential addition of a lot of precision problems with the up/down motion.
.
My primary use for it is to shape bevels on frames.
A deck beam or stem needs a precise 90 degree to the medium working surface.  Here, an accurate table is important.
For frames, a table just gets in the way.
 
I do not like using sanding sleeves.  The medium is expensive. The vendors are limited, so too is the choice of grit.  I do not trust the method that holds them.  Compression of a hard rubber rod can produce an out of round cutting surface.
I found a series of sleeveless sanding drums.  The largest diameter is 3",  but this size comes 3" tall and 6" tall.  (4.5" is pointless) .  There are others with smaller diameters - also 3" tall.  There is a shorter one with 1/2" diameter and if the rubber backing is removed, it is 1/4". (Inside curves)
For fresh cutting surface, I move the work, not the sanding surface. 
 
I built my first one using a seriously under powered motor that had on hand.  It did not perform all that well, but I learned several things not to do.
 
Things I learned:
A 1/3 HP motor does the job, but any less power probably will not. 
A 1/2HP would meet any challenge.  However, it is large, heavy, and significantly more expensive.  (I was able to suppress my inner Tim Allen on this point.)
This is where the expense comes in.
TEFC, CW/CCW,  a drum switch to reverse the rotation. A quality motor may well cost more than an economy spindle sander.
What makes it worth the additional expense:
The motor will have a 1/2" straight shaft.  Adapters and chucks are easy to fit.  Any cutter, burr, grinder, microplane, heavy duty flex shaft that has a round mount can be used with it. Being able to reverse the cutting direction is very useful.  (I discovered that heavy duty flex shafts do not like to have their rotation reversed - from reading the lit, not burnout.)
The commercial spindle sanders that I have investigated all use compression fit sleeves and the mount to the motor shaft is proprietary so no third party cutters will fit.  The belt sander option is neat,  but I bought a HF 3x36 dedicated belt sander for ~$50 with the 20% coupon. 
 
The process generates an unbelievable volume of dust.  To save burning out the motor from wood flour in the windings I use a TEFC motor.
Enclosing the motor in a box is a bad idea.  The heat needs to get away from the motor.  Two sides to hold the table. Two side open.
Bottom plywood plate that mounts the motor has a big hole that is the diameter of the motor.
I have a sheet of fiber board, with a 1/2" hole in the center just above the motor.  It blocks sawdust from getting to the motor.
 
A big drill press will hold the sanding drum, but I am tall and the motor blocks my view, so a motor on the bottom is necessary.
A good sight line is important.  Lots of light is important.  A way to hold the intake nozzle port for a powerful shop vac in a dependable fixed position is necessary.  A cyclone trap between the vac and the nozzle is necessary unless you like clearing or replacing Vac filters frequently.
 

1700 rpm  - no RPM adjustment - faster than this burns the wood.
If this is for an occasional use, you may get by with an economy quality motor, but for serious work, going cheap may prove to be more expensive.
 
Big box home improvement stores have large size Erector Set type steel and bolts. 
These can hold the motor vertical and along with and "T" nuts, attach 3/4" plywood sides to the base.  Easier to undo, or adjust - glue is not a friend for this.
They also have free samples for Armstrong lino that can be cut and used as sound dampening "washers"  and large rubber bottle stoppers for feet to block vibrations and elevate to allow for air flow from below.

It is to scream in frustration!  The use of jargon with this causes confusion about which agents to use.
A stain - the noun - applies to a semi transparent paint. It does not penetrate wood. It sits on the surface.  It is largish pigment particles in a binder.
A dye - is near single molecule pigment.  It actually enters into the wood and becomes part of it. As commonly found, the pigment is either dissolved in water or alcohol.
The water based version penetrates more deeply but also can swell surface wood fibers (raise the grain).
The alcohol based version penetrates not as deep, but does not affect the wood surface.
 
Small boxwood blocks  - depth of penetration is not something that can be seen, so alcohol is probably the more efficient version.
If you buy a small quantity of red and black dye.  An endless variety of shades of brown is possible by adjusting the relative ration of the two solutions.
Even more variety is possible if a brown pigment is in the mix.  In any case, a little black goes a long way.
Test on scrap.  This is both more tricky than is first imagined and messy - gloves - skin will dye too and it takes a few days for dyed cells to be shed.
Once you have the desired shade, the intensity can be less by adding more alcohol.
To finish, use a coat of clear shellac on the dyed blocks.
 
Or you could leap to the final stage by doing what the original Navy Board modelers did.  Use garnet color shellac on the raw boxwood.  First coat, 1/2 strength, second coat full strength.

Black Cherry  is the common name for Prunus serotina.  I see that you are west coast US.  The growing range for the tree is, I think eastern US.  It grows tall, straight and can have a fairly thick trunk.
 It is sort of pinkish when cut - or darker.  Components (I think poly phenols) oxidize over time to a dark red.  It is prized as a furniture wood.  The fruit is not eaten often -small and mostly seed.  The bark was/is used to make wild cherry syrup - an old time vehicle for liquid medicines compounded in local pharmacies.  Birds do eat the fruit and spread the seeds.  It often grows as a volunteer in fence rows.  
The tree that grows commercial cherries is usually too small to make it worth harvest as timber.  I tree that I harvested - way back when, was similar to Black Cherry in texture and hardness, but it was yellow green and did not darken.  It would serve our uses as far as its physical properties, but not yield the distinctive color of Black Cherry.
 
So, to answer your question,  it is likely that any hardwood lumber listed as Cherry is indeed Black Cherry.  The seller that lists it as simply "Cherry" is missing a free selling point by omitting the "Black".  
 
As much as I like Black Cherry, to be fair,  Pear (Pyrus  communis) is a step above for our uses. The color is similar but I think less intense.  The grain is less obvious.  It does not have the very dark inclusions that are common in Black Cherry.  It is my impression that this Pear has fruit that is only of interest to wild critters.  It is primarily a European citizen that it is often a weed.  And here in the US it is used as root stock for commercial Pear varieties.  This keeps it short and likely smallish in diameter.

The open pore species are not species that work at all well for the scales that we use.  That is Oak, Ash, Hickory, Walnut, Willow.
The species that are useful, Black Cherry, Hard Maple, Yellow Poplar are not difficult to obtain.
I am guessing that your source is a furniture or flooring operation and these are the defect sections.
Were you a fellow model ship builder, you would be golden for your own supply.
Now, if any of that is Apple and reasonable shipping is in play, we can talk.  I can handle your stock as is.
Even if you have the tools that Chuck describes and you were to open a Web business offering custom sized strip and sheet wood,  unless you offer the species with cachet. it would be a struggle.
Even if you could obtain true Boxwood, or its tropical substitute Castello, your net return would have be lucky to cover minimum wage, much less a reasonable compensation for skilled labor.
 
If you supply your geographical location, there may be a near by scratch builder willing to pick over your stock and pay - say ~$3 bdf - less the defects.
 

Don,
I did "bodge one together"  but it cost a lot more than "just a few bucks". 
The oscillation action was one that I could see no advantage in having and it provided the potential addition of a lot of precision problems with the up/down motion.
.
My primary use for it is to shape bevels on frames.
A deck beam or stem needs a precise 90 degree to the medium working surface.  Here, an accurate table is important.
For frames, a table just gets in the way.
 
I do not like using sanding sleeves.  The medium is expensive. The vendors are limited, so too is the choice of grit.  I do not trust the method that holds them.  Compression of a hard rubber rod can produce an out of round cutting surface.
I found a series of sleeveless sanding drums.  The largest diameter is 3",  but this size comes 3" tall and 6" tall.  (4.5" is pointless) .  There are others with smaller diameters - also 3" tall.  There is a shorter one with 1/2" diameter and if the rubber backing is removed, it is 1/4". (Inside curves)
For fresh cutting surface, I move the work, not the sanding surface. 
 
I built my first one using a seriously under powered motor that had on hand.  It did not perform all that well, but I learned several things not to do.
 
Things I learned:
A 1/3 HP motor does the job, but any less power probably will not. 
A 1/2HP would meet any challenge.  However, it is large, heavy, and significantly more expensive.  (I was able to suppress my inner Tim Allen on this point.)
This is where the expense comes in.
TEFC, CW/CCW,  a drum switch to reverse the rotation. A quality motor may well cost more than an economy spindle sander.
What makes it worth the additional expense:
The motor will have a 1/2" straight shaft.  Adapters and chucks are easy to fit.  Any cutter, burr, grinder, microplane, heavy duty flex shaft that has a round mount can be used with it. Being able to reverse the cutting direction is very useful.  (I discovered that heavy duty flex shafts do not like to have their rotation reversed - from reading the lit, not burnout.)
The commercial spindle sanders that I have investigated all use compression fit sleeves and the mount to the motor shaft is proprietary so no third party cutters will fit.  The belt sander option is neat,  but I bought a HF 3x36 dedicated belt sander for ~$50 with the 20% coupon. 
 
The process generates an unbelievable volume of dust.  To save burning out the motor from wood flour in the windings I use a TEFC motor.
Enclosing the motor in a box is a bad idea.  The heat needs to get away from the motor.  Two sides to hold the table. Two side open.
Bottom plywood plate that mounts the motor has a big hole that is the diameter of the motor.
I have a sheet of fiber board, with a 1/2" hole in the center just above the motor.  It blocks sawdust from getting to the motor.
 
A big drill press will hold the sanding drum, but I am tall and the motor blocks my view, so a motor on the bottom is necessary.
A good sight line is important.  Lots of light is important.  A way to hold the intake nozzle port for a powerful shop vac in a dependable fixed position is necessary.  A cyclone trap between the vac and the nozzle is necessary unless you like clearing or replacing Vac filters frequently.
 

Heavy duty bending equipment suggests serious bending is contemplated.
 
I apologize for the inappropriate anthropomorphic terminology, it just is easier.
 
Wood wants to bend thru the thin dimension.
But for sharp bends pay attention to the grain,  if it is not parallel it may delaminate.
Wood does not want to bend thru the thick dimension.  It will try to spring back forever. It will tend to twist.
 
This means that for parts like rails, it is a better choice to follow prototype practice.  The method is to spill the shape from a much wider plank and assemble it in pieces.  Most kits do not supply the necessary wide stock, so a third party supplier is needed.

Focusing on the #11 shape cutter:
This is about as individual preference and what you are used to subject as it gets.
 
A quick view at Widget Supply  comes up with:
Fiskars 167000 Softgrip Ergonomic Detail Knife  - comfortable in my hand
X-ACTO X3254 Black Ergonomic Knife - Safety Cap - Type A
X-ACTO X3627 Black Gripster Knife - Safety Cap - Type A
Fiskars 167110 Heavy Duty Knife
Excel 16019 K18 BLUE Soft Grip Knife
These want a superior quality steel blades - usually sold per #100
 
Scalpel blades   - sharp, excellent steel  funky attachment.
Several sizes of handle,  but long term hand comfort seems a low priority in design.
Sterility and not being a microorganism dispenser seems to dominate design.
 
The ultimate is Violin-Makers knives
Several widths  
no handles -  sort of like holding a pencil
It is as sharp as you strop.
Expensive - once in a lifetime - several choices for cutting edge length

Welcome to MSW, Marty.
 
If you'll go to the top of this area, you'll find this:  https://modelshipworld.com/topic/13703-for-beginners-a-cautionary-tale/   along with several other pinned posts to help you on your way.
 
Also, each section has pinned posts.  For example, in the Kit Builds area, there post on how to set up a log, etc.
 
I hope this helps.
 

Heavy duty bending equipment suggests serious bending is contemplated.
 
I apologize for the inappropriate anthropomorphic terminology, it just is easier.
 
Wood wants to bend thru the thin dimension.
But for sharp bends pay attention to the grain,  if it is not parallel it may delaminate.
Wood does not want to bend thru the thick dimension.  It will try to spring back forever. It will tend to twist.
 
This means that for parts like rails, it is a better choice to follow prototype practice.  The method is to spill the shape from a much wider plank and assemble it in pieces.  Most kits do not supply the necessary wide stock, so a third party supplier is needed.

Focusing on the #11 shape cutter:
This is about as individual preference and what you are used to subject as it gets.
 
A quick view at Widget Supply  comes up with:
Fiskars 167000 Softgrip Ergonomic Detail Knife  - comfortable in my hand
X-ACTO X3254 Black Ergonomic Knife - Safety Cap - Type A
X-ACTO X3627 Black Gripster Knife - Safety Cap - Type A
Fiskars 167110 Heavy Duty Knife
Excel 16019 K18 BLUE Soft Grip Knife
These want a superior quality steel blades - usually sold per #100
 
Scalpel blades   - sharp, excellent steel  funky attachment.
Several sizes of handle,  but long term hand comfort seems a low priority in design.
Sterility and not being a microorganism dispenser seems to dominate design.
 
The ultimate is Violin-Makers knives
Several widths  
no handles -  sort of like holding a pencil
It is as sharp as you strop.
Expensive - once in a lifetime - several choices for cutting edge length

Heavy duty bending equipment suggests serious bending is contemplated.
 
I apologize for the inappropriate anthropomorphic terminology, it just is easier.
 
Wood wants to bend thru the thin dimension.
But for sharp bends pay attention to the grain,  if it is not parallel it may delaminate.
Wood does not want to bend thru the thick dimension.  It will try to spring back forever. It will tend to twist.
 
This means that for parts like rails, it is a better choice to follow prototype practice.  The method is to spill the shape from a much wider plank and assemble it in pieces.  Most kits do not supply the necessary wide stock, so a third party supplier is needed.

Focusing on the #11 shape cutter:
This is about as individual preference and what you are used to subject as it gets.
 
A quick view at Widget Supply  comes up with:
Fiskars 167000 Softgrip Ergonomic Detail Knife  - comfortable in my hand
X-ACTO X3254 Black Ergonomic Knife - Safety Cap - Type A
X-ACTO X3627 Black Gripster Knife - Safety Cap - Type A
Fiskars 167110 Heavy Duty Knife
Excel 16019 K18 BLUE Soft Grip Knife
These want a superior quality steel blades - usually sold per #100
 
Scalpel blades   - sharp, excellent steel  funky attachment.
Several sizes of handle,  but long term hand comfort seems a low priority in design.
Sterility and not being a microorganism dispenser seems to dominate design.
 
The ultimate is Violin-Makers knives
Several widths  
no handles -  sort of like holding a pencil
It is as sharp as you strop.
Expensive - once in a lifetime - several choices for cutting edge length

Heavy duty bending equipment suggests serious bending is contemplated.
 
I apologize for the inappropriate anthropomorphic terminology, it just is easier.
 
Wood wants to bend thru the thin dimension.
But for sharp bends pay attention to the grain,  if it is not parallel it may delaminate.
Wood does not want to bend thru the thick dimension.  It will try to spring back forever. It will tend to twist.
 
This means that for parts like rails, it is a better choice to follow prototype practice.  The method is to spill the shape from a much wider plank and assemble it in pieces.  Most kits do not supply the necessary wide stock, so a third party supplier is needed.

Focusing on the #11 shape cutter:
This is about as individual preference and what you are used to subject as it gets.
 
A quick view at Widget Supply  comes up with:
Fiskars 167000 Softgrip Ergonomic Detail Knife  - comfortable in my hand
X-ACTO X3254 Black Ergonomic Knife - Safety Cap - Type A
X-ACTO X3627 Black Gripster Knife - Safety Cap - Type A
Fiskars 167110 Heavy Duty Knife
Excel 16019 K18 BLUE Soft Grip Knife
These want a superior quality steel blades - usually sold per #100
 
Scalpel blades   - sharp, excellent steel  funky attachment.
Several sizes of handle,  but long term hand comfort seems a low priority in design.
Sterility and not being a microorganism dispenser seems to dominate design.
 
The ultimate is Violin-Makers knives
Several widths  
no handles -  sort of like holding a pencil
It is as sharp as you strop.
Expensive - once in a lifetime - several choices for cutting edge length

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.