Q A's Revenge

Just had a look at Wickes and the cheapest I could find was a bit more at £39.99 but still not bad. Just a couple of quid more for a slitting saw blade and you're good to go.

You can buy these for about £30 in Wickes.

 

I've got a Stanley and it's pretty poor as well. I may repurpose it somehow.

Fine line tape has been used for years in the motor trade so that would be my first choice.

Nice job!

I don't see why you couldn't use them but you'd need to supplement them with more conventional carving tools as those are a bit specialist.

Given that it's been suggested that long planks aid strength to a ship I guess another important question may be what is the shortest plank you would expect to see?

I think Dremel are expensive, having said that I bought a Parkside one from Lidl and it's not that good as it vibrates a lot.

Maybe a better use of the MDF would be to sandwich the plywood keel after manufacturing. It seems that it's usually the keel that's warped. Assuming the plywood was flat when originally cut, a couple of pieces MDF should keep it flat until the kit is started. Or 1 piece could be solid wood to make a base (they never seem to supply that) and the other MDF. 

 

My one cents worth.

 

Richard.

I don't know how many folks have had problems with twisted ply parts, is it a very common complaint? I can understand the frustration though when it does happen.

I think poor quality ply is probably the biggest problem although bad packaging and storage can obviously cause their own problems. Probably the best solution would be to vacuum pack the sheet parts, that would stop them twisting in storage.

 

If I bought a kit with MDF parts I'd use them as templates to cut new ones from ply wood.

The laser cutter at work had a dedicated fume extraction unit. They also used special "laser cutter MDF" whatever that is. I would imagine the burnt edges of the MDF may be quite toxic once turned into a dust by sanding but don't know if any research has been done on that particular aspect.

The only sheet material that comes to mind that is weaker and less durable than MDF is fibreboard. The fact that kit manufacturers are using MDF is no surprise, it's cheap and easy to cut. There could be some merit in using it in kits rather than sourcing good quality plywood and that's if it reduces the retail price of the kit. Somehow though I can't see that happening. Given the relatively small amount of sheet material in a kit I can't see why a builder would risk the integrity of hundreds, possibly thousands of hours of work just to save a few pounds or dollars on materials.

Take two samples about the same size, one MDF and another Ply. Place them in a tray of water for a few minutes and ask me again... :-)

You could try a motor factors (car spares) shop.

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with this.

Hey, not trying to pick on the competition but isn't the little red mark that says the blade is at 90 degrees off about 2 degrees on that Proxxon saw?   Nice bull too

 

Jim

If it's like my Bandsaw then it's possible to beyond the "Zero" point. Easier to see on this machine but the pointer is also beyond zero and you can clearly see the angle of the blade. As with a full size Table Saw though vertical should always be checked with a square.

 

 

Nice Digital fence on this one!

The Proxxon does indeed have the ability to angle the blade like a full size table saw Nigel.

 

 

Cutting lots of angled strips would be a breeze with this saw.

I think you're understanding is correct. It appears to be of limited use.

I think this is perhaps where the design falls down? With a fall size saw with a tilting blade you could just keep cuting off lozenge shapes from a wide board. Not sure how you'd do that with this design?

Is there anyone on here with both a full size and miniature table saw? I ask as I'm wondering about the safety aspect of using the smaller saw. Full size table saws seem to be regarded as one of the most dangerous wood working machines with several workers in the U.S. loosing digits every week. Does the Byrnes have a riving knife for example or is it not needed on a machine this size?

Anyone tried the Z series blades, are they any better?

 

http://xacto.com/products/cutting-solutions/blades/classic-blades/11-Blade-Classic-Fine-Point.aspx

Looks like quite a nice little workstation. No idea of cost but don't see why laser cut parts like that should be too expensive?

I use a Pentax DSLR but any digital camera will do. If you can justify the cost try and get something with a moderate size sensor as they yield better results in most cases. If I didn't have a Pentax I'd probably look at Fuji or Panasonic for a quality compact.

It depends what you need to sharpen and how often. I've seen that particular tool before but not seen good or bad reviews for it.

 

Lots of us have multiple hobbies so some kind of sharpening system may be required. Take wood turning for example. Turning tools need to be kept very sharp so will require regular attention. Woodworkers and Metal workers may also prefer to use something more than a simple double ended grinder. Personally I sharpen most of my tools (Wood and Metal working) on a much modified belt and disc sander. I've bought additional jigs for it and made some of my own.

 

Also on the page you linked was another sharpening system:

 

http://www.rockler.com/robert-sorby-proedge-plus-sharpening-system

 

This is an expensive piece of equipment but really is an extremely easy to use system for wood workers and turners.

Nice work, thanks for posting!

I had to google the 103 to see what it looked like. Can't say I was impressed with the concept of the blade adjustment etc so not one for me.

Don't see why it shouldn't work well for you though provide the blade is nice and sharp.