halgin Posted November 2, 2015 Share #1 Posted November 2, 2015 I am a beginner and I know this may be a stupid question. I am working on the Phantom from MS. I am trying to cut a piece of bassword that is an 1/8 thick. I have a million exacto knives but it is very difficult to cut thru and still wind up with a usable piece. Short of some portable electric device, what is the best way to cut small pieces like a rudder out of basswood.. Thanks. Hal jazzchip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaager Posted November 2, 2015 Share #2 Posted November 2, 2015 I would think a hand fret/coping/jewelers saw would do the trick. Blades are easy to find in the 3-8 range. There are variety packs. I think for basswood, you need very sharp edges to avoid tearing out the wood fibers. It is like a scroll saw, except that you are the motor. You should find something functional for less than $20 US. mtaylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtvd19 Posted November 2, 2015 Share #3 Posted November 2, 2015 Hal: Welcome to the hobby. Don't try to cut through the piece in one cut. Take a light cut and then go over it several times to cut through the piece. If it's a thick piece, cut outside the line and then sand the edge to the line to avoid any tendency to angle your cut. Another thing to watch out for is the wood grain and the tendency of a blade to follow the grain - again light cuts will help to avoid this problem. If you are having a problem with the wood splitting along the grain and taking off a part of the piece you are making, make cuts across the grain first so that the tendency of wood to split along the grain doesn't affect your cut. This is something that will get easier with more experience. But be sure to use only SHARP blades. If the blade dulls either replace it or hone the edge - a sharp blade is a safe blade while a dull blade will not cut the wood well and can and will slip and cut you just fine. Kurt Canute, mtaylor and Landlubber Mike 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reklein Posted November 2, 2015 Share #4 Posted November 2, 2015 The jewelers saw works very well specially in the harder types of wood. Be sure to get fine tooth blades. A rule of thumb for blades is to have three teeth on the thickness of materil being cut. So for example 1/8th inch material you'd need 24 TPI. (teeth per inch). On the other hand too fine of teeth on thicker material will cause the blade to clog and make sawing difficult. Bill Canute, hornet and mtaylor 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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