What do I want for Christmas

[Worldway]

OK fellow Modelshipworldians.  My wife asked me tonight what I wanted for Christmas and I didn't know what to say.  I suppose the usual socks and underwear but I think I have a chance to throw a cool tool in the mix.  What do you think, any suggestions?  Keep in mind, I already have the Byrnes table saw.  Possibly thinking of another power tool or perhaps some really beneficial hand tools.  I could use your help for ideas.

[RichardG]

My first response when my wife asks me this "How much can I spend?"

[MEDDO]

Depending on your particular situation I would recommend something for dust control. Depends on your shop but proper dust control is really important. I personally just got a nice shopvac with a HEPA filter on it which will help quite a bit and for Christmas I think I’m gonna end up with a actual air filtration system.

[RichardG]

I just one of these to help the filter on my shop vac clogging up so quickly  

 

 

Haven't bought the bucket for it yet though.

[RichardG]

I find the disk sander I have (unfortunately not the Byrnes one) very useful. 

 

Also do you have the cross-cut sled for the saw? I'm using this a lot.

[Keithbrad80]

I really enjoy my disk sander as well, its not Byrnes one but does the job. As mentioned above a nice shop vac is a really nice thing to have, back in march Costco had a sale on really nice on a Dewalt shop vac that may have been 100 bucks. Here is the link it looks like its still only 100 but i use it every day i would say

 

https://www.costco.com/dewalt-10-gallon-wetdry-vacuum.product.100491610.html

 

Bradley

Edited November 15, 2020 by Keithbrad80

[ASAT]

Is it loud? I would like a quieter one....

[Paul Jarman]

An end to this horrible pandemic would be the best Christmas present.

Paul

[Kevin]

how about a miller, i recently bought the Proxxon MF-70

 

for myself, i dont need anything, so will go without this year i will purchase another build like the new CAF Grando, or the under development  Bluejacket (begins with a W)  but i may be ready by then to do the Triton scratch

[CPDDET]

My vote goes for the Byrne's sander. Have had mine for a couple months now and find it very useful.

 

If your scratch building, the Byrne's thickness sander is also a great choice.

[Roger Pellett]

The tool that I use by far the most in my shop Is my drill press.  I use it all the time.  I not only use for the projects that I build, I also use it to make the jigs and fixtures to make things.  The ability to drill an accurate, straight hole square to a surface is an essential factor in doing quality work.  As you get into metal work it becomes essential.

[Keithbrad80]

19 hours ago, ASAT said:

Is it loud? I would like a quieter one....

It’s probably as loud as any other shop vac. I do everything out of a 200 sqft shed in my back yard and I will run it in my shed without ear protection. They may be other options that are quieter though. 
 

Bradley

[MEDDO]

I know the new festool I just got is significantly quieter than the old dewalt it replaced

[allanyed]

If you are scratch building and ripping your own planks and other parts, a Byres thickness sander is my vote.  Almost every thing that is sawn goes through the thickness sander as it is so accurate.      Dust is a major problem so a collection unit would be a great thing to have.  

 

Allan

[RichardG]

The Byrnes thickness sander is next on my list of "expensive" tools. However, that will also mean improving my dust collection system. Fein vacuum cleaners are supposed to be amongst the quietist, so that's on my list too. But there's also the space issue. One option I have considered is some good pre-planning and just using the sander outdoors as weather and season permits.

 

This is not a simple hobby 🤔

[garyshipwright]

My Wife also asked me that same question and told her, for my family to have a very good Christmas and a cure for this  bug.  Happy thanksgiven guys

[mtaylor]

22 hours ago, Roger Pellett said:

The tool that I use by far the most in my shop Is my drill press.  I use it all the time.  I not only use for the projects that I build, I also use it to make the jigs and fixtures to make things.  The ability to drill an accurate, straight hole square to a surface is an essential factor in doing quality work.  As you get into metal work it becomes essential.

 

I seem to use my mill for drill work and ended up getting rid of my drill press.  As for the most used in my shop.. either my model table saw or my scroll saw.   I barely use the lathe and the laser cutter seems to be used in "spurts".

[VTHokiEE]

24 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

seem to use my mill for drill work and ended up getting rid of my drill press.  As for the most used in my shop.. either my model table saw or my scroll saw.   I barely use the lathe and the laser cutter seems to be used in "spurts".

This is encouraging as I think I’m going to skip the drill press and pick up a mill for double duty.
 

I am curious how you shape masts and dowels if not on your lathe? (And I used to think a laser cutter would be really handy... but I’m not certain that I still feel the same way, but I do know that I enjoy “toys” so I’d figure out something to do with it.

[CPDDET]

I currently have a dremel tool mounted on a dremel work station (drill press). My plan is to upgrade to a mill to replace the drill press. Seems to me you can drill with a mill but can't mill with a drill press.

Edited November 17, 2020 by CPDDET
change

[Roger Pellett]

Full sized (1/2 in capacity chuck) bench mounted drill presses are inexpensive.  Almost every project that I tackle seems to include drilling holes.  I have a milling column that mounts on my Sherline lathe.  I also have the sensitive drilling attachment that is useful for drilling holes under 3/32in diameter.  For all other drilling including hole saws it is much quicker and easier to use the drill press.

 

Roger

[CPDDET]

Another option. If you already have a lathe.

 

https://www.sherline.com/product/30503053-vertical-milling-column/

[Roger Pellett]

Some of this depends on what you are trying to do.  Are you outfitting a shop where ship modeling will be part of what you want to do or you outfitting a shop to just build ship models?

 

In my case, I first bought full sized shop tools as funds became available- 10in table saw, 14in bandsaw, drill press, jointer, scroll saw.  With these tools I scratch built a plank on frame model and several other ship models.  I have also used  them for boat building and repair, for building several muzzleloading rifles and for all sorts of home construction projects.  

 

Much later when I had more money and fewer responsibilities I bought a Sherline lathe/milling column and Byrnes Saw, but I continue to enjoy the flexibility of full sized tools.

 

Much of the work done on ship models can be done with full sized tools but specialized model making tools don’t have the capacity for other work.

 

BTW Spars are easily made without a lathe.  Shape a square stick with the correct taper(s), plane it eight sided,  sand the eight sided stick to a round cross section.

 

Roger

[KeithAug]

On 11/15/2020 at 9:17 AM, Paul Jarman said:

An end to this horrible pandemic would be the best Christmas present.

Seconded

[Kevin]

On 11/15/2020 at 9:29 AM, Kevin said:

how about a miller, i recently bought the Proxxon MF-70

 

for myself, i dont need anything, so will go without this year i will purchase another build like the new CAF Grando, or the under development  Bluejacket (begins with a W)  but i may be ready by then to do the Triton scratch

change of plans, the wife must be reading this, and actually asked me that question today

there is a few  caveats though, she wants me to build something that wont take 7 years, must be completed, and fit on a shelf, so that rules out @chris watton 1/48 Royal George 

[mtaylor]

22 hours ago, VTHokiEE said:

This is encouraging as I think I’m going to skip the drill press and pick up a mill for double duty.
 

I am curious how you shape masts and dowels if not on your lathe? (And I used to think a laser cutter would be really handy... but I’m not certain that I still feel the same way, but I do know that I enjoy “toys” so I’d figure out something to do with it.

For masts and when I turn cannon, I use the lathe.  Mostly it just sits there and glares at me for not using it.  The laser cutter has it's uses, but at this point on my current model, it's only been used for the bulkheads so far. But it'll get used again for things like gun carriages, many of the fittings, ship's boats, rudder, bow area, and few other things.

[leclaire]

My first and most important wish is for this pandemic to go away. My second wish is if number 1 comes true that we all learn something from it and go forward with a better world.

 

Now if both of the above come true, my last wish is for a Byrnes sander. Got to add some greed in here somewhere.

 

Bob

[Worldway]

Thanks for all the responses, very much appreciated. Because my shop is in the basement of our house I think I'm going to concentrate on dust collection for now.  I did have my eye on Byrne's thickness sander and his disc sander but I believe I need to control the amount of dust entering the house.

 

I do use a shop vac, which works OK, but I think I can do much better for not much of a significant investment.

 

And yes, I agree with those who wish this pandemic would come to an end.  Hopefully the new year will see life starting to slowly return to normal.