Getting wood cut

[Tsm209]

Where is the best place to get the keel and frames of a ship cut, if not what is the best tools that one can use to cut wood by themselves?

[Gregory]

The best place could be anywhere depending on where you are located..

 

As for the 2nd question,  a good scroll saw has been the best option for many years, decades, now.

 

Next up would be a laser cutter, but it has a lot of accompanying skill requirements with the software it requires..

[AON]

I buy my wood in billets (about 4" x 6" x 6 feet)

Cut them to about 18" in length on my table saw.

Cut those small slugs into slices length wise (thicker than what I needed).

Pass these through my 13" thickness planer to get them flat on both sides.

Pass those through the Byrnes model Machine thickness sander to get the required thickness.

Cut my pieces from that with a Byrnes Model Machine Table Saw and/or my 16" scroll saw.

 

 

[Jaager]

54 minutes ago, Tsm209 said:

Where is the best place to get the keel and frames of a ship cut,

You are using terms for the parts that are more appropriate for POF.  This gets you into a whole nuther world of tools.

 

You are asking about the keel as well as asking about cutting out frames  (not really a POF function - the keel is a long stick and frames come from timbers).

I will guess that you mean the spine and the moulds. These are POB components.  The answer here is low cost and simple.

Except that my examples are the expensive options of the tools:

 

 

 

[barkeater]

I'll second the scroll saw recommendation. What you can use are wood sheets. They come in about 20-24 inches in length and say 4 to6 inches in width with various thickness options (1/8, 1/4, 1/2 inches). There are many varieties of wood that you can get depending on your needs.  I have used Modelers Sawmill which is one of our sponsors and was very pleased with the pear wood I got. I have also used Rockler and they are good. I have also bought wood elsewhere which was not planned evenly causing me a big headache. Strips for planking can be purchased from multiple sources. A thickness sander is great as is having a mini table saw to rip planks but if you are just starting scratch building then a scroll saw should be your first purchase. As for having somebody cut out the keel and frames, I would think that if you even found someone to do it, the cost would be prohibitive.

Richard

[Jaager]

To explain my answer:

That the question was even asked and the way it is phrased indicates to me that the OP is a relative beginner.

 

My process has no function for a scroll saw - I use a 9" bandsaw for my scroll cuttings -I do not need to get close.  I did buy a scroll saw long ago - the economy MM.  It is terrible.  Were I to need a scroll saw, I learned that it needs to be a quality machine - not one that fights you all of the way.

 

The OP should get far enough into this to have a good idea which machines he will need before an expensive machine is purchased.  The time spent using hand tools will be a low cost if he decides that all this is not for him.

If he buys an expensive machine and then bails,  the winner will be whoever gets an expensive saw at low cost from the garage sale.

[mtaylor]

2 hours ago, Tsm209 said:

Where is the best place to get the keel and frames of a ship cut, if not what is the best tools that one can use to cut wood by themselves?

Are you looking for wood stock?  If so, what types/species of wood? If stock, not billets, go to the main page.  There's a list of sponsors and there's two wood suppliers for hard woods.  You can order sheets, strips, etc. If ply for bulkheads, check your local hobby shop if there is one or go on line and Google for "lite" or "light" ply as it cuts and sands well.

 

As for tools.. depends.  Again from billets, sheets for strip wood, etc. or are you looking to make your own?    For sheets, strips, a circular bench saw.  The Byrnes is top of the line and top notch.  There's others below that point.  For cutting out the parts themselves like bulkheads or other bits and pieces, a scroll saw.  Just about every hardware store sells them.

 

Also budget...  low, modest, top of the line?

 

So being a bit more specific might help up suggest something.

[Tsm209]

I just need to cut out the hull frames and keel, I already have it drawn on the wood. Budget is modest

[mtaylor]

If you're doing the cutting, a scroll saw then or a coping saw.  One is power and the other is a hand saw.

 

If you want someone else to cut it...  that's problematical.  Possibly a cabinet shop but labor can be pricey. 

 

Where are you?  Check and see if your town has a Makerspace.   They have the tools and folks to assist in using them.

 

 

[Tsm209]

Just looked up, I think a scroll saw is best for the project I am on right now. Asking someone else to cut it would probably mean that they will only cut straight, not the intricate shape of the keel and frames.

[Bob Cleek]

7 hours ago, Tsm209 said:

Just looked up, I think a scroll saw is best for the project I am on right now. Asking someone else to cut it would probably mean that they will only cut straight, not the intricate shape of the keel and frames.

Correct you are. These can be had used for very reasonable prices, or even new. Buy the best you can afford. (Read the ratings online.) Good used ones are remarkably affordable. The Wen 16 inch Speed Scroll Saw gets high marks at the low end of the price spectrum at $120 on Amazon. If you can afford to pay more, for which you will get more, look at brands such as the higher-end  DeWalt 20 inch Scroll Saw, the Excalibur 16" Scroll Saw, anything from Hegner, if you can afford it, and anything from Sakura if you can find it. (Supply chain issues have apparently limited availability of these high-end Japanese imports for the moment.)

 

There are two basic types of scroll saws, parallel arm saws and C-arm saws. The parallel arm saws cut with a precise up and down motion with the blade vertical throughout the cutting stroke. C-arm saws have a slight front to back oscillation in their cutting stroke. C-arm saws are less expensive, but are much less accurate for detail work. Look for the parallel arm saws in the top-end brands. As with all tool purchases, buy the best tool you can afford and save money buying a used machine in good shape if you possibly can. Any inexpensive tool will prove to be the more expensive in the long run because you'll be buying it or a replacement in short order. 

 

For an example of the savings available on a used top of the line machine, see: Sakura 14" Scroll Mate Saw S/N 8807020923 | eBay and 21" Scroll Mate Scroll Saw | eBay   The former lists new for $549 (14" SCROLL SAW - PS Wood Machines ) and the latter lists new for $799. 21" PS WOOD SCROLL SAW - PS Wood Machines

 

 

[allanyed]

8 hours ago, Tsm209 said:

I just need to cut out the hull frames and keel,

Can you post a picture?  You say frames, but it sounds like bulkheads, a totally different thing.  Same for the keel.  There is the stiff center member to hold bulkheads and there is the keel along with stem, knee of the head and stern post, different animals again.

 

The first pics below are some of the 24 bulkheads for this particular ship with slots for the center member and the center member itself with the keel, stern post, stem and knee of the head.

The second is a frame example (there are typically 100 frames +/- and the keel, stem, knee of the head. and stern post and inner post.

Allan