Advantage of the Byrnes/Other hobby saws

[aaronc]

Rookie question....I read about all the miniature table saws and equipment for scratch building etc.....what is the main advantage of these size tools?  I have full size equipment....are regular table saws simply overkill on power, is it space saving issues...or less waste with smaller kerf......or combination of various factors?  

 

Thanks -Aaron 

[druxey]

All of the above. Also, there is the question of safety when cutting stock of small dimension. However, the biggest advantages are that less wood ends up as sawdust and finer control of thickness.

[DennisL]

I agree with Druxey.  The only thing I would add is to stay away from the MicroMark/Microlux tilting arbor saw.  I wanted to buy the Byrnes saw but couldn't as the web site has been down for a while due to the passing of Jim Byrnes.  The Microlux saw is very underpowered and anything greater than 1/4" thickness is a chore to push thru.

[Roger Pellett]

I am perhaps an outlier in this discussion.  I have both a Byrnes Saw and a 10in Table Saw.  I also have plenty of space including a separate room that houses my table saw.  My wife also keeps her distance from my workshop and it’s activities so has no understanding of the dust that is produced.😀

 

Scratch building without having to resort to purchased “hobby shop” woods, I could work without the Byrnes Saw, but not the other way around.  In fact my one and only POF Pear and Boxwood model was built before I owned a Byrnes Saw.  

 

Dodging the safety question, the large table Saw is more forgiving than the Byrnes Saw.  It has the power to keep cutting where the Byrnes Saw would stall.  The Byrnes Saw, a precision tool must be treated as such.  Blades must be clean and sharp, the fence aligned, and the saw most be allowed to cut at its own pace.  My experience is that the Saw works as well as it does only because of its precision manufacture.  I doubt that a mass market tool would be any where near as useful.

 

The NRG thin rip guide is an inexpensive and valuable improvement.

 

My current very long term project does not require use of the Byrnes Saw for traditional modelmaking purposes like cutting strip wood.  I is, however, a great tool for cutting precise grooves for jigs and fixtures.  Since it uses blades made for the machining industry it works really well for cutting brass and aluminum.

 

Roger