Byrnes Alternatives - Saw and Thickness Sander?

[Jcredding]

Being new to shipbuilding - still considering my first - but having done a number of miniature houses, I was planning to purchase the Byrnes saw and thickness sander this year before the untimely passing of Jim Byrnes.  While I continue to hope they will restart and also look for used, I’m wondering if there are alternatives that people would recommend based on their usage.  Thanks for any thoughts, John

[mtaylor]

I have an "old" (maybe 15 years old?) MicroMark saw and thickness sander  Not as powerful or maybe as accurate as the Byrnes but they've worked for me.  Others have similar tools from other manufactureres.  

 

Keep your eyes open on Ebay for those as they do pop up from time to time.  And they also pop here in "Traders and Dealers" area on MSW.

[Alan Cabrera]

I was also saving for the same set tools.  Can somebody recommend or possibly outline how one goes about evaluating a saw and thickness sander such that I would have something of the caliber of Byrnes’ tools?  My budget is on a par with what it would’ve cost to purchase those tools.

[Brian Glendenning]

I am new to model making this but not regular woodworking, and I wonder if the Bridge City JointMaster Pro might work (normally used for things like small boxes with thin sides). Sorry if this is a dumb suggestion.

[manning16]

Hello all- I am lucky to have a Byrnes saw and sander.. yes, they're hard to find..however, just a thought. I inherited a small .belt driven HEAVY  Dunlap  saw, not Dunlop..they make tires..I put a 7 " blade on it and use it to rip down my wood, prior to finishing with the Bsaw and sander. Using a  0 clearance  plate, I am able to cut to 1/16 th in ebony.  The saw  table is @13 in square and somewhat "safer" than using my 10"  table saw. These saws  are different in that the table raises up and the blade stays stationary.  I've seen them sell restored or original for cheap..  Beware..shipping would be costly!  Mine is from the 50's I think.. Heavy cast iron ..pretty accurate for what it is.   I do like using some of the older ,well  made  stuff...but again,the Byrnes is  sweet  if you are scratchbuilding.  Happy modeling!

  John

[NoelSmith]

The Byrnes machines have an enviable reputation and hopefully after the loss of their founder the family will be able to sustain the business in the near future.

 

Alternatively, there is a European company named Proxxon who makes a variety of small machines aimed at the model maker.

They manufacture machines for machining wood, metal and a variety of other materials and built to a high standard.

A look at their website will reveal the extent of their ranges.

 

The Emco Unimats were very popular little lathes offering a variety of accessories to also be able to use them for drilling, milling and sawing etc.

I have a little Unimat 4.    It is a nice machine, but understand that the Unimats are now no longer in production.

At one time they were the most popular small machine tool for model makers being so versatile.

The little Unimats up to the Unimat 3 were made in Austria. but mine (the Unimat 4) was made in Taiwan.

Some say that the quality of the later machine was not as good as those up to the 3.

Having borrowed a 3 for some time before buying my 4,  I have to say that I did not really notice any real difference.

Unsure as to why the Unimats dropped out of favour over the years and eventually got discontinued. Maybe someone reading this knows why?

Edited August 20 by NoelSmith

[grsjax]

Depends on what you actually need the saw for.  If you just need it to cut strips off of billets of wood and then use the thickness sander to bring to final dimensions any reasonably accurate saw will work.  I have experience with the old Dremel table saw, the Micromark saw, old Craftman saws and a couple of off brand hobby saws.  The Dremel table saw is pretty good if you update it with some add on that are available on line.  The Micromark is good out of the box.

Best saw I have for ripping planks is an old 8" saw from Sears.  Sold under the Craftsman name but actually manufactured by the Seeley  company.  Cast iron and steel with a strong motor.  Very solid and accurate with a good blade.  I prefer a hollow ground planer blade for the best results.  If the saw is in good shape you can get 1/32" strips consistently.  I see them on ebay regularly for $50 to $200.

Edited August 23 by grsjax

[Geoff_F]

xy

[Geoff_F]

A small thickness sander I made recently - glad to answer any questions.

 

Geoff.

[Geoff_F]

A few specs:

 

Drum 160mm x 70mm

max thickness under drum  38mm

Motor 3 phase 250w - with inverter set to 2000rpm

Drive J series 3 ribs 42mm pulleys

Adjustment by screw .025mm/0.001" increments

General construction 12mm alloy plate, alloy pillars, fabricated belt guard and dust cover from miniature ply

Platen 12mm alloy plate - scraped flat and low friction tape applied

[Dziadeczek]

 I have a Proxxon FKS saw for more than 20 years now, and I am not complaining...

That's a very nice-looking thickness sander you made!

Vanda Lay Ind. makes a very similar sander, either with the motor attached to it or without (you can use a handheld drill or similar power source for it).

Edited August 25 by Dziadeczek

[KeithAug]

On 7/17/2024 at 7:03 PM, Brian Glendenning said:

Bridge City JointMaster Pro

Brian - I thought this was a really interesting tool. In no way a replacement for a good miniature table saw but quite a useful device nevertheless. 

[Geoff_F]

I was talking to a relative about my thickness sander and he suggested that there may be a small market for such a tool. It is a similar capacity to the Byrnes thickness sander and as it looks as if they may not continue to make them it may be an alternative - here in England at any rate there is not  a similar tool available. Any opinions welcomed on this.

 

Geoff.

[NoelSmith]

Geoff.    I think that Proxxon make thicknesser sanders that can be sourced here in the UK.

Have a look at Squires located down in Bognor Regis. They carry a number of power tools aimed at the model maker.   HTH.

 

[Geoff_F]

30 minutes ago, NoelSmith said:

Geoff.    I think that Proxxon make thicknesser sanders that can be sourced here in the UK.

Have a look at Squires located down in Bognor Regis. They carry a number of power tools aimed at the model maker.   HTH.

 

Proxxon  make a thickness planer but not a thickness sander AFAIK.

[Nirvana]

As for Proxxon, here is the link.

PROXXON UK

[Rudolf]

On 8/31/2024 at 10:02 PM, Geoff_F said:

I was talking to a relative about my thickness sander and he suggested that there may be a small market for such a tool. It is a similar capacity to the Byrnes thickness sander and as it looks as if they may not continue to make them it may be an alternative - here in England at any rate there is not  a similar tool available. Any opinions welcomed on this.

 

Geoff.

Hello Geoff,

as it seems there is no Thicknesssander of these dimensions available in Europe.

what would be the price if you should decide to produce it?

In Case you do- let me know!

Greetings Rudolf

[Mike Y]

Sidenote: what a pity that Proxxon pretty much stopped any development of new tools. The only tool they have released in the last 5 years is the Tungsten electrode sharpener attachment to their rotary tools, as well as some battery-powered versions of the classical rotaries. The "machine" part of their offering has not been updated for at least 6 years  

Just venting, sorry for the pointless comment  

Edited September 5 by Mike Y

[Mic_Nao]

Hello,

 

https://vanda-layindustries.com/html/the_hog_sander.html

 

250 $ + 98 $ postage for France + customs...

[dvm27]

I have the Proxxon thickness sander but needed a blade swap out. I tried but was unsuccessful to get the blades aligned. I sent it to Proxxon in the US and six weeks later they told me they couldn’t get the blades aligned.  I was unable to purchase a new one in the US without a motor conversion. So I am using the old one which leaves a small score in the wood from an uneven blade. I finish up with the Byrnes sander. It’s really a fabulous tool and it’s a shame it can’t be purchased in the US anymore. 

[NoelSmith]

Mike Y made a comment about Proxxon not developing new tools over the last few years.

They have quite a big range already, so I guess it would be difficult to design something entirely new that there would be a reasonable sized market for to get a return on such an investment.

[Slowhand]

I find it sad all the retailers of Proxxon machines in UK don’t have any in store as demo models, I was looking at their FET table saw but it looks I will have to buy on spec.

[davyboy]

Hi there Slowhand,

 

Google Proxxon FET table saw review. There you will find a video and info on the tool,the article is just under the row of adverts. Go for it,it's a good buy,I've had mine for a number of years. Only thing I didn't like was that stupid plastic blade guard,I removed mine straight away.

 

Dave  

[Gregory]

Love my FET.

 

The Proxxon branded saw blades will bankrupt you though.  There are some decent alternatives, so check back if you need some help finding them. 

[Slowhand]

On 10/29/2024 at 1:27 PM, davyboy said:

Hi there Slowhand,

 

Google Proxxon FET table saw review. There you will find a video and info on the tool,the article is just under the row of adverts. Go for it,it's a good buy,I've had mine for a number of years. Only thing I didn't like was that stupid plastic blade guard,I removed mine straight away.

 

Dave  

Thanks Dave really helpful I will do that. I had a look on Axminster site and reviews were mixed but you can’t beat a personal recommendation. Want to take my building skills a step upwards but I don’t think that will happen with just hand tools.