Can i live without a BYRNES TABLE SAW

[DocBlake]

Question on blade life:  How long should a .020 slitting blade last?  Resharpening is out of the question, so it would need to be replaced.  Obviously it depends on how much wood how often is cut, but can anyone estimate what we should expect from Thurston blades?

[ca.shipwright]

You can cut basswood 'til the cows come home. Boxwood, I get about six months out of a .030. I don't due ebony because of sensitivity to the dust- it is poisonous. But it will last even less. Thurston does have a sharpening service although I don't know pricing.

 

There was an article on how to sharpen a slitting blade with a file somewhere. It talked about sharpening every other tooth or something like that. I just ordered six blades from Thurston and received them in 2 days.

 

Hope this helps

[dgbot]

You can cut basswood 'til the cows come home. Boxwood, I get about six months out of a .030. I don't due ebony because of sensitivity to the dust- it is poisonous. But it will last even less. Thurston does have a sharpening service although I don't know pricing.

 

There was an article on how to sharpen a slitting blade with a file somewhere. It talked about sharpening every other tooth or something like that. I just ordered six blades from Thurston and received them in 2 days.

 

Hope this helps

That was done by Bob Filipowski from the Midwest Modelshipwrights.  I have had the pleasure of seeing his demo and talks on the subject.  And I have sharpened the blades for my Preac with his method.

David B

[ca.shipwright]

David,

As a refresher, could you discuss your method in some detail. I can't seem to find the reference to which I was referring and, I know others will be interested.

Thanks

Edited September 25, 2016 by ca.shipwright

[kurtvd19]

David is referring to a method of removing every other tooth on the slitting blade and then filing an angle on the face of each remaining tooth with alternating angles from one tooth to the next.  Only on the face of the tooth and no set to the teeth.  This was developed by Lloyd Warner of Warner Woods West - and former NRG Chairman - who did this for all his saw blades that he uses to gang cut strips on a custom made saw with multiple blades.  The advantage is no binding because the blades don't heat up from the sawdust not being able to be carried away in the cutting process.  Bob Filipowski with Lloyd's permission developed a great Power Point presentation that he has shown at a NRG Conference as well as at local club meetings.

 

I will check to see if this was written up in the NRG Shop Notes 2 book.

 

Kurt

[Julie Mo]

David is referring to a method of removing every other tooth on the slitting blade and then filing an angle on the face of each remaining tooth with alternating angles from one tooth to the next....  The advantage is no binding because the blades don't heat up from the sawdust not being able to be carried away in the cutting process... 

Kurt

You make a great point, Kurt.  Rip blades always have less teeth than comparably sized crosscut blades because they need to remove waste that is parallel to the grain.  The waste tends to be longer than crosscut waste so the gap between teeth needs to be greater.  THAT is most likely the cause of the binding I've been experiencing.

[Modeler12]

. . . . .  The advantage is no binding because the blades don't heat up from the sawdust not being able to be carried away in the cutting process. 

 

Kurt

 

Like Julie Mo mentioned this could eliminate the problem I have and that is some burning of wood like the purple heart I show below. Any wood that is rich in sap or wax will tend to burn easily. In my case I have not had binding problems, but the cleanliness of the cut is important. Heating of the wood because of the sawdust could very well be the problem.

As you can see in the poor picture above (it was cropped too much from the original) there are several places where chips remained between the teeth. This particular blade was not new but cuts fine with boxwood and others. It is 3 inch diameter, 0.035 inch thick with 170 teeth. So, to remove 85 teeth and refile the rest is a lot of work. Someday, when I don't have anything else to do, I may try that.

BTW the piece I was cutting was 0.032 inch thick, had uniform thickness but some burn on the sides.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Modeler12

[dgbot]

I am sorry to say that I do not have the PPT.  But If it can be found I will try to put it up with the approval of Bob F.  The way I did the jog was to clamp the blade into a vice and proceed to mark every other tooth.  Then I took my Fordham and a sanding disk and put a bevel on every marked tooth.  Then did the same thing on the unmarked teeth with a bevel going in the opposite angle.  I do this wearing protective eyegear that is important.  Sanding disc or cuttoff wheel depends on the tooth size.  Once done I was able to go through 1/8 " walnut with no problems.  The Preac was my go to saw at my work table instead of a razor saw.  

David B

[kurtvd19]

The method I described for sharpening the blades was printed as a Shop Note (Vol 49.3 - page 176-177).  I have attached a PDF of the Shop Note.

 

The NRG publishes collections of Shop Notes from the Journals.  Shop Notes 2 is currently available at the NRG Store on the web site.  The original Shop Notes has been out of print for a few years but is being republished soon.

 

Kurt

SAW BLADE SHARP - P.pdf

[ca.shipwright]

Thanks Kurt-

I actually have those Ship Notes Vol. 1. I Purchased them at the Queen Mary NRG meeting years ago.

[Bill Tuttle]

Kurt,

 

Great article, need to review my Shop Notes volumes again.  Thanks for posting.

[kurtvd19]

Bill:

I am not sure that this article is in SN2 or not.  I took it from the CD set - easier to find.  But, the Shop Notes are sure filled with good tips.

Kurt

[cog]

On 12/29/2014 at 1:18 AM, mtaylor said:

And if you haven't done so, head here for some excellent tips: http://www.hobbymillusa.com/byrnes-saw-operation.php

For me it's a dead link ... anybody else?

[Matrim]

Yup it is a dead link. We have a copy and you can also find it on the wayback machine. See this thread

 

https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/14965-looking-for-jeffs-hobbymill-saw-operation-guide/

[billt]

This is a great thread. I know it has been going on for a while but a lot of really good info.  I'm not sure how often I'll use the Byrnes saw but decided to get it.  My full size saw is just too big for some of the projects I like to do including ship models.

[DocBlake]

You won't regret it!  The only thing that could make the Byrnes saw better is Jim using his precision machining skills to create a tilting arbor for angle cuts.  There is a tilt table available, but is fussy to use and time consuming to set up.  I guess you can't have everything.  Also, here's a link to the Byrnes saw user guide mentioned above:  

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20160401201451/http://www.hobbymillusa.com/byrnes-saw-operation.php

[kurtvd19]

Doc:

Thanks for the link to the Hobbymill tips on using the saw.  I added it to my files.  We will get it posted onto the Resources pages so it's not lost to the members.

Kurt

 

[billt]

Thanks for the Link Dave.  I don't know if I'll need the tilt table or not. If I do I have tools that would probably work.

 

Bill

[mtaylor]

The Hobbymill link/file is worth it's weight in gold and then some.  Much of the information such as blade tooth count, etc. is also useful for non-Byrnes' saws.

[Nirvana]

I am running an older Proxxon. It's not being used much so I can't justify a Byrnes........ yet!

However the tips link is useful for me as well.

[billt]

I'm not sure I can justify either but I really wanted one.  I also have multiple hobbies where I need to cut small parts so I'm sure I'll use it. My problem is time more than anything.

 

[cog]

If you can afford one now, even if it unjustifiable, don't wait until you can't buy it anymore. I bought one last year, and I knew I wouldn't use it straight away, but I had the money. I just recently used it to make a tray for a paintshaker for small paint bottles (Tamiya, Vallejo, etc). This year I will be buying some accessories for it, and if I "feel lucky" I even might get me the thickness sander

[Ryland Craze]

Here is a print friendly version of the Byrnes Saw Tips.  I have enjoyed my Byrnes saw and have used it more than what I thought I would have.  It is a high quality and precision miniature power tool.

Byrnes Saw Opeation Tips.pdf

[cog]

Received the accessories from Donna (thanks madam for the wonderful service) ... now I need advice! How do I make the slits in the zero clearance plates for the BTS.

[Bob Cleek]

4 hours ago, cog said:

Received the accessories from Donna (thanks madam for the wonderful service) ... now I need advice! How do I make the slits in the zero clearance plates for the BTS.

Install the blade you want to match the zero-clearance insert. Crank the blade all the way down. Install the blank plate in the table top and screw it down.  Turn on the saw and slowly raise the running blade as far up as it will go, so that it cuts its way through the aluminum or wood insert as it's being raised.  That's all there is to it.

[kurtvd19]

I clamp a piece of ply over the plate and raise the blade through the plate and the ply.   Gives backing to the plate and makes the slot cleaner.

[Bob Cleek]

4 hours ago, kurtvd19 said:

I clamp a piece of ply over the plate and raise the blade through the plate and the ply.   Gives backing to the plate and makes the slot cleaner.

Excellent point!

[cog]

Thank you gents for your descriptive explanation. This should help me out.

Cheers

[billt]

Speaking of the Byrnes saw, I received mine a couple of weeks ago but have only time to make a few test cuts. Like everyone says, it cuts great right out of the box.

[keelhauled]

I will say that after several years of owning a Byrnes saw, I have never regretted the purchase.  It also makes me smile every time I pull it out to use it! I've ended up buying every accessory for the saw except the tilting table.  I've never regretted any of those purchases.  The attention to detail and quality is outstanding.  Compared to most high quality tools it was a bargain expense.

best

marc