Jump to content

Byrnes Thickness Sander?


Recommended Posts

Hello:

 

I am new to the board and building.  I was looking into purchasing the Byrnes Thickness Sander since his tools are praised on every board I've looked at.  Does anyone have any video of the sander in acition?  I wanted to see it run before I made the purchase.  His machines look awesome!.

 

 

Also , can this thickness sander handle hardwoods?

 

 

Thanks

Stefon

Edited by Stefonroman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Stefon:

 

I don't have any videos of the Byrnes Thickness Sander in action, but I can assure you it's a quality piece of equipment.  I've used it to get a consistent thickness of .030 inches on planks I've made (less than 1/32).  I only use it on hardwoods, and I'm not sure if it will produce the same level of consistency on a soft wood like basswood - not saying it won't,I just don't know.

 

The machine has two different strips of sandpaper - a coarse one for quick material removal, and a fine one for a nice finish.  Depending on the wood used, the fine finish is really nice.

 

Frank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You won't regret it :) I was originally planning to just buy the disc sander and table saw, but thought why not buy the thickness sander and ordered it.  I've used it a few times already, and it, like his other machines, is built like a tank and very precise.  The sandpaper drum can use two different grits at the same time, or one longer sandpaper sheet.  I was sanding larger stock so I replaced the sandpaper with a larger sheet, and was very impressed not only by the quality and fit of the parts, and the simplicity and elegance in the design.

 

One other point is that Jim provides great customer service.  I sent him an email because of some issues I had with the table saw (user error), and he actually called me over a holiday weekend in response (when I was just expecting a reply email) to walk me through things and make sure I got back on track.  You can't beat that.

 

I don't know if there are videos of it in use, but you can probably watch videos of similar hobby thickness sanders from Micromark and maybe Proxxon to get a good idea.

Mike

 

Current Wooden builds:  Amati/Victory Pegasus  MS Charles W. Morgan  Euromodel La Renommèe  

 

Plastic builds:    SB2U-1 Vindicator 1/48  Five Star Yaeyama 1/700  Pit Road Asashio and Akashi 1/700 diorama  Walrus 1/48 and Albatross 1/700  Special Hobby Buffalo 1/32  Eduard Sikorsky JRS-1 1/72  IJN Notoro 1/700  Akitsu Maru 1/700

 

Completed builds :  Caldercraft Brig Badger   Amati Hannah - Ship in Bottle  Pit Road Hatsuzakura 1/700   Hasegawa Shimakaze 1:350

F4B-4 and P-6E 1/72  Accurate Miniatures F3F-1/F3F-2 1/48  Tamiya F4F-4 Wildcat built as FM-1 1/48  Special Hobby Buffalo 1/48

Citroen 2CV 1/24 - Airfix and Tamiya  Entex Morgan 3-wheeler 1/16

 

Terminated build:  HMS Lyme (based on Corel Unicorn)  

 

On the shelf:  Euromodel Friedrich Wilhelm zu Pferde; Caldercraft Victory; too many plastic ship, plane and car kits

 

Future potential scratch builds:  HMS Lyme (from NMM plans); Le Gros Ventre (from Ancre monographs), Dutch ship from Ab Hoving book, HMS Sussex from McCardle book, Philadelphia gunboat (Smithsonian plans)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually ordered mine over a week ago! Cannot wait to get it in the shop and put it to work :)

 

 

Bill

Passion is Patience...and I am a carpenter in any scale.

 

 

Current build;  Endurance - 1:70 scale, Occre

 

Current build;    H.M.S. Surprise - 1796, 1:48 A L

                                    

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you let accidentally let go of the wood while it's still running through the thickness sander it will shoot back out the front, and if your hand is in the way you could get a ding or a bruise.  I always wear a work glove on the hand I'm using to push the wood (in addition to safety glasses, of course).  If the wood being sanded is short (less than 3-4 inches) I'll also use a flat piece of wood as a push stick.

 

Frank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought mine to replace an aging and underpowered Preac. It is as good as the others say. It handles hardwood well. Nearly every piece of oak on my Oseberg build (almost the entire ship) went through the thickness sander and I have not had to change the paper yet. It's a great tool and easy to use. I do not know how I got along without it.

Jack

 

"I Love the smell of sawdust in the morning" apologies to John Melius

 

Current Build:      Bomb Vessel Granado, 1742 - Cross Section Scratch Build 

                             

 

Previous Builds:  Oseberg Billing Boats 9th Century Viking Ship Modified

                            Bluenose ll, AL, Lightly Bashed

                            Louisa Morrison Half Hull, Scratch Build

 

Photography Website:     http://www.27birds.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the shipping costs for something like this i guess would be silly, is there an equivalent alternative for the UK market

Its all part of Kev's journey, bit like going to the dark side, but with the lights on
 

All the best

Kevin :omg:


SAY NO TO PIRACY. SUPPORT ORIGINAL IDEAS AND MANUFACTURERS.
KEEP IT REAL!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the build table

HMS Indefatigable 1794 by Kevin - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Feb 2023 

 

 

HMHS Britannic by Kevin 

SD 14  - Marcle Models - 1/70 - March 2022 -  Bluebell - Flower Class - Revel - 1/72   U552 German U Boat - Trumpeter - 1/48  Amerigo Vespucci     1/84 - Panart-   HMS Enterprise  -CAF -  1/48     

Finished     

St-Nectan-Mountfleet-models-steam-trawler-1/32 - Completed June 2020

HMS Victory - Caldercraft/Jotika - 1/72 - Finished   Dorade renamed Dora by Kevin - Amati - 1/20 - Completed March 2021 

Stage Coach 1848 - Artesania Latina - 1/10 -Finished Lady Eleanor by Kevin - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1/64 - Fifie fishing boat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kevin, Proxon makes a thickness planer which is very good. But you cannot plane the wood below 1/8" without putting it on a sled. Jim's product is well worth the money and you can get planks whisker thin.

Greg

website
Admiralty Models

moderator Echo Cross-section build
Admiralty Models Cross-section Build

Finished build
Pegasus, 1776, cross-section

Current build
Speedwell, 1752

Link to comment
Share on other sites

looks like the proxxon is more expensive than the byrnes including shipping

Edited by Kevin

Its all part of Kev's journey, bit like going to the dark side, but with the lights on
 

All the best

Kevin :omg:


SAY NO TO PIRACY. SUPPORT ORIGINAL IDEAS AND MANUFACTURERS.
KEEP IT REAL!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the build table

HMS Indefatigable 1794 by Kevin - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Feb 2023 

 

 

HMHS Britannic by Kevin 

SD 14  - Marcle Models - 1/70 - March 2022 -  Bluebell - Flower Class - Revel - 1/72   U552 German U Boat - Trumpeter - 1/48  Amerigo Vespucci     1/84 - Panart-   HMS Enterprise  -CAF -  1/48     

Finished     

St-Nectan-Mountfleet-models-steam-trawler-1/32 - Completed June 2020

HMS Victory - Caldercraft/Jotika - 1/72 - Finished   Dorade renamed Dora by Kevin - Amati - 1/20 - Completed March 2021 

Stage Coach 1848 - Artesania Latina - 1/10 -Finished Lady Eleanor by Kevin - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1/64 - Fifie fishing boat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine arrived Wednsday! Having worked with professional grade shop tools for years, I can say first hand that I am more than impressed with the construction and function of this Byrne's thickness sander. I am now in the process of ordering the tablesaw as well.

 

Sincere Regards,

 

Bill

Passion is Patience...and I am a carpenter in any scale.

 

 

Current build;  Endurance - 1:70 scale, Occre

 

Current build;    H.M.S. Surprise - 1796, 1:48 A L

                                    

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kevin,

 

From memory, I needed to add about 50% to the purchase price to allow for shipping to Australia, and that was when the Aussie $ was trading at better than parity against the green back. Even with that extra cost, I don't regret one cent. All of the Byrnes machines are exquisite pieces of machinery that are a joy to use and should last a lifetime.

 

To be honest, I cant even remember the total cost, but I sure as heck remember what a great machine it is!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have contacted them for a shipping cost to the UK, 

Its all part of Kev's journey, bit like going to the dark side, but with the lights on
 

All the best

Kevin :omg:


SAY NO TO PIRACY. SUPPORT ORIGINAL IDEAS AND MANUFACTURERS.
KEEP IT REAL!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the build table

HMS Indefatigable 1794 by Kevin - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Feb 2023 

 

 

HMHS Britannic by Kevin 

SD 14  - Marcle Models - 1/70 - March 2022 -  Bluebell - Flower Class - Revel - 1/72   U552 German U Boat - Trumpeter - 1/48  Amerigo Vespucci     1/84 - Panart-   HMS Enterprise  -CAF -  1/48     

Finished     

St-Nectan-Mountfleet-models-steam-trawler-1/32 - Completed June 2020

HMS Victory - Caldercraft/Jotika - 1/72 - Finished   Dorade renamed Dora by Kevin - Amati - 1/20 - Completed March 2021 

Stage Coach 1848 - Artesania Latina - 1/10 -Finished Lady Eleanor by Kevin - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1/64 - Fifie fishing boat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Anything Byrnes you purchase is a joy. During my last visit to Jim's shop I purchased the Ropewalk and as customary...... Superior. The thickness sander could not be simpler and more elegant in its design. I is designed to work accurately and last for a lifetime. You cannot go wrong with it.

 

Regards

Roman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...