Segmenting mini cut-off saw?

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sorcerertd

sorcerertd

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I'm on a low budget and have only a contractor saw to work with at this point. I made a basic sled for it. Very basic. The thinnest kerf I can find in my budget is 3mm and that is too wide for most inserts unless it's a really fat pen. I mostly use aluminum cans and nylon guitar pick material at this point. I've used an exacto hand saw/miter box and a relatively thin Japanese pull saw, but don't really have the precision I want. I'm wondering if how this Harbor Freight mini cut-off saw would be. Anybody have experience with this to share? Any better options until I find a decent used bandsaw?
 
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I have looked at these mini saws also. The only problem I see with them is that the depth of cut states that it is only 3/8" and width is only 1/2". Most pen blanks are bigger than these dimensions.
 
When you say you have a contractors saw I assume it is a contractors tablesaw. I use a Delta contractors saw for over 35 years and do all kinds of work with it. I suggest you get a 7-14" blade and then you can get a little less that 1/16" blade. Here is one I use and makes great cuts. Anything less than that you can hardly see the material.

I also have a few 3/32" kerf full size 10" blades and they too are great for segmenting.

https://www.amazon.com/Freud-D0740X...r_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1271431979&sr=8-3&th=1
 
1/16 inch is .0625 in thickness and that translates into 1.5875 mm. It has been a while but I think 1 mm kerf blades in a maybe a 6 inch or 5 inch diameter blade are available from some sites, but you have to hunt for them. I have several 125mm diameter blades with 1mm kerf I picked up when I was in Japan. I later found out I could get them here but I have lost that/those web sites. These blades will work on circular saws, but a mini tablesaw jig will need to be made and extreme safety must be exercised.

This is the one I made about 12 years ago:
www.penturners.org

Imported Photo from leehljp

Imported Photo from leehljp. Please edit title and description.
www.penturners.org
www.penturners.org

Imported Photo from leehljp

Imported Photo from leehljp. Please edit title and description.
www.penturners.org
 
I use the saw that's in the link above for cutting tubes. I wouldn't think it would be that good for segmenting because there's a lot of play or slack in the clamp for holding the material. I didn't buy the saw new it was given to me so I don't know how it was when new. I'd suggest saving and buying a saw that you know will do the job you want it to. In the past I was bad about buying things that I thought would work not only based on price but because I thought it was good enough and I didn't need to spend the extra money. I've found that I'm better off getting what I know I need and want because I usually end up unhappy and purchasing what I wanted in the first place. I would have saved a ton of money if I'd done that in earlier years.
 
Kenny Durrant said:
I use the saw that's in the link above for cutting tubes. I wouldn't think it would be that good for segmenting because there's a lot of play or slack in the clamp for holding the material. I didn't buy the saw new it was given to me so I don't know how it was when new. I'd suggest saving and buying a saw that you know will do the job you want it to. In the past I was bad about buying things that I thought would work not only based on price but because I thought it was good enough and I didn't need to spend the extra money. I've found that I'm better off getting what I know I need and want because I usually end up unhappy and purchasing what I wanted in the first place. I would have saved a ton of money if I'd done that in earlier years.
Click to expand...

I have the HF saw but like Kenny, I just use it for cutting tubes. I tried a blank one time but it's way under powered in most cases.
 
Not to get too far away from the original post about the budget but there's been post before about small power tools that were precise. They weren't outrageous in my eyes but they weren't cheap either. It gets back to the story you get what you pay for which leads to disappointment and a waste of money. I forget the brand name of the tools but I'm sure the segmenters will chime in. They were precision tools made for hobbyist.
 
If your table saw arbor is 5/8" diameter, there is a pretty broad selection of 7 1/4" blades that could be used--all kinds of grinds and tooth configurations (and prices). You lose 7/8" of cutting depth, but should still be able to go around 2" cut depth. Quick search at Carbide Processors (in Washington state, i'm a satisfied customer with no other relationship) a 5/8" bore, .063" kerf returned 12 blades--most from Tenryu. Pricing from $20 to $30. For knots and such I'm running 6 1/2", 40 tooth Tenryu with .063 kerf that was about $22 on a 10" hybrid saw.
Good luck,
earl
 
Kenny Durrant said:
Not to get too far away from the original post about the budget but there's been post before about small power tools that were precise. They weren't outrageous in my eyes but they weren't cheap either. It gets back to the story you get what you pay for which leads to disappointment and a waste of money. I forget the brand name of the tools but I'm sure the segmenters will chime in. They were precision tools made for hobbyist.
Click to expand...
My guess would be MicroMark on those tools. Pen_Man_Ship linked to one of them above. They have been pretty big in the hobby market for a while. Their prices aren't terrible, but I'd rather just get a nicer band saw once I have the money.

I didn't notice the depth of cut was only 1/2 on that HF special. That won't quite do it. Might have to try the smaller blade on the table saw. Hadn't really thought to put something smaller than a 10" blade on a 10" saw. That will open up a lot of cheaper blade options. It's an old Craftsman saw I've had for well over 20 years. It cost me $150 and even came with extensions, a fence, and a nice solid stand. I bought it to make an aquarium hood as it was cheaper to make my own, including the cost of the saw, than to buy a nicer hood for the 55 gallon tank.

Hmm, I could probably modify my tile saw, too. It's a lot louder, but with the right sled, it might just work. Meh, probably just hold off on a bandsaw. The smaller table top ones aren't too crazy expensive as long as I can find one with a fence.
 
May I ask what type segmenting are you thinking that requires less than 1/16" kerf?? If you are thinking those real thin multi knot designs then you are better off with a bandsaw. Other than that I can not see a reason for thinner. If you are concerned about material waste with cut well those expensive model saws are 1/32" and yes you save half the material than a 1/16" blade but is it worth it. Anyway good luck. Look forward to see what you come up with and some of your designs.
 
I don't usually chime in on tool questions as opinions vary a great deal. I will tell you that the small cutoff saw you asked about has no place in segmenting. You might be able to cut brass tubes, that's about all though. Everyone has their own definition of what's good enough. My opinion of tools and my work is this. I want the quality of my work to be the best I can do, not the best my tools will do. I can learn new ways to achieve better and more precise work, but my tools can't. They are only as good as they are, and will not get better. Sure you can buy better blades, better bits etc, but if your saw is not tuned, the better expensive blade won't be much of a help. I started out with all bench top tools, they weren't bad, but they weren't precise enough. Lastly, 3 mm should work fine for most inserts, a lot of mine are 1/4 inch. Most of my Celtic knots, I do on my table saw, it has a kerf of .102, not to far from 3 mm, which is approximately .118.
 
I've done a few basic segments with 90° cuts and one with a nice 45°. One of my favorite personal pens is just random soda can inlay that reminds me a bit of the "modern" look from the 50's-60's.

This is one of the few Celtic knots that came out good for me. The inlay is a medium weight nylon guitar pick material. Gotta love purpleheart under a blacklight.
barrel.jpgglow.jpg
 
I've really never had much luck with miter boxes. Maybe I'm too heavy handed, but the slots in the boxes always end up sloppy after a few uses. This one, I cut with a small aluminum miter box (exacto size) and a narrow Japanese pull saw. I did not cut all the way through, but in the final cuts had a break that I thought I could work with. I guess not. At least one side looked good. This was just an experiment with some free walnut I have around.
20200415_122023.jpg 20200415_122037.jpg
 
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