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grumps

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Spotsylvania, VA, USA.
Hello All...

I’m in the need for some sort of new saw to cut pen and stopper blanks â€" both pre-cut and to make a few of my own.

I’ve got a tabletop band saw that I nurse along; a good miter saw but it’s not the safest thing to use to cut small parts; and my table saw is a contractor-type that works well on 2 x 4’s but not on pen blanks.

I don’t have a lot of space â€" maybe 10ft x 10ft. I’ve looked at the smaller band saws and small table saws but I’m also considering the Proxxon Mini Table Saw. Has anybody used the Proxxon? Is it worth the money?

Space is a premium for me more so than cost, and I don’t mind spending the extra money for something that’s going to work for me and has a decent life span.

What is everyone’s recommendation on which way to go? I’m open to suggestions on this.

Thanks in advance,

Jim
 
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Jim,
Build a sled for your tablesaw; I use a contractor's saw with absolutely no problems and lots of accuracy. You may want to invest in a better blade -- that's likely a key thing.
For a miter saw, you can also build a hold-down that'll make it safe.

Those work for me.
Occassionally, I'll use a backsaw (handsaw) to cut blanks and do really small work, but for typical blank cutting it's the TS.

Gary
 
or build a sled for your bandsaw coupled with a new blade should have you humming along. i have great success with the bandsaw.
 
Hello Gary,

I've thought about building a TS-sled but my saw is a Sear's fold-up model that has no miter slot. It's the model with the sliding table on the left side of the blade. I tried to afix a sled the the miter gauge be there's too much inaccuracy because there's only 1 anchor point - nothing to anchor to on the right side of the blade.

Jim
 
Andrew, that's kinda what I was thinking also and I'm leaning more to a bandsaw than anything else. My current bandsaw is an old Delta model and the bearings are going on - it was used when I got it and has never really worked right. In it's current condition, I don't think it could cut a straight line in a piece of posterboard!

jt
 
I have a table top Ryobi BS and while it works OK, especially with the Timberwolf blades, if I knew then what I know now, I would buy a 14" bandsaw and figure out some way to make it fit my space. On the other hand, Eagle uses a table saw and you know what kind of blanks he makes.[:p]
 
...my saw is a Sear's fold-up model that has no miter slot. It's the model with the sliding table on the left side of the blade.
Click to expand...
Jim,
I'm not familiar with that model; if you post the number I can look it up. However, if the table's sides are parallel to the blade, you can make a sled that uses the sides as runners. With a sled, you wouldn't have a separate miter guage. You can integrate it into the sled if necessary.

[?] maybe it's time to sell that saw and upgrade to a little better one.

Backing up, the question has to be asked: what are you making and how accurate does it need to be? For making blanks from larger stock, the bandsaw is sufficient. For doing accurate work like segmented blanks, I personally wouldn't use a bandsaw even though I have and use one regularly. Miter saw, Table saw, or hand saw ALL with jigs such as sleds and hold-downs.

Gary
 
Don't know what you pan on spending, but your current saw is just noty up to the task. I would suggest keeping an eye out for an actual contractor saw (retail in the $500 and up range) that is used and relatively newer. These saws can many times be had for $200 or so, which is a fantastic deal. Honestly, I would upgrade the saw, then mabe buy a 10" miter saw before I would upgrade your bandsaw.
 
Jim,

of course opinions are all over the board here but my bandsaw gets used way more than my miter or table saw in my shop. i know others do it other ways and that's the beauty of it all but this is just my opinion. one thing i really like about it is the smaller kerf in the wood, so you waste a little less... not a huge deal but nice. plus, it's WAY quieter than my miter or table saw, meaning i can use it late at night and not disturb my neighbors.

i don't know how close spotsylvania is to a large metro area, but if you've not checked out craigslist.org, i would recommend it. you can find great, barely used tools for great deals. i've gotten a few shop tools from craigslist that have been 1/3 the cost of a new one at essentially the same condition as new.

just my two pesos.

by the way, the sled to cut on a bandsaw is really easy to make, i'll post a picture of one if you want.. i think it's essentially the same as the one in the library though.
 
I thank everyone for their input -- that's what I'm looking for. I'm not an accomplished woodworker as some on this forum are, so any advice is welcome. One thing I common thing I see in the posts is the use of a sled. I've used some of these in the past but I can't figure out how to put a sled on the model of table saw that I have and make it consistently accurate. As for my old Delta tabletop bandsaw... it has definately seen better days and needs to be retired. So whatever I go with, a sled will be a first priority.

Gary - my saw is Sear model #21806. When I bought it, portability was a major issue and rough work was all it was required to do.

Andrew - great suggestion about going to craigslist. Spotsylvania is about an hour from DC and Richmond so both are options for me. I never thought about craigslist or e-bay as a choice. I'll check out both of them. I remember seeing the BS sled in the library and I'll check it out again.

Gerry - I hear ya about the tabletop BS. I'm seriously considering a full-sided BS - even if I have to move a tool cabinet out of the way.

Mike - the only thing that bothers me about my current, and possibly other, contractor saws is that they might not be as stable as I'd like a saw to be. The fact that they are portable is great, but locking them in place isn't one of their strongpoints. Sometimes, the cutting of pieces of wood for a pen requires really precise work so we handle the wood in fairly close proximity to the blade. My wife does surveys of accidents and one of the topics she covers is "accidental dismemberment" when using saws. I REALLY don't want my wife calling me for a survey about how I cut-off my fingers -- know what I mean? And we all have to admit that a BS is at least a little safer than a TS!

Again, thanks all of you for your comments.
 
Jim, The saw you have is really not a "Contractor's saw" as most people refer to one. The mfg may say it is, but I'm not sure you would find a contractor using one anywhere. Contractor's saws typically weigh a few hundred pounds and have 1.5 horse motors with a belt driven blate. They have four legs and sit directly on the floor or on mobile bases designed for them. They have cast iron tops with nicely machine miter slots. Some have stamped steel wings and some have cast iron wings. Any of the modern contractor style saws can be very accurate for what you would be using it for. (or any woodworking project)

As to the dismemberment comment, if you are using a properly made sled on the table saw and actually paying attention to what you are doing, cutting a finger at all would be nearly impossible. In fact, you'd probably have a better chance cutting yourself on the bandsaw you have.
 
Mike - I've always thought that a contractor saw was portable - I guess that's what I get for believing some of the mfgrs but what they said made sense to me. I can see where your description refers to a different style altogether.

I agree about you dismemberment comment, and if I had a 'real' saw, I wouldn't be worried. I had a radial-arm saw years ago and it never bothered me to do anything with that saw.

jt
 
Ron McIntire uses a 10" compound miter saw with an 80 tooth blade to cut pieces for his incredible segmented pens. Several use a table saw with a sled of some sort. Do some searching and you can find several sets of plans for a table saw sled. What ever you do..do it carefully!!
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
Jim,

I looked at the model -- it's not a traditional Contractor's saw. It's what I'd call a job-site table saw. I don't see a good way to make a sled for it and if your space is that limited, my thought of building a table over it might not be feasible.

I maintain that a TS or Miter Saw used with a sled and hold-downs is safer AND more accurate than a bandsaw. Bandsaw blades wander. If you want to make segmented blanks that are dead on, you need something that won't wander. Thus, MS or TS with sled and hold-downs. The hold-downs and sled allow you to keep your hands well away from spinning, sharp objects.
The stats on a TS are worse than the BS because people put themselves in harm's way.
Gary
 
If you have a fence that is solid and straight you can build a sled that has an inverted 'U' that slides over the fence as your guide. I did that on my Ryobi back before I burned it up and bought a new TS.

GK
 
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