Thread: Scroll saw or band saw?

Here's a bit of a funny story, skip below for the actual question.
I've been getting more and more into razor restorations lately and have been enjoying it a lot. Recently I took on the lofty goal of creating buffalo horn scales from full buffalo horns.

Without a saw.

I bought a coping saw. You can guess how that went, an hour or two of a sore arm and ugly misshapen scale blanks that didn't turn out. So I set up my dad's spare tile saw and bought a belt sander. Trying to figure out how to cut nice square scale blanks out of lumpy buffalo horn was interesting, but somehow I pulled it off, albeit with wasting a ton of horn. The scale blanks were thick, almost half an inch, and pretty uneven though I was using a guide.
I was able to sand them down and make some pretty decent scales, but this adventure has made me want to purchase a small saw.

*******
So which is better for working on scales, a band saw or a scroll saw? What would you buy if you were starting all over? Also, where do you purchase your horn for scales? Anyone else ever started with the whole horn?

I bought an old scroll saw but if your going to be cutting up cows than go with a band saw. Scroll saws are great for fine detail work and making cuts with no exit. ( Holes) Band saw has a lot more cutting power.

You tube both and you will see everything you need to know. 50,000 different ways.

Buy both. Craigslist has great deals if you watch long enough.

If you cut it to fast it will smell... interesting!

Bees wax is a good lubricant when using hand tools and drilling horn.

I have a great neighbor that's kind enough to rip 1/8 and 3/8 inch slabs from my stock using a bandsaw. The kerf is pretty small so I'm happy. All it cost me is a beer and saves room in my workshop - for now, since I have designs on him selling it to me.

I use a scroll saw to shape scales once I have them down to about 1/4 inch. But regardless of how fast I cut, the material stinks while cutting/sanding. Horn and bone smell pretty badly while being cut or belt sanded (like burnt hair or skin - which I guess they are really). G10 smells like cat urine to me when cutting. It's a stinky hobby sometimes.

I asked a similar question a few weeks ago - maybe there's an answer or two in there for you as well - http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...-scales-2.html

Scroll saws are useless for most anything other than fine fretwork,get a bandsaw.

Bandsaw, I have both, rarely use the Scroll but use the Bandsaw all the time. Some woodworking forums say the Bandsaw is the first tool you should buy over a table saw.

I finish shape with a strip sander and hand sanding so the smoothness of the cut does not matter.

I have a band saw, i think its perfect

The bandsaw is most useful for me. I use a thin piece of stock on the whole table which I have cut to center with the saw. That sub table reduced the chipping on the backside of dry and brittle stock. It also will reduce the heat caused bumps of material on the back of some plastics caused by friction heat of the saw blade cutting.

A scroll saw is useful at times. The speed of the blade causes a lot of friction heat and it may bind in materials that expe\and with heat.The only complaint I have with them is that they will bind in the cut and pull the stock off the table. Then slap it down. That has broken some thin brittle materials for me. If the guide is tight against the stock the breakage may be reduced. A variable speed unit on slow may be a great answer for cutting outlines.
~Richard

Originally Posted by Geezer

The bandsaw is most useful for me. I use a thin piece of stock on the whole table which I have cut to center with the saw. That sub table reduced the chipping on the backside of dry and brittle stock. It also will reduce the heat caused bumps of material on the back of some plastics caused by friction heat of the saw blade cutting.

Richard, this sounds like a great idea but I can't seem to picture what you're describing - what I'm picturing couldn't possibly work, then again I may have a bit of dirt in my mind's eye. Next time you have a camera in your shop would you snap a picture please?