Thread: Looking for a small scale making setup

In my opinion, a bandsaw is nice, but if you don't have the bucks for a decent one, then save your money. A cheapo bandsaw will have you swearing at it more often than offering praise.

A scroll saw is very nice to have. They are just the thing for small, smooth cutting on wood, plastic and even small amounts of metal (aluminum, brass, mild steel). I have a European make (Kity) which isn't too bad (I'm not sure it is still being produced). If I had the bucks (euros) I would have sprung for a Hegner, but the Kity has the same blade mount system and cost less at the time. Here is a link to a review of the Hegner on a web site devoted to scroll saw use: Hegner scroll saw review
There are other less expensive, quality scroll saws out there, so look around.
Oh, one thing to be aware of when using a scroll saw. They do beautiful work on fine curves and so forth, but cutting long, straight bits takes care and attention. Also, these saws tend to wear out those tiny blades pretty quickly. Especially in the very tiny sizes the blades can wear out or break much sooner than you would expect. I consider 2-dozen of each blade size as minimum reserves

A small desktop belt sander is definitely a good idea. Just make sure that you stock up on a range of sanding belts from coarse to (ultra) fine. By the way, the belt sander will speed things up, but it will not exempt you from doing the last finishing operations by hand.