Thread: Looking for a small scale making setup

Gents,

Now that I have successfully made a couple sets of scales using a coping saw, dremel, and sandpaper and really enjoyed it, I'm looking for a saw and sander to make the process a little easier.

The thing is, I'm only 19 and don't know squat about tools. So I was looking for some suggestions of what is small and what is efficient. I'm living in a small condo while I'm in school, so I would like to keep it as small as possible.

I was thinking a 9'' bandsaw, and a small bench sander. I'm comfortable using my dremel with the workstation for a drill press (for now).

Let me know if I'm completely off, and recommend some models!

Thanks.

My most used tool for making scales by a huge margin is a simple Belt Sander...

Something like this

Ryobi 4 x 36 in Belt/Disc Sander - BD4600 at The Home Depot

But really any brand will do it is not like we work them that hard with the small stuff we do...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

My most used tool for making scales by a huge margin is a simple Belt Sander...

Something like this

Ryobi 4 x 36 in Belt/Disc Sander - BD4600 at The Home Depot

But really any brand will do it is not like we work them that hard with the small stuff we do...

That's the exact model I've been eying at home depot so I guess that's the one I'll be getting.

How about a saw though, will a 9'' bandsaw work alright? I'd love to be able to work with acrylics, Micarta, and G10 (which I understand is hard to cut)

I have both a band saw, and a scroll saw. Between them I would probably go for the scroll saw for this kind of work. It's much more precise. It's pretty much a powered coping saw. I have used it for cutting inlay for finger boards on my banjo's, and I haven't had to follow it with sanding. Of course for that kind of work you don't see the edges of the cut once it's inlaid.

If I had only one of them I would go with the band saw. It will plow through big material, and in the end do more than the scroll saw with less precision. I don't know how useful a 9" bandsaw would be though. Someone else should chime in about that.

I haven't made scales yet, but when I do I'm sure that the scroll saw will be my tool of choice. A plus is that you can find them really cheap used if you look around. I don't know if you're near Indianapolis, but there's a cheap one there right now.

Bandsaw hands down over a scroll saw. I've got them both as well and don't even use it (scroll saw) hardly at all. I do use the band saw all the time from cutting cutting 3/16" slabs for the scales (sanding takes them down to 18" or thinner) to making a rough cut to be finished by my sander, then ultimately finished by hand sanding. The bandsaw is just a more versatile tool versus a more specialized tool like the scrollsaw. Get the sander first, you won't regret it...

tough one for me to call here... what is your budget? I like a bandsaw, but if my only options are a wimpy bandsaw with a flimsy table and poor tracking I'd rather save my money and use a coping saw or something else and spend my money on other things

IMHO the belt/disc sander is great, and after that, I really like having a drill press... you can get a drill press without blowing a fortune too... now if you have a good budget we can change the direction of this conversation

If you're getting a belt sander and living in a small condo you NEED a dust collection system and a respirator.

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.

I do all of my work on three pieces of equipment: a table saw, drill press, and spindle sander (at least now that I've killed both of my 4x36s). Everything else is done by hand. Soon I'll be getting a 2x72 belt sander, and while it will help for scale making, I'm not getting it specifically to make handles.

It's just very quick to lap something as small as a scale down on some flat sandpaper. The 4x36 only saved me a few minutes at the expense of accuracy (unless I went back to the sandpaper). I love the spindle sander for shaping scales though. It lets me get away without having a bandsaw, and the work is very easy to control.

I find one of my most versatile tools is my oscillating drill press. It is a Craftsman, but they don't make this model anymore. However, Grizzly makes an identical model that matches my Craftsman exactly. With it I can drill my pin holes accurately and with the sanding drums I can sand my rough cut scales to my drawn outline. Also, using the drums and these plans you can sand your scales to the proper thickness. Very handy

Regards - Walt