Thread: Opinions on choosing a saw to cut scale blanks

Try any of the stores listed on this list first:

Ontario

If they have General brand equipment they'll have other good brands too.

Take a piece of what you want to rip in with you and the guys in the shop will get you sorted out I'm sure for your budget. Sometimes if they're like the store I go to here (KMS Tools) they'll even let you rent equipment to try it out and see if it does what you want.

Get yourself a good used Delta saw. They're not the highest high end but they're good workhorses and they're pretty plentiful.

so is a jig saw not good for cutting scales?

Deans,

A jig saw is great for sawing shapes, but very challenged in ripping stock to the thicknesses you cut the shapes from. Resawing, cutting stock into narrower pieces from thick material, is the bandsaw's forte. For production work a wide, stiff blade is best, but if you take your time, a 1/4" blade will work just fine. When I was a kid I sawed up all kinds of tree parts on my Dad's 14" Delta bandsaw to make boards for projects. Once I had the basic board, I could refine it on the jointer and table saw. On wide stock I did a lot of hand planing.

Yikes, yeah jigsaw not the right kind of saw for ripping wood, sorry. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll find lots of use for your jigsaw in other areas. Like cutting out the shape for the scales (if you've got it well clamped and go slow).

Originally Posted by burns420

Is a bandsaw not difficult to keep straight? From what ive seen, they all have flex in the blade unless it's an industrial type I've seen in machine shops.

You are correct. It isn't easy to keep a PERFECTLY straight cut unless you have a great setup for it (wide blade, good fence, etc.).

A certain amount of blade flex is normal, and will not be the cause of you being incapable of cutting a straight line. if your pushing hard enough to have problems with blade flex, your pushing too hard! Nice and easy does it, in its own way, its like honing. proper blade choice too! thinner materials, finer teeth etc.

Table saw is to large, blade to big even with a thin curf blade. Not to mention they get expensive. I have a couple blades that tip the scales over 150. You hands will be danger close to that blade unless you build yourself a jig. I use a Jet 14 inch bandsaw with big motor. Get a Kreg fence for it, some good blades and you are set. Do not try to run the cheap stamped blades, they cut like, well, they cut bad. I use a ½ inch blade for resawing and a ¼ inch blade for cutting scales. 3/8 blade is good for about everything. No problems resawing 5 inch thick cocobolo.

with a properly set band saw all lined up and tight with a 1./2 inch blade you can easily cut 5 inch thick cocbolo or ironwood into 1/2 inch pieces without the scales being messed up . kellyw

So long as you don't mind spending 6 or 7 minutes per blank.. I find this works nicer than power tools