Thread: What's your favorite power tool?

if you make your own scales, get a scroll saw.

Originally Posted by 96firephoenix

if you make your own scales, get a scroll saw.

I love a good heavy scroll saw but for the money he is looking to spend, he would have to get a smaller one and they tend to vibrate a ton in that size. Especially with small detail work on small pieces like scales. I hate the smaller ones.

Along the lines of the scroll saw: My father has a decent scroll saw, and I usually try to take at least one set of scale blanks over when I visit so I can avoid the coping saw. This is out of pure laziness though, as I can probably cope out a set of scales in under 5 minutes. The more I think about it, and the more opinions I get about how handy a belt sander is, the more I am leaning that way. I will probably go with one from sears, HD, or Lowes, and have a little bit left over. Maybe go in on some small stuff I have my eye on. I've got two questions now, though: is a 3/4hp motor necessary, or will 1/3hp be enough? And what are everyone's opinions on the 1" vs the 4" belt?

Originally Posted by adbuett

snip... I will probably go with one from sears, HD, or Lowes, and have a little bit left over. Maybe go in on some small stuff I have my eye on. I've got two questions now, though: is a 3/4hp motor necessary, or will 1/3hp be enough? And what are everyone's opinions on the 1" vs the 4" belt?

If you are wanting to thin material for scales, the 4x36 may be a better call as it has a wide flat top and the sanding lines are parallel. You can also use the disk on either one for thinning scales, but not as conveniently. and you would have to hand sand to remove the semicircular grind marks. I like the 1x for contouring the outside of the scales while they are taped together after sawing.. I take off the top shield and use the top pulley to grind inside the top curve of scales. I have only stopped my extra cheapo HF 4x36 a couple times and I was really hogging on it to flatten a whet stone. Don't try this at home unless you go outside!!!!!

Double sided tape will be your friend!!! Permacel is my favorite and very expensive but a cloth carpet tape will work! Don;t use the fiberglass cloth type!!

Thanks for the great replies everybody! Geezer, thanks especially for all your help. I either use the clear cellophane double stick tape after cleaning with acetone (this works really really well), or I use rubber cement with aluminum "pins" through the pin holes. The aluminum sands away very well, and I have about 3ft of it that I won't ever use for anything else.

Originally Posted by Str8Shooter

I love a good heavy scroll saw but for the money he is looking to spend, he would have to get a smaller one and they tend to vibrate a ton in that size. Especially with small detail work on small pieces like scales. I hate the smaller ones.

its all in the stand. bolt that sucker to your work bench, no vibration. we have a big nice stand-alone dewalt one now, but we started out with a cheap(ish) dremel benchtop and it did shake around until we bolted it down.

I love my wife! My b-day is tomorrow and I came home to find a large present sitting in the living room. I get to open it up today since I wont see her the rest of the week as she is house-sitting for her parents for the week. She bought me a 10" Miter saw! What a woman, where some wives would shun buying a power tool for their husbands and go for something practical like clothes, my wife buys me a sweet saw! Oh, and a razor! It's got some sort of Rabbit etched on the tang, and the initials T.B. I think.