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| Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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#1
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scroll saw for metal work
I am starting a clock project made almost entirely of brass plate.
Specifically I am building W.R. Smith's Lyre clock. I need to saw out patterns in 3/16 brass for the main plates, 80 thou brass for the dial and 60 thou brass for the other parts such as gear spokes. I tried roughing out the main 3/16 plates with my 4x6 band saw in vertical mode and quickly discovered the small throat really limits the work envelope. It also does not allow me to do inside cuts. Mr. Smith shows roughing out the plates with a table jig saw and finishing up with a die filer and belt sander. I believe a jig saw would not work well on thin stock but work work well on the thick stock. I am wondering if a good scroll saw would work on the 3/16 plate. A bit of web research tells me the top of line scroll saws are Hegner and Excaliber. Middle of the road in Dewalt and everything else is lumped together. So will a good scroll saw cut the 3/16 brass plate in a timely manner? Do I need a jig saw and a scroll saw? Looking for advise!! thanks chuck |
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#2
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#3
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I am starting a clock project made almost entirely of brass plate. Specifically I am building W.R. Smith's Lyre clock. I need to saw out patterns in 3/16 brass for the main plates, 80 thou brass for the dial and 60 thou brass for the other parts such as gear spokes. I tried roughing out the main 3/16 plates with my 4x6 band saw in vertical mode and quickly discovered the small throat really limits the work envelope. It also does not allow me to do inside cuts. Mr. Smith shows roughing out the plates with a table jig saw and finishing up with a die filer and belt sander. I believe a jig saw would not work well on thin stock but work work well on the thick stock. I am wondering if a good scroll saw would work on the 3/16 plate. A bit of web research tells me the top of line scroll saws are Hegner and Excaliber. Middle of the road in Dewalt and everything else is lumped together. So will a good scroll saw cut the 3/16 brass plate in a timely manner? Do I need a jig saw and a scroll saw? Looking for advise!! thanks chuck Scroll saw would work fine. Pretty expensive purchase just for one clock, though. For larger internal cuts, you can always cut and silver solder the bandsaw blade. Think I'd go with a jeweler's saw, though. John Martin |
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#4
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Some die filers can chuck a piece of bandsaw blade. Of course, this
can pierce solid stock. If you plan to get a die filer to finish this project, look for one with an overarm saw support. These chuck the blade at the bottom and also at the top. The top arm is spring- loaded to keep the blade under tension. You can just cut up pieces of bandsaw blade stock (maybe 4" long) and grind off the tooth set on the sides of the ends so the blade will sit solidly in the chuck. To me, this is all theoretical. But I'm working on getting my die filer up and running and I've already got some pieces of blade stock with which I intend to test this out. The die filer literature I've read mentions this capability. Of course, for any given width of blade, there is a smallest radius you can cut with it. To do fine scroll work you'd need a very small blade, perhaps like jeweler's saw blades. Those are sold in packs of 12 and as soon as you start trying to use them you realize why! (They break very easily indeed!) Grant Erwin still working on my die filer Web page, few more weeks maybe JMartin957 wrote: I am starting a clock project made almost entirely of brass plate. Specifically I am building W.R. Smith's Lyre clock. I need to saw out patterns in 3/16 brass for the main plates, 80 thou brass for the dial and 60 thou brass for the other parts such as gear spokes. I tried roughing out the main 3/16 plates with my 4x6 band saw in vertical mode and quickly discovered the small throat really limits the work envelope. It also does not allow me to do inside cuts. Mr. Smith shows roughing out the plates with a table jig saw and finishing up with a die filer and belt sander. I believe a jig saw would not work well on thin stock but work work well on the thick stock. I am wondering if a good scroll saw would work on the 3/16 plate. A bit of web research tells me the top of line scroll saws are Hegner and Excaliber. Middle of the road in Dewalt and everything else is lumped together. So will a good scroll saw cut the 3/16 brass plate in a timely manner? Do I need a jig saw and a scroll saw? Looking for advise!! thanks chuck Scroll saw would work fine. Pretty expensive purchase just for one clock, though. For larger internal cuts, you can always cut and silver solder the bandsaw blade. Think I'd go with a jeweler's saw, though. John Martin |
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#6
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"Charles A. Sherwood" wrote:
I am starting a clock project made almost entirely of brass plate. Specifically I am building W.R. Smith's Lyre clock. I need to saw out patterns in 3/16 brass for the main plates, 80 thou brass for the dial and 60 thou brass for the other parts such as gear spokes. I tried roughing out the main 3/16 plates with my 4x6 band saw in vertical mode and quickly discovered the small throat really limits the work envelope. It also does not allow me to do inside cuts. Mr. Smith shows roughing out the plates with a table jig saw and finishing up with a die filer and belt sander. I believe a jig saw would not work well on thin stock but work work well on the thick stock. I am wondering if a good scroll saw would work on the 3/16 plate. A bit of web research tells me the top of line scroll saws are Hegner and Excaliber. Middle of the road in Dewalt and everything else is lumped together. So will a good scroll saw cut the 3/16 brass plate in a timely manner? Do I need a jig saw and a scroll saw? Looking for advise!! thanks chuck The short answer is you can do very good work on even thin brass with a scroll saw of the right kind with the right setup. For my work in silver, brass and other soft metals, I spent a couple of hundred bucks at MicroMark for a specialized Microlux variable-speed scroll saw that handles metal, plastics, etc. It's really for thinner stock, but with the appropriate blade and slow feeds, it should handle 3/16 brass. You can do the same sort of thing, although perhaps not as well, with a conventional scroll saw. The good ones have enough power to handle 3/16 brass easily. There are two keys to making this work. The first is that the saw should have a variable speed control. The second is the blades. Don't bother with the blades you get from the saw company. Go to a jeweler's supply store (or order on-line from someplace like Rio Grande) and get a gross or two of jeweler's saw blades of the appropriate gauge. These are plain-end blades about 6" long that will fit any scroll saw that takes plain end blades. The blades are cheap, but you can't buy them in quantities of less than a dozen and even the experts break them constantly. Expect to break a lot of blades and don't worry about it. The usual method of scroll sawing very thin stock is to put something heavier over the top of it, like 1/8 plywood, and set the presser foot firmly on the material. Good luck. It sounds like an interesting project. --RC |
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#7
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#9
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I think the variable speed feature mentioned in another reply, would be a
key feature for this type of work. The scroll (or jigsaw as it's known) wouldn't neccessarily have to be a top-of-the-line model, any older cast iron tabletop jigsaw should be more than adequate. Step pulleys can accomplish speed selection for powering with an AC induction motor.. I don't care much for high RPM brush-type universal motors, but they can be adjusted with inexpensive speed controls or a big variac. A foot switch might be a very handy feature too. I dunno if cutting dry is the general practice, but I'd think that a wax-type cutting lube would be more appropriate, since a liquid would likely be slippery and possibly create a situation where it would be too easy to slip and get fingers cut. Keeping the stock firmly pressed downward against the saw table surface is an important factor in efficiently cutting your stock. Back-up material is generally called for, when cutting thin stock. This could be hardboard or luan ply, and works well when the metal is glued to the back-up material (for less vertical reaction). The table insert that surrounds the blade (I forget what it's called) should have a fairly close fit to the shape of the blade, and be securely mounted to the table.. not just a loose-fitting drop-in insert. Very thin stock might be problematic on the jigsaw, and hand sawing might be required. Maybe someone can describe the old method used to cut intricate precision fit inlays in wood.. I forget what that's called too.. but I watched a program about how it's done. There was a fairly long training program to learn the skill to become artist-level in the procedure. The worker sat at the saw fixture with his heel on the lever that secures the work in the vise, and the heel pressure was let up to release the vise for frequent movement of the work, to change the direction of cutting. The saw was in a fixture similar to a linear sliding rod, and the work was held perpendicular to the blade cut. WB ............... "Charles A. Sherwood" wrote in message ... I am starting a clock project made almost entirely of brass plate. Specifically I am building W.R. Smith's Lyre clock. I need to saw out patterns in 3/16 brass for the main plates, 80 thou brass for the dial and 60 thou brass for the other parts such as gear spokes. I tried roughing out the main 3/16 plates with my 4x6 band saw in vertical mode and quickly discovered the small throat really limits the work envelope. It also does not allow me to do inside cuts. Mr. Smith shows roughing out the plates with a table jig saw and finishing up with a die filer and belt sander. I believe a jig saw would not work well on thin stock but work work well on the thick stock. I am wondering if a good scroll saw would work on the 3/16 plate. A bit of web research tells me the top of line scroll saws are Hegner and Excaliber. Middle of the road in Dewalt and everything else is lumped together. So will a good scroll saw cut the 3/16 brass plate in a timely manner? Do I need a jig saw and a scroll saw? Looking for advise!! thanks chuck -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
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#10
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Wild Bill wrote:
I think the variable speed feature mentioned in another reply, would be a key feature for this type of work. It's pretty much a must. But most of the decent scroll saws these days have the feature. It's also important to get the right gauge blade. Jeweler's saw blades run from about 6-0 to 8 or so. You want a blade that will keep 2-3 teeth in the work at all times. Most of what the saw suppliers and hardware stores will try to sell you are too coarse for this kind of work. The scroll (or jigsaw as it's known) wouldn't neccessarily have to be a top-of-the-line model, any older cast iron tabletop jigsaw should be more than adequate. Step pulleys can accomplish speed selection for powering with an AC induction motor.. I don't care much for high RPM brush-type universal motors, but they can be adjusted with inexpensive speed controls or a big variac. A foot switch might be a very handy feature too. A foot switch doesn't matter all that much because of the way you feed the stock. (To stop cutting, stop advancing the material.) I dunno if cutting dry is the general practice, but I'd think that a wax-type cutting lube would be more appropriate, since a liquid would likely be slippery and possibly create a situation where it would be too easy to slip and get fingers cut. Beeswax. Buy it by the cake at any fabric store. (other good stuff snipped --RC |
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