I have recently taken up basic wookworking here in the UK. Ive
managed to make some wooden toys that have gone down very well with my
children....especially the tractor and trailers.

Now I want to move onto slighhtly bigger things, some dolls houses and
the like for my neices.

Resources are limited, wood i am lucky enough to get passed on from my
brother in law and I can get most guages of MDF. (I'd prefer 'real'
wood, but beggars cant be choosers)

Any way, in order to cut nice super straight lines my scroll saw isnt
ideal and my handheld circular saw is like cracking a nut with a
sledgehammer.

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?


Any help really aprpeciated.

Thanks



Hope you had a Merry Christmas (Happy Holiday) and have a Happy New
Year.

Fred Bassett wrote:

I have recently taken up basic wookworking here in the UK. Ive
managed to make some wooden toys that have gone down very well with my
children....especially the tractor and trailers.

Now I want to move onto slighhtly bigger things, some dolls houses and
the like for my neices.

Resources are limited, wood i am lucky enough to get passed on from my
brother in law and I can get most guages of MDF. (I'd prefer 'real'
wood, but beggars cant be choosers)

Any way, in order to cut nice super straight lines my scroll saw isnt
ideal and my handheld circular saw is like cracking a nut with a
sledgehammer.

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?


Any help really aprpeciated.

Thanks



Hope you had a Merry Christmas (Happy Holiday) and have a Happy New
Year.


When I was starting out, I could not afford a real table saw
and found a table that had a plate to hold the circular saw
underneath so that the blade comes through like a table
saw. It was fine for occasional use. There are also
available table-top saws which are great for small projects.
This would be appropriate for a novice getting started. A
bandsaw is nice for curves but not for straight lines.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

I am a mental tourist. My mind wanders.

A table saw would be your best choice. If that is out of your price range
and you wanted primarily to make lengthy cuts of 24" or more, you might
consider a clamping straight edge and a circular saw. Here is a website that
shows a picture of one:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...20straightedge

They are using a router in this picture but a circular saw works well too.


"Fred Bassett" wrote in message
...
I have recently taken up basic wookworking here in the UK. Ive
managed to make some wooden toys that have gone down very well with my
children....especially the tractor and trailers.

Now I want to move onto slighhtly bigger things, some dolls houses and
the like for my neices.

Resources are limited, wood i am lucky enough to get passed on from my
brother in law and I can get most guages of MDF. (I'd prefer 'real'
wood, but beggars cant be choosers)

Any way, in order to cut nice super straight lines my scroll saw isnt
ideal and my handheld circular saw is like cracking a nut with a
sledgehammer.

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?


Any help really aprpeciated.

Thanks



Hope you had a Merry Christmas (Happy Holiday) and have a Happy New
Year.

On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 10:42:13 GMT, Fred Bassett wrote:

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?

If you have infinite time, space and money, then get both. Otherwise
think about which you can afford, both now and in the future. For
either of them you may find that the space issue is as big a problem
as the cost.

A useful bandsaw begins with the 14" wheel diameter machines. The
little 8" / 9" jobs from Kinzo, Lucky Golden Hedgehog etc. are an
infamous source of grief. There's also the problem that small bandsaws
have small throats, which is a distinct disadvantage for making dolls
houses from sheet goods.

The only small (10" wheel) bandsaw I've seen that looks remotely
viable (and is certainly cheap) is the small Axminster.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...=21384&recno=1


Useful table saws begin at £200 (Axminster or B&Q). £100 gets you a
smaller table and a poorer fence. None are especially handy for
starting with large sheets


A tool that might actually suit you better is a _good_ jigsaw, like
the Bosch GST2000 (about £100). This is incomparably better than a
cheap jigsaw - a better balanced mechanism means you have smooth
controllable cuts. With a straight edge guide clamped down you can
make acceptable straight edge cuts in sheeet goods or inch-thick
softwood. It also cuts curves, cuts any size of sheet, enclosed
internal cuts and offers cheap blade swapping for different materials.
You can even pack it away neatly afterwards.

It's worth the effort to make some good trestles before doing much
other work. These make the use of portable saws much more
pleasurable. Make at lest three for sheetgoods, and make sure they
stack. They only need to be roughly made, usually thick softwood with
ply boxing to stiffen the corners. The top should be solid
"disposable" softwood, deep enough to allow the circular saw blade to
pass through it without either chopping it in half, or hitting a metal
fastener.

--
Smert' spamionam

Thanks to all of you - space IS a premium and I really appreciate your
advice. Best bet seems to be to look at mounting my circular saw, and
maybe upgrading my jig saw. Last time I tried a 3 foot straight edge
with a baton guide the blade managed to bend itsleft to about 17
degrees...so much for THAT straight edge, and it was only 9mm MDF
too!!





On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 13:04:42 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 10:42:13 GMT, Fred Bassett wrote:

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?

If you have infinite time, space and money, then get both. Otherwise
think about which you can afford, both now and in the future. For
either of them you may find that the space issue is as big a problem
as the cost.

A useful bandsaw begins with the 14" wheel diameter machines. The
little 8" / 9" jobs from Kinzo, Lucky Golden Hedgehog etc. are an
infamous source of grief. There's also the problem that small bandsaws
have small throats, which is a distinct disadvantage for making dolls
houses from sheet goods.

The only small (10" wheel) bandsaw I've seen that looks remotely
viable (and is certainly cheap) is the small Axminster.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...=21384&recno=1


Useful table saws begin at £200 (Axminster or B&Q). £100 gets you a
smaller table and a poorer fence. None are especially handy for
starting with large sheets


A tool that might actually suit you better is a _good_ jigsaw, like
the Bosch GST2000 (about £100). This is incomparably better than a
cheap jigsaw - a better balanced mechanism means you have smooth
controllable cuts. With a straight edge guide clamped down you can
make acceptable straight edge cuts in sheeet goods or inch-thick
softwood. It also cuts curves, cuts any size of sheet, enclosed
internal cuts and offers cheap blade swapping for different materials.
You can even pack it away neatly afterwards.

It's worth the effort to make some good trestles before doing much
other work. These make the use of portable saws much more
pleasurable. Make at lest three for sheetgoods, and make sure they
stack. They only need to be roughly made, usually thick softwood with
ply boxing to stiffen the corners. The top should be solid
"disposable" softwood, deep enough to allow the circular saw blade to
pass through it without either chopping it in half, or hitting a metal
fastener.

"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
...
: A table saw would be your best choice. If that is out of your price range
: and you wanted primarily to make lengthy cuts of 24" or more, you might
: consider a clamping straight edge and a circular saw. Here is a website
that
: shows a picture of one:
:
:
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...20straightedge
:
: They are using a router in this picture but a circular saw works well
too.
:
:
[snip]

I hated to put a lot of time into a Barbie doll house and put together one
from a bunch of 3/8" plywood. Made it three Barbie stories tall and got a
pair of plywood doors to open almost full width across the back. Just a
straight edge, clamps and a circular saw. The child has already passed
through the "Barbie" stage and is already using it as a bookcase with
doors.

I was short of time for a second "Barbie" house and found an old secretary
type cabinet with three floors of shelves already in place. Made the back
of the cabinet the front of the house and the child plays with the house
via original doors in what is now the back of the house.

The great thing I learned from these first two houses is that doll houses
should always go on wheels - nice swivel ones. Both houses have been moved
from bedrooms, to play rooms, to hallways, to back decks and yards, and
back to bedrooms again.

Josie

Very good tips there!


On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 10:03:25 -0500, "firstjois"
wrote:


"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
...
: A table saw would be your best choice. If that is out of your price range
: and you wanted primarily to make lengthy cuts of 24" or more, you might
: consider a clamping straight edge and a circular saw. Here is a website
that
: shows a picture of one:
:
:
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...20straightedge
:
: They are using a router in this picture but a circular saw works well
too.
:
:
[snip]

I hated to put a lot of time into a Barbie doll house and put together one
from a bunch of 3/8" plywood. Made it three Barbie stories tall and got a
pair of plywood doors to open almost full width across the back. Just a
straight edge, clamps and a circular saw. The child has already passed
through the "Barbie" stage and is already using it as a bookcase with
doors.

I was short of time for a second "Barbie" house and found an old secretary
type cabinet with three floors of shelves already in place. Made the back
of the cabinet the front of the house and the child plays with the house
via original doors in what is now the back of the house.

The great thing I learned from these first two houses is that doll houses
should always go on wheels - nice swivel ones. Both houses have been moved
from bedrooms, to play rooms, to hallways, to back decks and yards, and
back to bedrooms again.

Josie

"Fred Bassett" wrote in message
...
(snip) Last time I tried a 3 foot straight edge
with a baton guide the blade managed to bend itsleft to about 17
degrees (snip)

That could be an indication of a very dull blade. If it's original to the
saw (and if the saw was an inexpensive one), it's probably junk. Perhaps
your best solution is a new carbide tipped blade for your circular saw.

I've cut hundreds of feet of wood with a circular saw and straightedge and
the only time I had problems similar to what you described was when the
blade was dull.

Mon, Dec 27, 2004, 10:42am (EST+5) (Fred=A0Bassett)
claims:
I have recently taken up basic wookworking snip Now I want to move onto
slighhtly bigger things, snip
Resources are limited, snip Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a
tablesaw ? snip

Operational phrase, "resources are limited". Which to me means,
mostly, money. So, I would say, circular saw, with decent blade, and
straight edge, and forget about splurging on a bandsaw or tablesaw.

OR, a decent handsaw. Mostly Normite thinking here, so I'm not
totally surprised no one mentioned that option.



JOAT
Diplomacy is the act of saying, "Nice Doggie" till you can find a big
rock to bash in his skull.
- Unknown

In article ,
says...
Any way, in order to cut nice super straight lines my scroll saw isnt
ideal and my handheld circular saw is like cracking a nut with a
sledgehammer.

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?


If you need straight-line ripping ability, the tablesaw is the way to
go.

Otherwise, have you considered a sliding mitre saw? Sort of a baby
radial arm saw without the ripping capability.

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

A home made guide for your circular saw can be made from a 1/4" plywood, as
long as a factory edge is still there. Cut off, (as long as needed + a few
inches) a strip 3" wide. Rotate the cut piece onto the remainder. Factory
edge in. Glue & clamp the two. After dry, Use step as a guide for the shoe
on your circular saw, cut. You now have a guide that needs no measuring,
just place the guide on your mark, clamp, cut.

I figured it was probably that - i know MDF really takes its toll on
tools, dulling them a lot quicker than 'real' wood.

The fact is also it is a simple black and decker saw, so it is
cheap... but the blade was new, and i have invested in some top
quality blades for it that have made some diffference.

thanks though - confirmed what I thought.....


On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 15:29:28 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman"
wrote:


"Fred Bassett" wrote in message
.. .
(snip) Last time I tried a 3 foot straight edge
with a baton guide the blade managed to bend itsleft to about 17
degrees (snip)

That could be an indication of a very dull blade. If it's original to the
saw (and if the saw was an inexpensive one), it's probably junk. Perhaps
your best solution is a new carbide tipped blade for your circular saw.

I've cut hundreds of feet of wood with a circular saw and straightedge and
the only time I had problems similar to what you described was when the
blade was dull.

Yup - a decent saw - the problem is being MDF the 'decent' hand saw
does not last as long as I would like. I will have to wait on some
different wood before I risk anotehr saw.

I didnt really want another tool, i would prefer to use the ones i
have, so working out how to mount the circular saw upside sown so i
can push the wood to it is a viable option i think.

Is there a FAQ reagrding what different power tools should be used for
?
Also what the various Acronymns are, such as RA anmd RAS that i have
seen in this group ?

TIA
F.B.






On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 12:02:32 -0500, (J T)
wrote:

Mon, Dec 27, 2004, 10:42am (EST+5) (Fred*Bassett)
claims:
I have recently taken up basic wookworking snip Now I want to move onto
slighhtly bigger things, snip
Resources are limited, snip Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a
tablesaw ? snip

Operational phrase, "resources are limited". Which to me means,
mostly, money. So, I would say, circular saw, with decent blade, and
straight edge, and forget about splurging on a bandsaw or tablesaw.

OR, a decent handsaw. Mostly Normite thinking here, so I'm not
totally surprised no one mentioned that option.



JOAT
Diplomacy is the act of saying, "Nice Doggie" till you can find a big
rock to bash in his skull.
- Unknown

There (is)(was) an Australian firm...Triton...that makes tables for circular
saws. They have an office in Caerphilly, South Wales, UK. The 'net address
is http://www.triton.net.au/front.shtml. Look near the bottom of the page
for a link to their office locations.

"Fred Bassett" wrote in message
...
I figured it was probably that - i know MDF really takes its toll on
tools, dulling them a lot quicker than 'real' wood.

The fact is also it is a simple black and decker saw, so it is
cheap... but the blade was new, and i have invested in some top
quality blades for it that have made some diffference.

thanks though - confirmed what I thought.....


On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 15:29:28 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman"
wrote:


"Fred Bassett" wrote in message
.. .
(snip) Last time I tried a 3 foot straight edge
with a baton guide the blade managed to bend itsleft to about 17
degrees (snip)

That could be an indication of a very dull blade. If it's original to
the
saw (and if the saw was an inexpensive one), it's probably junk. Perhaps
your best solution is a new carbide tipped blade for your circular saw.

I've cut hundreds of feet of wood with a circular saw and straightedge
and
the only time I had problems similar to what you described was when the
blade was dull.

Others here have made more cogent comments about bandsaws and tablesaws but
I might be able to help with the scroll saw.

Depth of the scroll saw throat limits the length of straight cuts but for
short ones I have found that if you close one eye and sight down the layout
line - so that line, blade and kerf are all in line you can get a perfectly
straight scrollsaw cut. If you are doing it right the kerf is hidden behind
the blade. I takes a little care but scrolling anything elaborate requires
attention anyway.

Happy New Years

Patty




"Fred Bassett" wrote in message
...
I have recently taken up basic wookworking here in the UK. Ive
managed to make some wooden toys that have gone down very well with my
children....especially the tractor and trailers.

Now I want to move onto slighhtly bigger things, some dolls houses and
the like for my neices.

Resources are limited, wood i am lucky enough to get passed on from my
brother in law and I can get most guages of MDF. (I'd prefer 'real'
wood, but beggars cant be choosers)

Any way, in order to cut nice super straight lines my scroll saw isnt
ideal and my handheld circular saw is like cracking a nut with a
sledgehammer.

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?


Any help really aprpeciated.

Thanks



Hope you had a Merry Christmas (Happy Holiday) and have a Happy New
Year.

Fred Bassett wrote in
:

....
Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?
....

I'd recommend a bandsaw, particularly (if as you mention) your primary use
is in making toys.

Nate Perkins wrote:
Fred Bassett wrote in
:

...

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?

...

I'd recommend a bandsaw, particularly (if as you mention) your primary use
is in making toys.
I'd second that opinion. However, spend the max that you can afford on
one. Cheap ones do the job, but no sooner than you've used it a couple
of times you will wishing that it had a wider throat, could take wider
blades, would track better etc. etc..
By making an extension table and using a fence you can rip reasonably
straight and long lengths.
John

On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 10:42:13 GMT, Fred Bassett wrote:

I have recently taken up basic wookworking here in the UK. Ive
managed to make some wooden toys that have gone down very well with my
children....especially the tractor and trailers.

Now I want to move onto slighhtly bigger things, some dolls houses and
the like for my neices.

Resources are limited, wood i am lucky enough to get passed on from my
brother in law and I can get most guages of MDF. (I'd prefer 'real'
wood, but beggars cant be choosers)

Any way, in order to cut nice super straight lines my scroll saw isnt
ideal and my handheld circular saw is like cracking a nut with a
sledgehammer.

Would I be sensible to get a bandsaw or a tablesaw ?

Contrary to most views, I'd get a BS, but it's got to be a reasonable
one. I would consider nothing less than a 14" (I have a JET 18" which
is really only a souped-up 14") I had a TS, but space was a bit
limited and I hardly used it, so sold it. I don't really miss it.

In the meantime, and if cash is limited, a circular saw (but buy a
decent blade for it, instead of the POS they come with!) and a guide
will handle cutting up sheets better than a TS does anyway.

A decent jigsaw (Bosch) will generally do a reasonable impression of a
BS, at least for thin sheets of ply and MDF.

Try buying second-hand, that can save some $$. Or, do you have a high
school or technical college nearby, that runs external night classes
for WW? These facilities are much overlooked, and very useful.

Barry Lennox