Re: Band Saw Question, before I buy

for soemone like a manufacturer.

coupons, and yesterdays 60% off coupon.

Cool Blocks is a brand name I believe. I first heard of them at a bandsaw demo that Scott Phillips did at a local woodworking fair. The ones I got for my 9" band saw were from Menards and were another brand. Best thing I ever did for that POS machine :-) (A cheapo saw will work better with good blades and a little tuning up)

In a pinch you could make your own from a dense hardwood, according to Scott Phillips, I haven't tried it. I would think a good online woodworking supply like Woodcraft would have them. They have retail outlets too but can be a tad on the pricy side.

If you're going to spring for a full size BS the new Grizzly 14" model is getting good reviews and is supposed be real nice at a reasonable price. I've been drooling over it in their catalog :-)

-- Kelo Waivio

They stopped carrying them in most Michaels around here. Fred, any exceptions?

Best bet would be to just take it over to Bob's shop and have him cut it for you. ;)

Alan

Nice thing about G10, is there are ways to keep the dust down. Not like you can flood the cutting tool when going through plywood. Makita used to make a cordless circular saw with a water drip bottle for cutting tile. I've heard of a metal shear being used, but unless you're doing sheet work, don't know what else you'd do with one (start selling blast deflectors?).

?itemnumber=39959 Joel. phx

I've used my bandsaw to cut large G-10 fins, and it works well. The stuff is tough on blades though.

-- Joe Michel NAR 82797 L1

Yes, I've used one of those on waferglass weight G10. Had to shim the thing to keep the glass from slipping under the guide. It's usable if you're cutting fins for 1 rocket. NOT if you're cutting the number of fins someone like PML needs to cut.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Olson IIRC....

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

4 of the 5 Michaels I pass by on an occasional basis no longer have rockets. But the one closest to me still does. And they are opening up a new store just a tad farther than this one. We'll see if they have them or not.

Any one know how they decide what to carry where? Is it a function of size, and only the bigger stores carry everything?

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Sure. Come on over to the NIRA building session, currently scheduled for

18-Jan-2004...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

I bought one of these when we built the house. It was cheaper than 2 days rental on a good tile saw. Used it to do several of the small projects like the master bath shower, the kitchen cooktop backsplash, the fireplace marble, etc. Certainly not as nice as the $1000 M&K, but it would cut the stuff OK.

I also got one of the carbide blades for cutting lightweight wood, lexan, etc.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

yeah, but it is a pain for cutting decent sized fins for such a rocket

I'm not familiar with Michael's in particular, but it wouldn't surprise me - I've noticed that the larger Orchard Supply Hardware stores tend to have a much better selection, but the smaller ones only have the more common items. (Had to try

2 or 3 stores before I finally found one that stocked MEK, for example, but they all had paint thinner and acetone.)

-dave w

Too bad. I use G10 pretty frequently and the dust is a real pain. Even with a good dust mask I still end up inhaling some. But those prices are way out my range.

Actually this is a good example of sizing the piece to the tool. Where the piece is too small, you have to move it to the blade. Some pieces would diappear under a portable power tool. Large pieces would take a while because of the slower cutting speed. A 4"x7" fin could be cut with a circular saw, but you would need to cut each piece from a larger piece which leaves you something to hang onto. So you might start with a 4"x24" piece and do all the short cuts, before the final cut which drops the piece off. If you had a stack of 1x1' squares to cut all 4 fins in one pass, I'd opt for a stationary tool and move the work to the blade. Obviously a power tool would be overkill for a 1"x3" balsa fin (CNC laser of course!).

Long straight cuts, big board I pull out the 14v circular saw and straight edge.

But when it comes right down to it, you could make do with a $5 handsaw and/or a scroll saw. Heck, that Woodwright guy would have you turning nosecones on a spring lathe.

Joel. phx

I use mine to do so regularly. You really need to find one of the 32 tpi blades. My previous source no longer stocks them. I'm still on my original blade, and have one new one in waiting.

If any one knows a source for 32 tpi band saw blades, especially in small benchtop saw sizes, please let me know. Especially 56 1/8"...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

IIRC from meeting you 18 months ago, you had a full beard as I do. That is pretty much incompatible with any dust mask or breathing aparatus. Had a neighbor that was a fireman, and the job prohibited facial hair as a life safety issue.

For your own health and safety, either dump the beard and get a good face resperator, or do something at the saw end to control the dust. Either a vacuum combined with a HEPA filter for the room air, or the wet saw. Do not sit around breathing G10 dust. It's as bad as asbestos on your lungs.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!