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Ques regarding the Chopper by NWSL

Got one of these a while ago. Worked great. Unfortunately the particle board base has developed a nasty gouge where the blade contacts it making cuttung difficult.

NWSL wants 16.95 for a replacement base of the same material. They want 39.95 for an all metal version.

I hate to just throw things out, especially when they work so well. There are metal shops in my area, I'm guessing I could have a base made in some type of metal, with the threaded holes for the guide tapped in and the countersunk holes on the bottom for the handle screws. Heck if I could get just a 7.5" square of metal I could drill and tap the guid holes myself theough the countersinks would be tough, in metal, I don;t think I have anything to that. I could get around that by adding feet to it so as to allow cleaance underneath and just use low profile round head screw or small bolts to hold them in place.

I know there are people here with pretty interesting backgrounds. Given that it is unlikely I can find a discounted price on the Choppers what would you folks do?

TIA

Reply to
Gray Ghost
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I'd get a 7.5" square. Countersinks aren't a big deal.

Reply to
frank

The base of the Chopper is actually a slab of masonite pressboard, I think. If I wanted/needed to replace it, I would simply go to the hardware store and buy a scrap lot and cut it as I require - or even better, replace the base with a slab of 1/4" thick clear plexi.

The base does need to give a bit under the blade in order to make a good cut...if you REALLY would like to upgrade your Chopper, take it apart, get yourself a piece of self-healing cutting mat and laminate that onto the base board and then put it all back together - you may need to add a buck's worth of hardware...hmmnnn...now you've got me thinking...

Reply to
Rufus
  1. You can get rectangular pieces of brass from hobby shops in the K&S display. I know one guy who just glued a .015, .020, or .030 sheet over the "top" of the base, near the fence. He left the existing fence, mounts and such alone. He didn't bother with covering the full base but you could glue a piece below, too. You have to loosen the screws holding the razor and realign it to hit square.

  1. Lowes and Home Depot sell small pieces of steel sheet. You could follow the same principle as above, but I'd use brass instead.

BTW, the first NWSL tool I got was the True Sander. Unfortunately the extruded box section that mounts the sandpaper wasn't very "true" (square). There isn't enough metal to allow truing up the block in the mill, besides it would probably just release more stresses leading to further distortion. I guess I'll have to make a whole new piece out of something. The Chopper and Duplicutter have been good tools though.

KL

"Gray Ghost" wrote

Reply to
Kurt Laughlin

...if you REALLY would like to upgrade your Chopper, take it apart,

Shrewd idea!!

Bill Shuey

Reply to
William H. Shuey

I repaired the cut in the baseboard in mine with 5 minute epoxy. Worked pretty good. Saw the idea somewhere else, cannot recall where. I sold the repaired Chopper for almost what I originally bought if for, and got a Chopper II from Micro Mark when they had it on sale for $29.95 last year.

Bob Boudreau Canada

Reply to
railfan

One of the videos I have showed a gentleman who routed out the gouged area, then epoxied in two lengths of square steel stock (he used unground lathe bits) flush with the surface, leaving clearance between them for the blade. I have not tried this but he seemed happy.

V/R,

Mike

Reply to
Mike

...and I just had another one. I just got back from Staples...the base of a Chopper is really the same stuff a clip board is made out of...SO -

You could laminate a cutting mat onto a clip board and have a cutting surface with a built-in holding clamp for free cutting a sheet of plastic. You could also remount your Chopper hardware to the rig, if you thought that would be useful. Or just buy a Chopper handle assemby (which they sell seperately) and build up you own custom setup.

Again - all for the cost of a cutting mat, a clip board, and a couple screws or rivets. Would make a great consolidated, portable, tool.

Reply to
Rufus

grey snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Gray Ghost) wrote in news:Xns972E113205266Wereofftoseethewizrd@216.196.97.136:

Wow, so many good ideas. I've distilled several thoughts here and I need to think it through a bit more.

I bought a K&S aluminum sheet .064 thick, 4" x 10". I've got something roughed out in my head, should do nicely. Need to go clean up the woodshop ato access some of the goodies out there.

I'll post pictures when I'm done.

Reply to
Gray Ghost

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