itsy bitsy table saws

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dgscott

dgscott

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Portland, Oregon
Not being blessed with a garage or a basement, I am working out of a spare bedroom. My wife tolerates the lathe and the drill press because I vacuum almost hourly, but when I moved the 10" table saw in she threw a hissy fit. I need something small (and relatively quiet) that will allow me to cut blanks at various angles.

While I'd love to have a Proxxon or a Preac, I'm wondering if anyone has PSI's mini table saw and if they'd recommend it. If not, I will have to figure out a way to tell her that one more little tiny tool with a great big price tag won't make THAT much difference.

Thanks.
Doug
 
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I tried the PSI ("mighty" micro) mini saw and I'd recommend against it. As far as I'm concerned it is worthless. It does not have enough power to cut through much of anything more than balsa wood without bogging down even in the size of a pen blank. Also, at a 3/4" maximum depth of cut (and this may be generous), it can't even do oversize blanks.

-Barry
 
I have to go along with flying melon's suggestion. A small bandsaw like the Rikon will extend your capability a lot more than a small (and unsatisfactory) table saw.
 
Another vote for the bandsaw----it will do a better job safer----we have one that has 7 inch wheels---it still gets used.
I hunted around and found a old one on ebay for $40.00---added a $10.00 1/4 hp. motor and we where running.
 
I'll add my vote on the BS.. I have two, a 14" Delta that get the brunt of my saw work now and a 9" Ryobi that I use mostly for antler and acrylics because I don't want to ruin the blade on the big saw... even though today I need to cut off two antler pieces and didn't want to dig out the Ryobi... but the big saw needs a new blade anyway. I worked my first 4 or 5 years as a pen turner with only the Ryobi. My table saw doesn't get turned on but about once or twice a month.
 
There are many ways to cut blanks, and as many different preferences. For example, my shop houses a cabinet (table) saw, a compound-miter saw, a radial-arm saw, a bandsaw, and a scroll saw. Each is handy for some things (for example, the radial-arm saw makes a great table to set things on as I'm working, lol). For cutting blanks, I almost always use the table saw. I rip stock to size using a rip fence, and crosscut on a simple home-built sliding table. A bandsaw works great too - I just prefer the table saw. Any table saw with a good blade and decent fence can make good cuts. Any table saw with a poor blade, or a poor fence (or poor alignment) will not. Whatever size you choose (if any at all), look for a good fence, and the ability to align the blade, table, and fence.

I've been eyeballing the Byrnes modeler's table saw for quite some time. I'd love to have a precision table saw with a really thin kerf for segmentation.

Oh, and by the way, I also have the Harbor Freight version of the "Mighty Mite" saw. It really is too underpowered to cut anything except maybe brass tubes. I use it to cut rifle cartridges. It is slow going and the blades don't last very long.

Regards,
Eric
 
dgscott said:
While I'd love to have a Proxxon or a Preac, I'm wondering if anyone has PSI's mini table saw and if they'd recommend it. If not, I will have to figure out a way to tell her that one more little tiny tool with a great big price tag won't make THAT much difference.

Thanks.
Doug
Click to expand...

Doug; I will join the chorus against the PSI mini-saw.
A miter box and handsaw, bandsaw, or scroll saw will do better.
 
I have 2 small table saws that I use for shipmodeling, the preac and the Byrnes. The preac is too small to cut blanks, with the 2 1/2" blade it really is only good to 1/2" or so. The best small saw that I've found is the Byrnes http://www.byrnesmodelmachines.com/tablesaw.html It has a 4" blade and will cut to 15/16". It is accurate enough that you can cut thicker stock by just flipping it over and you will get a cut that you can't tell was cut that way. The Byrnes is pretty spendy but it is built like a tank. I do use my Byrnes to cut/trim all my blanks. I use the preac with the metal slotting blade to cut brass tubing. I agree with the other posters that a cheap BS might be the way to go at first.
 
I have a small Delta table saw that works great for most things, doesnt take up much room and can cut as big as a 2x4. about the band saw I would go that route also but I dont recomend a Ricon, you cant get anything over 2" high through it.
 
Your best tool would be one of the small model makers saws like the Proxxon; but they are going to start at well over $300 which might be out of your budget range.

The tabletop band saw is certainly a possibility.....small and quiet.....but making precise angled cuts will take some effort (you will certainly have to build some sort of sled). I have a Sears 9" 1/2 HP saw that I bought new off eBay for about $100.

If you are not doing a high volume of work, maybe a manual precision miter box might suit your needs and budget. It will certainly be small and quiet. I don't know if this particular brand is any good; but the picture will give you and idea of what the thing looks like.

http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=20-800
 
I didn't realize the little rikon had a small throat. The specs list the Rikon max height as 3-3/8", which isn't very exciting. The Ryobi 10" allows for 4" and has some neat features. I want to get a small bandsaw for in-the-basement-during-the-winter use. I like the feel of the rikon, but I think I'll take a close look at the ryobi.

Marc

areaman said:
I have a small Delta table saw that works great for most things, doesnt take up much room and can cut as big as a 2x4. about the band saw I would go that route also but I dont recomend a Ricon, you cant get anything over 2" high through it.
Click to expand...
 
I agree with others on the PSI and HF mini - not nearly enough power.

I have a 10 in TS that is very accurate, but it is too big for some of the things that I want to do with blanks and beside I like having it available for flat work. I also have a bandsaw but don't like the BS blade marks that are left. I prefer glue up smooth cuts at the least. I thought that the Proxxon and the Byrnes were a little too expensive, soooo I made my own. My home made table top modelers size saw is very accurate. I used a quality 7 inch circular saw. The TS can be made with some planning and work but the accuracy is dependent upon the skill used in making it.

Pictures of the home made TS:

http://www.penturners.org/photos/images/940/1_Precision_Jig_1.jpg

http://www.penturners.org/photos/images/940/1_Table_Sled_2.jpg
 
Lots of great suggestions, a 10" band saw would probably do the trick for a reasonable price. I have to say I'm still trying to figure out how you got the wife to consent to using a spare bedroom.
 
Rifleman1776 said:
.....There are mini hand mitre saws available that cut quickly and accurately. For pen blanks, they are perfect. And, they are quiet.
Click to expand...

Only objection I see to those mini miter boxes is that the have only two or maybe 3 preset angles so you might be limited in what you can do if you want to get fancy with inlays.
 
leehljp said:
soooo I made my own. My home made table top modelers size saw is very accurate. I used a quality 7 inch circular saw.....
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest the same thing; but that circular saw is probably going to be even noisier than a 10" table saw. If you want to go that route, using one of those cordless 5" trim saws might work.....not sure how noisey they are.....but they are also pretty pricey as well. I think most start at well over $200.
 
Might want to consider Ebay or something similar (pawnshops?) for the out of production Dremel table saw. I have one that I inherited from my Father and use it for segmented work. Will cut in excess of 1 inch deep and once it's tuned up and with shop built jigs is very accurate, quiet and has a small footprint.

Rob
 
Rob, Could you expand a little bit about the dremel table saw? I have been looking at one as a possible solution for accurate cuts for segmenting. what type of jigs did you make? Thanks Ron
 
I suggest you buy the biggest honking table saw you can find. Bring it home. When she sees it and freaks out, you tell her you will return it and get something smaller. Than get the 10 inch table saw again and you are all set.
 
Something like this:
 

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