OK Craig, I’ve added 1:29 & 1:32.
Fastener Castings C Jennings 4-21-25.pdf (1.6 MB)
You are going to love that combo Cliff. I’ve got the same saw plus the 12" drop saw and have coveted the planer for a few years since I borrowed one for a weekend.
Best improvement I made was a zero clearance plate for the table saw.
Happy cutting!
Cheers
N
1 Like
Thanks Niel! The table saw is a year old now, and it was so much more sturdy and precise than my old Porter Cable saw – which siezed up and had to go adios. And the planer has the same feel of quality and heavy-duty-ness.
Yeah I need the 0-clearance plate as well.
Now that you have a planer, create a piece of wood that will fit where the plate goes, drill/rout it for mounts and then run the blade up through it. Make a few for use with different kerf blades.
1 Like
Bill, yes, I have the 735. I’m not be making furniture, just strips, so it would be hard for me to tell if teh helix blades make a difference. All I know is that the stuff is coming out as smooth as I can imagine, almost unprototypically smooth, haha!
Maybe a local vendor or two could demonstrate one or the other so you could compare results?
Some progress today on the wood ripping. It took some experimenting, but this is what I ended up with for guidance: a 1-2-3 block clamped to my Proxxon sled.
The results thus far:
For “iron” items, I’ll be 3d printing first article parts until the design settles down, but for the main run I’ve been looking into white metal castings. The journals made me start down this path, because I’ve not found the ones I need already made, and I don’t yet trust my 3DP results for something this load-taking.
When the design is “done,” I’ll 3D print in a new resin that can take high temperatures.
Al Pomeroy has been schooling me on designing parts that will behave when making vulcanized rubber molds from the masters, and not get torn up when taking the parts out of the mold. Here’s most of the bits.
The large items to the left are 4 req’d per car, and all on the right are 1 per car.
This is an ongoing design process, and I expect that in the mold-making process glitches in my models will be found, causing some iteration. But that’s fine, there’s no deadline on this.
I’m having a lot of fun learning (thanks to Al), while getting the kit a little closer to professional quality. I’m nowhere near that yet, but the design and expected outcomes are a heck of a lot better than 2 weeks ago.
Cliff, you had not shown me the half round parts. these look like two piece halfs items, you could do them full round.
Al P.
Thanks Al, message sent…
Thanks Cliff. Now I can decide if I want to go back and add a million NBW castings to my trestle instead of using the HO Atlas track nails.
As if we don’t know the answer already… 
Cheers
N
Bill,
My 2c is pick the one with a local service/parts agent. These are 1 off type of purchases and you’ll likely need repairs at some stage.
Cheers
N
Maybe when the trestle prematurely catches fire like the prototype and needs some reinforcement.
Wow, that’s going to the top of my trestle procrastination excuses list, thanks Craig!
cough
Just kidding, Sean…
Thanks, Neil—great points.
I’m in the middle of a full-blown internal debate here…
Good after-sales service really is worth its weight in gold. But we’re living in such a disposable culture these days, where companies would rather sell us the next model than support the old one. Case in point: Herself just found out that Epson no longer makes inks for her trusty 10-year-old printer.
That said, sometimes taking a chance on something newer can work out for the better.
There’s a whole world of tool upgrades out there—just look at the DeWalt 735. It ships with standard HSS blades, but you can upgrade it aftermarket with a helical carbide “Shelix” cutterhead. By the time you do that, though, you’re spending nearly the same as a brand-new DeWalt.
That’s where Hare & Forbes (known as Machinery House in NZ) caught my eye. They’ve got this tidy unit that comes stock with either helical HSS or tungsten blades. They’re a new presence here in South Australia, but they’ve actually been around since 1930. I’d never even heard of them until a couple of months ago, but their gear looks solid.
Then there’s the new kid on the block: FindBuyTool. They’re going head-to-head with the DeWalt 735—and maybe even outpacing it—by including carbide helical knives at the same price. A few reviewers even prefer it over the DeWalt. The design is more in line with Makita and Metabo models, using two raising screws and four posts, compared to DeWalt’s four-screw lift.
My bandsaw and table saw are well-known brands, but I’ve also rolled the dice in the past. I picked up some Byrnes micro machines 20 years ago—fantastic little units. But with Jim Byrnes having passed a few years back, spare parts are becoming scarce. Makes you realize how much we’re at the mercy of planned obsolescence.
Naah,
Just cut out the burned section and add steel! That will fix that stupid fire and look cooler anyway.
You bet, great idea. But those are all steel bents to begin with. Where is that?
At Al’s advice, I’m trying out a new “tough” printing resin from Anycubic (though several manufacturers offer a version). It’s somewhat flexible, but not floppy, so I think it will be good for models. And it’s nice to kow that If I drop it, it won’t shatter.
The rivets printed well, even without supports. Other parts, having tiny bolt & washer details, are also coming out fine.
Here’s a 1/32 square bolt head on a journal box.
I figure if I can’t see the detail without a magnifier, it’s good enough.
WOW! 3D printing sure has come a long way. Looks great!
I’ll echo Jon, and also include now to wait for the paint adhesion and durability of this. Time will tell
When you consider you wash the part in alcohol it does a good job of cleaning by itself, you are potentially left with finger prints. i have had no issues i useTru color paints on my models done in formlabs version of this resin.
Al P.