Large Scale Central

Wood Working Tools & Suggestions for a Newbie

Tools and Tips
#21

I wanted to say thank you to everyone that has already responded. LSC has been really great so far and the information that I received TODAY on this post has been super helpful and comforting.

I appreciate everyone here taking a moment to give me some guidance on an wood working. I’ve had the g scale bug since I was a kid, but now that I am in my early 30s and have time around my house I am building things to go with my trains. You all have given me the confidence to keep pushing on!

Thanks again to everyone.

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#22

That’s very cool Mark, and reasonably priced. I might need to buy one!

Welcome @eavery :slight_smile:

Personally I use a 10" Craftsman table saw. It’s a low-end model, but it does OK. I do better cutting timbers, like scale 10x10 than I do planks, but the jig Mark linked to would probably improve my luck.

On any low price table saw, the weakest link will be the fence. It can be set nearly true, but it takes a lot of time and tweaking to get it there. You can buy upgraded fences for most saws.

I took the MicroMark desktop table saw off Craig’s hands a while back. I’ve really not used it but will be seeing what it can do for my Mik entry.

#23

For what it’s worth,

I too reccommend theRockler jig for cutting strips, not as fast as zipping the narrow stock through between the blade and fence but does a great job.

With table saws a good fence is critical but the most expensive fence in the world is pretty much useless if your saw does not allow you to adjust the blade alignment with the table. Everything on the table saw aligns with the miter gauge grooves in the table top; miter gauge, blade, fence, and all other accessories.

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#24

If you get a table saw, please , please read and watch some videos about kickback and how to not have this happen to you. I am a lucky one to have no permanent injuries from doing some stupid stuff with one . Somewhere I have the picture of the bruise , following the throat plate being shot at me .
The great PBS Norm Abrams advice “be sure to read follow and understand all the safety warnings”!

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#25

One of my favorite subjects. And I have not read all the replies but I will throw my two cents in and forgive me if I duplicate. I almost exclusively use two saws for my lumber work. My full size table saw and a El cheapo harbor freight rock saw that I put a carbide wood blade on. There isnt any piece of dimensional scale lumber that can not be cut on a table saw. . . And keep your fingers. But by far and away the best purchase you can make is one of the hobby saws like the proxxon.

But I am an avid wood worker and I have lots of wood working tools. So I mainly use big tools for little lumber. Some precautions and tips when using a full size table saw for mini lumber. You MUST have a zero clearance plate. You make these with a thin piece of plywood or melamine. Your trace and cut put a piece to fit with no hole for the blade. You lower the blade below the table. Put the plate in and us hold down stick and slowly raise the blade through it. This gives you a plate with little to no gap for small strips to fall between.

Next you need feather boards. You can make them, buy ones that go in the slots for the miter gauge or magnetic ones. I use two, infeed and outfeed.

And the most important thing is This. This device will keep your fingers. Its the most positive control over wood I have found and it comes with hold downs for pretty thin slices. I bought an extra of the thin hold down and used it as a sacrifice for even thinner stuff.

And finally you will need a sacrificial fence. This is a piece of wood that you bolt or clamp to your fence and then you can slide it over to the point where the blade is cutting it.

All of these in combination will take a full size table saw and make it a mini lumber producer. But again it’s not a replacement for a hobby saw. It’s the best way to make do with a large saw.

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#26

Devon: I too have a version of the GRR-Ripper. It works really well but was a bit of an effort to set up as my old saw did not have a riving knife; better than a push stick for most cases. It now definitely makes most ripping of all size stocks easier and safer. An excellent addition to my collection a tools.

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#27

Im not gonna lie. I am not the best when it comes to safety. I am sure I would make my old shop teacher cringe. But one thing I can say is the way the GRR Ripper works is singly the best investment in safety I have made. I rarely if ever use a push stick anymore. And since it has various size and replaceable plates for the side that runs between the blade and fence there really is no excuse for not using it. As I said I bought an extra and sacrificed it and it is very thin now. If It starts to get to thin then I can move to my little table saw and have moire control.

But as a wood worker I Highly recommend the GRR Ripper.

#28

Good safety glasses are a must, along with hearing protection …I wish I new that in the 70’s when I was a carpenter …hearing loss …

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#29

I use a table saw most of the time with a zero plate. I also have a band saw and when I setup a fence for it to rip really small stuff the blade can still wander. I usually rip regular pine in 1/2 increments. I then turn the 1/2x 3/4 on its side and get a 1/2x1/2 for framing a building and a 1/8x1/2 for window frames, cross bracing on trestles etc… I generally plank my buildings with 1/8x3/4 ripped boards.

Using a band saw makes for less waste of wood over a table saw. I don’t mind the circular cuts that sometimes results from the table saw ripping because that is where another tool you may consider comes into play, a benchtop sander.

Essential for building is a 23g pin nailer and a 18g brad nailer.
If going outdoors use Tightbond 3 wood glue.

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#30

Many good ideas here, since I have been modeling for 60 plus years I have collected just about every tool needed to do modeling jobs. I would like to add here that I still go to YouTube and look for ideas when I want to try something new, or just see what is being done today. There are several ways to cut strip wood on table saws and YouTube will have many ways it is done, just type in, Cutting small wood strips on the table saw, this should give you many ideas on how it’s done. Just remember good woods are what work the best, don’t use 2x4 scraps, buy so decent wood that is clear of knots, etc. for best results. Don’t get a small hobby saw, I would look at one at Home Depot in the $180-$300 range for one that folds up will last a long time and works for other wood cutting to. I would also like to say here that most small hobby saws are pretty much useless in getting good quality cuts on wood, I’m sure there could be some exceptions for some particular saws. I have a saw like this from Home Depot, https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-15-Amp-10-in-Expanded-Capacity-Table-Saw-With-Rolling-Stand-RTS23/309412848

trainman

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#31

Pushers, feather boards, jigs are all important safety items - use them.

But equally important is to take your time, more accidents are caused by getting in a hurry than anything else. I was pushing an outdoor home project that I wanted to finish by the end of the weekend and got in too much of a rush. It didn’t end well:

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#32

Yes don’t rush. All my close calls were when I cut corners or just needed to make that one fast cut.

#33

The last cut to a piece of rug…

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#34

That Byrnes Model Machine looks pretty good. Expensive, yes, but my experience has always been cheap tools are cheap for a reason and expensive tools are expensive for a reason. Almost every time I’ve bought the cheap Ryobe and Harbor Freight, I’ve regretted it. But not always. The more I use a tool, the less likely I am to buy cheap. AND as always, unfortunately budget does come into play. I too have cut off fingers due to once pushing it late in the day when tired and the second using the wrong tool for the job. I’m not sure I want to use a big machine for small pieces of wood. My experience is too much power. But just my opinion.

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#35

Big OR small, those saws can do a LOT of damage! (I remember seeing a stream of blood going up the wall when using my LITTLE saw!). But the surgeon was great - he told me this story of a guy that had cut off all his fingers with his saw - and the doc said “you should have brought them in” - the guy responded, “I tried, but I couldn’t pick them up!” :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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#36

The first round, I told the wife to pick up my finger on the roof to bring with us. But as she was driving to the ER, she took a fast turn and my finger rolled off the console on to the floor, which I couldn’t pickup since I was holding pressure. Then when we get to the hospital and they open the door, it rolls out on the ground. At least they didn’t step on it or kick it down the storm drain. As it turns out, it was too butchered on the attaching point to reattach. Fortunately, it was just the ring finger just at the cuticle. The other dangling driving finger he was able to hook back up and I can still type, and drive if you know what I mean. The second round, the wife was an experienced pro and got the tip, put it in a plastic bag, on top of ice in a bowl. They were able to attach that one, it’s just a bit shorter, but I do have feeling in it. Needless to say, I was banned from every thing except the screw driver, manual one at that. But just for a few months, then she needed something cut and is scared of the saws now. So things went back to normal. But I now have more rules, and I pay a hell of a lot more attention.

#37

Cool. Sort of like the officers dealing with Lorena Bobbitt’s husband: “We’re not sure it’s the RIGHT one, but it’s the ONLY one we found”

#38

As you can see from my photo I wish I would have left mine on the floor - its a more or less dead stump that’s only useful for getting in the way. Actually I blame the insurance company. After x visits they stopped paying for rehab. The finger wasn’t ready yet as the nerves hadn’t re-attached - thus I couldn’t
feel or move it. So it atrophied into the stump I now carry around.
Gott’a love health insurance companies!

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#39

Oooooookaaaaaaay. I am now officially thinking of selling off my bandsaw, because I’m quite partial to my fingers! :slight_smile:

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#40

Power tools of any kind scare the crap out of me and I’m always careful about keeping fingers in tact. I think it stems back to a really bad kickback in shop class in 8th grade by a classmate. The wood hit the brick wall behind the table saw. I had a bad bite with a planner trying to take too much off once as well. No fingers or blood for power tools… But for some stupid reason I cut myself more with a #11 blade. So much now, I just walk in and hand my wife the superglue… She knows what to do.

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