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Yeah, blades worked great even in my so called tool.
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Discussion The Tool That Frustrated You Most – A Waste of Money?!
- Thread starter Jimsky
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I agree..exacto junk..I picked up the chopper 2 at a flea market. in FL .NIB for $5..including the angle pieces. I do have an electric , older mini chop saw ..works great but bloody dangerous. Today, I milled up some rock maple for decking on my next project.. Two old mitre boxes that sold for $1.79..sticker still on the bottom.. I did not want to stress my Byrnes saw, so I used my 1945 Dunlap mini table saw. A 50 pound belt driven cast iron lump. It had what appeared to be the original 1/3 hp motor that quit . I replaced it with a 1 hp , now it has some power. With a zero clearance tape, it cuts true.. I did not find any signifigant runout when I Byrnes thickness sanded the planks,, These machines come up for cheap , an alternative to the Byrnes.. I use a 7 1/2 blade and cuts rock maple easily..
Kurt Konrath
Kurt Konrath
Somedays I think my PC is the worst tool on my bench, it often won't do what I ask and laughs back at me when I am searching for things, or trying to type in build logs as it wont type what I am thinking most of the time.
Knock on wood..mine has been a lifesaver as I am building the RC and OKESA from pic s of build logs on the computer.
They also loosen!I know X-acto handles are very common, but I gave up on them for the same reason the collet would loosen and the blades fell out.
I purchased knife handles from Excel. They are far superior. First they hav two slots at right angles in the collet unlike the X-acto handles that have a single slot. The double slot allows for a tighter grip on the blade. And to tighten the blade in the collet the handle has a knurled knob on the end of the handle, that makes it easier to tighten the blade The Excel knife handles are a pleasure to use and change blades. Check out the Excel website.
View attachment 525819
I bought one several years ago. For under £400, it has been a very useful machine, it even has a set of reverse chuck jaws. First out of the box, it was not so good, but with a partial strip-down to clean out swarfe & smooth out machining marks, then a good lubrication & adjustment to the cross slides, re-aligning the tailstock, & adding a 'quick-change' tool post, it serves my needs. I've probably recovered the initial cost in what I've saved in DIY. I think these China tools are a bit of a lottery, & that I lucked onto a 'good 'un'.
The old adage comes to mind:- "A bad workman blames his tools." This includes me at times 
Interesting... I have used X-Acto knives and saws for as long as I can remember and have never had a problem with any of them. I just dog down the blade receiver with a pair of pliers and off I go. I even have one with two slots that I have used as a drill bit holder. Blades are a different matter. I got some after-market ones recently and they are terrible! Very fragile.
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I find razor saws to be essential model building tools, and good ones are not expensive. I my case, I use them for cutting square brass tubing. I prefer Zona brand saws. The blades of these are secured to the handle with small bolts avoiding the problems with the Xacto tools.
On the other hand, the miter boxes sometimes sold with these saws are junk. I have recently been making my own from hardwood; one for each tubing size.
Roger
On the other hand, the miter boxes sometimes sold with these saws are junk. I have recently been making my own from hardwood; one for each tubing size.
Roger
Great tip, Roger.
Kurt Konrath
Kurt Konrath
I had seen someone who posted once in a Model Railroad site, he made a box and had multiple slots cut in 1"x1" base, each slot was for specific size tube or wood bar of that width, and he added sides from 1 1/2" tall brown 1/8' pressed board, (I forget brand name). He used a meter saw to establish initial angles.
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My Zona saws and home made miter boxes:
The only downside I've found is that it goes into reverse when you switch it off, then have to press 'off' again to stop. Liveable with, but can be annoying at times.
These seem to be pretty popular in Japan. Got a couple years ago only to discover they have zero clamping power.
I agree with you, I've got a similar pair, but the jaws & 'nut' are plastic material, and have only used them about twice in the [probable] 2 decades of using them. For starters the jaws & nut are too short. Your brass ones could be made more usable by, perhaps making longer jaws [or extensions?] & definitely a longer 'nut' end. If it's solid brass, the bar could well come in handy. Probably intended more for plastic models?
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As a self-confessed tool addict, I could probably bore you senseless with a list of things I really shouldn't have bought, but here are a couple that are strictly modelling related.
I bought this rather expensive profile gauge during one of many futile attempts to accurately measure the profiles of the Heller HMS Victory hull. Oh what fun I had over the next few days! Almost as much as I had during the Creality 3D Scanner phase, though I did at least manage to sell that thing on. There's nothing wrong with the tool itself of course, in fact it's another example of the very high quality of tools that come out of Japan (my favourite ever tool is a Hori Hori, for gardening), the fault here is entirely at the operator end.
And the other one is at the other end of the scale. You'd think with my background I'd know better than to buy really cheap drill bits, but no, as I tried to explain to the admiral "...but it was such a good deal....". Some of these were so badly ground that the tip is on the edge.
On the other hand, my most useful tool these days is almost certainly my FDM 3D printer, because it allows me to make all manner of bespoke tools, jigs and machines such as this 6" tumbler, made using filament leftovers, the 3D equivalent of offcuts.
I bought this rather expensive profile gauge during one of many futile attempts to accurately measure the profiles of the Heller HMS Victory hull. Oh what fun I had over the next few days! Almost as much as I had during the Creality 3D Scanner phase, though I did at least manage to sell that thing on. There's nothing wrong with the tool itself of course, in fact it's another example of the very high quality of tools that come out of Japan (my favourite ever tool is a Hori Hori, for gardening), the fault here is entirely at the operator end.
And the other one is at the other end of the scale. You'd think with my background I'd know better than to buy really cheap drill bits, but no, as I tried to explain to the admiral "...but it was such a good deal....". Some of these were so badly ground that the tip is on the edge.
On the other hand, my most useful tool these days is almost certainly my FDM 3D printer, because it allows me to make all manner of bespoke tools, jigs and machines such as this 6" tumbler, made using filament leftovers, the 3D equivalent of offcuts.
I spent about 1hr. today, modifying my version of your clamps. I made new jaws from 1/8" x 3/8" brass, 45mm long, by drilling a 5mm hole, filing it square to fit the bar, & then gluing them to the original with Araldite. They should now be usable for light clamping. I was going to use screws as well to retain the jaws, but will try first.
Kevin, that profile gauge is more useful to 'full-size' carpentry than modelling. I have, or did have, one which I used in my other life repairing/restoring cars, useful for making repair panels. I replaced it with a plastic version which I used occasionally for DIY, but is now pretty useless.
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Not entirely, Stuart, the tines on this one (a Shinwa) are 0.8mm which is more than fine enough and they simply glide, hardly any pressure needed. It was more the case that I still needed a solid frame to use as a datum, a high degree of precision in relation to the station points, and the patience of all the saints combined. So I reverted to good old trial and error, tweaking a template until it fitted.
This metal one is 100 times better than the plastic ones and if I ever get round to re-tiling our kitchen I expect I'll be glad of it!
I reckon your one is a decent make, as I recall now, that the one I had was quite tight in use, and I slung it when it got rusty over the winters. I have used my plastic one for hull profiles when making stands (about the only use!)