I have the Byrnes disc sander, thickness sander and table saw with tilting table attachment. Guess these tools will be in high demand on the second hand market in the future.
This is awful news, so sad... Condolences to Donna and Jim's entire family.
I have his table saw with extended table, tilting table and every other attachment for his saw. Also have his thickness sander and both of his disc sanders. Definitely keepsakes.
Chuck on MSW posted his obit. Apparently Jim succumbed very quickly to ALS.
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Rest in peace, Jim. ALS is pretty nasty, basically your body progressively becomes paralyzed while your mind continues to function normally. It's like gradually getting imprisoned by your failing body 
I guess this is why my emails to Byrnes never got answered. Donna will be facing a mountain of emails when she decides to reopen the shop. Hopefully they have a plan for the machines to continue to be made.
I have everything that he made with the exception of the ropewalk.
I guess this is why my emails to Byrnes never got answered. Donna will be facing a mountain of emails when she decides to reopen the shop. Hopefully they have a plan for the machines to continue to be made. I have everything that he made with the exception of the ropewalk.
This is sad indeed. I am wondering since the family is so grieved by all of this, I am thinking that his products might just come to an end. However, after the grieving, then maybe they should sell the rights of the product to some one else to produce. It seems this would be the better outcome.
Well, I was down in the cave working on my ship, and this is definitely sad news. I haven't been around long, but I do know he was a big figure in the hobby.
I had left the computer on with the site open, which probably showed me online this whole time. The thing that now puzzles me on the timeline is if he passed on 10/7, they didn't change the "mid-October" statement to "sometime in November" until later in the month, which would've been after his passing... I would've thought they would've come out & said "we're sorry, Jim has passed, we're closed". I wonder if Donna is thinking of doing something with the business.
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I've been looking at hobby table saws for the last couple of months but never bought one. Through my research I never came upon Byrnes Model Machines & now I see why their products are so highly regarded. A table saw with an accuracy measured in thousands of an inch? Fantastic.
So sorry for Jim, Donna, family & friends. God bless.
So sorry for Jim, Donna, family & friends. God bless.
Wow. Unbelievable Frank.
They just lost a husband and father while dealing with this insidious disease and you’re upset over a website……..
Show some respect.
Absolutely agree! Recommend….
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OMG so sorry to hear about Jim. I had all of his devices with all the options. They are all incredible. I sold the rope walk about a year ago as I never really used it. I live in NJ and get most of my rope from Syren. I agree for phenomenal accuracy Byrnes machines are the best. The only small issues I have is with the disc sander speed. At times I sand plastic and it is too fast and slowing it down with an AC controller reduces the torque . So, I use the Proxxon for that stuff. Also for quicker less accurate cuts I use my MicroMark saw. It's very powerful and I found a very simple and easy modification on-line that now allows me to use Porta Cable 41/2 inch circular saw blades which last forever compared to the MicrMark blades. RIP Mr. Byrnes you will always be fondly remembered. Thank you
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Proxxon is just as expensive as the Byrnes saw also but if you live in Europe by the time you add on shipping and customs then the Byrnes table saw gets very expensive. I have a few Proxxon power tools and they are quite good (well I bought their delta sander and the velcro has almost come off and I have hardly used it) and easily available in Europe. I just bought the Parkside disc sander which is the same as the Proxxon one but at 40% of the price, it’s not like it will be used heavily and it got good reviews on youtube: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Parkside-P...2&psc=1&mcid=419d6a588d77354b9bbca368920f9d3f
The problem with those mom and pop businesses is just that, they are not always around and when they finally do stop trading then you are stuck with power tools that if and when they go wrong or need part for then it is tough luck.
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I have one of these made by Rigid (horizontal oscillating belt spindle sander; has been one of the most useful machines in the shop. The oscillating ability is really nice.
I just got the variable speed disc sander this year, once it was released in February. I've been checking the site for the rest of the year and getting the messages, hoping I could buy another tool or tools. I guess there were much bigger issues than my next toy. My condolences to Donna and their family.
Over decades I have owned just about every modelling table saw out there (starting with a Dremel) and found them all lacking. Then I bought Byrne's saw and never looked back, have not wasted another penny on other saws. That was years ago. So sad to know they will not be produced for future modelers.