Help/advice needed - standup bandsaw - blade too big for what I do?

[Pannaus Props]

Hey guys, I'm thinking about getting a place to set up my shop in the near future. I'll be moving from my birthplace, ROME (italy) to settle in a small town in Tuscany where the prices are way lower and life is just better

I work a lot with sintra and I'd like to try sculpting also.
I own few portable tools such as heat gun, glue gun, dremel and so on, but I'd like to start getting tools that would make my experience at least, quicker.

I usually spend and waste tons of time to cut sintra with my perfecto knife and that, sometimes, gets really annoying. So I thought about a bandsaw to cut wood, plastic and similar.

I have no experience whatsoever with lathe and mill so I will lay those off right now, but I will try to see if I can find someone there who uses them and see if they might give me some learning or training time.

What else would be useful to get things done better and quicker? Anything that goes beyond my 70 cm x 70 cm table at home will do just fine!

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks a lot!

 

[JFB64]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

If you are talking about stationary power tools, I recommend first getting a table saw with a good fence. It's the center piece of any wood/model shop. Power sanders would be next on my list. A small disc/belt combo or a small edge sander is very useful. I'd get a drill press before I'd get a band saw. You'll find a use for most woodworking tools in a model shop. I would get some formal training in the use of machine tools ( lathe and mill) before getting any and I would get a lathe before a mill. Except for a mill, I have all of the above so I put them in the order I use them most. BUY GOOD TOOLS. Get the best you can afford, you will be sorry if you buy cheap (junk) tools. Learn how to use them safely. I know from experience that they will bite you. I hope this helps.

Joe

 

[Arketh]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

Drill press is a great thing to have. In a pinch it can function as a low end drum sander and milling machine, besides being great for what it's built for.

Bandsaw I'd actually be questionable about. If you're cutting mainly detail work in sheet stock, a scroll saw could be more appropriate. Usually has a larger throat so you can work on larger pieces, has the ability to cut a hole in a sheet if you drill a starting hole, and at least in my experience, a lot better with cutting compound curves.

 

[jediscout]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

Ventilation!

Please don't overlook how important good air flow can be when working with nasty materials, fine particulates that you don't want to breathe in. A good friend is still dealing with the after effects of metal poisoning from years of pouring metal, welding, etc without consistent regard for ventilation.

So much of what we work with is bad for us. Not enough of us consider the cumulative effects of working around these materials for years on end. Just keep it in the back of your mind. Seeing my friend have to retire and struggle with his illness was a big safety wake-up call.

 

[howlingwind13]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

Ventilation X 2! great call jediscout.
But also don't forget the small stuff that makes life easier, fans (part of ventilation but as a cooling device for materials and workers), also Shop Vac, brooms dustpans, and clean up stuff...hand cleaner is a must. Seems obvious but you have no idea how many times I go to work on a haunted attraction to do distressing or set buiding and you can't clean up your mess or yourself.

mike

 

[Pannaus Props]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

Ok guys, thanks a lot! Now I only have to translate the names in italian and see what you're talking about

If you could be SO VERY UBERLY KIND to post some pics to make it easier for me to understand that would be awesome!

In the meanwhile, THANKS for your replies!

 

[Wes R]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

Ventilation!

Please don't overlook how important good air flow can be when working with nasty materials, fine particulates that you don't want to breathe in. A good friend is still dealing with the after effects of metal poisoning from years of pouring metal, welding, etc without consistent regard for ventilation.

So much of what we work with is bad for us. Not enough of us consider the cumulative effects of working around these materials for years on end. Just keep it in the back of your mind. Seeing my friend have to retire and struggle with his illness was a big safety wake-up call.

I agree. A mobile dust collector if nothing else, they're not very pricey. Back when i sold woodworking supplies in 2001 they were maybe about 200.00 and you could wheel them from tool to tool and alot of tools now have vent ports on them.

 

[JFB64]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

I hope these are self explanatory, if not, let me know.

 

[Pannaus Props]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

Yeah! Anyways, what's the big difference between a scroll saw and a bandsaw?

I read on the net about it, but I think that to start with what I usually do (cut the outside of the sintra sheets with curves and stuff like that) the bandsaw should do just fine.
I see what you say about using the scroll to cut the inside of something...but I have the scrollsaw portable tool...don't know, to me sounds more useful the bandsaw, but I could be largely mistaking...

 

[jediscout]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

I cannot figure the difference between a bandsaw and a scroll saw...

Scroll saws are great for making intricate cuts inside a piece--because you can open the blade up and place it inside a hole, reattach the blade--then start cutting right there-- without having a leading cut from the outside of the board to where you want to be. You can cut thin materials on it, plastic, etc--and make very fine turns.

Band saws have a thicker blade that continuously cycles. They're sturdier, the blade isn't re-positionable. You can use them for more basic cuts than the scroll saw--and they make good exterior curved cuts too. I can usually do scroll-saw type work with a coping saw or a jigsaw--but for small ripping of wood, etc, the band saw is great. I'd guess most folk would get the band saw first, then a scroll saw if they felt it was necessary.

It depends on what kind of work you do more of--delicate cuts and fine work with lots of negative space cut out, or more basic construction that doesn't require such fine, internal detailing.

 

[Wes R]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

One thing about bandsaws. If you're doing large stock you will want a large standup unit and not a small tabletop. The tabletop ones tend to break blades easily (at least ours does) and requires alot of fiddling with the blade tracking. The larger blades are stronger so they don't bust.

 

[propologist]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

and a Tv and fridge for the drinks.....oh and vents..

 

[themanwoaname]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

an air compressor with nail guns, da sander, air chucks for blowing things off, a paint gun kit, and cut off disk.

 

[Pannaus Props]

Re: Thinking about renting a place to make it a shop: what tools now?

GUYS HELP!!!!!


I've finally set the shop up and I bought a bench drill, a bench sander and a bandsawn (after seeing it working in a friend's shop). Now, the thing is I went for the standup unit...but...the bandsaw is HUGE. It's like 180 cm tall and weighs about 80kg. The blade is BIG and I fear that for what I need to do, it's gonna be TOO big. I need to cut sintra and wood, but I need to make small curves.

I haven't tried it yet, since I got it broken from ebay and I'm waiting for some pieces to come in. But before I even turn it on, I'd like to know if I need to keep it or if it's better for me to send it back.

The blade is thin width wise but it's really deep. Like 1 cm I'd say. Am I clear enough?
One question would be, are there blades I could buy that would work with this big bandsaw but small enough to cut curves I'd need?

I hope this is clear and understandable...
Thanks!

 

[exoray]

Yeah you can get thinner blades, just take that blade off and measure the length and then take a trip to a local tool shop and get another one of the same size and load it up...

If you want real tight curves a scroll saw is a better option...

 

[Pannaus Props]

yeah, but I also read that the scroll saw is not that good with plexiglass and sintra. Anyways, I'll go with a smaller blade! Thanks!

 

[Pannaus Props]

Ok guys, sorry to bring this up, but I have an announcement to make and it is somewhat related to this topic too:

I've finally got my personal prop shop up and working!
I dediced to make it a personal project, opening a videoblog where you can follow me while I'm making "A Journey Into PropMaking".

This is the website where you can follow my adventure:

Alpha Studios - A Journey Into Propmaking

Every week I'm going to post a new video to document usage of materials, techniques or progress of personal projects!

Also, keep in mind that the 3-pieces Iron Man helmet is the first thing I'm going to finish!
I hope you'll enjoy this video blog guys! And who knows? Maybe I'll be able to teach something while sharing what I discover through experience!

Thanks in advance for your support!
Fulvio!