# Best way to cut blanks?



## Gabby (Apr 4, 2008)

I'm in the process of buying the necessary shop tools for pen making. I need help in deciding which is the fastest and most accurate (flat and square)way to cut the blanks into two pieces. I suppose my options are band saw, table saw, cutoff saw or radial arm saw. Price is not a problem within reasonable limits. Brand names would also be appreciated. Thanks for all opinions. Gabby


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## stevers (Apr 4, 2008)

I use a table saw with a sled for cutting small pieces. I use it because I have it and it seems to make the best cuts for me. I also have a miter saw and band saw, but in my humble opinion, the TS gives me the results I want.
My 2 cents.


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## MobilMan (Apr 4, 2008)

If you've alread got the wood in pen-size blanks & are just wanting to cut them to length to be tubed, a hardware store has a small inexpensive [normally plastic] miter box & saw that will do the job.  You will probably be milling the ends anyway, so those cuts don't have to be perfect. You said "cut the blanks into two pieces."  The safest of the ones you mentioned is the bandsaw, which can be a benchtop model.  I've got a 14" Ridgid that is really accurate, but use it for a lot of other things other than pens.  Just cut that blank a bit longer than the tube- drill it, glue in the tube & mill it.  You're ready to turn.


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## gerryr (Apr 4, 2008)

I use a saw.


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## IPD_Mrs (Apr 4, 2008)

> _Originally posted by gerryr_
> 
> I use a saw.



And all this time I thought you gnawed through your blanks.[:0]

But hey that is better than the high pitched scream of an old belt driven dental drill cutting up blanks!


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## Vince_Hoffmann (Apr 4, 2008)

A band saw works well for me and like MobilMan said... you don't have to be perfectly square because the end mill will finish the job for you once the tubes are glued in place.


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## BigShed (Apr 5, 2008)

I use a bandsaw, easiest (and safest) I reckon.


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## leehljp (Apr 5, 2008)

If you intend to do any segmenting and therefore need perfect centering, you will need to drill on the lathe and use a chuck to hold the blank. This kind of required squareness and flatness 'can' be handled on a bandsaw, but it would be difficult without considerable experience. For this, the table saw wins, hands down. However, a cheap jobsite saw will not do well without considerable experience also. You will need a good table saw, a _good_ fence and a _good_ miter guage. If you don't plan on precision segmenting, then a bandsaw will do fine from being a newbie all the way through to professional. 

Caution on the bandsaw - do your research and don't just buy a cheap small BS just because it is there. There are lots of aggravated people who have bought name brand low end BSs and been VERY disappointed.


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## randyrls (Apr 5, 2008)

> _Originally posted by Gabby_
> 
> I'm in the process of buying the necessary shop tools for pen making. I need help in deciding which is the fastest and most accurate (flat and square)way to cut the blanks into two pieces. I suppose my options are band saw, table saw, cutoff saw or radial arm saw. Price is not a problem within reasonable limits. Brand names would also be appreciated. Thanks for all opinions. Gabby



Gabby;  As the other replies say;  It depends  [?] on what you want to do with the saw.  A sled or slider is crucial to either table saw or bandsaw.  I would not recommend either the chop saw or radial arm due to the very small pieces of wood.  Of course you use what you have, and some people use these to good effect.

Small metal miter box and saw: Inexpensive but no inlays or angle cuts.  I have one that is metal and made for modeling use.  About 6" long, 2" wide and 1" high. With a narrow kerf dovetail saw.  Almost impossible to harm yourself seriously! 

Table Saw:  Straight cuts, angled cuts and partial cuts with inlays with proper blade.  Use hold-downs to keep your fingers out of harms way.

Bandsaw:  Curved cuts are possible.  Safest of all the powered saws.

Hope this helps....


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## warreng8170 (Apr 5, 2008)

I just went through the same process of trying to decide what to use to trim down my existing pen blanks. I have a full size DeWalt mitre saw, but that is like driving a thumbtack with a sledge hammer. I looked at bench-top band saws, but didn't see anything I thought was reliable under 180.00. Then I came across a Craftsman 7 1/4 in chop saw. Perfect size for my small shop and only 70.00 on sale. It even has the laser-trac cutting guide. Picked it up yesterday and cut several blanks last night. Perfect (for me) solution. Now all I have to do is make a few cutting jigs for different kits and I will be set.

-Warren


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## avbill (Apr 5, 2008)

I have both BS & TS  After I made a pen blank jig I only use the TS. 

Bill Daniels


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## karlkuehn (Apr 5, 2008)

I started out using my 12" miter saw, but have since switched to the band saw after a few too many kickbacks and sphincter clenches. []

With the band saw, it's much safer, and with the smaller kerf, I still have lots of room to square the cut on the disk sander really quick without any more material loss. Then just a quick trim with a mill after gluing and I'm good to go.


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## DocStram (Apr 5, 2008)

> _Originally posted by karlkuehn_
> 
> I started out using my 12" miter saw, but have since switched to the band saw after a few too many kickbacks and sphincter clenches. []
> 
> With the band saw, it's much safer, and with the smaller kerf, I still have lots of room to square the cut on the disk sander really quick without any more material loss. Then just a quick trim with a mill after gluing and I'm good to go.



Sphincter clenches is right.  Brings back memories of my old post about "DocStram vs Chopsaw ... Chopsaw Wins".  The blank (it was a bottlestopper) first put a hole in the wall ... then ricocheted into my forehead.  It wasn't pretty.


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## Sfolivier (Apr 5, 2008)

7''1/4 miter saw. Thin kerf, no kickback. Did you really get kickback with a 12'' saw? The blanks are so small... [?]


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## Gabby (Apr 5, 2008)

Wow! These replies are extremely helpful. Thanks guys. I was leaning towards a Rikon 14" band saw that I noticed at Woodcrafters. Since several of you mentioned I could square it after the tube is in place the band saw might make the most sense since the only kind of saw I currently own is a Sears table saw that wobbles quite badly I'm afraid. I've heard some good things about the Rikon. Do any of you have one and how has it worked for you? Thanks. Newbie Gabby and the Pacemakers.


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## Gabby (Apr 5, 2008)

Wow! These replies are extremely helpful. Thanks guys. I was leaning towards a Rikon 14" band saw that I noticed at Woodcrafters. Since several of you mentioned I could square it after the tube is in place the band saw might make the most sense since the only kind of saw I currently own is a Sears table saw that wobbles quite badly I'm afraid. I've heard some good things about the Rikon. Do any of you have one and how has it worked for you? Thanks. Newbie Gabby and the Pacemakers.


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## karlkuehn (Apr 5, 2008)

> _Originally posted by Gabby_
> 
> Wow! These replies are extremely helpful. Thanks guys. I was leaning towards a Rikon 14" band saw that I noticed at Woodcrafters. Since several of you mentioned I could square it after the tube is in place the band saw might make the most sense since the only kind of saw I currently own is a Sears table saw that wobbles quite badly I'm afraid. I've heard some good things about the Rikon. Do any of you have one and how has it worked for you? Thanks. Newbie Gabby and the Pacemakers.



Gabby, I've done a lot of research on 14" band saws lately, and if you can swing it, check out the Grizzly 'Ultimate 14" Band Saw'.

It won prestigious awards from reputable reviewers when it came out a couple years ago. It's what I plan to buy when I upgrade from my stupid little 9" monster, and I've heard nothing but good about it. It's also far and away cheaper than the Rikon, even with shipping.


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## Gabby (Apr 5, 2008)

I must say after rereading the messages I cannot preclude the table saw. Okay, I'm down to the final two. Tablesaw and Bandsaw. And the winner for accuracy and speed is? Thanks again. Gabby


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## karlkuehn (Apr 5, 2008)

> _Originally posted by Sfolivier_
> 
> 7''1/4 miter saw. Thin kerf, no kickback. Did you really get kickback with a 12'' saw? The blanks are so small... [?]



Well, they aren't kickbacks in the traditional sense of the word, they're more like 'explode forwards' with a big saw like that. The wood doesn't push you around or anything, but when you've got your face down there lining up a mark and your fingers that close to being in the mix, things get a little dicey. When it finds a weird spot, grabs and has its way with the wood, I guarantee you're going to inhale your shorts a little bit. heh

_That_ wonderful experience is usually followed a few milliseconds later by either a masterful display of cat-on-cocaine reflexes or a bloody impact mark somewhere on your facial region when the 'small' hunk of wood bounces off the back wall and comes back at you.

When I cut my long stuff into 6" blanks, I still use my 12" miter exclusively without a care in the world, but for the small stuff it's just not worth it. I'm running out of clean shorts. []

The band saw allows me to focus all my short sucking for my lathe time. heh


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## Gabby (Apr 6, 2008)

I will check into that Grizzly. I know I am putting the cart before the horse here because I know from experience that it's tough to make a sound decision about buying the right equipment without having experience using that equipment. Because of that lack of experience I'm not sure what will work the best. When I do get some experience I want to be able to say, I'm glad I got this lathe, drill etc instead of saying if only I would of got this or got that instead. That is the dilemma I face, buying the right stuff with no hands on beforehand. However, I feel confident with the professional help I get on this board that I will find my solution to this problem. Thanks again. Gabby


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## karlkuehn (Apr 6, 2008)

> _Originally posted by Gabby_
> 
> I must say after rereading the messages I cannot preclude the table saw. Okay, I'm down to the final two. Tablesaw and Bandsaw. And the winner for accuracy and speed is? Thanks again. Gabby



If you're looking to buy one or the other, I would go with a good band saw. With a good one, you'll have the versatility to use the fence and miter guide for square cuts. You also won't be roped into having to buy high-level blades for $40 plus a pop.

I guarantee that even with a $4000 cabinet saw, if you're using it to do a lot of segmenting, you're gonna want to build a nice sled anyways, which will cost some money and/or time.

Get a good band saw right away, and if you're worried about really accurate cuts, get/build a good hand powered miter box.

Realistically, since you were looking at a Rikon, you can spend the same amount of money, buy a great Grizzly and a $200 table saw from HD.

You can build a nice sled for the Ryobi saw, and with the right blade, I guarantee you'll get accurate and clean cuts if you're really worried about super cuts for segmenting.

My mom won't come near my stationary circular stuff, but she'll spend the day having the time of her life monkeying around on a band saw. They're just safer, unless you colossally screw up and push the wood through with your thumb following it, but _that_ mistake is just as bad or worse on any circular blade.

There's no denying that the the roundblade stuff is faster, but a good 14" will cut lickety split enough to make the speed difference seem small. 

Gabby, you made a good choice coming here _before_ buying tools. I could have saved a lot of money if I'd have been so smart. Unfortunately I'm going to have to rely on switching my insurance company to compensate and save a ton of money. heh


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## stevers (Apr 6, 2008)

> _Originally posted by karlkuehn_
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## randyrls (Apr 8, 2008)

> _Originally posted by karlkuehn_
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Karl;   This is my table saw sled.  You can just see in the bottom of the photo the two door handles.  Guess where my hands (and fingers) are when making a cut?

PS;  I notice you are in Lancaster, PA?  I'm in Harrisburg, and get down that way at least once a month....


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## Sfolivier (Apr 9, 2008)

"That wonderful experience is usually followed a few milliseconds later by either a masterful display of cat-on-cocaine reflexes or a bloody impact mark somewhere on your facial region when the 'small' hunk of wood bounces off the back wall and comes back at you."

I understand better now. Do you use a zero clearance jig? It solved all my problem with my large carpentry miter saw. I even use the jig a a clamping surface so there are no face and no finger near the blank of the blade at any given time.


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## leehljp (Apr 10, 2008)

Randy S,

The Hold downs is JUST what I need on mine. THANKS for posting that picture.


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