# Would a miter saw be totally wrong for pen blanks?



## Scooley01 (Jan 30, 2012)

My band saw will work fine once I tune it up, but I have an opportunity to spend a little money on a new tool...would a miter saw work for pen blanks as well?  Or is the kerf on those blades too wide?  I was thinking the ease with which you can change angles might lend itself to an easier time with segmenting, if I choose to go that route in the future...


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## StephenM (Jan 30, 2012)

With a power miter saw, it's really easy to have the blanks snatched out of your hand - especially when you're working with shorter pieces.

If it were me (and it is), I'd look for a nice quality Millers Falls or other miterbox and backsaw.  

I have 2 power miter saws but unless it's a big job (LOTS of cuts or big baseboards), I usually just bring my Stanley box and backsaw to the job as it's just as easy to use and less cleanup.  Not to mention that the hand saw leaves a thinner kerf.


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## bastallard (Jan 30, 2012)

I lost a couple of blanks using a power miter saw, now I only use my band saw


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## navycop (Jan 30, 2012)

I have been using a 12" mitersaw. Then my friend gave me a 10". So now I use it. I made one of these: http://www.penturners.org/forum/f30/looking-mitersaw-blank-jig-74503/


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## OKLAHOMAN (Jan 30, 2012)

We used to have a member who was a wiz at segmenting and he used a full sized Miter saw and cut pieces 1/4" or smaller, scared the crap out of me. His name was Ron Mc. He used to make a blank he called "The Morning After" and I think it had over 30 pieces, I've a pen he made for me that has 21 pieces and 15 of them are about 1/4 inch. He had a nack with the chop saw but no way would I use one to even cut blanks in half.


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## Ruby pen turning (Jan 30, 2012)

I have been using my table saw and miter saw for everything. A month or so ago I bought a band saw and use it for all of my segmenting and cutting. A miter saw likes to throw small pieces.


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## LeeR (Jan 30, 2012)

My power miter saw is in my garage for cutting 2X4s and such, and comes into the house when I am doing baseboard trim or crown molding. It has no place in my woodshop. I do not trust them for small pieces of wood. Many have a large gap in the fence to allow for blade tilt, and really need a secondary, or auxilliary fence, for cutting shorter pieces of wood. I just think their sweetspot is dimensional lumber and trim, and not small pieces.

For routine cutting of ready-made blanks to size, I use a 10" tabletop bandsaw. (I own a heavy duty 14" bandsaw, but rarely use it for pens.) I use the little bandsaw on for wood, acrylics, and Corian. Has sufficient power to do a nice job on items that are up to about 1" thick. Will do thicker material, but tends to be underpowered for bigger items.  The biggest downside of a small bandsaw is that they have a small throat on them, but for cutting pen blanks, this is not an issue. For my own blanks, I use my table saw to rip larger boards to the necessary width, and usually crosscut with a radial arm saw, which I've owned for 35 years, and feel comfortable using. In my opinion, it is far safer to use than a power miter saw. Long-term, I am planning to builds a tablesaw sled just for pen blanks, which will give me the flexibility to easily cut precise angles on the blanks.

Obviously, lots of ways to skin this cat ... but please consider alternatives to the power mier saw for cutting small items.


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## Scooley01 (Jan 30, 2012)

Well I definitely don't want to be flinging offcuts around the shop with the blade!  What is the operator doing in the video demonstrating that jig that keeps the pieces from flying?


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## Displaced Canadian (Jan 30, 2012)

I use a miter saw and table saw for my segmenting. To do it safely you need to think about how to cut the small pieces off the edge large ones. When I cut my own blanks I leave them as long as I can to keep my fingers away from the blade. You also need to buy a good blade. some tooth patterns will try pull the wood towards the blade so being able to get a good grip on the blank or use a stop or a clamp. You can never own too many clamps. Jig 2 is the set up I have on my chop saw. It is a Makita 10" sliding compound miter saw. I set the slide so it doesn't cut all the way through the 1X2 that I use for a fence. The bottom is a piece of 1/4" plywood. The jig is nice because you can draw on it and it keeps 90% of the small pieces from launching into orbit. I also take my finger off the trigger just before I cut all the way through the piece. Also leave the blade down until it stops spinning. The best part is if it gets to badly cut up you just toss it and start over with a new one.
 Jig 1 is what I use to cut thin strips with a tablesaw and keep my fingers away from the blade. I use it with a guide on the left side of the blade to keep all the pieces off the left of the blade so they don't get hung up between the blade and the fence. It is just a piece of plywood with a notch cut in it and the piece is glued to the side of the plywood. It is a little tough to get it to stick because the plywood absorbs a lot of glue.


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## keithlong (Jan 30, 2012)

I found a good deal on a 10 inch miter saw on craigs list for 20.00,, including the stand. This is what I use to cut the blanks to lenght. I have no problems with using it. As others have said, think before you cut. There arre ways to cut blanks without them flying off the saw.


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## thewishman (Jan 30, 2012)

OKLAHOMAN said:


> We used to have a member who was a wiz at segmenting and he used a full sized Miter saw and cut pieces 1/4" or smaller, scared the crap out of me. His name was Ron Mc. He used to make a blank he called "The Morning After" and I think it had over 30 pieces, I've a pen he made for me that has 21 pieces and 15 of them are about 1/4 inch. He had a nack with the chop saw but no way would I use one to even cut blanks in half.



I have Ron's saw, traded him for it at the first Midwest Penturners Gathering in Urbana, Il. It is not that nice of a saw, but he made it work.

I clamp a 1/2" strip of cheap wood across the open part of the fence to make a zero clearance fence and saw through it along with the small parts. That keeps the parts from flying all over the place.


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## Scooley01 (Feb 2, 2012)

What about a scroll saw?

I just really dislike the band saw and the amount of tuning and care needed to make it run properly...I want something that cuts great without me having to baby it.  Maybe I'm just being lazy/unrealistic.


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## ren-lathe (Feb 2, 2012)

Scroll saws are designed to cut intricate shapes usually in fairly thin wood. The blades are kind of thin & fragile so they bend very easily. I suspect an acrylic blank would take a long time to cut on one. I use my band saw all the time I never have to baby it. That said like most tools you get what you pay for generally cheap tools give you poor results. While I will grant you that some times you are paying for the "name" some where the manufacturer had to cut cost to sell at the cheaper price point. I have a 14" extended Delta the only time I have to do much is when I change blades.


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## Daniel (Feb 2, 2012)

My miter saw throws the pieces but I know others have gotten them to work. I can cut them with my radial arm saw just fine. I still don't know what makes the difference. I can slice a thin wafer off a blank with the radial arm saw and it will just set right next to the blade. The miter saw wants to grab the blank about half way through the cut.


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## ALA (Feb 2, 2012)

I cut mine with a radial saw (since my band saw is broke!). I think most any saw would work with the proper blade and back stop. The band saw would probably be the safest..


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## doug57 (Feb 2, 2012)

I've used a miter saw in the past, but after having a piece of slightly
crooked deer antler explode and cause me some (luckily) minor damage -
I've built a sled to use on my table saw.


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## JamesB (Feb 23, 2012)

Scooley01 said:


> What about a scroll saw?



I use a scroll saw to cut blanks, I'm not comfortable using my cheap TS or mitersaw for small pen parts.  The scroll saw is workable but less than ideal. First, it's difficult to get a straight cut (I've heard all scroll saws cut on an angle, don't know if it's true but mine does) so I have to compensate by leaving some extra and then trimming it off, and acrylics tend to melt on me while I'm cutting so I have to cut the same line 2-3 times and pull to keep it from fusing together.  I've tried different blade speeds and it doesn't seem to make a difference.  Needless to say I'm looking for a bandsaw.  I'm hoping that with a bandsaw I can get rid of my cheap B&D tablesaw.
It could be my technique but I have to baby that scrollsaw all the way through. I cut wood, acrylics, tubes, etc with it and all with same blade.  That's my 0.02.


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## GoatRider (Feb 23, 2012)

I just use a hand saw with a miter box. I have a scroll saw, but the hand saw seems just as fast and perhaps more accurate.


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## widows son (Feb 23, 2012)

$5 Rock Maple Miter Box and almost new saw with at a yard sale. No way am I going to get that close to the blade on my miter saw. And it is more accurate and easy to clamp IMHO. I drilled a couple of holes in the miter box and use a couple of cam clamps to hold the pen blank.


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## firewhatfire (Feb 24, 2012)

I use a miter saw when cutting for my scallops.  I have a 12 inch that I picked up used at a pawn shop.  Of course I knew the owner and he made me an outstanding deal.  If you are scared of cutting small pieces when you get to the end just take another blank and glue it to the end of it.  I use a table saw to rip pieces for long segments.  If I was not lazy and would build a jig I am certain I would use my table saw more segments

Phil


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## randyrls (Feb 24, 2012)

To join the thread;  One caution! Miter saws and table saws do not use the same blades and they are not interchangeable!  Miter saw blade teeth have a backward rake of about 5 degrees to prevent the saw blade from digging into the material too quickly.  Table saw blade teeth have a forward rake of 5 to 10 degrees.

Stay safe!


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## aplpickr (Feb 24, 2012)

I made a jig for my miter saw. It has toggle clamps to hold each piece. The trick to keeping the cut-off from flying is to keep blade down until you shut off saw and IT STOPS SPINNING. Then raise the blade.

The body of jig is plywood that is wider than the blade cut. There is a backstop built into jig.


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## Robert111 (Feb 24, 2012)

I have a 7 1/4" Ryobi ($89) that works very well. I removed the standard fence and replaced it with a low fence made of Trex.

Also, if you don't have a disk sander, you should. Works the best for scallops and truing up cuts from the miter saw.


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## JamesB (Feb 24, 2012)

Robert111 said:


> I have a 7 1/4" Ryobi ($89) that works very well. I removed the standard fence and replaced it with a low fence made of Trex.
> 
> Also, if you don't have a disk sander, you should. Works the best for scallops and truing up cuts from the miter saw.


 
Hey, that's a neat idea.  Makes me want to dust off and try my mitersaw.


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## navycop (Feb 24, 2012)

aplpickr said:


> I made a jig for my miter saw. It has toggle clamps to hold each piece. The trick to keeping the cut-off from flying is to keep blade down until you shut off saw and IT STOPS SPINNING. Then raise the blade.
> 
> The body of jig is plywood that is wider than the blade cut. There is a backstop built into jig.



Can we see a picture?


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## Hess (Feb 24, 2012)

I use a Miter all the time.  You have to you a jig or push stick to hold the piece you are cutting  Just be careful and mind what you are doing.  Never could justify a certain tool for 1 or 2 things.  Band saw works great but hardly use it much


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## gbpens (Feb 24, 2012)

From a safty stand point it's band saw, band saw, band saw! My body came with the standard ten fingers and no replacement parts.


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## FredSG (Feb 24, 2012)

Hi,

How about using the Rockwell BladeRunner for pen blanks?  Easy to see your cuts and you can use a variety of blades for whatever material you're cutting.

Just a thought from an interested bystander!

FredSG


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## NotURMailman (Nov 16, 2012)

I have one of these:
Bench Top Cut Off Saw
for tubes.

And one of these:
0.8 HP 6" Cut-Off Saw
for blanks.

They are convenient, and for the $30-$40 price range why not?

Only issue was getting a blade for the 6" saw to cut blanks (HF only has abrasive wheels for it), It cost more than the saw @$40 from Lowe's.


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## mikespenturningz (Nov 16, 2012)

I use my bandsaw with a miter gauge and would not use a cutoff saw. Like my fingers right where they are thank you!


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## NotURMailman (Nov 16, 2012)

That's one of the nice things about the miniature cut off saws from HF. They both have a clamp to hold your material in place. No need to get you fingers anywhere near it when you are cutting. The 2" looks very much like a product that PSI sells in a different color and much cheaper at HF.


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## oneleggimp (Jun 27, 2014)

Sorry but the only stupid question is the one that is unasked so here goes:  1.  Do you use a good mitre box (like a stanley metal one) or a little plastic mitre box like you find at home depot?   2. You say you use a hand saw.  Is it a hard back mitre saw or just a hand saw?  Teeth per inch?  Thanks for any help you can give.

Regards,

Ernie Richardson


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## thewishman (Jun 27, 2014)

For just cutting blanks, I use a cheap plastic mitre box with a nicer hand saw. If you want to make segmented blanks, you'll need a more accurate saw/mitre box.


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## Rockytime (Jun 28, 2014)

I bought a blade runner a couple of years ago. Used it once. It is crap. I cannot believe Rockwell would stoop so low as to put their name on it. It is a far cry from what Rockwell used to be. I placed it on Craigs list a couple of times for $75 but no interest. It is like new out of the box with the wall mount brackets. I guess it will keep collecting dust forever. Just my humble opinion.


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## shastastan (Jun 30, 2014)

Rockytime said:


> I bought a blade runner a couple of years ago. Used it once. It is crap. I cannot believe Rockwell would stoop so low as to put their name on it. It is a far cry from what Rockwell used to be. I placed it on Craigs list a couple of times for $75 but no interest. It is like new out of the box with the wall mount brackets. I guess it will keep collecting dust forever. Just my humble opinion.



Looks like misery loves company.  Mega dittos to everything you said!


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## shastastan (Jun 30, 2014)

oneleggimp said:


> Sorry but the only stupid question is the one that is unasked so here goes:  1.  Do you use a good mitre box (like a stanley metal one) or a little plastic mitre box like you find at home depot?   2. You say you use a hand saw.  Is it a hard back mitre saw or just a hand saw?  Teeth per inch?  Thanks for any help you can give.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ernie Richardson



Here's what I use.  I got the aluminium box from Lee Valley Hardware.  I attached it to some scrap plywood so I could secure it with a vise.  The Japanese dozuki hand saw I've had for years.  Clamping the blank to the vice makes sawing and control a lot easier.  It's pretty fast and safe, too.  I square up the ends with a hf disk sander.


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## Rockytime (Jul 2, 2014)

I dug out my little Dremel table saw. It has been packed away for quite a few years since my model railroading and model making days are over. I dusted it off and cut a few blanks. It cuts accurately and if not trying to rush a blank through it has enough power. It does not quite cut through the 3/4" blank. Due to the size of the blade it is about 1/16" shy. I just flip the blank over and make another pass. The original blade was slightly larger but I used a carbide blade from something else thus the short fall.


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