Thread: Cutting Pen Blanks - Shudda ask this before...

Jim, my preference for cutting blanks is the bandsaw, even if it is only the smaller cheaper one until you can afford a larger one, I think it is much safer and easier to use. Amos

Hey Jim,
From a Carpenter with 3 fingers use a Safety Guard behind the Blade (no Kickback!) all the time. KEEP THE FINGERS OFF THE BLADE use offcut´s to push the last inch through the Blade.
If anything goes wrong cut the Power off! afterward you have all the time in this World to have a Drink and solve the Problem!!!!

use Earmuffs, be aware of a dangerous Tool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Martin

@ Amos
Benchsaw is saver! the Blade is always on the same place, just keep your fingers away from the Blade! I saw Bandsawblades coming off in a Way nobody could control it!!!!

Save Cutting
Martin

IMO, amos is right in saying a bandsaw is safer. although they are both safe if you use them right.

Originally Posted by ss_11000

IMO, amos is right in saying a bandsaw is safer. although they are both safe if you use them right.

Got to agree I have both and use both just for different reasons. Usually split in the band saw and cut blanks on the table saw. But if only one tool then I would go for the band saw

@ SS 11000

a Circularblade is hold by a shaft and a Nut - very solid, never saw a circ blade coming off!
a Bandsawblade is basically hold by rotation - very instabil, the small guard is only to make it usable for cutting straight.

Question to you
Why do you believe a Bandsaw is saver than a Bechsaw?

greetings over the ditch
Martin

A circ saw generally has a wider kerf than a bandsaw, so wastes more wood. But for large slabs of "common" timbers I'll do the same as Jim and trim 'em down to size on the table saw. Much, much faster than a bandsaw and perfectly straight edges without needing to worry about grain direction.

Also like Jim, I don't cut these "sticks" to length until I'm ready to make a pen. I hate wasting wood.

On the other hand, for small logs or precious woods I prefer the bandsaw. As I said: less waste and for small pieces it is safer.

'Tis a case of using the best tool for the job at hand...

Originally Posted by Martin xp

Why do you believe a Bandsaw is saver than a Bechsaw?

A bandsaw doesn't suffer from kickback and if the band breaks it tends to just "slither off." You can also cut small pieces more safely than on a circ, especially if they're shorter than the exposed bit of circ blade is wide.

eg. if I'm cutting a 4" long blank to, say, 20mm thickness I can support it on both the in- and out-feed sides of a bandsaw blade. On a tablesaw it'd be wedged between the blade and the fence. Sure, you use a push-stick to get it through safely, but there's always a chance that the back teeth of the blade will catch the wood and flick it up off the table. An acrobatic kick-back, of sorts. Pressure fingers can prevent this, but often with pen blanks there's not enough room between blade and fence to fit the fingers!

A tablesaw also makes a good slingshot. If a tooth breaks off, or the blade shatters (rare, but it happens ) it's just as likely to embed itself in the wall as it is in the timber or guard. And kickbacks... [shudder]

In general, a bandsaw is more forgiving of abuse and as such is "safer" for the novice woodworker. One should always be aware that both machines will very happily eat any meat you feed to them; both can cause very nasty injuries indeed.

I have a product Sold in Australia by Northwood Tools called Micro Jig GRRRR ripper system a very valuable asset to assist saw safety.

look up www.microjig.com/ you can view the unit in action,make up your own mind with a bench saw.

It is made in the good old USA.

Personally I try to save heaps on my big bandsaw,most pen blanks are cut by eye,OK takes a sharp eye (joke) but much quicker for mine,keep using sharp blades,basic principal.

Take care Peter.

Originally Posted by Martin xp

I saw Bandsawblades coming off in a Way nobody could control it!!!!

Can we get some more info on this, was the machine fully guarded? For example, were both top and bottom wheels fully enclosed? From what your saying, it sounds like there were no guards on this Bandsaw.

Normally fully guarded bandsaws are very safe as the blade can't go anywhere, they normally stop in their tracks when they come off or break because the guards surround the whole blade except for the bit that being cut.

I use the Bandsaw for 90% of my cutting with the Triton tablesaw for the other 10%

I have found that a bandsaw is much easier and safer then a table saw for cutting blanks. I can cut small sizes for mini pens and key chains etc with out any kick back. Just have to stay focused and pay attention since the band saw can feel or appear less dangerous then the table saw, but that is a major misconception since it can cut through metal and hardwood easily and digits are not very thick.

I find that the fact that you don't have to expect kick back with a bandsaw allows you to focus more attention on the cutting area. I build alot of staircases and I used to cut the wedges which are a similar size to pen blanks but cut on the angle in a wedge jig. With the tablesaw I came to expect the waste from the last wedge in the strip to kick out the back hard enough to ding the back door of my house some 25 metres away. As I expecting it I used to put up with it although in hindsight it probably would have been better to get one less wedge out of each strip and saved myself afew grey hairs. Now that I use the same Jig with the bandsaw and all I have to watch is that small exposed section of blade. Much less exciting but then I don't do woodwork for the adrenalin rush it gives me.

Originally Posted by Martin xp

@ SS 11000


Question to you
Why do you believe a Bandsaw is saver than a Bechsaw?

greetings over the ditch
Martin

hey Martin.

firstly, i rekon skew chidamn summed it up pretty well and dj's point too.

• theres no kick back
• no teeth breaking off and becoming ufo's
• theres no chance of a blade shattering
• you can have your fingers within 5mm of the blade and still feel safe ( i've seen a professional bandsaw bpx maker have his thumb <2mm away from the blade doing a tight curve. )

secondly, on my old BS, i snapped 4 blades ( maybe 3 but its not important right now ). anyway, every time - the machine kept going but the blade just hung there doing nothing and there was no chance of any injury except maybe a graze across the back of your hand if your hand was close.
also bandsaws dont go fast enough to cause any real damage when the blade snaps.

what i think you are calling a gaurd are actualy guides and from my point of view and from a safety and accuracy angle, the guard will be around 5mm above your work peice. this means that if the blade snaps, most of it will be in the wood and if it snaps with out the wood there, then there will rarely be enough space there to cause any major damage IMO.

my 2 cents worth. happy to hear more points about your point of view though

Originally Posted by Penpal

I have a product Sold in Australia by Northwood Tools called Micro Jig GRRRR ripper system a very valuable asset to assist saw safety.

look up www.microjig.com/ you can view the unit in action,make up your own mind with a bench saw.

It is made in the good old USA.

Personally I try to save heaps on my big bandsaw,most pen blanks are cut by eye,OK takes a sharp eye (joke) but much quicker for mine,keep using sharp blades,basic principal.

Take care Peter.

Here is a good video of the use of this tool. I think I will consider this investment.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/...ctid1231030481

@ DJ
If a Bandsaw jams, -more likely with thick timber and a blunt Blade then you naturally pull the timber back and the Blade "hooked" to the timber comes out of the guide and off the Wheels.

@ Skew
very good contribution

@ SS 11000
No problem with Bandsaws if all the Safetygear is on place. I m always shocked if a blade snapped. Comes by the way from to much tension on the blade, so tight the Wheels careful.