Greetings! I’ve been getting into tobacco pipe making. This is purely a past time endeavor, just messing around with hand tools and dremel stuff to see how far I get and feel things out. One thing I’m just not getting comfortable with is hand-sawing. I know there’s some technique that i probably need to gain, and a proper bench vice would help, but I’m constrained on space. Also my hands get arthritic from time to time.

This got me to thinking on scroll saws since they tend to be cheaper and smaller than band saws. So with it being more budget friendly and space friendly I’ve really been curious about them. The issue is I’m working with hard woods (briar mostly, but maybe olive and morta in the future) and some of the cuts will be thick, albeit small. I’m sure you can imagine the general size of the blocks I work with. I’d say the thickest parts of a project might go up to heights of 7cm, and on those taller cuts the length may be up to 5cm. Do any of ya’ll experienced in using scroll saws have any thoughts on this? Is this absolutely the wrong tool for the job, or could it work with a little patience? I don’t mind if it’s a matter of going slow and keeping a deep supply of fresh blades. I’m only doing 2-3 projects a month.

If it helps, what I’m eyeing is the proxxon ds 230 or something like it.

  • MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de
    3·
    5 days ago

    Have you considered a table-top reciprocating saw like the Worx Bladerunner? Personally, I would rather go that route only if it took sawzall blades, but its an option.

    On the other end of the spectrum, you could always slap a worktable on a portable bandsaw, like Blondihacks does. She shows how to make one here, but there are a lot of options on the market.

    Personally, I put a WEN portable bandsaw on such a stand. I went with the corded version for the price, power, and variable speed. If you look at the reviews, the only complaint I recall seeing is that its “heavy”. I’ve got it on a stand, on a stool that I cut-down to put the table height just-below the height of my saw-horses, and I move it where I want without problem, so “heavy”? Not for my uses.