Model Boat Mayhem

Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Other Technical Questions... => Topic started by: boatmadman on January 19, 2009, 09:44:39 am

Title: cutting wood/styrene to equal lengths
Post by: boatmadman on January 19, 2009, 09:44:39 am
No matter how careful I am, when I need to cut equal lengths of material, they all turn out different  >>:-(

So, how do you do it?

Ian
Title: Re: cutting wood/styrene to equal lengths
Post by: tigertiger on January 19, 2009, 09:54:17 am
I have the same problem. I sand the ends of the longer ones down when I have finished cutting.

Now I have a minicraft table saw, this will help.
Title: Re: cutting wood/styrene to equal lengths
Post by: TCC on January 19, 2009, 11:04:14 am
No matter how careful I am, when I need to cut equal lengths of material, they all turn out different  >>:-(

So, how do you do it?

Ian

couldn't you fixe a block to the bench and jan both up against it firmly, you'll then see what's what and maybe which needs cutting.

You could then mark one and cut it carefully... or...

tape them together and use the short one as a guide for the blade to cut the longer. Then keep them taped and sand the ends square.

Me? I have trouble sanding anything square. I wish someone made a sander with a CD sized sander disc, that you hand cranked to spin. The idea is to offer things up to the wheel and have the table help you square things up, while holding the piece firmly, while allowing the piece to be moved towards/away from the disc.

It'd have to be small, easy and no power lead. Building in plasticard would be a breeze with one of them.
Title: Re: cutting wood/styrene to equal lengths
Post by: barryfoote on January 19, 2009, 11:11:44 am
Make up a cutting jig. Simply put a small wooden block onto a piece of 1/4 inch ply and glue on to it a piece of wood, say 30 cm long and having a 1/4 inch square profile. You then cut slots in this piece at various positions along its length. You place the wood to be cut against the block and alongside this marked off template. When cutting several pieces of the same length, if you always cut through this template at the right point, you have as many pieces as you want of the same length.
Hope this makes sense, if not I can post a picture of it.

Barry
Title: Re: cutting wood/styrene to equal lengths
Post by: boatmadman on January 19, 2009, 12:11:41 pm
Nice one Footski,

I knew there would be a simple solution out there!