oversized scroll saw?

[fletch]

I am trying to find a saw that will cut through 4 1/4" of wood with no more than 1/16" cutting gap. A band saw will not be able to make the tight turns needed. Do you have any suggestions?

[John]

Of course a bandsaw with a 1/16in wide blade will make ANY tight turn you need. Never scroll saw that would handle that thickness. Put that teeny-tiney 1/6th or 1/8th blade on the bandsaw and you should be go to go

John

[Roger Shoaf]

Find someone that does abrasive jet cutting in your area and farm it out.

[George]

As John said, 1/8" bandsaw blade ought to make the grade unless you're trying to do insides. With small blade, have a couple sets of guide blocks - phenolic or wood - available to steady the blade.

[Joe Gorman]

Fine Woodworking Sept 1980, #24 p 60: Building a walking beam saw; poor man's bandsaw has almost unlimited capacity. author: White It's also in one of their paperback books but I can't find it on their website now. Joe

[fletch]

So with a 1/16th bandsaw blade I can make a 90 degree cut through 4

1/4" of solid wood? Do I need a special band saw? Where can I get such small blades and how often do they snap?

[John]

Lenox makes 1/16th bandsaw blades, do a Google Search on "1/16th BandSaw Lenox" should turn up a source or 2

Most woodworking BIG catalogs and places like Highland Hardware will make custom blades for just about any bandsaw

And yes, if you force them, they will snap, but with a little care you should get a goodly amount of use out of them

And lastly, they will cut just as SHARP a turn (approaching a true

90degree) as any jig saw/scroll saw will. And you can usually come at the corner from 2 directions to get a TRUE 90degree intersection

John