You know, oddly enough the larger blade doesn't gain you much. I had not known of these new belt drive machines, mine and all I have seen to date are direct drive units.
A nice big panel saw would be a treat. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cy Selfridge" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 7:44 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] compound miter say? > Well Dale, > It sure sounds like you and I do much the same thing with the miter saw. > My saw is only an 8 inch blade but it has served me well over the past 14 > or > so years. > It also is a sliding head so it can cut a 1x12 on a 45 degree angle. Mine > also tilts to the left up to 45 degrees as well. > I, as you, make a "template" piece of wood if I am cutting a number of > boards the same length and always measure from the first one. > I also lay the template on top of the board I am going to cut. I do use > the > clamp most of the time. > Now, as for the extensions, I built a little table which is the same > height > as the bed on the miter saw so I can rest the boards on the table and they > will not "drop" as I cut them. > I also check the square of the blade at 90 degrees with a small square. I > just can not get accurate enough by feeling of the blamed little raised > lines and I do not always trust the 90 degree detent. > A 12 or 14 inch miter would just be the absolute berries..... Know anyone > who has one? If so we might pay them a visit. (LOL) > Cy, the Ancient Okie... > > -----Original Message----- > From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of Dale Leavens > Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 5:46 PM > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] compound miter say? > > Hi Andy, > > I have never had much luck cutting to a mark although there are some here > who do apparently use an awl or other scratch tool to mark and cut, I find > that even using a finger nail to locate the mark against a tool or jig is > too inaccurate for me. I don't know how they make it work for them however > I > will tell you how I work. > > My advice on buying a compound miter saw is first to buy the best you > possibly can. They are getting better all the time of course, mine is a 10 > inch Makita sliding compound miter saw, these days they are as much as 14 > inches and with a slide they can cut a very wide board. New ones will tilt > left or right for a bevel cut each way, this is not essential but if you > get > one be sure it has a positive stop at 90 degrees vertical and preferably > at > least one stop at 45 degrees to one or other side, preferably both. > > My saw has a raised scale and pointer for setting the miter left and right > but I find it difficult to use this exclusively to set precise angles, the > pointer must line up very directly with the raised mark on the scale, a > sighted person will stand in line with the two but my fingers, though they > can get me close are usually off a degree or two when I actually make the > cut. My saw though does have detent stops at 15, 30 and 45 degrees in both > directions and of course at 0 degrees so those are very easy and > convenient. > > Some now have other detent stops, you want as many as is reasonable or > practical, stops will save you loads of time locating very accurately the > most commonly using angles. > > You will prefer a fairly high fence. It is very helpful to be able to lay > one 2 by 4 of a known and desired length on top of another to duplicate it > and it will be much easier to line them both up if the fence is high > enough. > > Because of the depth available it is often very helpful to lay out two > boards and cut them simultaneously by cutting through the double thickness > which makes it easy to get two very exactly the same length and a fence > high > enough to do this will be satisfying. > > The last thing that occurs to me is to get as long a bed as you can. This > makes it easier to use. If you can get a purpose built stand with > extensions > to hold long pieces you may be able to attach blocks against which you can > push a series of boards to cut many of exact length. > > I have built a cabinet to hold my saw with a dust hutch behind to catch as > much as I can. I had a pair of extensions but they were not to my > satisfaction, I will try again some day to have extensions which I can > raise > into place with a back fence and block I can run out and lock into place > for > making several pieces of precise length. The old table I had built for > house > building is way too big, it now rests in the back lane where it may > disappear any day but where I can still use it if I again need to cut > lengths up to about 20 feet. > > Most of these saws have at least one hold-down clamp, mine does, it can be > located on either side of the saw, I should have had two, it gets a bit > frustrating to move it though I don't often want it on the right side of > the > saw. > > As for measuring, I lower the saw to the work and measure that way. > Usually > I am in a hurry so I find myself using my chin or forehead to hold the saw > down while I measure with both hands. Pushing the saw down retracts the > blade guard. The start requires a button to be held while the trigger is > squeezed but probably one should take the additional safety measure of > unplugging the saw when doing this. > > Because I have this cabinet with three drawers for storing tools I also > have > an 18 inch or so bungie cord which I loop around the handle and hook to > one > of the drawer handles. This only just balances the spring which raises the > saw so I can pull it down to the work and it pretty well stays where I > leave > it. I can then slide my measure to the end of the board and then slide the > board until the blade just touches the measure. Double check that the work > is snug against the fence then clamp the work down and remove the measure, > release the cord so the saw rises then grab the trigger and make your cut. > > Remember that the teeth of a carbide blade are a little thicker than the > blade and the pitch of a conventional blade too is a little wider. This is > only millimeters but it can make a difference. > > If using a single piece as a measure for multiple pieces keep the first > one > as a master and use it as your standard. Small errors can compound and > become significant. This is not just true for blind folk, I notice that > the > television cabinet makers do precisely the same thing for the same reason. > > I am not as careful as probably I should be, I don't always clamp my work > but hold it with my free left hand much of the time however if you clamp > your work and put your left hand in your pocket before you grasp that > handle > you and you listen for that saw to spin fully down before you let go, you > will be hard pressed to find a way of getting hurt. Take the additional > step > of unplugging the machine before you bring the blade to measure the work > and > I don't see how you could ever get hurt. Even my way would be tough > enough. > > I hope this is helpful to you. In my mind, a miter saw is about the most > useful tool a blind wood worker can own even if all you do is some framing > or decking. You will soon want a table saw, I don't know which is more > desirable, I got the table saw first and did a lot of pretty sophisticated > work with it but that miter saw is also pretty darn helpful. > > > Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Skype DaleLeavens > Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "wd1q" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 6:00 AM > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] compound miter say? > > >> Hi, I am sorry if this has or will be coming along as a message again, >> but I can't seem to get my messages out for some reason..... >> Well, for my question, I am interested in purchasing a table compound >> miter saw and have never used one. Can someone give some wisdom in >> looking for a good model for someone like us being blind.? I would >> like to know how I would go about to setting the saw blade that is >> under the safety guard to cut at the correct location which I have >> marked. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Andy. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> To listen to the show archives go to link >> http://acbradio.org/handyman.html >> or >> ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ >> >> The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. >> http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday >> >> The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. >> http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml >> >> Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From >> Various List Members At The Following Address: >> http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ >> Visit the new archives page at the following address >> http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ >> For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man >> list just send a blank message to: >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Yahoo! Groups Links >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.5/425 - Release Date: >> 22/08/2006 >> >> > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. > http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml > > Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From > Various List Members At The Following Address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ > Visit the new archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list > just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.5/425 - Release Date: 8/22/2006 > > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. > http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml > > Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From > Various List Members At The Following Address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ > Visit the new archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.5/425 - Release Date: 22/08/2006 > To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following Address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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