I'm setting my shop up to build a kit or two over the winter and I found this cool tool at Harbor Freight - 4" Mighty Mite Table Saw for $34.99. I've got a Sears 10" table saw but this would be nice for quick cuts on sticks and triangle stock. I've also got a 4" belt sander, drill press and a grinder and a decent work bench but would like to hear your suggestions.

What other cool tools do you guys have/suggest for kit building?

> Harbor Freight - 4" Mighty Mite Table Saw for $34.99. <

It's a piece of junk. To cut sticks and triangle stock use a razor saw with a miter box.

Do you have one? How is it a piece of junk?

I've got plenty of "cool tools", including the saw you referenced here. However, 99% of the time I make cuts with either my Zona razor saw and a miter box, or a razor blade. It's quicker and I get better results than with that power saw

IMHO, if you want to make a good purchase for kit building I would recommend a Zona razor saw set and a miter box. I have a place in my tool box for the Zona saw, but it is NEVER there because it doesn't leave my workbench long enough to be put back in the toolbox!! by this I mean that I am always using it when I'm building. As for the Harbor Freight circular saw, it stays in the bottom of my tool box and rarely comes out


http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...XLJ20&amp;P=ML

This would be a much better investment than a circular saw.

Ken

Yep , Ken is right , I have a couple of them and they never get off the building tables.. I have yet needed a table saw for building, but then mine is a commercial saw and way over kill for building rc .

Yea, I have a set of razor saws as well and my table saw is overkill for small stuff as well.

hi - which zona saw is the best generally for rc models?

The one I linked to above is probably the best set for what we do. It's got 3 different bladed in it for doing different things.

Ken

i use just a plain razor saw but a friend of mine built this project for fun(wind mill) using a [link=http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42307]HF Cutoff saw[/link]. it looks like a miter saw but really small. here soon someone is going to post the 300 dollar micro table saw and all i have to say to that is its rubbish, not because i think its junk its not but spending 300 on a micro ts is not worth the money. at that point get a real table saw and a razor saw.

Put your money into good-quality basic hand-tools. Good knives. Good abrasives. Razor plane. Razor saw. Straight edge. Squares. Plenty of light. Endless supply of good clamps. Patience. Coffee. Good masking tape...3M.


Minimum of electrically-powered stuff...keep the drill-press and grinder.


You can buy stuff from China that is not junk. Apparently.

Hey, I like that little guy even better.

The problem I have with the cheaper power tools is they seem very loose and have lots of play in them .If your framing a house , it,s not so bad , but it,s hard to make nice cuts if the blades is wobbling back and forth. Best to buy at a store than order on line , that way you can check it for play.

how about disk sanders from hf? does that kinda thing ever come in handy for getting that angle exactly right, say with a stick built model like the sig senior, etc.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=43749

I find that most of my power tools remain unused... When building kits or scratch, I find it easier and quicker to cut with basic hand tools (razor saw, knife, coping saw, and frequently a RotoZip bit in the Dremel for free-hand cutting of interior cuts, etc.) than to get out the power tool, set it up, make the cut, etc. The exception is when I need to make repeated cuts to make a series of like or similar parts (like ribs or fuselage sides), when cutting out large parts (especially in plywood), or when ripping stock to make spars or tri-stock. For that, I find my tabletop bandsaw and/or scroll saw to be completely viable, no need for a circular saw... I do have one of the small HF combo belt/disc sanders that it pretty handy, especially when fitting a lot of sticks (like building a stick-built fuselage) or smoothing up curved cuts such as ribs. You can get VERY precise fits on joints using it. Just make the cut a little long and sand to precise fit.

Good info, thanks. How big is your sander LunaSea?

it is this one [link=http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34951]HF Combo Belt-Disc Sander[/link]

1" wide belt, 5" disc. Pretty handy for some stuff...

This is worth repeating - with emphasis:

I'll also add: Lots of single-edge razor blades and #11 blades for your hobby knive (knives)

If you are itching to buy a new toy, the Great Planes Slot Machine is a must-have for kit building!

For sticks and thin plywood I like the Midwest Easy Cutter.

Get yourself a decent band saw. It doesn't have to be one of those big floor models. The 10" bench top ones are VERY handy. I've seen them at yard sales, nearly brand new for $30. I made a fence for mine and use it just like a table saw. Very handy for making up sticks from sheet stock, cutting out wing ribs, and sawing out plywood formers/parts, etc. I also do some scratch building besides kits. In over 20 years of model building, I might have used my table saw once to make some landing gear blocks for a giant scale project. For everything else there is my band saw. I do like the razor saw, zona saw, etc. mentioned above for quick cuts. They are even faster than a band saw for small cuts.

For modeling projects, the only power tools I tend to use are as follows: Dremel tool(with various attachments), belt/disc sander, cordless drill(with good bits), scroll saw(especially if you want to scratch build your own parts), and the GP hinge slotting tool. Lots of Xacto and razor blades are invaluable. My local hardware store sells razor blades in packs of 100 for $5 something. I also made my own sanding blocks from wood and keep various grades of sandpaper on them so they're readily available when needed. Give me all these goodies, a nice kit or set of plans, some spare time, and I'm a happy camper.

Scroll saw was not mentioned and worth its weight in gold. Makes cuts a band saw cannot and more accurately than by hand. (oops see it mentioned in post above)

This is the only power tool I have bought from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93981

I got it on sale, and with a coupon, for about $57. Always use coupons when shopping at Harbor Freight When I got this thing home, I had to tighten EVERY bolt on the machine. After that, it seemed pretty solid.

I used it for shaping a stack of ribs for a scratch build, but it doesn't get any use on kits.

The Zona saw, GP sanding bar, a set of little squares, and tons of clamps are the most common tools I use, along with 100 packs of single edge razor blades.

I do use my 10" power miter saw and my drill press for cutting servo trays, firewalls, etc...

Good luck

My imput...DREMEL... you can't have enough of them.....

Triple Ditto!

I have the identical saw and love. It has been used during many a build.