SeamusG

I have heard soooo many great things about the slot machine I picked one up. Since nearly all of my kits have used Dubro nylon hinges I picked up additional blades for the added width. With that said, if the wood being cut is anything but soft balsa the slot machine is not effective. This includes hard balsa. Insult to injury are kits that provide hardwood fin posts.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for any tips / guidelines for using this little machine ...

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Do you have the red plastic guide?

SeamusG

Yup

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Ok, set up the guide so the slot is centered on the TE, put the blades in the slot, but don't push against the wood yet. Turn on the machine and slowly push the blades into the wood

SeamusG

Mike - you make it sound soooo easy (kinda like Photoshop ).

What do you do with hinge slots that are adjacent to tip extensions? Just move the hinge away from the end of the control surface? Or, back to basics and cut by hand?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Yes, if this thing has a downfall, that's it - you can't get too close to an edge that has an extension. I just get as close as I can

huck1199

I too find the tool useless except for use on the softest balsa. Even then the thing jumps around so much the the slot end up 60% too long. I bought all the accessories and regret it.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

The one I have is junk, always has been. I used a friends and it operated just dandy. Hard wood or wood that I have added another piece behind with CA really slow it down. I sent mine back to Tower, they sent it back and said all was fine?? I started looking at it a lot closer and discovered only one blade is doing any cutting? I opened it up and everything inside looked OK so ??? When they work they are great, I just borrow my friends when I need one. Go ahead and ask me what I think of Towers service.

SeamusG

Thanks for your comments. Crap shoot at best.

DavidAgar

My Feedback: (108)

I have 2 of them. One with CA blades and one with the bigger blades for the nylon hinges. I swear by them and by doing it the way that Minn has described they work like champs. The trick to harder woods is to go slowly and let the machine do all the work. As mentioned the one draw back to them, is the machine won't let you get into a corner. I just get it as close as I can and move on. The battery operated one is another story. I could not get rid of that fast enough. Good Luck, Dave

SeamusG

Well, guess I'll practice while watching a football game. [8D]

Live Wire

Interesting, I love mine , I start the slot with an exacto knife. That way the blade stays in the slot with out bouncing al over the place. Starting the slot with a knife also opens the covering so the blade does not slip off.


Don't force the machine, let it cut on its own or you get wood between the blade and the will not cut[:@]

SeamusG

I'm a fairly mechanical kinda guy. But ...

When I position the guide, hold the guide and wood with the left hand, position the cutter in the guide slot, turn it on and hold it with my right hand, the cutter just dances on top of the surface. The tool vibrates / oscillates in my right hand (smells like an old 'lectric train ready for the trash). Light touch - blade dances off the wood and any residual marks are negligible. If I add any force at all my right hand just vibrates more and the cutters aren't doin' much.

Must mean that my "tool skills" are at an all time triple trough low ...

SeamusG

Just tore this eBay special apart. Previous owner abused it and the nylon gear is TOAST.

Maybe Great Planes can repair - but wait - that's Tower, emmmm ...

SeamusG

And a piece of broken nylon (about 1/4 x 1/4) was rattling around - fell out with a little shakin' ...

I'm guessing that this will happen if the operator forces the blade into the work with "excessive" force ...

Live Wire

Ebay[:@] You never no what you are going to get

SeamusG

Friends at Great Planes product support said: This is not a warranty item (eBay) and we do not carry any replacement parts for this product. The only remedy is to toss it and buy a new one.

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

For the amount of building that I've done over the past 5 years, I never found a need to purchase a slot cutting machine. I just do it the old fashioned way. I follow Alton Brown's philosophy on "unitaskers".

Brad

Insanemoondoggie

Maybe you should give Robart hinge points a try ? They are the only hinge I use now , unless it,s a very thin edge I working on.

SeamusG

Em, Robart hinge points on a Kadet Senior? 

Some of the posts are going a bit off topic. I was just looking for help on the effective use of the slot machine so that the RCU community could benefit from other member's successful experiences with the tool.

Insanemoondoggie

I,m building a Seinor as we speak and it will have Robarts all the way around.They are a different typeand I was just offering you a solution to your slot machine being broke.
The slot machines work great, As others have stated , either use the slot guage or start the cut with a hobby knife. After the slot is made I use a 1/16th bit to drill a hole in the center of the slot to give the CA a channel to run down.
If you like using CA hinges , you,ll really like the Slot machine.

JollyPopper

My Feedback: (6)

Whenever mine wants to dance, I just cant it a bit so that it is starting the slot with just the very tip of the blade, much like the point of a knife. As soon as that point bites, I rotate the machine so that it is cutting with the full width of the blades. Works for me. And mine is cordless. I have often been tempted to buy a corded version, thinking that it might work better, but the one I have seems to work fine.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

Last summer, the very first hinge opening I went to cut, the nylon worm gear stripped. I sent it in to Hobby Services and with in a week I had a new one at no cost.

Bruce

SeamusG

Insane - I've been following your Senior Bash thread (been there, done that and will probably will do it again - with Robart's even). Thanks for the insight.

Insanemoondoggie

O yeah you have the one with the modded cowl ,I forgot ,sry .Nice SR.