wonwinglo
SMF Supporter
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 6,754
- Points
- 113
- First Name
- Barry
When I first wrote this article some 35 years ago there were hardly any mechanical powered machines around ! just recently my two trusty treddle Hobbies machines were consigned to the scrap heap as they took up far too much room and have been superceded by far more efficent bench fretsaws which are superb by comparison.
The basic principles of fretwork whether applied to decorative or model building are all the same and it is the ability to cut internally where these machines excel,intricate shapes which are dead square are possible time and again,the biggest set back when using hand held fretsaws is keeping the job square ! accuracy is important as always when cutting wood.
Internal work will require a pilot hole for which the old Archimedean drill still has its uses,where the cut requires acute or sharp transitions always drill a small pilot at that point,this will assist the fretsaw blade and avoid undue strain at the same time.
If you can prepare some patterns beforehand by taking photocopies then these can be easily applied to the wood with Scotch 3M spray adhesive,the advantage of this system is that afterwards the paper pattern can be easily removed,you only need a quick mist of the adhesive to secure it to the wood.
Not generally appreciated is the use of the fretsaw in cutting metal,make sure that you have the required metal cutting blades to hand and always use the guard to hold down the material being cut,when cutting metal work much more slowly to avoid blade snatch,as always let the blade do the job without too much pressure on it.
Another advantage of fretwork is that more than one item can be cut at once,if you require multiple sets of parts then simply tack glue them together with cyno dabs and cut through just as one block,seperate the parts afterwards and clean up before use.
Before purchasing a new fret machine consider what you are going to do,the cheaper machines sometimes have a cam action which can be unsuitable for heavier work,get something that will do the job,my own preference is for the solid Dremels which work reliably day in and day out,a good one of these will cost you about £250 these days but will last for years,think ahead and purchase sensibly.
If you just do the occasional bit of model building then a simple hand frame suitably tensioned will suffice for your needs,just make sure that the tensioner is man enough to withstand numerous adjustments and not one where the thread will strip after a few weeks work.
The basic principles of fretwork whether applied to decorative or model building are all the same and it is the ability to cut internally where these machines excel,intricate shapes which are dead square are possible time and again,the biggest set back when using hand held fretsaws is keeping the job square ! accuracy is important as always when cutting wood.
Internal work will require a pilot hole for which the old Archimedean drill still has its uses,where the cut requires acute or sharp transitions always drill a small pilot at that point,this will assist the fretsaw blade and avoid undue strain at the same time.
If you can prepare some patterns beforehand by taking photocopies then these can be easily applied to the wood with Scotch 3M spray adhesive,the advantage of this system is that afterwards the paper pattern can be easily removed,you only need a quick mist of the adhesive to secure it to the wood.
Not generally appreciated is the use of the fretsaw in cutting metal,make sure that you have the required metal cutting blades to hand and always use the guard to hold down the material being cut,when cutting metal work much more slowly to avoid blade snatch,as always let the blade do the job without too much pressure on it.
Another advantage of fretwork is that more than one item can be cut at once,if you require multiple sets of parts then simply tack glue them together with cyno dabs and cut through just as one block,seperate the parts afterwards and clean up before use.
Before purchasing a new fret machine consider what you are going to do,the cheaper machines sometimes have a cam action which can be unsuitable for heavier work,get something that will do the job,my own preference is for the solid Dremels which work reliably day in and day out,a good one of these will cost you about £250 these days but will last for years,think ahead and purchase sensibly.
If you just do the occasional bit of model building then a simple hand frame suitably tensioned will suffice for your needs,just make sure that the tensioner is man enough to withstand numerous adjustments and not one where the thread will strip after a few weeks work.