neomastino Posted February 27, 2011 Report Posted February 27, 2011 Hello all, I am new to this site and very (very) new to woodworking in general. My son (and I by proxy) have won the pinewood derby two years in a row for cub scouts. I built the cars using a jig saw,dremel tool and drill, and while not pretty, the cars have performed very well. For next year, my son has come up with some designs that exceed what I am capable of doing with a jig saw. With that being said, is the recommended tool for cutting out rather intricate car designs a band saw or scroll saw? I would think a scroll saw, but am unsure. Either way, what brand/manufacturer would you all recommend? Home depot has both types of saws (band and scroll) made by Ryobi for less than $150. Would these be a good choice? Thank you, Mike Quote
wedo scroll Posted February 27, 2011 Report Posted February 27, 2011 Mike, if the design has no interior cuts then a band saw would be my choice. It can cut thicker material, is faster and by using different width blades you have a lot of versatility. Bill Quote
Oges Posted February 28, 2011 Report Posted February 28, 2011 I'll go along with Bill, if you are cutting thick timber and just doing outside cuts them the bandsaw would be the better option. Quote
mikesscrollsaw Posted February 28, 2011 Report Posted February 28, 2011 I don't like to cut anything more than 3/4 of an inch with a scroll saw. it's very slow going and if the blade isn't thick and tight you'll get it to bend and the bottom of the cut (at the table) will not be the same as the top (where the blade comes out) so yeah what those guys said Quote
Clayton717 Posted February 28, 2011 Report Posted February 28, 2011 I have to agree with the rest of them. as far as ryobi, I have that band saw, and for what I use it for it works great. Quote
Eagledrum70 Posted February 28, 2011 Report Posted February 28, 2011 Congrats on the pinewood derby Mike. me and my son recently came in fourth in our pinewood derby races for our first time not to bad , but most important thing we had a good time. I would recommend band saw that is what we used on ours. Eagledrum70 Quote
neomastino Posted February 28, 2011 Author Report Posted February 28, 2011 Excellent! Big thanks to ya'll for the advice. I have tried to explain to my son that the design is somewhat immaterial, and the key to winning is the weight placement and proper wheel installation, but he wants to go fancy, so I guess I will give it a go with the band saw. Thanks again, Mike Quote
Huntter2022 Posted February 28, 2011 Report Posted February 28, 2011 I have seen kids stick the wheels on the basic kit and won race But it is fun to shape the cars , WE use to have a adult race also have fun Quote
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