Mini Power Tools

DMS General
#1

Do we have mini power tools in DMS?

For example…

  1. Saws
  2. Bench Tools
  3. Machine Tools
  4. Drills and Rotary Tools
  5. Air Brushes and Compressors

Thank you

#2

Yes all of those things. I’m not sure what you mean by mini

#3

I meant…

mini version of table saw & bend saw, a mini version of lathe, etc.

#4

Basically a desktop table saw with a 2 inch blade, a lathe 13 inches in length or shorter, ect.

Theres a lot of them on Amazon and Harbor Freight used to carry some.

#5

How mini? A sherline is a mini lathe. We also have sherline mills. I can’t think of a mini
Table saw. Airbrush? How small? What are you trying to make? @John_Marlow specializes in making miniature things

#6

This feels like an XY problem.

What are you trying to do/make?

1 Like
#7

EDIT:
No. We do not have any MicroMark tools. They are too delicate to withstand the type of usage that a community workshop can inflict on them.

Please clarify what you mean by miniatures. Also, please clarify what materials you mean.

People who make toys consider 1:4 scale to be miniatures. Other people consider HO train scale (1:87 scale) and 1:144 scale to be miniatures. Obviously the tools for those differ. My answers below comprehend only the smaller scales 1:12 and smaller. If you’re making 1:4 scale then IMO you should mostly be using full-sized tools.

And obviously the tools for metal aren’t going to be the same ones as for wood. This is a restriction of the various committees; we don’t ever use wood on metal working tools because the cutting fluid mixes with the sawdust! Plastics are a special use case, mostly suitable for Machine Shop although plastics are allowed on some Woodshop tools.

Some of the tools in Jewelry might be suitable but you need to talk with the committee chair @nausser915 to get his concurrence before using any of those tools. They are delicate and easy to damage. No wood. No hard metals.

1. Saws.
* I am not aware of having suitable miniature power saws. If you are going to buy one yourself, I recommend this one from Micromark.
* We do not have a miniature band saw.
* Woodshop has a nice Excalibur scroll saw (provide your own blades) but it is likely not going to be back in service until the woodshop expansion.
* Personally, I wouldn’t use a powered band saw or scroll saw on miniatures except under very limited conditions (fairly large pieces wood 1/4" or thicker). You can destroy your workpiece faster than you can spell bandsaw. IMO that’s what jeweler’s saws and files are for.

2. Bench tools. I’m sorry but you need to clarify what you mean by this. I can tell you, however, that if you mean super fine tweezers 3C or finer, you won’t find those at the space. There are some jeweler’s saws and pliers available in Jewelry, but you need to talk with @nausser915 to ensure your envisioned usage won’t damage those tools.

3. We have Sherline micro-lathe and micro-mills, including CNC. Those are suitable for miniature metal or plastic projects. No wood. Training required. If you’re looking for a small tabletop wood lathe, I recommend Taig, which we do not have at the 'Space.

4. Machine shop has a Cameron watch maker’s drill press which is suitable for miniature work. You will likely need to provide your own drill bits.

5. There are rotary tools in a variety of places throughout the space, but again you will likely have to provide your own burrs. Jewelry has a couple Foredom handpieces that are suitable for super fine work on soft metal but speak to @nausser915.

6. Creative Arts has small hand-held airbrushes with companion compressors. Only water-based paints allowed in those. They have 0.3mm, 0.5mm, and 0.8mm needles so are suitable for fine work (i.e., you wouldn’t paint your car with these). Training required.

7. Shear. You didn’t ask … but Jewelry and Machine shop both have small guillotine shears. Jewelry shear is only for non-ferrous and soft metals (0.025" aluminum or brass; 0.032" copper). Do not adjust the blade gap on that shear. I don’t have the specs on the small Machine Shop shear but it is much more robust than the one in Jewelry.

#8

That is what I meant.

#9

I am interested in making models. Train models to be exact.

#10

I was referring to products listed on MicroMark, and wanted to check if DMS has invested in similar line of tools.