My method sucks

I cut them by hand with a Japanese fine kerf saw, epoxy the plug, try to clean out the slot after it dries (which invariably rips things up), then epoxy the lip in.

I know those tiny bench top bandsaws have a fine kerf blade that is probably perfect.....but don't really want another bandsaw. The blade on my 14" saw leaves too wide and ragged a kerf.

So how do other people do it to get those nice clean perfect sized square bottomed slots which the lip slides into after the plug has been clear coated? If you're using a bandsaw, what type of blade? How do you keep the lip slot free of epoxy?

George you can probably get a sawbalde for your saw that will be the correct width for lip slots.As for epoxy in your slots do you play poker?(playing cards).Oh i think the professor has a line on the blades if i recall.

Playing cards do work well. I rip them down to size so I get like 4 or 5 lips per card. My blade is like 14 teeth per inch and cuts perfect size slots. Bring a lip to your nearest store and measure it up. Also, use a fence on the deck of your bandsaw and you can slide the plug in block form and get a nice slot every time.

I use a fine/scroll saw blade on the bandsaw. Its a perfect width cut for the lips we all use. I believe it is 14tooth

32 tooth per inch hacksaw blade...lips slip in snug just like a trojan.

.Oh i think the professor has a line on the blades if i recall.

WOW !:rollem: http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/sign-GUYS/EEL.jpg Still has total recall....

Lately, i try to remember things
and it's like my hard drive was

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/sign-GUYS/formatted2.png

.... like looking for the Ocean in the BAY of Fundy at low tide
and nothing is there...it's all just :point: GONE .....................:huh:

Always final coat after assembly and fine blade mini band saws (99 dollar models) do a marvelous job.

I used to do that also George, but then I started placing the lip in as I epoxied and it helps to hold the lip in place. Then ya just have to worry about the thru hole with epoxy which is a simple fix with a drill bit and no rough edges.

I use the bansaw. 1/8 inch wide blade cuts a slot that is a good fit for pikie and danny lips. For surfster lips I usually have to run a piece of sandpaper thru the slot a few times.

Jigman

I used a Japanese pull saw for cutting door trim. It worked decent but I know your pain.

I also use index cards or thin card board from some of the kids toy packages. Slide that in the lip slot while you apply the epoxy.

I made a batch of jointed eels once with a cut up credit card in the lip slots. It dried in there and I couldn't get it out. You guys pulling the card out before you spin them?

Tried spinning them with the lip in, but the hole in the lips is too small for the skewer to fit through and any epoxy build up between the skewer and the lip/plug face locks everything up.

A patient once advised me "George, when God is mad at you he doesn't beat you........he makes you stupid and lets you beat yourself".
Yup.

I never epoxied first. In my mind, soft as it is, it would be like putting the finish coat of paint on before you put the trim up. They do it in modular homes and production line furniture but not in anything custom.
Yes, you need a smaller bandsaw blade. Me too, mine broke.

numbskull:

go on amazon (or whereever, amazon seems cheapest) and get a "fine" bandsaw blade, cuts a perfect lip slot every time, and leaves hardly any flack when cutting ends off plugs too.

I use whatever I can find to put in the slots, piece of cardboard, one of those subscription papers from a magazine folded in half, etc. make sure to pull them out once the epoxy stops running (about an hour or 2 after you coated them).

I use the bandsaw and when its adjusted right it cuts slots that fit the thin lips. I got some danny2's from nj tackle that are a bit thicker that I use on my fat danny's and those you need to cut twice.

Bruce if you are epoxying first and the thru hole gets blocked. if you just take a piece of your thru wire and hold the end in a candle till its orange, just pass it thru and it will melt right thru the block. I had that problem on some that I epoxy sealed and I was worried that If I redrilled I may drill thru the sealed part and leave open some raw wood but the heated thru wire worked great.

I use a cheap tabletop delta with the original blade that came with it. Seems to do a decent job. The trick for me is a fence and a piece of plywood as a larger deck. As far as epoxy goes, i cut my old insurance cards in half and some from d&b's and put them in while the etex is wet. I spin em on the rotisserie for 30-60 minutes then take em out.

If you do get a small bandsaw get one with 2 wheels not 3. The 3 wheeled ones are a bear to adjust.

Get a metal cutting band saw saw blade, as they are fine tooth, and dull the crap out of it with some steel. It will then cut nice and snug and save it for lips only. If you want a blade I can weld one up for you and dull the crap out of it for no charge. I'm good at it. If the epoxy does get in there I just use a thin, fine, coping saw blade holding by hand and run it thru a few times. I used to epoxy after I assembled but I much prefer to do it after the epoxy now. Maybe next year I will change my mind again. I also am very careful applying the epoxy around that area, not too thick. Of course I am now jinxed,.

Makes you stupid, LOL I like that one G.

I use 3x5 index cards folded in half in the lip slot when epoxying...they're pretty cheap.

I have the delta tabletop bandsaw and then if I need to neaten it up I use a coping saw.

I too epoxy when th elip is in place........but, I do have some problems with bubbles forming around the slot due to trapped air when the epoxy exotherms. If I don't catch it during the spin/dry cycle, the plug is doomed. Might have to try the "card method."

George those $99 Delta band saws are nice .Think I've been beating on mine 5 yrs. bought new blocks .... seems much faster and narrow blade(that comes with it ) better for handcarves. I have the Delta 14" saw too .. Like the little guy better .. I use the bandsaw and the V-block because I'm hydro orientating first and cutting lip slot in the stock when its round .. I know why you epoxy before lip is in .. I bet its because you like to get a good coat behind the lip .. can't do that with lip in the way .. I use the plastic coated playing cards to save lip slot also .. Just gotta remember to pull them out before epoxy cures .

I have a 14" grizzly (93" blade size) (probably 15 years old) and I **just** bought new blades for doing this very thing. I bought the finest, thinnest blade they made...the problem is not the TPI (even though I have one of the highest TPI's) but the "thickness" of the blade itself. Even the thinnest blade is still a little to thick on those big saws. I think you need a smaller tool IMO. I was going to use a scroll saw but I need a fence for what I am doing and my scroll saw does not have one.

I have a 9" bandsaw, the "fine" blade for those is just right for slots, you generally have to clean it out a bit with a coping saw to get the lip to fit good.

When yer done with the epoxy pull the card out.

.. I use the plastic coated playing cards to save lip slot also .. Just gotta remember to pull them out before epoxy cures .


This is the NIB method also..
I don't understand the problem.I also like the cheap delta with a metal blade..

Also, if you pull the cards straight out the nose, you'll be fine. If you pull the card up through the slot, clean the slot out with a clean card.