Mirror Imaging Drums

[Chase]

Does anyone have any experience with mirror imaging drums sold by Sawbird?

Intarsia by Garnet Hall - SawBird.com

Chase

[Forester21]

I was looking at Garnet's site earlier today - neat stuff!!

But I couldn't find the drums you mentioned? is it a pattern?
T

[Lois from Mississauga]

They are listed under the Tools page. They look really cool. Garnet uses templates quite a bit for his intarsia I think, so those would really be helpful for that. I had not seen that before. - Ok one more thing to add to my want to buy list!

[lucky788scroller]

Woodworking tools, scroll saw blades, sanders, supplies theres a link Theresa. That is a neat idea, like a pattern router bit, but a sanding drum instead. Dale

[workin for wood]

It's very nice. Takes you to the half way point for being a production inlay or intarsia shop so you can make the same thing over and over and over and over...sounds very fun and exciting <yawn>, now I have to go back to bed.

[groverd]

Well put Jeff!! My thoughts exactly

[Forester21]

Thanks for the link Dale!
Those look neat - They would be worth it for someone who made a lot of the same items. Love the turn-tables he showed with the drums!

Jeff - just because you don't do production work doesn't give you the right to downplay others who do. Have some manners.

[workin for wood]

These drums are a silly way to do production work in the first place. It's like taking a step back in technology. The maker of these is nickle and diming you. Production has no place in my life, I think it's boring, but that's my opinion that I state by me and about me. I don't tell others they have no right to do so. I'm just being mis-interpreted.

I'd be happy to help you with your production shop purchases. You truly want a CNC router, that is what makes the most sense. But perhaps you can't afford that. A router and a router table is quite affordable. The price of these drums is more than the cost of a good spiral upcut bit with a bearing on the bottom. Cutting out a piece of wood so that you can put a template on it and then sand it flush is rediculous because of all the time involved. I can skip the cutting and the sanding part. Just stick the template on the wood, plunge the cutter and go to town. Just a bit in a table can probably produce 20 pieces to every one that you would make with the sanding drum, maybe even 30 pieces. The router bit will be cheaper, last longer, and be able to make tighter turns. You can still call yourself a scroller because you do have to scroll out your original templates, although I can also make the same templates with a router bit and chuck the scrollsaw into the corner. Now cnc is going to really kick things up and save cash fast, because you eliminate the templates all together. You just program it all in the machine. You can maximize your lumber at the same time. This is why they make satellite TV, so you have something to do in between swapping out wood from the machine and changing the dust collector. There is opportunity out there for people that want to mass produce items that look hand crafted. I disagree that it be called hand crafted, although the end product could be original if you are the designer of it. You will make money, and you'll be able to attend more shows than most people can because you can maintain high inventory year round without needing to spend so much time in the manufacturing end.

So I conclude that the sanding drum is reinventing the wheel to be square.

[earlinjax]

I don't know if I would just dismiss these drums out of hand. They could prove useful at times. Let's say you are making several ornaments with a round (or really any shape). By spending the time to get the template or pattern as good as you want, you could quickly shape the rest of the blanks and they would all be as good. There are pattern bits for the router that work the same way and they are very handy.

Earl

[Chase]

[quote=workin for wood
The price of these drums is more than the cost of a good spiral upcut bit with a bearing on the bottom. [/QUOTE]

Jeff, I'm familiar with the flush trim bits I use for trimming laminate on kitchen tops. What is a spiral upcut bit? Who sell's them? Would they give a smoother finish to the formica? Is there any bevel? Do they come in different diameters to get into tight corners (my biggest problem on kitchen tops)?

Chase