Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Proxxon KS230 Saw Table First Impressions

I have started to cut up the brass material for the water tank using the baby Proxxon saw table. The latter certainly has some limitations but it does make very straight cuts of sheet brass from the right size of "blank". Too large and the "blank" won't sit on the table and be guided, too small and one's fingers get rather too close to the cutting area (even with the guard in place it doesn't feel right). So, some planning is needed for preparing the larger sheets of brass into manageable pieces.

Cutting brass strip, on the other hand, is easy to do with the angle guide (so far only set at 90º).

I have used the longitudinal stop (fence in English speak) a few times but the screw attachment tends to move while being tightened, a case of measure, tighten, measure again. I think this is the weak link in the design.

Another feature I have yet to work out is how to lower the blade to cut a groove. This is supposed to be possible but there is nothing in the instructions to say how it is done. There is, of course, a much more versatile Proxxon saw table with lots of bells and whistles but this is £421, three times the price.

But, if the cutting is planned carefully, the table is a useful addition.
 

daifly

Western Thunderer
Proxxon KS230 Saw Table First Impressions
Another feature I have yet to work out is how to lower the blade to cut a groove. This is supposed to be possible but there is nothing in the instructions to say how it is done.
Paul
I don't know where you got this idea from.
Item 8 on the attached page from the KS230 manual explicitly says it is not to be used for grooving. notching or slitting!
Dave
 

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Focalplane

Western Thunderer
How interesting, a different set of instructions! I do understand that safety guides change with time and usually get more restrictive. However, the concept of being able to cut grooves using full size table saws is well established, when cutting dados, for example. The instructions do make it clear that kick backs will more likely occur if the splitting wedge is removed. So it looks as though I won't be lowering the saw blade, it would appear to be of fixed height.

My more important question right now, though, is how to adjust the splitting wedge to align with the saw blade so that kick backs are minimized or eliminated. Perhaps the section on doing that is in your instructions, Dave! It's not in mine though it is alluded to. I hope to visit Axminster Tools in Basingstoke before too long and maybe they can resolve these issues.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Thanks, Dave, the exploded diagram is a whole lot clearer that in what may be my EU multi-language version and although the adjustment is not specifically mentioned there does seem to be a way to align the splitting wedge (71) with the saw blade.

Screen Shot 2021-11-26 at 5.21.21 PM.png
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
The little Proxxon saw table just met his big brother, an Evolution Rage 5S. This is a newer model of the one I bought to build the framework for Moor Street in France and will mostly be used on home improvements, but its first job has been to cut some of the larger brass sheets for the water tank. The blade will cut almost anything up to and including mild steel which is vey handy. It joins the Evolution cross cut saw I bought a year ago and will be kept in the Motor House. I have no connection with Evolution except to say it is a British company with good products.

The wiring of the Motor House continues and we now have radiant heat to fight the cold weather. So the work table in the house will be dedicated to modelling and various buildings are on the agenda.

As well as the water tank brass I am now the owner of two Bearley West signal box laser kits from Rail Model which can, I hope, be combined and modified to be a close representation of the Moor Street signal box. The major difference is that Moor Street's upper floor was cantilevered to fit between the main line and the station approach, whereas Bearley West had no need to have "narrow hips". Other than that there are useful similarities and Andy Pearce has also modified the kit to have no ground floor windows and other details. Thank you, Andrew!

Ironically, the Moor Street box now has plenty of space due to the curvature of all the tracks, such that there is plenty of room for not narrowing the base. However I really do think the base should be narrower, otherwise it is not Moor Street! We'll see how that project moves forward.

Other scenic kits received in the mail are two water cranes for the platforms and a 5 ton crane for the good station yard, all three from Skytrex. Quite a lot of fettling needed on those white metal castings!

So if the "cinqieme vague" prevents me from returning to France in the new year, I do at least have plenty to do here.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
One water tank side riveted! Not perfect so will be the side away from the viewer. Some lines of rivets went down perfectly, others not so good. The process has also bent the sheet so a strengthener might have to be soldered on the inside.

06676699-05A3-4E8B-86A1-966611D5F358.jpeg

The vertical scored lines represent the panels with onlap rivets adjacent. The other rivets are from the Stratford tank and are presumably representing baffles within the larger tank.

Well it’s a start though it took quite a long time. I might try a paper go by on the other long side, as provided by Warren Shephard in his tender kits.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
The Rage 5S looks to be a great tool to have around. Portable too. Probably sounds daft when I say I'm too old to start investing in such tools, but it's a fact which is why I let the Proxxon pass. I used the lethal crosscut this afternoon to chop up a coach interior ~ that is once I got it going. It doesn't like damp weather anymore.
 

Stephen Freeman

Western Thunderer
Looking at the Proxxon I can't help but think that if I changed the blade on my Tilecutter it would do the same job at half the price. Mind you when it comes to a large number of rivets, there is much to commend Photoetching, you have the choice to have the rivets etched in or if you really prefer just have them dimpled. It would probably be quicker (not counting the 3 to 4 weeks waiting for the etches) and might even be cheaper.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
The Proxxon table saw certainly has its limitations. Would I recommend it? Probably not. It’s not so good on large pieces, while holding small pieces puts fingers too close to the blade. Cross cutting brass sections are easy to do, accurate and square (or mitred, etc.)

If the North Warwickshire water tank were to be a viable kit then, yes, etchings would be the way to go. With tabs, etc.!

The rivets on the tank supports will be drilled and filled with wire of a suitable diameter. I expect to use my Proxxon mill as a simple but accurate drill stand for this.
 
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Focalplane

Western Thunderer
An update

I am fast reaching a decision point on Moor Street. In the past two years, since the pandemic began, I have spent only 4 months in the "railway room with house attached" in France. This has dented my enthusiasm for modelling although it has allowed me to expand my retirement time into pre war car restoration here in England.

Now it would appear that Covid restrictions are being lifted, a new problem has arisen. It is a political problem, discussion of which I do realize is not welcome on WT. Brexit has essentially put restrictions on movement between Britain and France, the so called 90/180 day rule. On the face of it, this implies that I can still spend half a year in France, but it is not that simple. Our expectations for retirement have always been based on a freedom movement between the two countries. Whatever the political reason, the negotiated Brexit arrangement has resulted in a lot less freedom. The days that can be spent in the Schengen area of Europe are calculated backwards from the next expected arrival from Britain.

An online calculator provided by the EU is here. A better calculator is here, which at least allows the traveler to more easily work out a flexible plan of action. I should add that the penalties for exceeding a stay can be far reaching. For example, there is no allowance for an emergency once the 90 days have been reached. That could be catastrophic when considering the investment in a second home (i.e. storm damage) or an unexpected illness. An automatic fine is imposed and a sticker placed in the passport stating so. This is taken into negative consideration should a future application for full residence is made. A second infringement causes a much larger fiscal penalty to be enforced.

What is annoying for us is that we do not enjoy the high summer months, July and August, so have always tended to allot our time to the "shoulder months". Even so, in the past I have spent time during the winter and that was when I did the most modelling.

I still wish to continue with Moor Street, but as the recent lack of posts have shown, my mojo just isn't "in it". The time following our return in November was spent researching the water tank. I then worked up the design, ordered materials and, well, nothing much more has happened since. I haven't even ordered the ballast yet that is needed for when we return. I know that when I do return, the excitement should return, but at what level?
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Hi Paul, Sorry to read of your woes. I have long wondered about your Brummy Moor Street project, probably because I see you more as a Cambrian & Borders modeller. The latter is far more manageable particularly when taking into consideration our ages and the time it takes to achieve anything workable. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Unfortunately, the so-called oven-ready Brexit has joined the now familiar list of big ideas and nothing done!
 

simond

Western Thunderer
I can only sympathise. I am the beneficiary of having an Irish parent, and so still have free movement. My wife does not enjoy that luxury. It is extremely frustrating.

I could bang on at length about the considerable inconveniences and costs that it has created for the business I run too, but will save you all the rant. It's made exactly no difference to migration, and as far as I can see, the red tape has simply been replaced by dark blue, like the passports.

At risk of the post being deleted, it seems to me that the only thing that was oven ready was the turkey who promoted it.
 

Compton castle

Western Thunderer
I often find the longer it takes to do a project the less the enthusiasm seems to be, that’s probably why I pick small projects so they can be finished in a timely manner. I’ve always enjoyed seeming your updates though.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Larry, you may remember that the railway room started out with a Cambrian theme - Penmaenpool. I scrapped that because the timetable was limited, even when running SO trains on the summer timetable. Moor Street offered a number of attractions
  • I knew the station well from my youth
  • I could run Western plus a few Midland trains (particularly when the WCML was being electrified)
  • I could accommodate a circular layout to play trains
  • I could build the traversers and a wagon hoist as “extras”
Having two homes came about because the last ten years of my career were spent working under contract in francophone West Africa. When I finally retired at age 69 we decided to keep the French connection going, why ever not! And the space for an indoors 7mm scale layout was available. I could only repeat that in the UK as an outdoor garden layout, not the best of choices given the climate!

The 1935 Riley Kestrel project is moving along well, and will eventually be completed. I doubt if I will take on another lengthy car project, just maintenance and winter storage, so there will be an opportunity to take up Moor Street as a priority. I just need to have 36 hour days and the energy to use them!

I told myself to avoid discussing the politics but I do like the various “turkey” comments - made me chuckle!
 
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