OLD-TIMERS
SHOP
TOOLS FOR
MODELERS
By Bob Angel
samrcflier@verizon.net
Power Tools
If I were to choose a first or only power tool, it would be a good drill press. A bench-top model is adequate, but a floor model saves bench space and can often be stored in a handier spot in the workshop. A drill press does more than bore nicely aligned holes. By chucking up a tiny slitting saw on a mandrel, you can make precision elevator hinge slots in a neat, even row. Arbor-mounted, rotary-drum sanders are available in a variety of useful diameters. By setting the drill press to its highest speed, you have a reasonable alternative to a router. Attachments allow the press to double as a milling machine.
Next, I would suggest a scroll saw or Dremel-type saw. In the “good old days,” when kit parts were printed on balsa sheets, it would have been even more valuable, but the few types that were available then were often priced beyond an average young modeler’s budget. Today’s builders will still find them invaluable. With a little ingenuity, you can adapt them to make precise angle cuts, make strip wood from sheets, and even make tapered trailing edge stock.
A combination disc and belt sander could compete with the drill press for overall usefulness, but it makes lots of dust, so it’s a good idea to combine it with a shop vacuum. Most sanders have hose attachment ports for that purpose. An oversize art gum eraser is made to clean the moving sandpaper and reduces the frequency of disc and belt changes. Fellow columnist Thayer Syme reviewed the Ultimation Sander, a compact benchtop disc sander, in his July and September 2021 Model Aviation “Around the Patch” columns.
I recently bought a quarter-sheet handheld power sander for a non-modeling project. It’s called a quarter-sheet because you can cut four rectangular sheets from a standard-size 8-1/2 x 11-inch sheet of sandpaper and attach each, in turn, with clever little spring clips. Since then, I’ve used it for a select few modeling jobs. I don’t use it often because it’s quite aggressive. If you’re not careful, you can quickly sand through a sheet of balsa and out the other side, but if you need to sand away a lot of wood quickly, that’s the tool for it.
I put the Great Planes power planer in a similar category as the sander that I mentioned, although it is no longer available. It’s less aggressive but it does require some learning for the correct depth adjustment and smooth operation. I use it slightly more than the power sander and have also used it occasionally for non-modeling projects.
A rotary Dremel tool gets a lot of use by most modelers. I’ve had a heavy-duty Sears version for years and have added a few selected burrs, stones, rotary saws, etc. to the original accessories that came with it. In a recent trade deal, I picked up a big, fancy case full of approximately 250 little gadgets for these rotary tools. Frankly, I’ve seldom used them because they seem to be less useful versions of items that I already have, plus there are many useless duplicates, apparently tossed in just to raise the item count.
A benchtop grinder with different stone wheels on each end gets lots of use in fitting metal parts, tool sharpening, dressing down the ends of music wire, etc. After years of use, the stones can become grooved or out of round. There’s a special rotary stone dressing tool that looks like a spur. It’s made specifically for dressing the stones back to new and square condition. Incidentally, never grind soft metals such as aluminum because they will badly load up the stones.
I’ve had a small 6-inch Craftsman lathe for years. I use it occasionally, but I don’t specifically recommend a lathe unless you like to tinker with engines or occasionally make a custom part.
Another tool with a low usage/space ratio is a router. It works well, but I don’t often need it. I’d rather own a compact surface planer for equalizing the thickness of balsa sheets, which often vary from their stated metric or fractional sizes. My 10-inch table saw can do its job better than smaller equipment, but it also sees little usage because it produces so much dust and is a magnet for storing stuff.
Battery-Powered Tools
I’m not in the construction industry, and I’m not a great fan of battery-powered tools. We already spend way too much time charging, cycling, testing, and replacing batteries. Consider where and how you’re going to use a tool and whether a plug-in alternative would do just as well.
The most impractical battery-powered example I can think of is a hinge slotter (versus the 110-volt plug-in type). How often are you going to be doing that job, and where are you going to be doing it? The tool will probably lay in a drawer for months before being withdrawn for immediate action—with a dead battery. You’re unlikely to ever perform hinge slotting at the flying field, and you probably have an AC plug right at your workbench.
SOURCES:
Porter-Cable
www.portercable.com
Society of Antique Modelers (SAM)
www.antiquemodeler.org
Dremel
(800) 437-3635
https://shop.dremel.com
X-Acto
(800) 879-4868
www.xacto.com
