hey. i was wondering if anyone here has the X-acto mitre box? I need to get one so that I can make square even cuts with the wood for the wooden kits that I've got. It does what I need it to do right now, because I have a mini-hacksaw that I use to cut the wood in my kits.
WHat i'm wondering is if the mini-hacksaw will be able to fit in the grooves with this mitre box? The hacksaw was a gift from my mom, so i'm GOING to use it, lol.
thanks
I'm not sure what you mean by mini-hacksaw. Did you mean razor saw?
If you meant an X-acto razor saw, these have a thick metal piece or strong back along the top to keep them straight. The saw blades come in two different heights. The strong back on the shorter blade keeps the blade from dropping down to the bottom of the groove on the mitre box, so you would not be able to cut through whatever it is you are trying to cut. Take a look at the saw blades shown in the following link and you can see what I'm talking about.
http://www.hobbysetcohio.com/xacblade.html
And just so you know, you will not get perfectly square cuts with the mitre box every time unless you use a little care. This is because the difference between the width of the saw blade and the width of the mitre box groove can allow the blade to wander a bit. As long as you keep the blade against one side or the other of the groove front to back while you are cutting you should be pretty much okay.
The Xacto mitre box works with any saw that has a fairly narrow kerf. If that "hack saw" you refer to has a wide kerf (the teeth push out to either side creating the total kerf or width of cut) you might have the teeth hitting the metal of the mitre box which does neither the box nor the blade any good. It is probably a matter of choosing a different blade for the saw. I use my X acto mitre box with Zona and Xacto saws and it works fine.
Dave Nelson
i don't have the label anymore, but it IS a hack saw. Its just small. Its made by Stanley.
THAT.
DeadheadGreg wrote:i don't have the label anymore, but it IS a hack saw. Its just small. Its made by Stanley. THAT.
Because the forward supporting arm is at the center of the blade you will find this saw doesn't work with a miter box. The cut will probably be too rough for strip wood also. I recommend you get Xactos's saw and use it.
Good luck
Paul
Here is the saw that works with the Xacto mitre box:
http://www.buyhardwaresupplies.com/?t=5&m=g1&itemNumber=28664
Some hobby stores carry an equivalent product by another manufacturer that costs slightly less. In the case of the other brand (whose name I can't remember and don't find stamped on my saw or mitre box) you can buy the saw and mitre box together or separately. I'm not sure if Xacto offers them bundled.
Best!
DeadheadGreg wrote: i don't have the label anymore, but it IS a hack saw. Its just small. Its made by Stanley. THAT.
I have one like that. In addition to the blade beyond the end support being somewhat "whippy" the other and perhaps bigger problem is that you likely won't be able to get the blade all the way down to the bottom of the mitre box due to the handle pieces interfering. What I have done with a saw that has an upper lip that interferes, is to place the work, the piece to be cut, on top of a piece of homasote to build it up in height to where the saw blade can reach it. I think you'll need to do something similar if you try to use this saw with an Xacto mitre box. It will not be ideal in any event.