kevin
New Member
Posts: 15 
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Post by kevin on Apr 5, 2017 6:44:48 GMT -5
Hi there,
I'm seriously considering getting an Erika 85 but could do with a little advice first. I'm an instrument maker, mainly violins, cellos and double basses and have avoided the need of a table saw up until now. But I've started making harps and a table saw is very useful for quite a few parts. I managed to complete my first one with just my little Inca Compact but if the harp sells and I get an order for more I'll definitely invest in a more substantial table saw to speed up the process.
I'd need a table saw for 2 vital parts of the harp: cutting a 'mitre' joint in 2" thick hardwood roughly 7" in length, and ripping a 10* bevel on 4' long x 1/4" thick staves, that make up a sort of tapered barrel-like soundbox. Also the ability to rip the 1/4" thick staves from a slab would be benificial but I can also do this on my bandsaw.
Accuracy and a clean finish on the cut are my two priorities. I also appreciate a well made tool.
I have considered getting the new Festool Kapex 60 for the mitred cut and rigging up my Inca for the long rips but it's so small and the table tilts (not the blade) making it very awkward. Alternatively I could buy a heavy cabinet saw but the Erika has the advantages of portability, works off a domestic 13A plug, and is European made. I can't find anything else that ticks those boxes...
I've had 4 different workshops in as many years (putting the 'journey' in journeyman!) and see myself moving again in another year or two. If I can avoid lumbering myself with a lump of cast iron it would be great.
This has turned into a bit of an essay, sorry about that, I just wanted to give as much background as I could... So do many people use these saws as purely a workshop saw or should I just bite the bullet and buy a second hand Wadkin or Hammer K3?
Thanks!
Kevin
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kevin
New Member
Posts: 15
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Post by kevin on Apr 5, 2017 6:49:42 GMT -5
To give an idea of the kind of instrument I'm talking about here's a photo of the harp, the staves are the long triangular sections that make up the sort of tapered barrel-like soundbox I mentioned. The whole thing is just over 4' tall Attachments:
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Post by kraftt on Apr 5, 2017 8:43:02 GMT -5
dude.
That's insane.
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mattj
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by mattj on Apr 5, 2017 15:02:42 GMT -5
Yeah, sorry I can't chime in on how the Erika might suit your needs, but how about some more photos of your shop and work? Got a website?
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Post by charley1968 on Apr 5, 2017 16:29:24 GMT -5
An alternative might be the CMS from Festool. The TS 75 ought to give you suffcient depth at 45 deg. and they got a good router insert as well. Kind of a Swiss-Army-Knife option..
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Post by holmz on Apr 5, 2017 18:06:32 GMT -5
Nice kevinWhere abouts are you? Some sled(s) for holding the taper may be needed. |
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Post by erik on Apr 5, 2017 20:43:01 GMT -5
Hey Kevin, I've used my Erika 70 (120v) to crosscut 4/4 white oak without issue. Ripping 10' lengths with a fine tooth blade was an issue. At 7", depending on type of wood, you should be able to achieve a nice miter. I would not use the pull function for this cut, I would prefer the slider but that's just user comfort and strictness of movement being considered. I prefer to control the the slider from above with a comfortable posture. Take note, that is a pricey add-on, but worth it for my type of work.
For the bevel cut, I think at a 1/4 inch thickness, you should have no problems achieving a nice cut with some properly oriented pressure boards. Re-sawing can be done but you'll eat away more wood and you may need to do two passes.
An alternative thought would be to go with the kss 80 for the miter cut-it less expensive and has plenty of power to perform but may lack a bit of accuracy. Maybe add a shooting plane to dial-in on the miter, since it seems you may already own one. And for the bevel, you could always employ a router table with pressure boards for glue ready cut.
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Post by erik on Apr 5, 2017 20:43:37 GMT -5
And nice work
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Post by jonathan on Apr 6, 2017 9:08:06 GMT -5
Hi Kevin, I can see you've already been doing some research  The Erika & entry Hammer table saws would be my choices as well. I ended up with an Erika and although it's not perfect I am happy with it and would buy again and recommend. I believe it would also be the perfect choice for your work. The Erika is powerful enough to handle larger hardwoods with ease, but where it really shines is the long pull function that allows you to make intricate cuts on small pieces that are otherwise very difficult and dangerous to perform on other table saws. For the type of work you do I would think that will really come in handy on a lot of occasions. You also stated that you seem to move shops a lot and the Erika is a portable saw. It's also very very stable with the ingenious foot pedal switch to level it in a single second. The Hammer will be a tad more precise, but the Erika gives you a lot more useability and options in terms of functionality, expandability with addons, portability and I think it suits the kind of cuts your require far better than a more traditional table saw. It's very expensive, but no need to doubt it, it'll serve you very well and it'll last you a lifetime. Just get an Erika 85. Some advice, one of the things I'm not happy with on the Erika, is the dust collection with a mobile dust extractor like say a Festool, Bosch, Mafell... So either buy 1 Oneida Dust Cobra or 2 seperate dust extractors to hook up to the back of the saw as well as the blade shroud! Configured like that dust collection is really very good! |
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Post by holmz on Apr 6, 2017 19:49:10 GMT -5
I am getting one in 2 weeks..
Now if you use the cross cut it seems worthwhile (sayeth he who hath no Han's on experience).
If you were making Many parts, and had a sled and a saw with the 3/4" slots in the cast iron for the sled to repeatedly slid in,.. Then that may be better.
One could also have a half-sled of sorts that used the rail and presented one side of a part to be cut.
Seems like jigs could be more of a need, but I am only guessing... Looks like you would know best based upon the picture of the harp.
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kevin
New Member
Posts: 15
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Post by kevin on Apr 7, 2017 11:18:13 GMT -5
Hi lads, thanks for all the replies! There's not actually a huge amount of parts in these instruments so a lot of repetitive cuts aren't really high priority. And yes, a jig a few inches longer than the 4' stave is what I'll be using for the beveling. Is it necessary to get the rip fence for this do you think or will the MFA do the job? (I can live without fine adjustment for now I reckon) I actually just got a Festool TS75 yesterday for processing the 8/4 slabs, but the CMS table looks a bit clunky and haven't heard great things about it. Plus it wouldn't be a cheap experiment. Do you get more accuracy with the sliding table than the pull-cut? So does the sliding table have a more stable travel? The thing with using a router table for the bevel is that some harps will have a 10 stave back (like this one) but I plan on trying 7 stave backs and a few other configurations so the variability of the table saw would be better. But it's an interesting thought, and I might try it anyway... I'm based in Wicklow in Ireland (just south of Dublin) and I have a website but it's buried in the depths of the internet... I don't ever update it and will delete when I get around to it. Most of my work is word-of-mouth anyway. I do have a facebook page that I update the odd time: www.facebook.com/HarringtonViolins/?ref=bookmarks. There's a few photos of the workshop there that I'm currently right in the middle of moving out of (hence not being online much). I'm moving to a bigger, but darker and colder workshop. It just got too cramped here... |
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Post by holmz on Apr 7, 2017 19:00:45 GMT -5
Hi lads, thanks for all the replies! There's not actually a huge amount of parts in these instruments so a lot of repetitive cuts aren't really high priority. And yes, a jig a few inches longer than the 4' stave is what I'll be using for the beveling. Is it necessary to get the rip fence for this do you think or will the MFA do the job? (I can live without fine adjustment for now I reckon) I actually just got a Festool TS75 yesterday for processing the 8/4 slabs, but the CMS table looks a bit clunky and haven't heard great things about it. Plus it wouldn't be a cheap experiment. Do you get more accuracy with the sliding table than the pull-cut? So does the sliding table have a more stable travel? The thing with using a router table for the bevel is that some harps will have a 10 stave back (like this one) but I plan on trying 7 stave backs and a few other configurations so the variability of the table saw would be better. But it's an interesting thought, and I might try it anyway... I'm based in Wicklow in Ireland (just south of Dublin) and I have a website but it's buried in the depths of the internet... I don't ever update it and will delete when I get around to it. Most of my work is word-of-mouth anyway. I do have a facebook page that I update the odd time: www.facebook.com/HarringtonViolins/?ref=bookmarks. There's a few photos of the workshop there that I'm currently right in the middle of moving out of (hence not being online much). I'm moving to a bigger, but darker and colder workshop. It just got too cramped here.. I contemplated the CMS, but not for long. There is a thread on mounting an Incra fence to the Erika, which you probably do not need. you may want some LED or other lights for the workshop. |
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kevin
New Member
Posts: 15
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Post by kevin on Apr 10, 2017 7:03:26 GMT -5
Yeah I think you're right about those LED lights. I got a 9W replacement LED bulb for the bathroom at home thinking it'd give off an easy 'soft' light but it's like turning on a bloody lighthouse there now ! |
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Post by holmz on Apr 10, 2017 7:55:56 GMT -5
No excuse for missing the bowl now...
You want to see just as well in a shop too.
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Post by rizzoa13 on Apr 11, 2017 20:33:26 GMT -5
Hi lads, thanks for all the replies! There's not actually a huge amount of parts in these instruments so a lot of repetitive cuts aren't really high priority. And yes, a jig a few inches longer than the 4' stave is what I'll be using for the beveling. Is it necessary to get the rip fence for this do you think or will the MFA do the job? (I can live without fine adjustment for now I reckon) I actually just got a Festool TS75 yesterday for processing the 8/4 slabs, but the CMS table looks a bit clunky and haven't heard great things about it. Plus it wouldn't be a cheap experiment. Do you get more accuracy with the sliding table than the pull-cut? So does the sliding table have a more stable travel? The thing with using a router table for the bevel is that some harps will have a 10 stave back (like this one) but I plan on trying 7 stave backs and a few other configurations so the variability of the table saw would be better. But it's an interesting thought, and I might try it anyway... I'm based in Wicklow in Ireland (just south of Dublin) and I have a website but it's buried in the depths of the internet... I don't ever update it and will delete when I get around to it. Most of my work is word-of-mouth anyway. I do have a facebook page that I update the odd time: www.facebook.com/HarringtonViolins/?ref=bookmarks. There's a few photos of the workshop there that I'm currently right in the middle of moving out of (hence not being online much). I'm moving to a bigger, but darker and colder workshop. It just got too cramped here.. I contemplated the CMS, but not for long. There is a thread on mounting an Incra fence to the Erika, which you probably do not need. you may want some LED or other lights for the workshop. No you definately NEED the incra fence. Takes me an extra 2 minutes to set up and is ridiculously more accurate. Plus I get like 32" of rip capacity with even the smaller incra setup. |
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