Cutting rods, tubes and sheets

Cutting sheet is best done with a sharp knife and a straight edge. Score, then snap.

For cutting other stock, I use a tool called a Chopper. One real benefit of that tool is that the length of the cut piece can be set up with a "fence". So you get a whole batch of parts that are all nearly exactly the same length.

GM,

Do you know the manufacturer of this chopper? I'm quite interested in one.

It's made by Northwest Shortline, an old name in model railroading.

There are a number of models. I have the basic one which suits me fine.

http://www.enginehouseservices.com/products/The-Chopper-__-Wood%7B47%7DStyrene-Cutter-_-NORTHWEST-SHORT-LINE.html

They get fancy...

https://www.dallasmodelworks.com/products/productDetail.asp?ItemNumber=NW-82439

I use one of these:

http://www.zonatool.net/shop/zona-razor-saws-miter-boxes/mini-miter-box/

Either with a razor saw or if the material I'm cutting is thin enough, with a  razor blade using the slots as a guide.

I bought X-Acto's miter box, for getting true cuts on styrene stock, but I found that the box was too deep for me to use X-Acto's own razor saws.  The spine on the back of the blade prevents the blade from reaching to the bottom of the box.  I worked around this by cutting a piece of pine stock to fit in the box to about half the depth, and then I could cut with the razor saws.

For cutting styrene sheet, I use a long metal straight edge, and usually, just a Nr. 11 blade, sometimes a Nr. 2.

Hi;

   Like " G " Morrison I use the " Chopper ' By Northwest Shortline . I have both models so I gave one to my adopted son and he loves it . I have the " Chopper Two " and the only difference in them is a fancier base and cutting surface .

 For more than twenty years they have been my work surface go to's for equal length cut offs . Now as for sheet of any kind a Cutter made for Lexan works perfect . It has been in my drawer for about thirty years and ain't dull yet .

 If you can't find one you can use the Number two X-Acto handle and a curved blade knife .Ot the back of a number 11 blade and a steel straightedge !  T.B. 

For thin wall brass and alum. tube I use an old #11 blade and roll it back and forth over a flat hard surface.

MailDude, i just ordered this http://www.micromark.com/chop-it-xl,12013.html & this http://www.micromark.com/wood-strip-cutter,6625.html from micromark. i already have the chopper 2 from nwsl but needed a longer cutting base to cut longer strips to length that the chopper 2 can't give me. the wood strip cutter will allow me to cut plastic strips repetitively to the same width.

GMorrison

It's made by Northwest Shortline, an old name in model railroading.

 

There are a number of models. I have the basic one which suits me fine.

http://www.enginehouseservices.com/products/The-Chopper-__-Wood%7B47%7DStyrene-Cutter-_-NORTHWEST-SHORT-LINE.html

They get fancy...

https://www.dallasmodelworks.com/products/productDetail.asp?ItemNumber=NW-82439

 

Thanks for the links 

Don't forget, there is a Techniques forum down in the Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials section.  It is seeing low traffic recently, and we need more questions like this down in that forum to build up the participation again.

In fact, it is a good idea to look through the whole list of forums periodically.  New forums are added every once in awhile.  There may be a new one you'd like to check out.

For round stock in plastic, brass, copper, steel, etc. I use a small tubing cutter. I picked it up at the hardware store. It's made for cutting copper tubing 1/2" diamter or less. Works great and was very inexpensive.

I find small diameter stuff breaks cleanly after scoring with an X-acto.  However, the larger tubes (styrene, brass, aluminum) may tend to squish down at the bend. I keep some rods with a size that matches the ID of the tubes I use the most, and inserting two rods up to near the scribe area helps the tube break cleanly with far less squishing.

Wolfman_63

For round stock in plastic, brass, copper, steel, etc. I use a small tubing cutter. I picked it up at the hardware store. It's made for cutting copper tubing 1/2" diamter or less. Works great and was very inexpensive.

 

That reminds me of a diorama tip:

Wilton Cake Decorating supplies include plastic (styrene, as far as I know) fluted columns, for use in stacking layers of wedding cakes and the like.  These columns are also useful in dioramas, but they are cast (extruded) in a single piece.  If you want to add the seams between the stacked sections of the column, a pipe-cutter like that one is useful for scoring them at the necessary intervals.