you make x-acto sound like they only have one product.

I was looking for x-acto blades online and found this...



you may want to add steel-tip boots

The Chopper - for cutting bass wood sticks.

Laser cutter. But don't use it to cut everything. Use it only when you need it.

cuervo is right

coming from a model building background i will list what will help the students

machinist squares..... these are basically 90 degree angles/blocks that machinest use to square up the blades/tools/etc...good to use for walls/weights/etc

the chopper... decent but you need to watch the blade and sometimes it leaves an angle on the end

small triangles for cutting chip

metal 12" ruler/cutting edge

dremel.... comes in handy for putting posts into sites and sanding small pieces...can also cut metal/brass/aluminum/copper/fiberglass/etc with it... get the reinforced cutoff wheels and not the small cheap ones

medium sized cutting mat.... the large ones are a pain to find space



for shop tools and those that want to drop a few duckets

mini table saw.... micromark mini is great...i have it and use it for alot of small things

bench top drill press

belt sander




then you can get into
table saws
grinders
welders
panal saws
etc.......

look at micromark.com for tools and cool stuff

rubber bands, binder clips, drafting dots, drafting tape, sobo glue, 3M double sided tape, Zap A Gap, Zip Kicker

blue tape.... not the brown masking...

duco cement is great... clear when dried and shrinks a bit

weld-on 3 for acrylics and use brushes..it's a solvent
weld-on 16 for heavy acrylic gluing....more of a glue

something to protect you from dust (saw dust, acrylic dust, gatorboard dust...) and from fumes (solvents, paint, etc).

I suggest staying nontoxic in your model building. Stick to chipboard, basswood, and Elmer's.

small clamps
tweezers, preferably the reversed kind where the default setting is closed and you squeeze to open them
dremel!
rabbit cutter

1 - something to put it all in (tackle box)
2 - glue syringe for getting in tight places
3 - soldering iron
4 - small hand held fan (nothing worse than trying to blow some crap off your model and accidently spitting on it)
5 - band-aids
6 - small magnets

insurance...

a group of Turks...they are really good at building models

balsa cutter and zappa-gap (quick setting balsa glue)

& good light for tired eyes :-)

laser cutter. a lot at work.

ummm, who the heck uses balsa wood?

odd that no said these

1. glue gun (small ones work better - make sure it has a kick stand)
2. white acrylic paint (all white models, and for texture)
3. clear silicone (you'd be surprised how much of a life saver this can be)
4. saw attachment for x-acto with mitre box******
5. bird beak pliers
6. buy a white glue (test it in small bottles first) at least 1 litre (buy 3)
7. wood carving set (x-acto makes one of these too)
8. mini lightwieght clamps (angled ones too)

if you buy anything at all...number 4 is what you get, worth every penny

also a good note...buy the things first before you buy a tackle box...

go here

Lots of those compressed air canisters meant for cleaning off your keyboard and computer. When you're using hot glue, turn the canister upside down and spray the hot glue with a blast of freezing air, sets it faster than zip kicker.

Exceptionally wasteful but once you've tried it you can never go back.

also great for burning your friends

i heard that's a gehry model shop technique...

they use hot glue and carpet...seriously.

That tool that cuts Foamboard at 45 degree angles to give you some sharp corners... sorry I dont know the name, but its really handy if you work with a lot of foamboard.

matte cutter?

rabbits are better. They slice away the foam on one edge of the foamcore, to the thickness of foamcore, so that when you put the two edges together, the paper from that edge covers up the nasty edge of the other piece.

i second the machinist squares. they helped produce some top noch models

Yup the Matte Cutter! Dont know why that escaped my head.

Here is a mini cut off saw that I thought was useful. For $20 you cant go wrong. Great for those thicker pieces. Just be careful, one of the students here almost cut their finger off!

this has the angle bed.... a bit up there in price but you get what you pay for

get this and you are all set...plus a few extra blades

stereo litho printer

3d lith is cool but you need to oversize a bit to allow for sanding it smooth...can always skim coat then sand...

:

without a doubt I'd recommend a bandsaw. 14" is fine, you can always buy a riser block for it. I've found anything smaller doesn't have the clearance you'll be looking for when doing massing models. I've always liked Deltas, but Grizzly, Powermatic, and Jet will do you fine.

the Hegner MK4is a good all-in-one tool that might be worth picking up for smaller model work if you don't have the space for larger machinery. We have one at the shop I run but its in storage. It takes metric blades I believe.

that hegner is wicked...... might have to put that on the list...haha...

if you are worried about sanding and dust, you can make a down draft table with a peg board top and a shop vac port on the side......

I feel slightly left out with all this talk of x-acto's-it seems from browsing a few related threads they constitute another highly-prized limb for many US students...help a brit understand...what is this tool of which you speak?

James,
do worry, the x-acto is just a glorified scapel used for craft & model making. But they've created a decent product with about 1001 attachments to keep us busy all day long (yet we always refer to the #04 blade)

Ahhh, I see...


Look at all those sharp bits...

one of my favorite attachment for cutting 1/2" +- diameter wood dowels is the saw...

wow dammson, that looks like some sort of shive or shank found in some Max Security Lockdown.

LOL

It's good to have 12", 24" and 36"...and in original silver anodized



The small 2oz bottles with a shaved point for precision...or a pin


"get to the choppah!"

...and the ultimate...

One note about using aluminium rullers...if you use them to cut, you will eventually scrape away at the aluminium, giving you a curved line

confu-shush say.... proper blade technique vital to serious cut style...


bow down

never make models at night

inspect your tools before undertaking any new project

consider what you want your model to look like (2nd option too) before commencing

aquino - great predator reference - i just busted out in a full blown gut laugh, almost spitting coffee all over my screen

I didn't think anyone would get it...

"Do it! Do it! Come on. Come on! Kill me! I'm here!"

"Stick around"

this company is the alpha and the omega when it comes to model tools, don't be fooled by the imitators....



http://www.micromark.com/


check em out and get a catalogue. if i had known about this place when i was in school, i would have been broke, uh wait, that is more broke.

sorry, cryz...did not see your link.

micro has some good stuff....

also go to production tool if one is close by..... for index/numbered drill bits.... i.e. 1/8 styrene tube isnt 1/8" etc.....

go to the hardware stores to find the small 6" metal rules with 1/64" marks... and they usually have the open bins with the small plastic/metal clamps...... autoparts stores usually has a bin of clamps also...

go to a fabric store for glue

craft stores for glue and basswood or if you plan on using alot in studio, just buy in bulk

plastic stores to get styrene sheets in 4'x8'...i.e. laird plastics

smaller hardware stoes carry krylon paints...... dont spray rustoleaum over krylon...it will bubble...... but you can paint kry over rust once the base coat dries...

i hate that plastic fusion paint by krylon also...looks tooo shiney

no one uses hot wire foam cutters?
we went through foam models like it was nobody's business.

ahh we are also forgetting grubs and minions to make the mundane objects like trees, scaled cars, skirting, windows, rafters, etc etc