Hi everyone, I just bought a used Nomad 883 (not the Pro) from Skeletonx. I intend to go through all the tutorials and relevant forum posts. But my 1st question is this: I have a great Polymax Hegner scroll saw, so does it make sense to cut the basic shape/contour of a part with the scroll saw and then have the Nomad do the finer 3d stuff? It seems to me like It’d save some time on finishing some pieces. Any thoughts or things I should have in mind?
Thanks!
Interesting idea — I’d worry about getting the geometry accurate enough to not break an endmill — but the scroll saw is probably well-suited to breaking down stock to fit in either the low profile vise, or the flip jig (I use my Shapeoko for that, but have been tempted to break out the bandsaw sometimes).
It might be easier to do the carving first then use the bandsaw to cut the shape out.
Depends on the design you are working with. A saw can remove a lot more material in a short time than the Nomad since it doesn’t turn it into chips. But the concerns mentioned by WillAdams will get you is you are not careful. I would also have questions about workholding, depending on the premachining work you do.
For some things I do saw to close profile, for others, I machine first, then saw off waste. Sometimes both. It really depends on the application.