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If anyone has either one of these saws I am looking for reviews, comments and suggestions....

I am thinking about making my own purflings -I know you can use a band saw, but this is better.

I am sure I can find many other uses for it as well

Thanks in advance

Brad--

I used to own the Proxxon. I have not owned or used the Micro-Mark, but it sure looks like it is made in the same place as the Proxxon.

The Proxxon felt underpowered and not as precise as I would like. This led to unsatisfactory results, in my view. The wood I fed through it chipped, the machine bogged down, etc. Not fun.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to buy a used Byrnes table saw. It is exactly what you are looking for. But, Jim Byrnes died, and these are not made any more. On the used market, the prices are pretty insane now.

If you have to choose between the Proxxon and the Micro-Mark, I think it is a bit of a toss up. Like I said, they look to be made in the same place.

Another option is to use small blades on your regular table saw, or on a jobsite saw that has a reputation for better precision. The Festool jobsite saw is a possibility, but those are really expensive, too.

UPDATE: Out of curiosity, I looked at the Byrnes website. They seem to be selling accessories, but it is unclear whether they are selling the saws themselves. It could be worth an e-mail to them, to see whether they are selling saws again. This would be my top pick for anyone thinking about a small table saw like this. The Byrnes is head and shoulders above the rest.

Don,
For what purpose do you use your Byrnes? I bought one before Jim died (impulse buy) but have never used it.

Tom--

It is really good for precise small stuff. My most recent use of it was when I needed to cut blanks for a large number (a dozen) of rosewood ukulele bridges. It excels at cutting veneers for custom purflings that I glue up. If you look here on the OLF, I have a "blade capture" jig that I used to use on my full sized table saw, outfitted with the StewMac fret slotting blade. It works great, but having to reach over the whole table saw to feed the veneers is a hassle. This process goes much easier on the Byrnes, because it is just as precise as my large table saw, but the table is much smaller. Also, once I glue up the veneers into small logs, I can rip and cross-cut the logs much easier on the Byrnes than on my large table saw. Really, anything that is small goes a lot easier and is very precise on this saw. Cutting tail wedges, headplates, binding, bits and pieces for rosettes, all of that. For me, if the wood is 1/2" thick or less, and not that long, and I need a straight cut with little to no cleanup, the Byrnes does the job. It can technically handle wood up to 15/16" thick, but I don't push my luck. Plus, the table is not huge, so for longer and thicker pieces, my regular table saw is a better tool.

If you are not using your Byrnes saw, I bet there are a number of OLF members who would love to buy it from you!

Brad,

one look at the Proxxon gives the impression the fence is junk...Amazon reviews seem to confirm this

all I see at Micro-mark is the option to pre-order which leads me to think they have discontinued another model and are preparing to release something new (or only build them in batches), and of the 2 options I see the tilt arbor version seems to look good as far as the fence system goes, the cheaper one having a half length fence which raises red flags afaic...as far as comparing to something like a table top more full sized saw the price of the tilt arbor version at $350 is cheap, though I for one would have issues just pre-ordering one sight unseen.

over the 40+ years I've been hacking away at various materials I can say for sure the quality of tools in general has done nothing but gone downhill for anything that's mass produced as opposed to some boutique items from places like Elevate which are of high quality and built to not only work properly but also last

I have the Proxxon FET but only use it for fret slotting with custom made slitting saws blades and a custom reducer.
Not sure but I think Haans used one for his custom purflings.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Yes Haans used the Proxon and it worked for him.He sold me a set of purfling sections that he cut on it and they were really accurate and clean.

I'd agree with much of what has been said. I've seen both the proxxon and the micro mark and neither made me want one.

I make all my own purfs and they cut fine on my table saw running a 7 1/4" Diablo 60 tooth blade and a zero clearance insert. That blade takes a roughly 1/16 kerf.
I also made a set of stiffeners to run 1" bore blades and that opens up a whole other world of thin blades, although I primarily use those for fret slotting.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

I might try that-I have mostly Forrest blades that are much thicker. I do have the nice Forrest stiffeners I use with my .022" fret slotting blade.

FWIW I also make purflings using my fret slotting blade and a zero clearance insert on my DeWalt job site saw. I will either

A) Buy rolls of veneer from a place like Windsor, cut to length with a box cutter, then slice individual purfling out, or…

B) Cut slightly oversized pieces from the sides and trim to size on the drum sander.

It tends to smoke after a bit and you need to scrape the gunk off the blade and from the gullets, but, I tend to do operation A only once in a while, just buckle down and cut purflings for a few hours and make enough for a year, and B only once a guitar.

I am talking about making marquetry purfling.....

I bought a Proxxon for thin kerf veneer cutting and making rosette tiles. Probably the worst tool I ever bought. The fence is junk. I liked the idea of the tilting blade (which the Byrnes machine didn't have), but without a precision fence it's pointless. I get much better precision and less hassle by clamping a fence to my fret slotting saw (basically a DIY rig). And then there is finding decent blades for it...etc. etc.. It has all sorts of problems.

I can usually get most machines to perform at least decently, but honestly, this is just expensive junk.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

As others have said, the Byrne's tablesaw is a different animal by leaps and bounds over the Micro-Mark or Proxxon. Not a piece of plastic on it and machined by Jim Byrnes (RIP). Very precise with an excellent fence. I have the sliding table and tilting table for it for cutting angles. I was lucky to have picked this up locally a few years ago for $150 with accessories and use 4" Tenyru blades most of the time. Used ones are now being sold for crazy prices. I see one on eBay right now with a buy it now price of ~$5000.

If I were looking, I'd be looking at something like this - https://www.ebay.com/itm/305867467600?

All the important stuff is there and with a little modding it would make a great small saw for a luth shop. If I had any more space I'd jump on it just for the sake of a small accurate saw.

Another option could be a small but quality "skill" saw or tile saw mounted under a home brew table top.

My first table saw was made from a kit of hardware "Gilliom MFG" Gill-Built kits. The saw was was mostly wood with the hardware they provided. It was as good as you made it. They were great tools and a way for a young "kid" to get started in woodworking. I just read Gilliom is still in business.

I built their 10" T-Saw, Stationary belt sander and lathe.

Another option is what they call a printing press saw. I saw one a couple years ago and was VERY impressed with the quality and micrometer fence adjustment. No blade angle adj and mostly designed for very accurate ripping (from memory). I was tempted but let it go. I think it was purpose designed to cut spacers between letter type but that's just a guess. Tell us what you end up with.

Gilliom Manufacturing Inc
500 Boones Lick Rd
Saint Charles, MO 63301
(636) 724-1812

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

Yes! But good luck getting hold of one these days. I've been looking on and off for ~ 20 years. They come in quite a few different geometries. The type I was after had the whole table slide on steel balls running in V grooves (basically a cross-cut saw for typesetters). This sort of machine was ideal for converting to a fret slotting saw, but no doubt it could be modified to do other stuff as well.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au