Scan N Cut SDX 125

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

In May of this year, Ben Lake produced a video of cutting caboose sides using the Brother SDX 125 Scan N Cut. It looks promising but I’m not typically an “innovator;” I kind of like to wait & see what kind of experience others have had.

I’m sitting on the fence on this one. But matters are complicated because Brother won’t tell me if the machine will indeed cut styrene sheets nor will they give me any info on cutting tolerances. If I was to get one, I’d be using it to cut building sides and openings for Tichy windows & doors. Even a slight variance with the cuts and the windows & doors just might fall right through the openings. :frowning:

Here’s the link to the video… http://mrr.trains.com/news-reviews/staff-reviews/2019/05/sponsored-product-review-brother-scanncut-dx-sdx125e-craft-cutter

So… has anyone actually used one of these to cut sheet styrene like Evergreen Styrene novelty siding, etc? If so, what are your thoughts/impressions?

Thanks.

dlm

2

I’ve watched the video, but not used the machine, nor am I likely to use it.

It may be useful for more complex shapes, like the wood cut-out done near the end of the video, and perhaps for doing multiples of the same part, but for scratchbuilding rolling stock, structures, and similar items, an X-Acto or utility knife, along with a machinist’s square and a straight edge would likely be just as easy and just as fast, without the cash outlay for the cutter.

Wayne

3

I’m kind of with Wayne on this.

My mom and sister went together and bought a Cricut for scrapbooking. I really wasn’t impressed at all with it. I think the Brother machine is along the same lines. I think for around the same money you’d be better off buying one of the Ebay K40 made in China lasers.

4

It’s been discussed

5

Making cuts in styrene dulls blades fairly quickly, but it’s easy to hone them, either on an oilstone or fine-grit sandpaper.
My X-Acto #11 blades have a pretty long life cycle, first for cutting out decals, and then for trimming away excess film from them. All of these tasks are done on a hard surface, usually glass or metal…which also dulls the blade somewhat.

They’re then used for cutting styrene. Often, the tip of the blade will break off - that’s when I downgrade their use to scoring or cutting metal - usually thin brass or aluminum.
The next use is for cutting wire, using the heel of the blade (during all of these operations, the blade gets touched-up as required). Small diameter brass and phosphor-bronze wire can be cut with a single chopping motion, while similar-size steel and stainless steel wire benefits from being rolled several times, using pressure on the blade - it can then be manually flexed to break-off the required section.

Cutting wire usually causes rough edges in the blade, often too deep to be honed out, and by this stage it’s not something to worry about.

The process is similar for larger diameter brass and phosphor-bronze wire, and also works on brass and aluminum tubing, the latter items requiring complete cut-through by the rolling operation, then some touch-up with a file.

All of these uses take a toll on the blade, but if the blade’s tip is still intact, it’s useful for applying small amounts of ca to hard-to-reach areas, like the inside of a car or locomotive, when securing metal grabirons from the inside. Used in the X-Acto handle, it also allows greater reach for such tasks.

When the tip is gone and the blade’s edge pretty-well destroyed from cutting wire, it’s still useful for mixing and applying epoxy and other fillers. For these jobs I use it both in the handle and simply held between thumb and forefinger.

Except for the ca application described