TexasCHLforum.com

I have made a few........
How do most of you do the final trim? Dremel...scrolls saw.....band saw?
I've been using my dremel but it makes a huge mess and can be pain on the different contours.
If you use a dremel, what bit/cutter do you use?

I found tin snips cut Kydex rather well. Then just use a sanding drum on a dremel to clean it up,finish with fine sandpaper. Snips make it easy to follow the contours.

I trim using a bandsaw and finish shaping using a 2x72" grinder. Of course, I make knives as a hobby, so I have all the equipment already. My grinders are variable speed, so slowing it down helps decrease the mess. Dremels just melt the stuff if you go at high speed. FWIW, kydex hand sands really well for edge cleanup.

--nathan

I use a band saw and belt sander for the strait edge, and dremel for intricate curves.

So it looks like everyone uses different methods. I can't decide if I want to get a scroll saw or band saw.

I got both a scroll saw and band saw, but I prefer the band saw because its a bit smoother with cutting. The upward motion on the scroll saw makes it kind of choppy for me when I don't have the kydex pressed down on the flat surface. It's difficult to hold it down flat when the kydex has been pressed.

Makes sense to me

I agree 100% with ARblitz. I have used a scroll saw in the past as well, but now I only use the band saw. The scroll saw works ok on flat pieces that you can really press to the table, but after you've shaped it, it can be very choppy as you can't keep it flat.

In the final trimming of the Kydex, I use a pair of tin snips to make final cuts, as in the 2 sides are already riveted together. Belt sander to smooth the edges or round them out. Wet sand the edges to smooth them out after the belt sander. I make Kydex holsters & knife sheaths.