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I own the Chopper II, it is a very well made and accurate tool. I've heard nothing but bad things about the Chopper I, apparently it tends to fall apart pretty quickly. I would expect that the Chopper III is just as bad, but I haven't heard anything about it specifically.
Get one of these fast, NWSL will soon be out of business if the current owners don't find a buyer.
I have the Chopper 1. I bought years ago before there was a Chopper II. It is *mostly* ok except the clamps that hold down the cutting angles do not clamp tight anymore because the threaded inserts in the masonite base came loose. Chopper II might not have that problem since it has a metal base.
I've got the Chopper III. It is big but that's an advantage when you're cutting long pieces of stripwood. It's much better built than the the Chopper I. It's not as intuitive to use as the Chopper II but, once you understand how to set up the two angle pieces, you can turn out a lot of work fast.
Since this same thing has also been posted on the MR forum, I'll just copy my comments on that thread here:
I had a #1 for many years, found it great in my scratchbuilding and other projects. Micro Mark had #2 on sale some time ago, and I got one, sold the other one. Been working great until just recently when I tried to cut a piece of thin plywood as used in a laser cut kit. I had to press fairly hard to cut the dense wood, and the rear of the blade afterwards was angled upwards a bit.
I took off the metal plate that holds the blade in place with a single screw and noticed the rear lug that is cast into the handle had sheared off. The slots in the single edged blade are held in place by two such lugs. On the original, the blade is held in place with two screws through the slot in the blade.
The Chopper still works, but not as well. I sent a note to NWSL asking if I could get a replacement handle, and if so, would I be able to replace it myself. The bearing looks like it is pressed in. I am quite disappointed that I never heard back from NWSL at all. Either they don't care or cannot supply a replacement handle. I'd like to know either way, so I may send them another message. They've been great servicing their products in the past.
EDIT: After I posted this message I re-sent my e-mail to NWSL inquring about the Chopper II handle. They replied right away that a replacement was in the mail on June 6th. Now all I have to do is get it an figure out how to install it, as they said an arbour press would be needed to press out the old bushing.
EDIT: After I posted this message I re-sent my e-mail to NWSL inquring about the Chopper II handle. They replied right away that a replacement was in the mail on June 6th. Now all I have to do is get it an figure out how to install it, as they said an arbour press would be needed to press out the old bushing.
