Thread: Make your own paddle strop

So this was my weekend project...

alp,

It looks gorgeous - nice work.

Thank you Bruce. The greatest part is, the whole thing cost me $4.12! $3.62 for the balsa (3"X 36"X 1/4") at a hobby shop and 50 cents for the wood ( it was oak baseboard reclaimed from an old home and sold at a Habitat for Humanity Re-store). I butchered the handle at first with some shoddy jig sawing and then half the handle broke off when I drilled the hole so I had to glue it with carpenter's glue.
My wife told me to bring it over to her Dad's because he's a master carpenter at Stickley furniture. I was pretty ashamed of my work so I didn't want to bring it at first. But he opened his wood-shop up and after some spindle sanding and router work it turned out fine. Good Father-in-law/ Son time. Now I'm just waiting on the paste in the mail. Pretty easy home project all in all, and honestly, I could have lived with my first attempt but I wanted to do better. I don't know why more guys don't make their own. However I am pretty excited to receive my leather strop from Tony. I had an itch for making my own leather strop too but the Legend of Tony's craftsmanship brought me around to see the light. It would have cost me more in materials to do it myself and I would have ended up with an inferior product. Anyway, thanks again.

I made this about six months ago, cost me about ten bucks because the wood is nice Curly Maple and the leather is 2.5 inch wide 14 oz veg. tanned leather.

Razor is a (guessing) Mid 1800's, E.L. & Co. 8/8 (actually almost 17/16ths), tang is stamped "made in Sheffield for America" only one I've ever come across, but it shaves with the best of 'em. Outfitted with matching figured Maple scales.

Both of been treating me VERY well. I would recommend everyone at least try to make a strop for themself, because the joy gained from using your own tool for a job is absolutely amazing. and id it doesn't turn out well, you'll appreciate what others are doing for you that much more.

Nice work guys. Love the curly maple, one of my favorite woods.

Alpinmack you wood actually looks more like good old Southern yellowheart pine commonly used for flooring and baseboards. Oak would tend to show the pores. That stuff wears like iron.

Where is Forestry Professor when you need him.........

"just another data point" <g>

Tony

Now that is a beautiful paddle! Nice work. I've already discussed my wood working shortcomings but that is a trait I see we don't share.

Thanks Tony, I agree, maple is a enjoyable wood to work with.

I just wish I were anything more than an amateur woodworker, my shop is only set up for metal/machine work... but I have a ton of patience and about as much sandpaper.

I've been meaning to make a few more sets like this (matching razor and strop, and soon to be matching brush) to put up for grabs if anyone will take them.

Great work Alp and Russel. My next project is going to be a shelf for my soaps and creams. I am running out of sink space.

bj

same here, sink space is a premium, especially since mine is a timeshare type operation.

I kicked around the idea of a stand alone sink basin, with mirror(s), shelves/drawers and hooks for lots o' goodies, but the problem is that then I'd be forced to fill up all those spaces etc. ...terrible idea, I know.

$2.16 is what this strop cost. It would have been free had I a scrap piece of balsa wood.

This will probably make some of you guys cringe, I cut this with my sawzall. Elmers wood glue overnight compressed between two pieces of wood. Sanded it with some 50 and 220 grit on a block. Done. Now just to add some paste and see how it works.

Crappy cell phone picture as my wife is out of town with the good camera.
aaron