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That's a great idea I think! Though I imagine a strop in the place of the strings, with 2 of the tuning pegs to tighten it.Quote:
Originally Posted by JP5
That leads me to a question.. Should it be a functional musical instrument? This would be more of a challenge if so.
Has to be functional or it is a USO (ukulele shaped object).:tuQuote:
Originally Posted by MikeT
Tom, was this what you were talking about for wedges? I made it about 1 1/2 yrs ago when I was talking about making wedges out of Cerrobend. Cerrobend retains its shine rather than becoming dull looking like lead. It melts very easily as you may know.
Attachment 307441
Attachment 307442
Attachment 307443
I made a long strip of it by placing wedges under the part with the thick side under the piece that is screwed in which tilted it a tad. It worked okay but could use some perfecting. Having the long piece, I was able to break or cut a piece off but this one was for a normal sized razor. For ones with larger blades like FBU's & so on, the wedges need to be a little longer. I like the way with the 2 blocks of wood put together but this could be made a little better.
If perfected, different thickness wedges could placed as I mentioned to make thicker wedges. I had to pour the Cerrobend carefully or it would flow over the piece screwed in.
I actually thought of an idea in which I could make a top for it sealing the Cerrobend in using something like a piano hinge or shorter hinges with a flat piece of metal screwed in the top of it on the screw side & fabricating a piece near the top with a screw going through a hole on the back "wall" & another tapped hole in the piece attached to the hinge(s) so that out could be adjustable for thinner or thicker wedges if ya know what I mean. I'm sure there could be a simpler way of making them but this was a way to make several in one whack! This was like I said, about 1 1/2 yrs ago. It sounds primitive so I know there's a better way. I'm sure some of you great guys could make a better one.
Mike-I just fell down the Cook Woods rabbit hole thanks to you. They are having a sale on Claro Walnut burl blanks. Suffice to say I spent more than I care to admit on some of the most gorgeous wood I've ever seen-16 pages of wood pron on just the walnut burls! I picked up some more African Blackwood too, as I'm hoping to do a razor/brush combo in that material. It's looking more and more like the "summer of wood" for me after my various acrylic, paua, horn and bone phases.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeT
The thing is, though, they wanted $35 for just a few custom cuts, so I just ordered a couple of turning blanks as is, and I'll cut them myself if necessary.
Thanks again for the tip! Aaron
Cutting does waste some wood, but the offset in cost makes it worth it.
Sounds like some nice pieces ordered. Im still trying to work thru the last of what i have in stock. Not the best stuff but they work. When i get thru them i might look into buying some burl. I haven't worked with that yet.
Jerry-With burls you generally want to have it stabilized, especially at razor scale thicknesses. I am waiting on some red mallee burl to get the Cactus Juice treatment by a knife-maker friend of mine, and then I plan to back it with .030" black G10 per the advice I got on here, as even stabilized, it can still be very brittle. But it works and shines up beautifully!
I'll report in when I'm working on this project, as I'll probably have a few technical questions. Later-Aaron
Got home from work today to find a few project razors in the mailbox. From left to right are a Timor, a Wilburt Cutlery(made into a shorty some time ago), an Ern Crown & Sword and a Joseph Smith and Sons(with roached horn scales). These should keep me busy for a short time and I'm sure will all be nice shavers.
Attachment 307447
That Timor is looking a little rough on the edge. Good luck with it. The rest look like nice razors that will come to life without too much effort.
Aaron, Ill be watching. And the liner sounds like the safest way about it.
I was concerned about the Timor as well. Did a quick clean on it and the pitting does go into the edge in a couple of places. The rest just comes really close to the edge. I honed it up anyway and the edge seems fine, but I'm prepared for it to be a little uncomfortable when I test shave it. Attachment 307452Quote:
Originally Posted by Gasman
Okay, now that I'm upgrading my blades and bits, say I want to get a better ripping blade for my 10" table saw for ripping blanks of exotic hardwoods. I'm hoping to get really fine cuts, hopefully no more than 1/6" thick (though 1/8" would be perfect-not sure that's realistic or even safe on a table saw?). I subscribe to the adage "Buy once, cry once." What do you more experienced woodworkers recommend?
Here are a couple of new projects I picked up cheap... Or is that cheaply? :confused:
Attachment 307467
The Lady in Black on the bottom is a Kanners Blue Steel. It has significant hone wear especially toward the toe. Heavy X pattern honing I guess??? :shrug: Nothing That can't be fixed. Still plenty of spine left.
Anyway, the one I was really after was that beauty in the rough on the top.
Attachment 307469
It's a pre Wilson - Gorman Tariff Frederick Reynolds with very nicely colored opaque horn scales. That thing that looks like a crack up near the top pin appears to actually be grain in the horn but I'm still not sure yet. They have considerable warping and need some special attention. It appears there must have been some amount of shrinking. You see the badge in the middle of the scale there seems to have buckled towards the center in a couple of places. It can't have been very much though because there's plenty of room between the toe and the wedge.
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I'm a little nervous about taking it apart for that reason but I'm also hesitant to try the boiling water since the wedge looks to be lead. That's probably not hot enough to melt the lead although it does have a very low melting point.
Can't wait to see that thing finished. I have a particular fondness for that shape of blade.
I don’t have a big hardware supply to buy from and my selection is limited locally, and everything else is mail order. Your typical ripping blade is a fat blade with large teeth and it will take a very wide kerf. If I’m ripping a ton of long boards that’s what I use. However if I am taking thin sliced off short block of expensive wood, I typically choose the bandsaw. If my son was visiting and broke my bandsaw blade for ripping and I had to use the table saw, then I would use a laminate floor blade, because the rake on the teeth is different, it has a thin kerf and makes a smooth cut. Make sure it’s very sharp, and go slow. That is my go to blade for messing with hard wood like yew or arbutus. A well set up bandsaw beats a table saw for making nice fine cuts.
I think the setup for using a Japanese saw with a magnetic jig to cut scale blanks is simple and brilliantly low tech solution.Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
https://shavelibrary.com/w/Cutting_Scale_Blanks
If you have a great handsaw for ripping those jigs are awesome.
What wood working I do is with friends who have a lot more experience than I do. So this is just something that I found.Quote:
Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad
https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Kerf40-.../dp/B00J8UM7CW
The reviews look great.
Shaved with the Timor today. Despite the small amount of pitting at the edge, it delivered a surprisingly smooth shave. Whether that edge lasts too long is yet to be seen.
Wow, Roy, that looks awesome and very tempting. At that price, it would be more like sobbing than crying! But a 1/16", glass smooth kerf? Wow!Quote:
Originally Posted by cudarunner
My friend, what are enablers for if not to 'Help' their friends? :wQuote:
Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad
Attachment 307511
If you do go with it. I would presume that you'd make a new piece that surrounds your blade out of wood or plastic, then while the table saw is running slowly raise the blade to provide a zero clearance so your slices wouldn't tend to slip down and get chewed up.
My wood shop instructor 'Grit' didn't like us cutting pieces that were up against the fence due to what he called 'The Arrow Effect' in that once the piece was cut the spinning blade would catch the piece and it would bind against the fence and be flung backwards. However Grit did say that if you knew it was coming it could be done.
When Ski has helped me cut 1/8" blanks we did the arrow set up. But Ski used a piece of wood against the guide so that it would push the blank past the saw and any 'arrow' was just a short end grain piece.
So as always--Safety First!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toNsPh-pxgc
Thanks much as always, Roy! All of this may be moot at this point (though I still occasionally operate and still need every tip I can get on a table saw-that thing scares me a little TBH). I was talking to my knife-maker friend who stabilizes my wood yesterday. He has bought a fancy 14" re-cutting band saw with a 1-inch blade that will safely cut true, flat 1/8" blanks, which he says I can use any time I need it. This will save me many hours of flattening and thicknessing along with the choking clouds of toxic dust that generates. He is also cutting me some walnut burl into 1/8" blanks!
I'm going to have to gift that man a nice bottle of scotch, a fancy razor, something. If anyone is interested, here is his web-page (a bit dated, as I think he mostly posts on Facebook now, and I know he just finished a years-long contract for over 1000 fancy bowie knives (yeah, hard to believe, but true) for some outdoor outfitter whose name escapes me: Ross Tyser Custom Knives
It is way more accurate and much faster to rip your blanks on a properly set up band saw than a table saw. You can cut a lot of wood in just a few minutes. You will likely spend more time sweeping up than sawing. His site may be dated but he has a lot of nice knives on there. Everyone is happy with a small token for sharing their toys. Depending on who it is some may be happier with baked goods than a bottle. To each their own I suppose.
Just went to Ross Tyser Custom Knives to check it out.
NICE!
Yeah, his work has been in movies, is owned by celebrities, many custom commissions for The Shot Show and other prestigious shows. Just to clarify in case anyone tries to google him, it is Tyser (not Taylor)-easy mistake to make. Anyway, I am proud and humbled to call him a friend, as well as someone I learn all I can from. He has tried to get me into knife-making/hammering steel, but that is a whole nother dark art. Metallurgy is mostly a mystery to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Diboll
Thank You Sir,Quote:
Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad
Fixed it in my post.
Made some progress on my John Cockhill Brittish military razor.
Probably finished with the blade. Went from steel wool down to 600 (400 in a couple of spots on the tang). Then back up to 2500 and started to polish...eh nope didn't look right. Went back down to 1000 with no polish and I thought it looked better (It might have been through WW1, polish just wasn't right). Considering going down to 600, I'll see when I mock it up with the new scales.
Had a small fight with the scales. My blank was warped to start, straightened it. Tried white glue/copy paper to hold the blanks together. After it was dry, they were trying to warp again. They stayed together enough to get the rough profile cut, then just came apart. Straightened/glued them together again and got them finish profiled when they decided to warp again and the copy paper let loose. It was time to take them apart anyway. Added some extra time in the oven, left them in the freezer for a full day, and a full day to come back to room temp. That seems to have done it. 3M double sided tape to a board for initial flattening. The tape stripped some of the horn off when removing it (this is the second time that tape has done this with horn...done with that tape). So, the front scale became the back scale letting me sand out the damage. Working on final shaping and thickness. Just taking my time and looking for an improvement from previous attempts. Pics below.
Nice progress. I have had to go back and forth in the grits sanding quite a bit. I have found nothing is quite as helpful as my dork lord visor. It makes seeing the finer details of scratch patterns much much easier.
I have two 'Dork Lord' visors, one has a focus at 10 inches the other at 4 inches. I use them a lot. I find that when peening I can see what's happening while it's happening.
And as my friend Rez said you can see things like the finish from abrasives so much better.
DORK ON!
Attachment 307536
I need to get one of those so I can hang out with you and Tom at the next meet. And cuz my eyes have taken a turn for the worst over the last couple years.Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
Your nose is almost touching it....
Seriously do they make progressive computer glasses?
This in between stuff is driving me nuts.
Readers from Walgreens is the only way I can look at computer screens and most small things.
My bifocals are for watching tv and driving/riding.
The magnifying visor has become a way of life in conjunction with the readers.
I am on 200's.
Blind as a bat.....
You know you are losing it as you drive halfway home from the bank with your readers on.......Sigh!
I was looking at those visors for a couple hours trying to figure out which to get (on the bay).
Settled on something similar to the one in that pic, Roy.
I have a question about the distance.. What is a better one to get? I think some of them are adjustable.
What are the pros and cons? Change or add blades?
I'm looking to join the Dork Side.
:)
Also, if any of you have experience with rubber-toughened CA? Is all black CA rubber-toughened?
EDIT: correction, mostly settled, haven't ordered yet.
Don't need anything too fancy but don't want to buy junk.
These are the ones I purchased. They show what the focus distance is in relation to the magnification and I've found it pretty accurate.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeT
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use them more for day to day real life than I do for razor work--:w
Got mine from H.F. Sure, they are cheap but they work good enough. That and my Tri-folcals. I can see a damn thing without my glasses.
I currently have two prescriptions, one for distance, and one for intermediate distance that was intended mostly for computer use. I don't find myself actually using those ones for the computer most of the time, but I'm finding them indispensable in the shop. My normal (distance) prescription just doesn't work any more for close-up work so if I forget to put on the intermediates before heading out, I end up just going without, but then for anything beyond reading range, things get really blurry.Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
So I'm thinking next time I get new glasses I might as well get progressives.
I need to get in on the visor action too.
Laser surgery gets more tempting every year.
Been wearing progressive lens glasses for years.
At first, they take a little getting used to.
After that they have worked great for me.
I say "for me" beause I've heard that some people can never get used to them.
It's a pretty blurry world without them, especially up close.
Pete <:-}
I spent a ridiculous amount of money for the very best progressive lenses available. In the end I could wear them steady IF I was not doing anything that required me to have great depth perception, or great long range vision. They made my close to intermediate vision great but sacrificed my long range. That meant I could not wear them at work. I will likely never buy another pair of progressive lens. What I have had that I will get aging is bifocal contact lens.
I guess that is really what i use. Progressive. Too some getting used to but they work for me. I can see my paperwork, the hood and the distance down the road. But you just cant look out the side of the glasses. Learning to turn my head to look was what helped me.
My bifocals usually work fine for me. 0 to 3 feet is what I have the issues with.
The focal distance mentioned was what got me thinking about this again.
A pair of bench work/computer progressive lenses that focus from 0 to 3'.
I have progressive trifocals. They work great for mid-range and reading, but I too have sacrificed long distance acuity.
They are also a pain when I have to do close work in a position in which it is difficult to look through the bottom of the lens - for example, when I am under the sink trying to work on plumbing. That usually means I have to lie on my back looking up which makes the close up part of the lens in exactly the wrong place.
I used to be pretty good with shooting pool. Now with glasses, I'm in the same boat. Leaning over the table and trying to look out of the bottom of the lens don't work too well. I think its been 3-4 years since I played now.Quote:
Originally Posted by DZEC
You will maybe look silly but this works.Quote:
Originally Posted by DZEC
Put your glasses on upside down.
