Thread: Cutting scales in half

Picked up a few of the thinnest scales I could find on the bay but they are still 1/4" thick. Are there any members in the U.S. that might be able to cut them in half for a nominal charge ?

Not really sure if any of the local shops could cut anything that thin and still maintain decent thickness on the material that's left.
All depends upon the thickness of the blade cutting.

I can mill them to size,1/8 in.? cost of shipping only,tough to cut them in half,you would lose half the materiel .
You have .250,you lose .080 the the bandsaw.

Wouldn't milling them to 1/8" remove .125 vs the .025 a thin band saw blade would remove ?

If you cut them in half you wind up with two slabs that would be less than ideal thickness. Maybe I am just a poor bandsaw operator, but my finest metal blades still remove at least double the width of the blade in a cut if not more. If it were me, I would cut my losses and use my 4x36 belt sander to thin the material to my desired thickness rather than trying to turn one slab into two when they are only 1/4 to begin with. I'm sure there are many other people who are better at this stuff than I, but it seems like a lofty goal.

Originally Posted by User64

Wouldn't milling them to 1/8" remove .125 vs the .025 a thin band saw blade would remove ?

bandsaw blade may be .025 on the non-cutting side,but when you consider the kerf on the cutting side it is far more.
I can cut one 1/8th pce out of 1/4 no prob,the other will be far less than 1/8th.

I've split 3/8 thick material with more than enough left over for scales, but 1/4 I usually just sand to whatever thickness I need instead of trying to split. I've used 1/16 inch stuff, but I had to add a liner. I like to keep my scales around 2.8mm thick, but it also depends on the razor. Heavier, thicker razors usually need heavier and/or thicker scales to balance and help to stabilize everything. Have to remember though when using wood that the thicker they are the less flexible they are. Other materials will flex when thicker, but it depends on the material. The scales don't have to flex alot, just enough to give the razor tension when opening and closing.

Thank you everyone. It's been almost 30 years since I was in wood shop lol.

You could try and make 1 piece scales with them possibly

Go to Ace hardware and buy yourself some really thin sheets of brass. Cut them to shape and then glue whatever you want to cover it - sand it down as thin as you want.

Works for me! Good luck.

No reason to turn something simple into an ordeal,bandsaw a 1/8 in pce, work from there,easy stuff.