Thread: First set of scales under way

Originally Posted by Bruno

You can easily solve that with a file or a dremel / beltsander, followed by sandpaper.

I think those scales would be "waffer thin" if I tried that. They're pretty thin already, especially in the thinnest places.

I cut up one of the more interesting looking boards of wood I had and made scale blanks outof it. I didn't even use up all the board. The pic is of the blanks. Yes, I made five blanks but only have four blades, but one blank is cut against the grain, so I fully expect those scales to snap at some point. I just cut those out as an experiment, since it shows the most variation in the pattern.

I shaped them with my disc/belt sander, but I won't use that to shape them any more. From now on I will use files and hand sanding to shape them further. The blanks are about 10 mm thick at the moment, so using them as single scales is impractical (would have to sand them down a lot, which is a waste of wood), so I really need to split them. Just hope I can do a better job of it this time around.

The wood really smells strong when you work it. I wear a dust mask, but I still smelled it. Either it smells on its own, or I managed to burn it a bit when I was sanding it...

Great idea to have the extras around. Good job!

Originally Posted by minstrel

one blank is cut against the grain, so I fully expect those scales to snap at some point. I just cut those out as an experiment, since it shows the most variation in the pattern.

Some woods take it better than others. If it is strong and heavy wood it might just work.
Lighter, weaker woods will probably snap.

But it will be an interesting experiment. The look of those cross-cut scales is great.

Btw: you went across the grain, not against the grain. Going with the grain or against the grain is the same from the wood's point of view since with or against indicates a 180 reversal of direction while across conveys 90 degrees -> perpendicular to the grain.
EDIT: sorry for being a stickler.

Yeah, I probably meant to write "across" the grain.

I think some of the boards I have of this wood are made up of staves which have been glued together, but sometimes it's hard to tell. If so, I would expect the joint to split if you put strain on it, especially if you thin the wood down. Still, the "cross-cut" scales may turn out to be functional, in which case I'll probably use them for one of the blades. They do look more interesting than the others, for sure, even though I think the others will look good too once they're finished.

Originally Posted by Bruno

You can easily solve that with a file or a dremel / beltsander, followed by sandpaper.
I split the wood with a standard saw, sand it flat, stick them together with double sided tape and then take away wood from the outside until I have a nice symmetrical set of scales.

Bruno, it sounds like you start with one piece of wood and make a "bookmatched" set. Is that correct? When splitting down the middle, how do you make sure each piece is the same thickness? You must use a saw with a very small kerf. What thickness do you start with, and how thick is each scale after the cut?

Well, today being Friday the 13th maybe I should have refrained from trying to split those scale blanks? I managed to ruin one blank by sawing waaaay too crooked, and the cross-cut blank snapped like I thought it would. One other blank is maybe beyond salvaging too, but the final two should be ok. In fact I made a perfectly good set of scales from one of those blanks. They're really thin, but they do look great. The wood has a sort of golden sheen when it's polished, and it looks like it changes color slightly when you view it from different angles. Very nice.

Originally Posted by Kyle76

Bruno, it sounds like you start with one piece of wood and make a "bookmatched" set. Is that correct? When splitting down the middle, how do you make sure each piece is the same thickness? You must use a saw with a very small kerf. What thickness do you start with, and how thick is each scale after the cut?

I use a standard swedish bahco saw.

I start with one block that is 23 mm thick and I saw it in half lengthwise. This is a tedious job.
Then I either use a beltsander (if I have acces to one) or a file and a plate with sandpaper on top to make the insides flat.
Then I use dual sided tape to stick both halve back together and then I use files, sandpaper and / or a dremel to shape the scales and to make them thinner.

Since both halves are stuck together, it is fairly easy to make them symmertical and of the same thickness.

As soon as the outer shape is ok I seperate the pieces and I do any necessary work on the insides if I need to.

This way I end up with identical scales that fit together without any problem.
The key here is that when I start filing / sanding, both halves are way thiccker than whay I need so I don't have to care abou the initial thickness.