First set of scales under way

I just started making my first set of scales from the "mystery wood" I got at a dollar bin in a clothing store, which may or may not be "sheesham" wood. The only tool I have to cut the wood into scales with is an electric jig saw that I purchased today, which isn't exactly the optimal tool for that job. When I can afford it, I will buy me a cheap hobby band saw instead.

The first set of scales will probably look like crap, since I wasn't used to the saw and made crooked cuts. At least it's good practice for the next set. I'll be using a white plastic wedge which I formed with a file. The plastic came from an ice scraper for windshields which I happened to have.

I'll post pictures when I've finished the scales and mounted the blade in them.

/Nicholas

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Originally Posted by minstrel

I just started making my first set of scales from the "mystery wood" I got at a dollar bin in a clothing store, which may or may not be "sheesham" wood. The only tool I have to cut the wood into scales with is an electric jig saw that I purchased today, which isn't exactly the optimal tool for that job. When I can afford it, I will buy me a cheap hobby band saw instead.

The first set of scales will probably look like crap, since I wasn't used to the saw and made crooked cuts. At least it's good practice for the next set. I'll be using a white plastic wedge which I formed with a file. The plastic came from an ice scraper for windshields which I happened to have.

I'll post pictures when I've finished the scales and mounted the blade in them.

/Nicholas

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I used a standard saw with the wood clamped in my workmate, sawing with the length of the blade.
I guess a bandsaw will work a lot better, but electric tools are a luxury, not a necessity. Since I can't afford a bandsaw and a belt sander atm I use a couple of pro quality files and a dremel to shape the wood.

Yeah, electric tools make things easier, and makes it possible to do the work quicker, but when things go wrong, they go wrong quicker too. :rolleyes:

I primarily want a band saw to "split" wood into scales. Using a regular saw to do that doesn't work for me. I always manage to mess it up when I use a hand powered saw.

Ok, I finished my first set of scales. Look at it as a "proof of concept" exercise. I wanted to see what it was like to make the scales, and what to watch out for when I make scales for the better blades. I think I learned a lot from this first set of scales, and will be able to apply that knowledge to the ones I'll make in the future. It was also an exercise to learn to use the jig saw, and to examine the wood's properties.

The wood: Reputedly Sheesham wood.

The wedge: Plastic from an ice scraper.

The pins: The rods from pop rivets.

The collars and blade bearings: Zinc coated spacers I bought at an electronics store.

The blade: Horribly abused R.J. Roberts Sheffield.

I didn't polish the wood to any great degree, and didn't finish it in any way, since it's not going to be used for anything. I think it's polished to about 150 grit, so it's pretty coarse.

/Nicholas

Good Morning,

You seemed to have a quick turn over there making those scales last night. You are really into this which is a good thing! They look pretty good for a first run congrats! I myself wanted to get into making some scales and I think I will try it a bit with my uncle sometime soon.

They look like scales to me! :tu Nice job!

I agree.

You should pop that blade off, finish off the scales (higher grit polish), rub some truoil or renaissance wax onto it (or both), slap in a purddier
Blade, and call it a day! Or, straight razor.....

C utz

They are not as nice as they look in the pictures, I assure you. Or maybe I just have very high standards, I don't know. Anyway, the scales are of uneven thickness due to my lack of practice with the jig saw, and the wedge is a bit off-center, so the opening along one side of the skales is wider than on the other side, which doesn't look very good. Those are things I will correct with the next set of scales.

I have a heap of the same wood to work with, and no shortage of other materials, so I'm pretty sure the other four blades I have will get better scales. :)

Nice job! I will be starting on my first rehab and re-scale project later this week. I hope mine turns out at least half as good!

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Originally Posted by minstrel

Anyway, the scales are of uneven thickness due to my lack of practice with the jig saw

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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.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

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

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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... :hmmm:

Great idea to have the extras around. Good job!

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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.

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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. :rolleyes:

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. :shrug: 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. :)

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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.

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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? :eek: 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.

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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?

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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.