Thread: What basic tools do I need to cut and shape wood scales?

Charlie,
I remember the original post that you did on that and have been referring to it ever since...thanks for linking it! By the way, you know how much those hand drills are going for new? Man! I couldn't believe it when I looked a couple of them up...anyways, nice work!

-Pary

The egg beater style drills are pretty pricey new, but they are pretty reasonable on eboy. Drills are like razors, the ones collectors want go for much more than they worth. A perfectly functional non-collectable drill can be had for very little with a little waiting and looking.

Charlie

Charlie, another question... How do you ensure that the holes you drill will be straight? I tried eyeballing it a few times and the results were OK in some cases, but not in others.

Josh

It is just muscle memory, eyeball it straight on, shift your body and try to look at it from 90 degrees. If it is perpendicular on both axis you are there. After awhile it becomes second nature. Your eyes are better than you think. You can also set a try square by the drill and use it for a reference, but I think it is better the long run to get used to looking closely and trusting your eyes/judgment.

Charlie

Great page.
I used double sided tape to hold the halves together, but your solution might be simpler and easier to work with.

I made a set of scales over the weekend following Charlie's instructions. What a great step-by-step guide... (Photos and a FS posting coming soon... )

I used rubber cement to hold the pieces together; worked very well.

Thanks, Charlie!

Josh

Rubber cement -- no doubt left over from your cut-and-paste editing days.

Ha ha. Nope, freshly purchased from Wal-Mart's craft department. I did edit the student newspaper in college, but we'd switched to desktop publishing by the time I came on board. They went digital in 1998--and they were way behind the times!

Josh

When I first got into the newspaper business, ca. 1975, we were typing on yellow copy paper and editing with pencil, scissors and glue. By the time I left (1990), we were doing everything but layout on computer, and that came soon afterward. I read a story recently where a reporter was interviewing some Google employees and telling them about using scissors and glue to edit copy, and one of them said, "Oh, so that's where 'cut and paste' comes from." Yeah ... I felt a little old.

Great website. I have been thinking of making a set of scales for my Dovo Classic, and possibly my Taylor Eye Witness.

A few quick questions. Do you also seal the inside with the CA? Will the CA bond to the hot glue?