Thread: tricks for making one piece scales

just got my first on piece mostly finished (not done cause it looks crappy) and im looking for help in how the slot is cut and then tappered so the width at the pivot pin is right.

thanks
butch

Doh!! What a dirty trick, naming your post that. Here I thought you were gonna tell me My thought would be some steady hands at the band saw or maybe a thin wedge along the fence to ride against I'd love to hear the secret after your success though!

Originally Posted by L R Harner

just got my first on piece mostly finished (not done cause it looks crappy) and im looking for help in how the slot is cut and then tappered so the width at the pivot pin is right.

thanks
butch

How to cut the slot tapered I can help you with, how to make it look right is your problem!

Have a look at some of the tapering sleds used on a table saw, the ones typically used for making tapered table legs. All you need to do is make a sled that uses the miter slot on the bandsaw table and extend the sled to both sides of the blade but add a stop so that the sled doesn't continue until it's cut in half. Then all you need to do is set up a piece of wood on top the sled that keeps the blank at the correct angle and distance from centerline of the blade. Clamp the scale blank in place (it should still be a square stick at this point) and make one cut, flip it over and make the second cut. It would be a good idea to have it set up so that the sled stop is the end of the cut you are making.

It's kind of hard to explain in words but the picture in my minds eye is clear... I can try to sketch something if you need help with it but I think once you look at some of the home brew tapering jigs/sleds that are on the net, a few flash bulbs should go off in your mind.

As for getting the *right* angle and width... use some softwood blanks of the same size as the material you are going to use as test pieces... I'm sure that after doing a few you'll get a good idea of how much of a taper and the width you'll require so future scales will be quick and easy.

Regards

Kaptain "Tapering off to bed now..." Zero

I have never cut slots in one piece scales before... but i will throw in a thought…

It appears you are almost finished shaping the scales… I would have suggested you cut and sand/finish the slot in the raw material first before finishing the scales, so if you mess up the slot you wouldn't waste all that invested time finishing. Besides it is easier to cut your tapered slot in the raw material because it's square... and there is room for error.
Then place another strip to exactly fit the slot (you may want to very lightly glue it in so It’s easy to remove), and work on the scale as if it were one piece. Cut out the shape of the scale and sand/shape, drill the pivot pin hole then remove the strip and finish with your favorite coat.
You could also drill the pivot pin hole and put a pin in it to hold the strip in place instead of glue.

Maybe someone with more experience can add to this.

I'm going to suggest the opposite, actually--shape the scales and drill the pivot hole before cutting the slot. It's a pain if you screw it up, but the cut scales are nice and springy and you'll have a hard time working with them. You might be able to put something in the middle to support them, but better to work them while they're solid.

Don't worry about tapering the slot. Make the scales thinner than the tang and the tang will wedge the scales open, creating a natural taper.

Tim Zowada told me he uses a bandsaw to cut his one-piece scales, so I think you just need a wide blade, a good fence and a steady hand. My one attempt so far turned out OK, but I'll need to do some more practicing before any of my hand-made razors sport one-piece scales.

Josh

that all makes sense even the tapered sled on the bandsaw
and i too think that while time lost to work of drilling the pin hole would suck drilling after the slotting might end up taking more time
i ll hav eto draw it up on someof my cocobolo first and see what i come up with (i dont mind messing up a little sapwood to try things
thanks again
butch

welli had sawed down the center of a block and started sandign the center out of it in the wedge shap today and man it was goin great till i slipped


oops blew a bunch of cocobolo (mostly sap wood ) away in the grinder
its a VS so i had it turned fairly slow but like the buffer you have to be on your toes
i have to scale a SS razor soon and i might try again but the next big job is the Damascus 15/16 im working thinking Ti and zebra wood as i am not sure how the burl will look with the straight lines of the Damascus

up date
getting better the inside of the scale still needs a litle shaping to make it even but not bad

Not bad at all!!... wish I could make one piece like that.