Thread: Achieving The Correct Scale Shape

Ok folks, I have two questions that I hope you can help me with,

1. Are there any suppliers online who will cut the wood to the correct thickness before I buy it? I'm having a hell of a job cutting up big blocks of wood accurately without a band saw.

2. What is the best way to add a smooth curve to the scales? Is it just about taking your time with the sand paper? I was wondering if it would be easier to do on a belt sander.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi,
You'd have to contact the individual supplier about getting timber planed up to the desired thickness. I'd imagine that a lot of them would do that. Particularly the smaller outfits.

I do most of my shaping on a belt sander. It's a handheld one, with a 3" wide sheet. I keep it in the on position & turn it upside down. That way i can see what's happening to the scale & find it easier. You can do a lot of damage with a belt sander though, so i take it easy.

I'm going to try a Dozuki to cut down larger pieces of wood to the 1/8th thickness that I need. I might have to get a bandsaw if this does not work too well.

I like using my belt sander for the curves, it is very quick. Watch yourself the first time you try, its awfully fast.

Paddy:

This or one like it can do way more than you can imagine when working scales.... Watch the low grit belts, I mostly use a 120 grit rarely less than that....

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

This is the one power tool I would not give up.....

For ripping material I use a table saw with a thin Kerf carbide blade, I find that a band saw creates more work then it saves , and yes I have both and a scroll saw, I still like my table saw for ripping stuff into 1/8 or 3/16 blanks...

I just recently went through the trouble to find suppliers that will cut it down to thickness for me. To save you many hours of research and frustration, here are the two that I use. Both guys were top notch to deal with, and extremely quick to ship the product.

Their prices are a bit higher than some are willing to pay, but that group didn't include me by the time I finished the search

I got the colored box elder burl from this guy. Amazing looking scale material!
eBay Store - STABURL: DOUBLE STABILIZED, TURNING BLANKS, NATURAL BOXELDER SCALES

I picked up some stained glass maple burl, buckeye burl and redwood burl from this guy
eBay Store - burlsource: Maple Knife Scales, Redwood Knife Scales, Misc. Turning Pieces

Now I just need to figure out what wood goes with what razor and put it in the mail for Max.

Dave

Great links here, fellas. As a new scale maker myself, I'm finding some helpful info here.

I'm with the G-Man on this one except I use a band saw because lack of space for a table saw and I only use the band saw to resaw small woodturners or pen blanks which in general always come is smaller sized versions perfect for scales.
You can get a decent 9" or 10" bench top band saw that's perfect for those small scale projects.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Paddy:

This or one like it can do way more than you can imagine when working scales.... Watch the low grit belts, I mostly use a 120 grit rarely less than that....

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

This is the one power tool I would not give up.....

For ripping material I use a table saw with a thin Kerf carbide blade, I find that a band saw creates more work then it saves , and yes I have both and a scroll saw, I still like my table saw for ripping stuff into 1/8 or 3/16 blanks...

Thanks for the link. I got my tax return today and made a trip to HF. Lucky me, it was on sale for $69.99. I can't wait to try it out this weekend.

Paddington, assuming you're in the UK try these:

Jeremy : eBay My World - j3mry . He agreed to cut me pieces 3mm thick, 30mm x 150mm @ 50p a pair. I think he stocks most native hardwoods. Good for small quantity.

Stiles and Bates: Stiles and Bates - Online Shop I spoke with David, one of the owners, and he agreed that if I bought some wood, they would cut them to size FOC ( I think he offered before he realized how much wood I would buy!)

Anything in particular you are looking for? I've got someHornbeam, Apple, Tulip, Ovangkol, Sweet Chestnut, Pau Amarello, Jatoba, Goncal Alves, Bubinga, Ropala Lacewood, Pau Rosa, Leopardwood, Anjan and Zebrano.Can spare a few of each if required.