Thread: Wedge angle

I am making some scales out of wood. One set is teak and is slightly under 1/8 inch thick. When I assembled them there is a 3/8 inch spread at the pivot end. It takes a slight pressure to close to blade width.

The second set is walnut and slightly over 1/8 inch thick. The walnut scales are much stiffer. I looked at my Bill Ellis disk and he says the wedge should be about the width of the blade and a few degrees.

Do you have any ideas on what the opening at the pivot should be before installing the blade?

Having never seen Ellis' dvd I can't answer for what he says...

My general rule of thumb is to start with 1/2 the width of the tang and sand/file/hammer that into a wedge shape and adjust to fit before drilling the hole...

To answer your question directly the flare should be about 1/4 inch on either side of the tang.. But this is not a steadfast rule...

I can also tell you that packed into this sticky is a ton of info that you might want to take a look at...

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...wers-here.html


We have put tons of links in the opening thread of the Workshop trying to put info at your finger tips....

Here's a photo of one of mine. Visuals always help.

Thanks Glen. What size screws are you using as your adjustable pins? I use paper clips and thumb and fore finger. I think your mock up before pinning looks like a good way to go.

In the same sticky is a link about Adjustable pins from Microfasteners


Browse that man, I am telling you there are some slick tricks in there

Ben, that is about my wedge angle. I think I will reduce the angle for the stiffer scales to reduce the strain on the pins. Is that wedge epoxied with no pin?

Thanks Glen I did not scroll to the bottom. The info looks very complete.

Originally Posted by jreiter22

I am making some scales out of wood. One set is teak and is slightly under 1/8 inch thick. When I assembled them there is a 3/8 inch spread at the pivot end. It takes a slight pressure to close to blade width.

The second set is walnut and slightly over 1/8 inch thick. The walnut scales are much stiffer. I looked at my Bill Ellis disk and he says the wedge should be about the width of the blade and a few degrees.

Do you have any ideas on what the opening at the pivot should be before installing the blade?

3/8 is probably close enough if you are talking total distance between the inside of the scales at the tips near the pivot. One factor to consider is the material used. Cocobolo, for instance, would need to be closer together than one of the more flexible materials, including other types of wood. You cannot go wrong having the material of the scales spread 1/8 inch wider than the thickness of the blade at the pivot point. Too much distance at the pivot area will create undue stress on the scales at the area of the spacer and can also cause the scales to bow too much between the pivot and the butt of the razor.

The thickness and angle of the spacer is a mite more critical than the distance between scales at the pivot so as to insure proper tension at the tip of the scales. Measure the thickness of the blade where you want the blade to seat within the scales at the butt of the razor. That's how wide the spacer needs to be at the fattest part. Quarter hollow blades would have a thicker measurement than a full hollow blade if you wanted the same exposure showing from the profile view of the finished razor as full hollow razors get thin real quick real close to the spine. As a general rule, you could use a 3/32 thickness at the wide part of the spacer and taper down from there. Pinch the two halves of the scales onto the spacer temporarily with your thumb and finger just to check the gap near the pivot. That's the part that needs to be 1/8 inch wider than the thickness of the tang at the the pivot point. Once the distance is where you want it, then you can start pinning. I think you will have a more professional look if you learn to peen pins rather than use those nuts/bolts. The ones that Zowada uses are pretty nice, but not the over-protruding ones you can get at microfasteners. There is a video on making wedges on Ellis' blog that may help. That link can be found from his web site.

Thank you Otis that is a very good explanation of fitting the wedge. Bill said the width of the blade but I could not visualize what he meant from his explanation. I am using 18 gauge brass escutcheon pins and 1/16 brass rod for pins. I have to make a fixture to hold the rod for pre- heading.

I have made a dimpling block for #0 washers but the ones I have still look to large. I have ordered #0 and #00 brass washers from Micro. I am currently using salvaged washers for my repairs.

Do you have any suggestions on the washers? I have not tried cutting blanks from 1/16" brass tubing and forming them on the dimpling block.

so have you seen the fixture in the Wiki on making washers using a rod in a piece of round stock? If not take a look. otherwise if you have a paper punch that is used for 3 ring binders and your brass is thin enough you could try that. I have seen that posted somewhere on here.
Good Luck