Thread: trying my hand at making custom wood scales - need a bit of help

Hey all, I've been trying my hand recently at making custom scales. So far, I've been able to get the wood cut to the right shape and sanded down rather well. But i've run into two problems, and any suggestions would be most appreciated:

1) I can't get the wedge to sit flush between the scales - i.e., so that you have three pieces of wood all pressed together into one solid piece. I guess it ha something to do with the wood not being perfectly flat - though they seemed flat - because I even had the problem with the factory made thiers-issard plastic wedges I tried. Is it possible that you just need to fully tighten the pins, and that cranks the wood together and brings them flat?

2) Some of the wood I have is a bit too thick, especially for making wedges. Are there any efficient ways to slim down the thickness? I dont have a table saw or anything that would work well, and sanding down 1/16" or 1/8" of hard wood takes forever. Maybe I need a plane, or something like that?

3) And when it comes to wedges, what thickness do you generally use? Those T-I wedges I mentioned are VERY slim, but I've also seen some "wedges" sold that are as thick as 1/8" or more. And is it necessary that they be "slanted" rather than flat, and if so how does one make them "slant", especially in a way that would result in both sides being slanted symmetrical?

Many thanks for your help, everyone -

All the questions your asking are in the WIKI, also there are some great videos on a step by step restore by Undream and Gssixgun has a link posted at the top of the workshop for a step by step restoreation also. Theres alot of great tips in all. All the info you need is there.
Tony B

1) Make sure to sand the scales and the wedge with very light pressure on a perfectly flat surface. That should do the trick.

2) Sanding down a pre cut wedge shouldn't take too long on 80 grit sanding paper. I use a dremel with plunge router setup for this though.

3) This comes down to personal preference, like the look of the scales you're after and how deep you want the razor to sit in the scales. There are several methods to make a wedge shape. I drill a hole in them when they're still a spacer and in steps I file the outeredge on both sides and then sand the sides flat again till I get the shape I want.

I would flatten the insides of the scales on a sheet of sandpaper. Lay the paper on a flat surface (tape it down if you have to) and move the scales on top of the paper to flatten the insides of the scales. For making a wedge I would do the same thing. I would start with a piece about 1” square 1/8" thick, you can taper it by putting pressure on one side while moving the piece across a piece of coarse sandpaper. You should end up with flat surfaces that mate well. I make the wedge oversize and make sure the fit is good. After that I cut the wedge down to shape and sand it flush with the scales.


This how I make my wedges and I have a shop full of tools, it is just more pleasant work to do it by hand.


As for size and the amount of taper I would look at older factory razors and copy what they did. If it looks right, it usually is.


Charlie